[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 35 (Thursday, February 21, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8034-8035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-4153]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID-070-02-2824-DS-FF10]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Fire, Fuels and Related Vegetation 
Management Direction Plan

AGENCY: Upper Snake River District, Bureau of Land Management (BLM),

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a Fire, Fuels and Related 
Vegetation Management Direction Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for 12 Land Use Plans within the Upper Snake River 
District in central and eastern Idaho.

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the BLM intends to prepare 
a Fire, Fuels, and Related Vegetation Management Direction Plan 
Amendment with an associated EIS for the Upper Snake River District. 
This plan amendment will amend 12 existing Land Use Plans in four Field 
Offices: Burley, Shoshone, Idaho Falls and Pocatello. These 12 Land Use 
Plans consist of Management Framework Plans (MFP) and Resource 
Management Plans (RMP).
    This planning activity encompasses approximately 5.3 million acres 
of public land within the Upper Snake River District. The planning 
process will comply with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). 
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

[[Page 8035]]

national needs and concerns. This notice initiates the public scoping 
process to identify specific issues and develop planning criteria. The 
scoping process will include an evaluation 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 regarding 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 most likely be held in Burley, 
Shoshone, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello. Specific dates and locations for 
public participation will be published in local papers and broadcast on 
local community calendars 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 plan 
amendment and EIS and developing alternatives to be analyzed in the 
EIS.

ADDRESSES: Comments regarding the Fire, Fuels and Related Vegetation 
Management Direction Plan Amendment should be sent to: Project Manager, 
Bureau of Land Management, Pocatello Field Office, 1111 N. 8th Avenue, 
Pocatello Idaho 83201. 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: Terry Smith, Project Manager, 
Pocatello Field Office, 1111 N. 8th Avenue, Pocatello Idaho 83201, 
(208) 478-6340.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed plan amendments would: (1) 
Establish resource area-wide objectives for fire, fuels, and related 
vegetation management direction, (2) delineate fire management areas, 
(3) identify broad vegetation treatments, and (4) identify general 
restrictions on fire management practices. Anticipated issues for the 
plan amendments include: protection of human life, protection of 
property, protection of natural/cultural resources, integration of fire 
and resource management, air quality, and wildlife habitat. The 
planning process for this Fire Management Direction Plan Amendment will 
utilize a collaborative approach. This will allow the public, Tribes, 
State and Federal agencies, local elected officials, and BLM subject 
matter specialists to participate in scoping and the development and 
analysis of alternatives. 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.
    Agency representatives and interested persons are invited to visit 
with Upper Snake River District 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 (60 days following publication of this Notice in the 
Federal Register) and, (2) during the formal review period of the Draft 
EIS.

    Dated: January 7, 2002.
James E. May,
Upper Snake River District Manager.
[FR Doc. 02-4153 Filed 2-20-02; 8:45 am]
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