[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 18 (Thursday, January 28, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4464-4465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-2013]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NM-930-1020-00]
Availability of Draft Statewide Resource Management Plan
Amendment/Draft Environmental Impact Statement, of Land Use Plans in
New Mexico for Implementation of New Mexico Standards for Public Land
Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office.
ACTION: Notice of Availability, and Public Hearing Schedule.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management announces the availability for
public review of the Draft Statewide Resource Management Plan
Amendment/Draft Environmental Impact Statement, of Land Use Plans in
New Mexico for Implementation of New Mexico Standards for Public Land
Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management. The Draft
Statewide Resource Management Plan Amendment/Draft Environmental Impact
Statement addresses the effects of adopting statewide standards for
public land health and guidelines for livestock grazing on BLM
administered lands in New Mexico. When adopted the standards and
guidelines would be incorporated into eight BLM land use plans that
cover approximately 13.5 million acres of BLM-administered land. This
action is proposed in accordance with revised regulations for livestock
grazing on BLM-administered lands (43 CFR 4100). Notice also is given
that public hearings will be held to seek public comment on the
adequacy of the Draft Statewide Resource Management Plan Amendment/
Draft Environmental Impact Statement, including alternatives and the
impacts of those alternatives.
DATES: Twelve public hearings have been scheduled. All hearings will
have an afternoon and an evening session. The afternoon hearing will
begin at 2:00 p.m. and continue until those signed up to speak have
done so or until 5:00 p.m., at which time there will be a dinner
recess. After a break for dinner the hearing will reconvene at 7:00
p.m. for the evening hearing and run until those signed up to speak
have had an opportunity to do so. Both oral and written testimony will
be accepted at the hearings. A 5-minute time limit will be placed on
oral comments, which should be accompanied by a written synopsis of the
presentation. Written and oral comments will be equally evaluated in
full and considered in the preparation of the Proposed Resource
Management Plan Amendment/Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Hearings are scheduled for the following locations and dates:
March 08, 1999--Crownpoint Institute of Technology, Crownpoint, NM.
March 09, 1999--Civic Center located at 200 West Arrington,
Farmington, NM.
March 10, 1999--Cuba High School, 50 County Road 13, Cuba, NM.
March 11, 1999--Lucero Center in the Espanola Plaza, Espanola, NM.
March 15, 1999--Holiday Inn at Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos, NM.
March 16, 1999--BLM Office, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 1474 Rodeo
Rd., Santa Fe, NM.
March 17, 1999--BLM Office, Conference Room, 1800 Marquess St., Las
Cruces, NM.
March 18, 1999--110 South Diamond, Deming, NM.
March 22, 1999--BLM Office, Conference Room, 435 Montano NE,
Albuquerque, NM.
March 23, 1999--Otero County Courthouse, Commission Chambers, Room
253, 1000 New York Ave., Alamogordo, NM.
March 24, 1999--Carlsbad Public Library Annex at 101 St. Halagueno,
Carlsbad, NM.
March 25, 1999--NM Military Institute, Toles Learning Center,
Maybee Room, 101 W College, Roswell, NM.
Oral and written testimony will be accepted at the hearings.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the document must be postmarked on or
before May 17, 1999 (closing date for public comments) and should be
addressed to: J.W. Whitney, BLM Project Team Leader, Bureau of Land
Management, New Mexico State Office, P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM
87502-7115, telephone: 505-438-7438. Copies of the Draft Statewide
Resource Management Plan Amendment/Draft Environmental Impact Statement
are available at BLM field offices in Farmingtom, Taos, Albuquerque,
Socorro, Las Cruces, Roswell and Carlsbad. The BLM and State have also
requested County Managers to make individual copies available for
review at each County Manager's Office throughout the State of New
Mexico.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: J.W. Whitney, BLM Project Leader, BLM,
New Mexico State Office, P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502-7115.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments, including names and addresses of
respondents, will be available for public review at the above address
during regular business hours
[[Page 4465]]
(8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) Monday through Friday, except holidays, and
may be published as part of the Proposed Statewide Resource Management
Plan Amendment/Final Environmental Impact Statement. Individual
respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your
name or street address from public review or from disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the
extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or business, will be made
available for public inspection in their entirety. Four alternatives
are considered in detail in the Draft Statewide Resource Management
Plan Amendment/Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The no action
alternative (continuation of current management) provides a baseline
for comparison with other alternatives. The proposed action (RAC
alternative) is to incorporate statewide standards and guidelines into
affected land use plans. The proposed action is also the BLM preferred
alternative. The county alternative is to adopt and implement county
developed standards and guidelines into affected land use plans. The
fallback alternative is to adopt and implement standards and guidelines
defined in BLM's grazing regulations into affected land use plans.
Dated: January 21, 1999.
Richard A. Whitley,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 99-2013 Filed 1-27-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-M