[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 65 (Friday, April 4, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16545-16546]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-5895]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-070-1610-DQ]


Notice of Availability of the Farmington Proposed Resource 
Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Farmington 
Field Office, NM

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Farmington Proposed Resource 
Management Plan (PRMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Farmington PRMP Revision and FEIS for the Farmington Field 
Office (FFO) and portions of the Albuquerque Field Office (AFO), New 
Mexico. This document identifies and analyzes land use planning options 
for managing approximately 2 million acres of public lands and just 
over 3 million acres of Federal mineral estate administered by the FFO 
and the San Juan Basin portion of the AFO in New Mexico. The planning 
area for the PRMP/FEIS includes all of San Juan County and portions of 
McKinley, Rio Arriba, and Sandoval Counties in northwest New Mexico. 
The PRMP revises and will replace the previous 1988 RMP.

DATES: The Farmington PRMP/FEIS will be available for a 30-day protest 
period in accordance with BLM's land use planning regulations (43 CFR 
1610.5-2). These regulations state that any person who participated in 
the planning process and has an interest which may be adversely 
affected may protest. A protest may raise only those issues which were 
submitted for the record during the planning process. Instructions for 
filing of protests are described in the PRMP/FEIS and included in the 
Supplementary Information section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: RMP Project Manager, Farmington Field 
Office, 1235 La Plata Highway, Suite A, Farmington, NM 87401-8754. 
Copies of the PRMP/FEIS have been sent to affected Federal, State, and 
Local Government agencies and to interested parties. Copies of the 
PRMP/FEIS are available for public inspection at the Bureau of Land 
Management, Farmington Field Office, 1235 La Plata Highway, Farmington, 
New Mexico 87401. Interested persons may also review the PRMP/FEIS on 
the Internet at http://www.nm.blm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRMP/FEIS pertains to public lands 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 PRMP/FEIS 
fulfills the requirements of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
and the National Environmental Policy Act. The preferred alternative 
from the Draft RMP was carried forward in the FEIS as the proposed RMP 
and focuses on the comprehensive management of the public lands and the 
resolution of five key issues, identified during the planning process. 
The five major issues 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.

Specific to Each Issue the Proposed RMP Would

    1. Continue to make lands available for oil and gas development. 
The FEIS documents the analysis of approximately 9,942 new oil and gas 
wells on public lands over the next 20 years for the PRMP.
    2. Make available a total of 340,118 acres of public lands for 
disposal while another 178,237 acres are identified for possible 
acquisition.
    3. Place a total of 649,901 acres in Specially Designated Areas 
(Research Natural Areas, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, 
Wilderness Areas, Recreation, Paleontological, and Wildlife Areas). The 
PRMP includes removal of the Areas of Critical Environmental Concern 
(ACECs) designated on four areas totaling 2,765 acres because the 
designation is no longer necessary (three are within a Wilderness Area, 
and one was for a plant species that is more widely spread than 
previously known), designating 14 new ACECs totaling 16,884 acres, and 
changing the size or use limitations of 42 existing ACECs.
    4. Place in the Limited OHV use category 1,353,301 acres of public 
lands until OHV activity plans are prepared. A total of 57,369 acres 
would remain closed to OHV use. Within the limited category, 5,806 
acres have the potential to be placed in the open category pending the 
development of OHV activity plans.

[[Page 16546]]

    5. Make approximately 378,275 acres of Federal minerals available 
for coal leasing. Comments on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS received from the 
public and internal BLM review comments were incorporated into the 
proposed plan. Public comments resulted in the addition of clarifying 
text, but did not significantly change proposed land use decisions.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the PRMP may be found at 43 CFR 1610.5. Any person who 
participated in the planning process and has an interest, which is or 
may be affected by the approval of the proposed Resource Management 
Plan, may protest such approval. A protest may raise only those issues 
that were submitted for the record during the planning process. 
Protests must be in writing and must be filed with the Director within 
30 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the 
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. E-mail protests will 
not be accepted. Faxed protests will be considered as potential valid 
protests provided (1) that the signed faxed letter is received by the 
Washington Office protest coordinator by the closing date of the 
protest period and (2) that the protesting party also provides the 
original letter by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the 
close of the protest period. Please direct faxed protests to ``BLM 
Protest Coordinator'' at (202) 452-5112. Please direct the follow-up 
letter to the appropriate address provided below. The protest must 
contain:
    i. The name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest of the 
person filing the protest;
    ii. A statement of the issue or issues being protested;
    iii. A statement of the part or parts of the plan or amendment 
being protested;
    iv. A copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues that 
were submitted during the planning process by the protesting party or 
an indication of the date the issue or issues were discussed for the 
record; and
    v. A concise statement explaining why the State Director's decision 
is believed to be wrong.
    The Director will promptly render a decision on the protest. The 
decision will be in writing and will be sent to the protesting party by 
certified mail, return receipt requested. The decision of the Director 
shall be the final decision of the Department of the Interior. File 
written protest by Surface mail: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Land Management, Director (210), Attn: Brenda Williams, PO 
Box 66538, Washington, DC 20035 or Overnight mail: U.S. Department of 
the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Director (210), Attn: Brenda 
Williams, 1620 L Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.

    Dated: February 11, 2003.
Linda S.C. Rundell,
New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 03-5895 Filed 4-3-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P