[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 241 (Thursday, December 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70278-70279]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32579]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-100-00-1610-DG]


Resource Management Plan, Pinedale Field Office, Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
and resource management plan, request for information for scoping 
process, call for coal resource information, and notice of public 
meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Pinedale Field Office 
invites the public to provide information on BLM-administered public 
lands and resources in the Snake River planning area and to identify 
issues and concerns to be addressed in the environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for the Snake River Resource Management Plan (RMP). As 
required in 43 CFR 3420.1-2, this notice is also the specific call for 
coal resource information and identification of areas where there is an 
interest in future leasing and development of Federal coal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested parties may obtain further 
information or request to be placed on the mailing list for the Snake 
River RMP planning effort by contacting Kellie Roadifer, RMP Team 
Leader, or Prill Mecham, Field Manager, Pinedale Field Office, 432 East 
Mill Street, Pinedale, Wyoming 82941, (307) 367-5300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Snake River corridor and adjacent areas, 
collectively known as Jackson Hole, in Teton County, Wyoming, make up 
the Snake River RMP planning area.
    Within the Snake River corridor, BLM-administered public lands to 
be addressed in the RMP include about 1,345 acres of public land 
surface and Federal mineral estate, plus about 740 acres of public land 
surface underlain by State or privately-owned mineral estate.
    In addition, the BLM is responsible for administering various 
recreation easements on private lands within the river corridor. These 
easements, combined with the public land parcels, provide almost 
continuous recreational access to the river channel for public uses 
such as anchoring a boat to fish and wading in the river. A few of the 
Snake River levees are within these easements, supporting several miles 
of public access by foot and vehicle in places, but most of the 
easements allow access only by boat from the river.
    The BLM is also responsible for administering mineral exploration 
and development on an additional 12,000 acres of Federal mineral 
estate. This mineral estate, which is mostly outside the river 
corridor, underlies lands owned or administered by private individuals, 
the State of Wyoming, or local governments.
    The Snake River RMP planning area includes all lands in Jackson 
Hole between the Forest Service boundaries on the east, west, and 
south, and the National Park Service boundary on the north, for the 
purpose of evaluating environmental impacts (including the cumulative 
impacts) of BLM land-use planning decisions. However, the planning and 
management decisions to be made by the BLM will apply only to the BLM-
administered land surface, the Federal mineral estate, and the 
recreational easements mentioned in the four paragraphs above.
    The Snake River RMP is in the preplanning stage. Preplanning 
activities include identifying planning issues and concerns, developing 
a schedule for plan preparation, and establishing public participation 
activities.
    Some preliminary planning issues and concerns have been identified 
which may be addressed by the following questions: (1) What types and 
levels of recreational and interpretive development are appropriate on 
public land surface to help satisfy existing and future demand for 
public recreation and education? (2) Consistent with valid existing 
rights, what other activities, including livestock grazing and mineral 
extraction, are appropriate on these lands? (3) What levels of mineral 
activity are appropriate for the exploration and development of the 
BLM-administered mineral estate? (4) What requirements or restrictions 
on land use will be necessary to protect important public resources 
such as recreational opportunities, scenic quality, wildlife habitat, 
sensitive plants, and cultural resources? (5) Which, if any, of the 
BLM-administered public lands along the Snake River meet the 
eligibility criteria and suitability factors to be given future 
consideration

[[Page 70279]]

for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System?
    The public is invited to identify other issues and concerns that 
should be addressed in the planning process and to comment on those 
identified by the BLM staff.
    The BLM is also requesting resource data and information that will 
be used to further define issues and concerns, update the inventory 
base, help develop planning alternatives, and analyze environmental 
consequences. The BLM will conduct very little new inventory work; 
therefore, development of the RMP will rely mostly upon existing 
available resource information and data.
    A contingent valuation methodology (CVM) survey or study is planned 
as part of the RMP analysis to consider the economic value of certain 
non-market goods and services such as clean air, open space, and 
wildlife habitat, associated with BLM-administered lands in the 
planning area. This survey will involve the collection of random public 
responses through questionnaires and interviews.
    Pursuant to 43 CFR 3420.1-2, this notice is a formal request for 
coal resource information and identification of any substantiated 
interest in future leasing and development of Federal coal in the Snake 
River planning area. Specifically, information on the location, quality 
and quantity of Federal coal with development potential, and on surface 
resource values related to the twenty coal unsuitability criteria 
described in 43 CFR 3481.1 is requested and will be used to conduct any 
necessary coal screening (43 CFR 3420.1-4) during the planning process. 
The BLM has limited coal resource data for the planning area and will 
be unable to conduct further inventories. Parties interested in Federal 
coal leasing and development will be expected to provide coal and other 
resource data for their areas of interest. Information concerning areas 
of leasing interest, coal resource data, and other resource information 
related to unsuitability criteria must be submitted to the Pinedale 
Field Office, at the address above.
    Federal coal leasing in the planning area outside designated coal 
production regions may be considered apart from the competitive leasing 
process set out in 43 CFR 3420.3 through 3420.5-2. Since the Snake 
River planning area is not within a coal production region, any Federal 
coal leasing will be considered on a case-by-case basis, called 
``Leasing on Application'' under the appropriate provisions of 43 CFR 
part 3425 and 43 CFR 3420.1-4 through 3420.1-8. Note that the sale and 
issuance of Federal leases under these provisions is still done through 
a competitive bidding process.
    Identification at this time of definite interests in future Federal 
coal leasing, substantiated with adequate coal and other resource data, 
will allow these interests to be considered in the planning process. In 
this way, unnecessary administrative delays or revisions in the plan 
may be avoided if coal lease applications are submitted in the future.
    Public participation activities will be initiated with an open 
house to be held at the Teton County Administration Building, County 
Commissioners' Meeting Room, at the corner of Willow and Simpson, in 
Jackson, Wyoming, on Thursday, January 27, 2000, from 4 to 8 p.m. At 5 
and 7 p.m., BLM representatives will give short presentations.
    The public will have opportunities to participate throughout the 
planning process including input and comment on issues and planning 
criteria, and on the draft and final EIS for the resource management 
plan. Future public participation activities will be announced in the 
Federal Register and in the local media, and through mailings to 
parties included on the Snake River RMP mailing list.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the Pinedale Field Office, 432 East 
Mill Street, Pinedale, Wyoming, during regular business hours (7:45 
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be 
published as part of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS). 
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If individuals wish 
to withhold their name or address from public review or from disclosure 
under the Freedom of Information Act, they must state this prominently 
at the beginning of their comments. 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.

    Dated: December 9, 1999.
Alan R. Pierson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 99-32579 Filed 12-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P