[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