[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 125 (Friday, June 28, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43682-43683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-16400]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-070-1610-DP]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Farmington Resource 
Management Plan Revision and Draft Environmental Impact Statement; 
Farmington Field Office, New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft Farmington Resource 
Management Plan Revision and Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Draft Farmington Resource Management Plan (RMP) Revision and 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for public review and 
comment. This document identifies and analyzes land use planning 
options for managing approximately 2 million acres of public land and 
just over 3 million acres of Federal mineral estate administered by the 
Farmington Field Office (FFO) and in the San Juan Basin portion of the 
area administered by the Albuquerque Field Office (AFO) (formerly Rio 
Puerco Resource Area) in New Mexico. The FFO covers all of San Juan 
County and portions of McKinley, Rio Arriba, and Sandoval Counties and 
the AFO portion of the San Juan Basin includes parts of McKinley and 
Sandoval Counties in northwest New Mexico. The BLM is recommending 
undesignating 4 previously designated Areas of Critical Environmental 
Concern (ACECs), designating 14 new ACECs, and changing the size or use 
limitations of 42 existing ACECs. BLM is also applying off-highway 
vehicle (OHV) designations to lands administered by FFO.

DATES: Comments will be accepted for 90 days from the date that the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes a Notice of Availability and 
Filing of the Draft EIS in the Federal Register. Public hearings and 
meetings will be held to discuss the management alternatives, answer 
questions, and to receive comments on the draft. Comments can be made 
orally at the public hearings and/or in writing to the FFO Manager at 
the address given below. At least 15 days notice in local media will be 
given for activities where the public is invited to attend. All meeting 
notifications will be published on the FFO Web site www.nm.blm.gov 
under ``Field Offices, Farmington Field Office'' (subject to Internet 
availability), and in the Farmington Daily Times and the Albuquerque 
Journal newspapers.
    Comments, including the name and addresses of commenters, will be 
available for public review. Respondents may request confidentiality. 
If you wish to withhold your name and/or 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 or organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.
    Comments are most meaningful and helpful if they address one or 
more of the following:
     Errors in the analysis.
     New information that would have a bearing on the analysis.
     Misinformation that could affect the outcome of the 
analysis.
     Requests for clarification.
     A substantive new alternative whose mix of allocations 
differs from any of the existing alternatives.
    Where possible, refer to the pages and paragraphs on which you are 
commenting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: RMP Project Manager, Farmington Field 
Office, 1235 La Plata Highway, Suite A, Farmington, NM 87401-8754. 
Comments should be sent to this address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft RMP/EIS pertains to public land in 
the FFO area, except where a small portion of the San Juan Oil and Gas 
Basin lies within the administrative boundary of the AFO. The Draft 
RMP/EIS fulfills the requirements of the Federal Land Management Policy 
Act (FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
    The Draft RMP/EIS addresses the full range of resources and 
multiple uses in the planning area. The five major issues raised during 
scoping that are addressed in the Draft RMP/EIS are: (1) Oil and gas 
leasing and development; (2) landownership adjustments; (3) specially 
designated areas; (4) off-highway vehicle (OHV) use; and (5) coal 
leasing suitability assessment.
    Four alternatives for managing the public lands in the FFO are 
proposed. Each of the alternatives has been prepared to provide a 
comprehensive framework for managing the public lands and for 
allocating resources during the next 20 years using the principles of 
multiple use and sustained yield. The four alternatives are:
     Alternative A is ``no action,'' in which management would 
remain under current RMP and NEPA documents and policies.
     Alternative B emphasizes maximum recovery of the 
hydrocarbon and other resources as the primary goal.
     Alternative C emphasizes conservation, protection, and 
enhancement of natural and cultural resources through more stringent 
management of designated areas.
     Alternative D, the preferred action, balances the two 
goals to achieve maximum practicable recovery of oil and gas, while 
also maximizing protection of the most sensitive environmental 
resources.

Areas of Critical Environmental Concern

    Four currently designated ACECs are being dropped in the plan 
because they are not necessary (three are within a wilderness area, and 
one was for a plant species that is more widely spread than previously 
known). The remainder of previously designated ACECs are being carried 
forward, but some changed in size or use limitations. Following the 
description of the values for which the area was nominated are the 
major use restrictions (alphabetical characters) that apply to the 
ACEC. The alphabetical characters are defined at the end of the ACEC 
discussion.

