[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 122 (Friday, June 25, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34265-34266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15920]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management


Notice of availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Ray Land Exchange/Plan Amendment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability, Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS)/Plan Amendment.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona State Office and 
Tucson Field Office, in response to a land exchange proposal from 
ASARCO Incorporated (Asarco) has prepared a FEIS in compliance with the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the 
Federal Land Exchange Facilitation Act, and the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969. The land exchange FEIS is combined with a proposed 
plan amendment to change the Phoenix and Safford District Resource 
Management Plans (RMPs) under BLM planning regulations (43 CFR 1600) 
for the purpose of exchanging public lands pursuant to Section 206 of 
FLPMA. Asarco has proposed to exchange 10,976 acres of federal lands or 
minerals in Pinal and Gila counties for 7,300 acres of private lands in 
Mohave and Pinal counties. The FEIS analyzes four alternatives. A plan 
amendment is required for all but 637 acres since prior land tenure 
decisions were to retain these parcels or mineral estate in federal 
ownership.

DATES: This Notice initiates a 30-day comment period for the FEIS and a 
30-day protest period for the proposed plan amendment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shela McFarlin, Project Manager, BLM, 
Arizona State Office, 222 N. Central, Phoenix, AZ 85004, or by 
telephone (602) 417-9568.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Description of the Proposed Action. Public 
lands (in Pinal and Gila counties) analyzed for exchange include 
federal mineral estate (2,780 acres) and federal surface and mineral 
estate (8,196 acres). Most parcels surround the Ray Mine and Hayden 
Complex operated by Asarco; or, these consist of future prospects for 
mineral development or support, including 637 acres near Casa Grande. 
The 7,300 acres of non-federal lands offered to the BLM include high 
resource values such as: inholdings or adjacent lands to the Mt. Tipton 
Wilderness and Sacramento Valley Wilderness; riparian zones along the 
Gila River and Big Sandy River; occupied habitat for the southwestern 
willow flycatcher, American peregrine falcon and bald eagle; proposed 
critical habitat for cactus ferruginous pygmy owl; desert tortoise 
category I and II habitat; and, checkerboard inholdings within the 
McCracken Area of Critical Environmental Concern. These parcels are 
located within Mohave (mainly) and Gila counties.

Alternatives Analyzed

    Four alternatives are analyzed in the FEIS. The Proposed Action 
(Agency Preferred Alternative) would exchange 10,976 acres of public 
lands or mineral estate for 7,300 acres of private, would provide for 
continuing public access through the White Canyon-Copper Butte area, 
and result in a donation of 480 acres along Walnut Creek (if Asarco is 
successful in purchasing this parcel from the state of Arizona). Under 
the Buckeye Alternative, the exchange would consist only of 10,176 
acres of public lands or minerals for 6,659 acres of offered lands and 
continued public access. The Copper Butte Alternative

[[Page 34266]]

reduces the action to exchanging 9,161 public acres for 5,601 acres of 
offered lands. Under the No Action Alternative, an exchange would not 
occur; federal lands and minerals would remain under BLM management.

Comments on the FEIS

    Comments will be considered in preparing the record of decision on 
the land exchange. All comments on the FEIS must be received within 30 
days of this Notice. Send FEIS comments to: Shela McFarlin, BLM, 
Arizona State Office, 222 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004.
    Please note that comments, including names and street addresses of 
respondents, are available for public review and/or release under the 
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name and street address 
from public review or from disclosure under FOIA, 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 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Protest of the Proposed Plan Amendment

    This FEIS combines the analysis of the exchange proposal with a 
proposed plan amendment. The amendment would change the existing land 
tenure decision in the Phoenix and Safford District Resource Management 
Plans to retain much of the selected lands, to a decision to dispose of 
these lands. The plan amendment process offers an opportunity for 
administrative review by filing a protest with the BLM Director. This 
applies only to the proposed plan amendment, not the exchange itself. 
The protest must be received at the address below by close of business 
within 30 days of this Notice. Protest letters must be sent to: 
Director, BLM; Attention: Ms. Brenda Williams, Protests Coordinator WO-
210/LS-1075; Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240. The 
overnight mail address for protests is: Director, BLM; Attention: Ms. 
Brenda Williams, Protests Coordinator (WO-210), 1620 L. Street NW, Room 
1075, Washington, DC 20036. At a minimum, protest letters must include: 
(1) The name, mailing address, telephone number and interest of the 
person filing the protest. (2) A statement of which parcel or parcels 
(by township, range and section) or issues are being protested. (3) A 
statement of the part or parts of the plan amendment being protested. 
To the extent possible, this should be done by reference to specific 
pages, paragraphs, sections, tables and maps included within the 
proposed plan amendment. (4) A copy of all documents addressing the 
issues or parcels that you submitted during the planning process or a 
reference to the date the issue or issues were discussed by you for the 
record. (5) A statement of reasons explaining why the BLM State 
Director's proposed decision is believed to be incorrect. All relevant 
facts need to be included in the statement of reasons. These facts, 
reasons, and documentation are very important to understand the protest 
rather than merely expressing disagreement with the proposed decision.
    Copies of the FEIS may be requested from: Shela McFarlin, (address 
above), (602) 417-9568, or from these offices: BLM Phoenix Field 
Office, 2015 West Deer Valley Rd., Phoenix, AZ. 85027; BLM Tucson Field 
Office, 12661 East Broadway, Tucson, AZ. 85748; and, BLM Kingman Field 
Office, 2475 Beverly Avenue, Kingman, AZ. 86401. Review copies are 
available at public libraries in Mesa, Kingman and Kearny; and the 
Arizona State University, Hayden Library, Tempe, AZ.

    Dated: June 16, 1999.
Gary Bauer,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 99-15920 Filed 6-24-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-32-P