[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 2, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 101-102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-32232]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
(WO-220-01-1020-JA-VEIS)
Notice of Extension of Public Comment Period and Schedule of
Public Scoping Meetings for the Environmental Impact Statement for the
Conservation and Restoration of Vegetation, Watershed, and Wildlife
Habitat Treatments on Public Lands Administered by the Bureau of Land
Management in the Western United States, Including Alaska
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of extension of public comment period for scoping; and
dates and locations for public scoping meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the BLM will prepare a national,
programmatic EIS and conduct public scoping meetings on (1) management
opportunities and treatment methods for noxious weeds and other
invasive species, and (2) the conservation and restoration of native
vegetation, watersheds, and wildlife habitat. The EIS will cover the
public lands administered by BLM in 16 western states, including
Alaska. The period for initial scoping comments from the public has
been extended to March 29, 2002.
DATES: Written or e-mailed comments for the initial scoping phase may
be submitted through March 29, 2002. BLM will hold public scoping
meetings to focus on relevant issues and environmental concerns,
identify possible alternatives, and help determine the scope of the
EIS.
Dates and locations for the scoping meetings are as follows:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date and time Locations BLM contact
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 8, 5-8 p.m............................................ Utah Dept. of Natural Verlin Smith (801) 539-4055.
Resources Bldg. 1594 W.
North Temple, Salt Lake
City, UT.
January 10, 3-6 p.m........................................... Western Wyoming Community Lance Porter (307) 352-0252.
College, Room 1003, 2500
College Drive, Rock
Springs, WY.
January 14, 6-9 p.m........................................... Holiday Inn Express--Neptune Margie Onstad (505) 838-1256.
Room, 1100 North
California, Socorro, NM.
January 16, 3-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.............................. Holiday Inn Crown Plaza, Deborah Stevens (602) 417-9215.
2532 W. Peoria Avenue,
Phoenix, AZ.
January 22, 6-9 p.m........................................... BLM Office Conference Room, Kim Leany (435) 688-3208.
345 E. Riverside Drive, St.
George, UT.
January 24, 2-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.............................. Grand Vista Hotel, 2790 Harley Metz (970) 244-3076.
Crossroads Blvd, Grand
Junction, CO.
January 29, 4-7 p.m........................................... Miles Community College-- Jody Weil (406) 896-5258.
Room 106, 2715 Dickinson,
Miles City, MT.
January 31, 4-7 p.m........................................... Elks Lodge 604 Coburn Janine Terry (307) 347-5194.
Avenue, Worland, WY.
February 5, 5-8 p.m........................................... Sacred Heart Parish Hall, Jennifer Purvine (530) 233-7932.
507 East 4th Street,
Alturas, CA.
February 11, 5-8 p.m.......................................... U.S. Forest Service, Helena Jody Weil (406) 896-5258.
National Forest
Headquarters, 2880 Skyway
Drive, Helena, MT (across
from airport).
February 13, 6-9 p.m.......................................... Vista Inn, 2645 Airport Way Barry Rose (208) 373-4014.
Boise, ID.
February 14, 6-9 p.m.......................................... College of Southern Idaho, Eddie Guerrero (208) 736-2355.
315 Falls Ave, Shields
Bldg, Room 117, Twin Falls,
ID.
February 19, 4-7 p.m.......................................... BLM-Nevada State Office, JoLynn Worley (775) 861-6515.
1340 Financial Blvd., Reno,
NV.
February 21, 2-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m............................. Hilton Garden Inn, 3650 East Mike Brown (775) 753-0200.
Idaho Street, Elko, NV.
February 26, 5-8 p.m.......................................... Holiday Inn Select, 801 Stephen Larson (661) 391-6099.
Truxton Ave,Bakersfield, CA.
[[Page 102]]
February 28, 6-9 p.m.......................................... Valley Library, 12004 East Kathy Helm (509) 536-1252.
Main, Spokane, WA.
March 4, 6-9 p.m.............................................. Days Inn City Center, 1414 Chris Strebig (503) 952-6003.
SW 6thPortland, OR.
March 6, 3-6 p.m.............................................. Anchorage Field Office--BLM, Gene Terland (907) 271-3344.
6881 Abbott Loop Road,
Anchorage, AK.
March 12, 9 a.m.-12 noon...................................... Washington Plaza Hotel, Sharon Wilson (202) 452-5130.
Franklin Room, 10 Thomas
Circle (Massachusetts and
14th Street), Washington,
D.C..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDRESSES: For further information, to provide written comments, or to
be placed on the mailing list, contact Brian Amme, Acting Project
Manager, Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 12000, Reno, Nevada 89520-
0006; E-mail [email protected]; telephone (775) 861-6645. Comments
will be available for public inspection at the BLM Nevada State Office,
1340 Financial Blvd.; Reno, Nevada 89502.
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish
your name and/or address withheld from public review or disclosure
under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently
at the beginning of your written or e-mailed 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 available for public inspection in their entirety.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This national, programmatic EIS will provide
a comprehensive cumulative analysis of BLM conservation and restoration
treatments involving vegetation communities, watersheds and wildlife
habitats.
It will also consider state-specific, reasonably
foreseeable activities, including hazardous fuels reduction treatments.
It will address human health risk assessments for proposed
use of new chemicals on public lands.
Restoration activities may include but are not limited to
prescribed fire, riparian restoration, native plant community
restoration, invasive plants and noxious weeds treatments, understory
thinning, forest health treatments, or other activities related to
restoring fire-adapted ecosystems.
The EIS is not a land-use plan or a land-use plan amendment. It
will provide a comprehensive programmatic NEPA document to allow
effective tiering and serve as a baseline cumulative impact assessment
for other new, revised or existing land use and activity level plans
that involve vegetation, wildlife habitat and watershed treatment,
modification or maintenance.
This EIS will consolidate four existing BLM vegetation
treatment EISs developed in compliance with the NEPA between 1986 and
1992 into one programmatic document for the western United States,
including Alaska. The EIS will update information and change to reflect
new information and changed conditions on public lands since that time.
An updated EIS is necessary for BLM to analyze proposed
treatments of 4 to 5 million acres of prescribed and managed natural
fire, Integrated Weed Management, hazardous fuels reduction, Emergency
Stabilization and Restoration, and landscape-level restoration
initiatives such as Great Basin Restoration Initiative. Current average
annual acres of treatment selected in the existing BLM records of
decision (RODS) equate to about 350,000 acres.
The analysis area includes only surface estate public
lands administered by 11 BLM state offices: Alaska, Arizona,
California, Eastern States, Idaho, Montana (Dakotas), New Mexico
(Oklahoma/Texas/Nebraska), Nevada, Oregon (Washington), Utah and
Wyoming.
The BLM has initially identified the following issues for analysis
in this programmatic EIS: hazardous fuels reduction and treatment
including mechanical treatments, wildlife habitat improvement,
restoration of ecosystem processes; protection of cultural resources,
watershed and vegetative community health, new listings of threatened
and endangered species and consideration of other sensitive and special
status species, new chemical formulations for herbicides deemed to be
more environmentally favorable, smoke management and air quality,
emergency stabilization and restoration, and watershed and water
quality improvement.
Dated: December 10, 2001.
Henri Bisson,
Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning.
[FR Doc. 01-32232 Filed 12-31-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P