[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 94 (Tuesday, May 15, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26880-26881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12155]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-030-1610-00]


Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) and 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for McGregor Range in Otero 
County, New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Resource Management Plan 
Amendment (RMPA) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for McGregor 
Range, New Mexico and Notice of Scoping Meetings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102 (2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) 
regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508), and the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, the BLM, Las Cruces Field Office will 
direct preparation of an RMPA/EIS by URS Corporation, a qualified 
consultant. The RMPA/EIS will address BLM's management of the withdrawn 
public land within McGregor Range in Otero County, New Mexico. The 
RMPA/EIS shall identify areas for limited, restricted, or exclusive 
uses; levels of resource production; allowable resource uses; resource 
condition objectives; program constraints; and general management 
direction.
    The BLM will conduct two public scoping meetings to solicit input 
from the public. The dates, times, and locations for these meetings are 
as follows:

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                   Date                               Location
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Wednesday, June 20, 2001, 6:30 p.m. to      Otero County Courthouse,
 8:30 p.m.                                   Commission Chambers, Room
                                             253, 1000 New York Ave.,
                                             Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Thursday, June 21, 2001, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30  BLM--Las Cruces Field
 p.m.                                        Office, 1800 Marquess Las
                                             Cruces, New Mexico.
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DATES: Written comments will be accepted through July 5, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to: Tom Phillips, BLM, Las Cruces 
Field Office, 1800 Marquess, Las Cruces, NM 88005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Phillips, Team Leader, at (505) 
525-4377 or Amy Lueders, Field Manager at (505) 525-4300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1999 Congress passed the Military Lands 
Withdrawal Act (PL 106-65) which withdrew large tracts of public land 
for military purposes. PL 106-65 included the withdrawal of 
approximately 608,000 acres on McGregor Range in Southern New Mexico. 
The legislation directed the Secretary of the Interior to manage the 
natural resources on McGregor Range under FLPMA and to develop a 
management plan within two years of the law's enactment. The planning 
area will include withdrawn public land on McGregor Range in Otero 
County, encompassing approximately 608,000 acres administered by BLM. 
The BLM, will work in concert with the U.S. Army, Ft. Bliss, which will 
participate as a cooperating agency for the development of the RMPA/
EIS.
    It is anticipated that the RMPA/EIS process will require 18 months 
to complete and will include public and agency scoping, coordination 
and consultation with Federal, State, tribal, and local agencies, 
public review and public hearings on the published draft RMPA/draft 
EIS, a published proposed RMPA/final EIS, published Record of Decision, 
and Plan Amendment. Publication of the Record of Decision is 
anticipated in November, 2002.
    The BLM Interdisciplinary team that will be developing this RMPA/
EIS will include specialists with expertise in: soils, geology, 
vegetation, wildlife, livestock grazing, recreation, cultural/
paleontology, and fire ecology.
    BLM public information and scoping will include notification to the 
public and Federal, state, tribal, and local agencies of the proposed 
action; identification by the public of the range of issues and 
concerns to be considered in the EIS; development of planning criteria; 
and the solicitation of assistance from the public to identify 
reasonable alternatives. In addition, the public will have the 
opportunity to ask questions regarding the proposed project at 
scheduled public scoping meetings (see SUMMARY section of this notice).
    Written comments should address: (1) Issues to be considered, (2) 
if the planning criteria are adequate for the issues, (3) feasible and 
reasonable alternatives to examine, and (4) relevant information having 
a bearing on the RMPA/EIS. BLM will maintain a mailing list of parties 
and persons interested in being kept informed about the progress of the 
RMPA/EIS. Documents relevant to this planning effort will be available 
for public review at the BLM Las Cruces Field Office located at 1800 
Marquess, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
    A range of reasonable alternatives, including an alternative 
considering no action as required by NEPA, will be developed and 
analyzed in the EIS. Through scoping, the public will assist in 
developing alternatives. The results of scoping will be sent to all 
those on the mailing list for this project in a newsletter or scoping 
report. Following an in-depth analysis of the impacts associated with 
the alternatives analyzed, one alternative will be selected as the 
agency-preferred alternative. The agency-preferred alternative will be 
identified in a draft RMPA/draft EIS scheduled to be released in the 
fall of 2001. Once the draft is released additional public review will 
be announced through the media and a Federal Register notice.

Anticipated Issues and Concerns

    The anticipated Issues/Concerns include the following:
    1. Soil and Water: Stream Channel Conditions; Water Quality; Water 
Quantity/Supply.
    2. Vegegation: Management of Grassland Habitat; Noxious/Invasive 
Weeds.

[[Page 26881]]

    3. Visual Resources: VRM classifications.
    4. Special Status Species: Aplomado Falcon, Mountain Plover, and 
Black-tailed Prairie Dog.
    5. Fire Management: Fire Control; Prescribed Fire.
    6. Livestock Grazing.
    7. Recreation: Public Access; Off Highway Vehicle management.
    8. Minerals: Fluid Minerals; Solid Minerals.
    9. Unexploded Ordinance (UXO)/Hazardous Materials.
    Preliminary planning criteria for guiding the development of the 
RMPA/EIS include the following:
    1. BLM resource management actions shall be compatible and 
consistent with military use in accordance with the Withdrawal Act, and 
must comply with all applicable laws, executive orders and regulations.
    2. Clarify BLM and Fort Bliss management responsibilities on 
McGregor Range.
    3. In each action, the resource outputs must be reasonable and 
achievable with available technology and budget constraints.
    4. All BLM resource management actions on these withdrawn lands 
must be compatible with the principles of multiple-use and sustained 
yield.
    5. Provide for public access to and across McGregor Range.
    6. Provide for mineral development.
    7. Identify water use needs and any impacts on existing water 
resources.
    8. Identify the Sub-basins for McGregor Range and use it as the 
organization framework for the water resources discussion.
    9. Maintain or improve vegetation conditions.
    10. Identify any infestations of noxious/invasive weeds and provide 
for management alternatives to deal with existing and potential 
problems.
    11. Provide for the harvesting of vegetation products.
    12. Provide for the protection and management of the sensitive, 
State-listed, and Federally-listed plant and animal species.
    13. Provide for livestock grazing.
    14. Provide for the protection and management of wildlife habitat.
    15. Identify any impacts of predator management.
    16. Provide for hunting in concert with biological cycles.
    17. Provide for recreational uses.
    18. Establish off-highway vehicle designations.
    19. Maintain or enhance visual quality.
    20. Provide for the management of cultural and paleontological 
resources.
    21. Continue to provide for the management of the Culp Canyon 
Wilderness Study Area under Interim Management Policy procedures 
pending Congressional determination.
    In addition to the scoping taking place now, public participation 
will include consultation with affected users, and other agencies, 
meeting with interested groups and individuals, media notices, Federal 
Register notices, public meetings, and distribution of the draft RMPA/
draft EIS and the proposed RMPA/final EIS.

    Dated: May 2, 2001.
M. J. Chavez,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 01-12155 Filed 5-14-01; 8:45 am]
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