[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 7, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24498-24500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11250]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-930-03-2824-PG-YY99]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Fire and Fuels Management Plan and 
Amend Resource Management Plans in New Mexico and Texas

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Fire and Fuels Management Plan 
Amendment and Environmental Assessment (EA) for Nine Land Use Plans in 
New Mexico and Texas.

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the BLM, New Mexico State 
Office, intends to prepare a Fire and Fuels Management Plan Amendment 
with an associated EA for BLM lands in New Mexico and Texas. This Plan 
Amendment will amend nine Resource Management Plans (Carlsbad 1988, 
Farmington 2003, Mimbres 1993, Rio Puerco 1986, Roswell 1997, Socorro

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1989, Taos 1988, Texas 1996, White Sands 1986) in eight Field Offices: 
Albuquerque, Amarillo, Carlsbad, Farmington, Las Cruces, Roswell, 
Socorro, and Taos. The purpose of the amendment is to incorporate 
current Fire Management Policy into Resource Management Plans, to 
restore fire as an integral part of fire-adapted ecosystems in order to 
meet resource management objectives, to improve the protection of human 
life and property through the reduction of hazardous fuels, and to 
establish consistent methods of managing fire and fuels on BLM-
administered public lands in New Mexico and Texas.
    This planning activity encompasses approximately 12.8 million acres 
public lands within the states of New Mexico and Texas. The planning 
area includes all surface lands managed by BLM in New Mexico and Texas, 
including El Malpais National Conservation area and Kasha-Katuwe Tent 
Rocks National Monument, but not lands for which BLM only administers 
the sub-surface, or mineral, estate. A collaborative process will be 
used to involve other Federal agencies, Native American tribes, 
conservation groups, recreationists, the public, and other stakeholders 
throughout the planning process to ensure that local, regional, and 
national issues and concerns are addressed.
    This Plan Amendment will analyze fires and fuels management actions 
and their impacts on the human environment for public lands 
administered by the eight New Mexico and Texas BLM Field Offices in one 
document in order to ensure consistency and collaboration among the 
offices and the interested public.

DATES: The BLM is now soliciting written comments on issues and 
concerns that should be considered during the development and analysis 
of the Proposed Fire and Fuels Management Plan Amendment. While written 
comments will be accepted throughout the planning process, to be most 
useful, comments should be received on or before the end of the comment 
period at the addresses listed below. The comment period will last 60 
days from the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. To 
ensure local community participation and input, public workshops will 
be held during this comment period in Albuquerque, Amarillo, Carlsbad, 
Farmington, Las Cruces, Roswell, Socorro, and Taos. Specific dates and 
locations for public participation will be published in local papers, 
broadcast on local community calendars, and posted on the BLM New 
Mexico/Oklahoma/Kansas/Texas Web site (http://www.nm.blm.gov) at a 
later date but not less than 15 days prior to the meeting.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, request additional information, or 
request to be put on the mailing list, you may do so by any of several 
methods. You may mail, hand deliver, or call your comments or requests 
to: Signa Larralde, Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management, New 
Mexico State Office, 1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505, (505) 
438-7637. You may also comment via a comment form that will be posted 
on the BLM New Mexico/Oklahoma/Kansas/Texas Web site (http://www.nm.blm.gov).
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the BLM New Mexico State Office 
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 EA. 
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. We will not, however, 
consider anonymous comments. 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.
    The current RMPs and all other documents relevant to this planning 
process are available for public review at the New Mexico State Office, 
1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505, Monday through Friday 
(excluding legal holidays), from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Signa Larralde, Project Manager, (505) 
438-7637, or John Selkirk, Fire Planner, (505) 438-7431, New Mexico 
State Office, 1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed Plan Amendment will: (1) 
Establish Field Office-wide objectives for fire and fuels management; 
(2) delineate fire management areas; (3) identify broad vegetation 
treatments; (4) identify general restrictions on fire management 
practices; and (5) determine the criteria by which the broad treatment 
areas can be changed. BLM has identified general issues for this 
planning effort, including: protection of human life; protection of 
property; protection of natural/cultural resources; integration of fire 
and resource management; and protection of air quality. These issues, 
along with others that may be identified through public participation, 
will be considered during the planning process. BLM has identified the 
following preliminary planning criteria to guide the planning process: 
compliance with all legal mandates of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Administrative Procedures Act, 
and the BLM planning regulations in 43 CFR part 1600, as well as 
consistency with Fire Plans of other agencies and State and local 
jurisdictions. Additional planning criteria may be identified during 
the comment period.
    Existing information will be used to develop the Plan Amendment and 
EA. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to develop the Plan 
Amendment in order to consider the variety of resource issues and 
concerns identified. Disciplines involved in the planning process will 
include but are not limited to fire and fuels management, rangeland 
management, outdoor recreation management, archaeology, wildlife 
management, wilderness management, hydrology, soils science, sociology, 
and economics. Selectable alternatives must contribute to the 
achievement of New Mexico BLM public and land standards, the purpose of 
the Proposed Plan Amendment, and protection of communities at risk from 
catastrophic wildfire.
    The planning process will utilize a collaborative approach. This 
will allow the public, Tribes, State and Federal agencies, local 
elected officials, and BLM specialists to participate in identifying 
issues and developing and analyzing alternatives. In addition to the 
initial public comment period and workshops, the public will also be 
invited, through a Federal Register notice, local newspapers, and 
mailings, to review the proposed Plan Amendment and provide comments. 
The Governors of New Mexico and Texas, County Commissioners for 
counties in New Mexico and Potter County, Texas, and potentially 
affected members of the public will be notified of all meetings and 
comment periods.
    Agency representatives and interested persons are invited to visit 
with BLM officials at any time during the planning process.


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    Dated: January 31, 2003.
Linda S.C. Rundell,
New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 03-11250 Filed 5-6-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P