[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 14, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 57110]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28449]



[[Page 57110]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID-070-01-1610-DO-050D]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) and 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Pocatello/Malad Planning 
Area of the Upper Snake River District in Southeastern Idaho

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

SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the BLM intends to prepare 
an RMP with an associated EIS for the Pocatello Field Office. The new 
RMP will replace the Malad Management Framework Plan (MFP), approved in 
1981, and will revise the Pocatello RMP, approved in 1988. This 
planning activity encompasses approximately 621,500 acres of public 
land. The planning process will comply with the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA) and BLM policies. The BLM will work closely with interested 
parties to identify the management decisions that are best suited to 
the needs of the public. This collaborative process will take into 
account local, regional, and national needs and concerns. This notice 
initiates the public scoping process to identify planning issues and to 
develop planning criteria. The scoping process will include an 
evaluation of the existing RMP and MFP in the context of the needs and 
interests of the public.

DATES: The scoping comment period will commence with the publication of 
this notice. Formal scoping will end 60 days after publication of this 
notice. Comments on issues and planning criteria should be received on 
or before the end of the scoping period at the address listed below.
    Public meetings will be held throughout the plan scoping and 
preparation period. In order to ensure local community participation 
and input, public meetings will be held in Fort Hall, Pocatello, Soda 
Springs, Montpelier and Malad, Idaho. Specific meeting dates and 
locations for public participation will be published in the Sho-Ban 
News, Caribou County Sun, Idaho State Journal, News Examiner, and Idaho 
Enterprise newspapers at a later date. The public will be given 
opportunities to participate through workshops and open house meetings 
throughout the planning process to work collaboratively with BLM in 
identifying the full range of issues to be addressed in the RMP/EIS and 
developing alternatives to be analyzed in the EIS.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to: Bureau of Land Management, 
Pocatello Field Office, 1111 N. 8th Avenue, Pocatello Idaho 83201 for 
the Pocatello RMP. Comments, including names and street addresses of 
respondents, will be available for public review at the above address 
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 EIS. 
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 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff S. Steele, Field Manager, 
Pocatello Field Office, 1111 N. 8th Avenue, Pocatello Idaho 83201, 
(208) 478-6340. Existing documents concerning the Pocatello/Malad 
planning area can be seen at the above addresses.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planning process for this RMP/EIS will 
utilize an open collaborative approach allowing the public, Tribes, 
State and Federal agencies, local elected officials, and BLM subject 
matter specialists to fully develop, and analyze alternatives for 
management of the public lands. Public scoping to identify specific 
issues to be addressed in the plan will be an early opportunity for the 
public to provide input. Subsequent opportunities for public 
involvement will occur at specific stages in the planning process.
    Preliminary issues that have been identified and that may be 
addressed in the plan are air, soil, and water resources; vegetation 
(including noxious weeds); riparian areas; forestry management 
(including juniper woodlands); wildlife and fishery habitat; special 
status species (including threatened, endangered, candidate, and BLM 
sensitive species); livestock grazing; fire management; lands 
(including tenure adjustments and rights-of-way); locatable, leasable, 
and salable minerals; recreation (including wild and scenic rivers); 
wilderness; visual resources; cultural resources; hazardous materials; 
and areas of critical environmental concern.
    After gathering public comments on what issues the plan should 
address, the suggested issues will be placed in one of three 
categories:
    1. Issues to be resolved in the plan;
    2. Issues resolved through policy or administrative action; or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan.
    Rationale will be provided in the plan for each issue placed in 
category two or three. In addition to these major issues, a number of 
management questions and concerns will be addressed in the plan. The 
public is encouraged to help identify these questions and concerns 
during the scoping phase.
    An interdisciplinary approach will be used to develop the plan in 
order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns 
identified. Disciplines corresponding to these issue areas will be 
represented and used during the planning process.
    Agency representatives and interested persons are invited to visit 
with Pocatello Field Office officials at any time during the EIS 
process. In addition, two specific time periods are identified for the 
receipt of formal comments. The two comment periods are, (1) during the 
scoping process December 14, 2001 and, (2) during the formal review 
period of the Draft EIS.

    Dated: August 20, 2001.
James E. May,
Upper Snake River District Manager.
[FR Doc. 01-28449 Filed 11-13-01; 8:45 am]
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