New ACECs

    1. Albert Mesa ACEC: 177 total acres--Cultural Resources, Historic 
Sites: Major use restrictions include: A, C, D, E, F, G, J, K, L, M, O, 
Q.
    2. Cedar Hill ACEC: 1,886 total acres--Cultural Resources, Anasazi 
Communities (Non-Chacoan): Major use restrictions include: A, C, D, E, 
F, H, I, K, R.

[[Page 43683]]

    3. Cottonwood Divide ACEC: 60 total acres--Cultural Resources, 
Early Navajo Defensive Sites and Communities: Major use restrictions 
include: A, B, D, E, F, G, J, K, L, M, O, Q.
    4. Haynes Trading Post ACEC: 43 total acres--Cultural Resources, 
Historic Sites: Major use restrictions include: A, C, D, E, F, H, I, K, 
L, M, O, P, Q.
    5. Hummingbird Canyon ACEC: 130 total acres--Cultural Resources, 
Petroglyph and Pictograph Sites: Major use restrictions include: A, B, 
D, E, F, G, J, K, L, M, O, Q.
    6. La Jara ACEC: 1,769 total acres--Cultural Resources, Anasazi 
Communities (Non-Chacoan): Major use restrictions include: A, C, D, E, 
F, H, I, K, R.
    7. Moss Trail ACEC: 28 total acres--Cultural Resources, Historic 
Sites: Major use restrictions include: A, C, D, E, F, G, J, K, L, M, O, 
P, Q.
    8. Munoz Canyon ACEC: 268 total acres--Cultural Resources, Early 
Navajo Defensive Sites and Communities: Major use restrictions include: 
A, C, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, R.
    9. Pork Chop Pass ACEC: 44 total acres--Cultural Resources, Early 
Navajo Defensive Sites and Communities: Major use restrictions include: 
A, C, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, O, R.
    10. Star Rock ACEC: 60 total acres--Cultural Resources, Early 
Navajo Defensive Sites and Communities: Major use restrictions include: 
A, C, D, E, F, G, J, K, L, M, O, Q.
    11. String House ACEC: 47 total acres--Cultural Resources, Early 
Navajo Defensive Sites and Communities: Major use restrictions include: 
A, C, D, E, F, G, J, K, L, M, O, Q.
    12. Truby's Tower ACEC: 160 total acres--Cultural Resources, Early 
Navajo Defensive Sites and Communities: Major use restrictions include: 
A, C, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, O, R.
    13. Mexican Spotted Owl ACEC: 2,758 total acres--Threatened and 
Endangered Species: Major use restrictions include: A, C, F, I.
    14. Pinon Mesa ACEC: 9,454 total acres--Recreation: Major use 
restrictions include: A, C, F, I, K, L, M, P.

Key to Major Use Restrictions

    A--Oil and Gas, leased acreage (closed or partially restricted, 
time limitation or seasonal).
    B--Oil and Gas, new leasing, closed.
    C--Oil and Gas, new leasing, other restriction.
    D--Leasables and saleables, closed or otherwise restricted.
    E--Locatables, withdraw minerals.
    F--Land not available for disposal
    G--No new rights-of-way.
    H--Rights-of-way where previously disturbed.
    I--OHV limited.
    J--OHV closed.
    K--VRM classes I & II.
    L--No woodcutting.
    M--Closed to vegetation modification.
    N--Vegetation modification considered case by case.
    O--Closed to grazing.
    P--Identify noise sensitive areas.
    Q--Closed to grazing.
    R--Restrict to previously disturbed areas.
    Specially designated areas (Research Natural Areas, Wilderness 
Areas, recreation, paleontological, and wildlife areas and ACECs) in 
the FFO would increase from 492,000 Federal surface acres in the no 
action alternative to 650,000 Federal surface acres in the preferred 
alternative.
    Copies of the Draft Farmington Resource Management Plan Revision 
and Draft Environmental Impact Statement are available at Web site 
www.nm.blm.gov or on request by contacting the BLM Field Office at 1235 
La Plata Highway, Suite A, Farmington, NM 87401-8754.

    Dated: May 16, 2002.
Carsten F. Goff,
New Mexico Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 02-16400 Filed 6-27-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P