[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 6, 2004)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 569-570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-32336]



[[Page 569]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

43 CFR Part 4100

[WO-220-1020-24 1A]
RIN 1004-AD42


Grazing Administration--Exclusive of Alaska

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft environmental impact 
statement for Proposed Regulatory Revisions to Grazing Regulations for 
the Public Lands and announcement of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the draft environmental impact statement (Draft EIS) published to 
support proposed revisions to the regulations governing grazing 
administration, which were published in the Federal Register on 
December 8, 2003. The analysis provided in the Draft EIS is intended to 
inform the public of the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects on 
the human environment of the proposed action and each alternative. BLM 
will hold 5 public meetings to provide opportunities for the public to 
ask questions and provide comments about the issues and alternatives 
considered in the Draft EIS.

DATES: Comments will be accepted until March 2, 2004. BLM may not 
necessarily consider or include in the final environmental impact 
statement comments that BLM receives after the close of the comment 
period or comments submitted in a manner or to an address that differs 
from those described below. The location, date and time for each of the 
scheduled meetings on the Draft EIS are given below.

ADDRESSES: You may submit your comments by one of several methods. If 
you have Internet access, the BLM encourages you to submit your 
comments using their ``ePlanning'' system. This Draft EIS is a pilot 
for the ePlanning system and your participation and feedback on this 
interactive Web-based public comment process would be very helpful to 
the BLM in developing and improving this system. To access ePlanning, 
go to http://www.blm.gov and follow the directions found at that site. 
If you do not have Internet access, you may mail your comments to: 
Director (630), Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States Office, 7450 
Boston Boulevard, Springfield, Virginia 22153, Attention: Revisions to 
Grazing Regulations Draft EIS. You may also deliver your comments by 
courier or non-U.S. Postal Service overnight mail to: 1620 L Street, 
NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036, Attention: Revisions to Grazing 
Regulations Draft EIS.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review and will be published as part of the 
final environmental impact statement. Individual respondents may 
request confidentiality which we will provide to the extent allowed by 
law. If you wish for us to withhold your name and/or address, you must 
state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. The ePlanning 
system will not accept your comments unless you indicate whether or not 
you want your name withheld from publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Molly S. Brady at (202) 452-7714 for 
information relating to the Draft EIS or Frank Bruno at (202) 452-0352 
for information relating to the rulemaking process. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may contact these 
individuals through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8330, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures
II. Background

I. Public Comment Procedures

    A limited number of printed copies of the Draft EIS, as well as 
compact disk versions of the Draft EIS, are available and may be 
obtained by contacting Molly S. Brady by phone at (202) 452-7714, or by 
writing to her at the Bureau of Land Management, WO-220 Mail Stop: LS 
204, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240.
    Your comments on the Draft EIS should:
    1. Be specific;
    2. Explain the reason for your comments and suggestions;
    3. Be about the issues relevant to the Draft EIS or the proposed 
changes to the grazing regulations; and
    4. Where possible, reference the specific section or paragraph in 
the Draft EIS that you are addressing.
    The comments and recommendations that are most useful and likely to 
influence decisions on the content of a draft environmental impact 
statement are:
    1. Comments and recommendations supported by quantitative 
information or studies; and
    2. Comments that include citations to and analyses of the 
applicable laws and regulations.
    We will hold meetings on the Draft EIS as shown in the table below:

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              Locations                     Date and time               Location              Contact person
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Salt Lake City, Utah.................  Tuesday, January 27,     Marriott Hotel, 75        Laura Williams (801)
                                        2004, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.  South West Temple,       539-4027.
                                                                 Salt Lake City, UT
                                                                 84101.
Phoenix, Arizona.....................  Wednesday, January 28,   Wyndham Phoenix Hotel,   Deborah Stevens (602)
                                        2004, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.  50 East Adams Street,    417-9215.
                                                                 Phoenix, AZ 85004.
Boise, Idaho.........................  Saturday, January 31,    Doubletree Riverside     Cheryle Zwang, (203)
                                        2004, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.   Hotel, Tamarack Room,    373-9215.
                                                                 2900 Chinden
                                                                 Boulevard, Boise, ID
                                                                 83714.
Cheyenne, Wyoming....................  Tuesday, February 3,     Little America, West     Cindy Wertz (307) 775-
                                        2004, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.  America Ballroom, 2800   6014.
                                                                 West Lincoln Way,
                                                                 Cheyenne, WY 82009.
Washington, DC.......................  Thursday, February 5,    Courtyard by Marriott-   Tom Gorey (202) 452-
                                        2004, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.   Embassy Row, 1600        5137.
                                                                 Rhode Island Avenue,
                                                                 Washington, DC 20036.
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    The sites for the public meetings are accessible to individuals 
with physical impairments. If you need a special accommodation to 
participate in one or all of the meetings (e.g., interpreting service, 
assistive listening device, or

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materials in alternative format), please notify the contact person at 
the location you wish to attend no later than two weeks prior to the 
scheduled meeting. Although we will attempt to meet all requests 
received, the requested accommodations may not always be available.
    If you plan to present a statement at the meetings, we will ask you 
to sign in before the meeting starts and identify yourself clearly for 
the record. Your allotted speaking time at the meeting(s) will be 
determined before the meeting(s), based upon the number of persons 
wishing to speak and the approximate time available for the session. 
You will be provided at least 3 minutes to speak.
    If you do not wish to speak at the meetings but you have views, 
questions, and concerns about either the Draft EIS or the proposed 
regulations you may submit written statements for inclusion in the 
public record at the meeting. You may also submit written comments and 
suggestions regardless of whether you attend or speak at a public 
meeting. See the ADDRESSES section of this notice for where to submit 
comments.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review and will be published as part of the 
final environmental impact statement. Individual respondents may 
request confidentiality, which we will provide to the extent allowed by 
law. 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. 
The Planning system will not accept your comments unless you indicate 
whether or not you want your name withheld from publication. All 
submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

II. Background

    On December 8, 2003, BLM published a Notice of Proposed Rule in the 
Federal Register (68 FR 68452). The proposed rule would amend the 
regulations governing BLM's grazing administration program. This notice 
announces the availability of the Draft EIS under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
    Since the first set of grazing regulations was issued after passage 
of the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, as amended (43 U.S.C. 315, 315a-
315r), the regulations have been periodically modified, revised, and 
updated. The last major revision effort culminated when BLM published 
and implemented comprehensive changes to the grazing regulations in 
1995.
    The proposed changes to the grazing regulations are intended to 
improve working relationships with grazing permittees, protect public 
rangeland health, and enhance administrative efficiency and 
effectiveness, including resolution of legal issues.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.

    Dated: December 29, 2003.
Joseph O. Ratliff,
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 03-32336 Filed 12-31-03; 2:31 pm]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P