[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 64 (Friday, April 2, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17446-17447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-7466]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT-936-04-2823-JM-PJ02]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Land Use Plan Amendment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the BLM, Utah State Office, 
intends to prepare a Land Use Plan Amendment for Fire and Fuels 
Management for more than three quarters of BLM lands in Utah. This Plan 
Amendment will amend 21 Land Use Plans that address management of the 
public lands in the Cedar City, Fillmore, Kanab, Moab, Monticello, 
Richfield, Salt Lake, and St. George Field Offices (FOs), and the Grand 
Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The purpose of the Amendment is 
to incorporate current Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy into 
Resource Management Plans, Management Framework Plans, and the Grand 
Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan. The Amendment 
will address restoring fire as an integral part of fire-adapted 
ecosystems to meet resource management objectives, to protect human 
life and property, as well as natural and cultural resources, through 
the reduction of hazardous fuels, and to establish consistent methods 
of managing fire and fuels on BLM-administered public lands in Utah. 
The Amendment will analyze fire and fuels management actions and their 
impacts on the human environment for public lands administered by the 
eight Utah BLM Field Offices and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National 
Monument 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 Land Use 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 30 days from the 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

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 fax your comments or requests 
to: Matthew Higdon, Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Office, 324 
S. State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111-2303; FAX (801) 539-4243. 
Comments or requests may be submitted via electronic mail as well ([email protected]). Upon request, comments, including names and 
street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at 
the BLM Utah State Office during regular business hours 8 a.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published as 
part of the Amendment. Current Resource Management Plans, Management 
Framework Plans, the Monument Management Plan, and all other documents 
relevant to this planning process are also available for public review 
at the Utah State Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jolie Pollet, Fire Ecologist, (801) 
539-4129, or Matthew Higdon, Planner, (801) 539-4052, Utah State 
Office, 324 S. State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111-2303.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This planning activity encompasses 
approximately 18 million acres of public lands within the state of 
Utah. The planning area includes all surface lands managed by BLM in 
the eight BLM Field Offices described above and the Grand Staircase-
Escalante National Monument. This amendment does not affect lands for 
which BLM only administers the sub-surface, or mineral estate. This 
Plan Amendment will immediately amend the following: four Resource 
Management Plans (RMPs) [Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony (1986), Grand 
(1985), St. George (1999), San Juan (1991)]; 12 Management Framework 
Plans (MFPs) [(Escalante (1981), Forest (1977), Henry Mountains (1982), 
Iso-tract (1985), Mountain Valley (1982), Paria (1981), Park City 
(1975), Parker Mountain (1982), Pinyon (1983), Randolph (1980), 
Vermillion (1981), Zion (1981)]; and the Grand Staircase-Escalante 
National Monument Management Plan (1999). In addition, this action 
could amend, at a later date, the Resource Management Plans guiding 
management for western desert areas of the Salt Lake and Fillmore Field 
Offices.
    The proposed Plan Amendment will: (1) Establish landscape level 
fire management objectives; (2) describe desired wildland fire 
conditions; (3) identify the suite of management strategies and actions 
to meet desired wildland fire conditions and desired resource 
management conditions; (4) describe areas where fire may be restored to 
the ecosystem; (5) describe areas where fires are unwanted; (6) 
identify general restrictions on fire management practices; (7) 
identify criteria used for establishing fire management priorities; and 
(8) identify the anticipated maximum burned acres and acres treated for 
hazardous fuel reduction. 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: (1) 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, the BLM planning regulations in 43 
CFR part 1600, and other relevant laws; (2) the Amendment will 
recognize the existence of valid existing rights; (3) lands covered in 
the Amended Land Use Plans will be public lands managed by the BLM and 
decisions in the Amendment will be made only on lands managed by BLM; 
(4) the BLM will use a collaborative and multi-jurisdictional approach, 
where possible, to jointly determine the desired future conditions of 
public lands; (5) the BLM will make all possible attempts to ensure 
that its management prescriptions and planning actions are as 
complimentary as possible to other planning jurisdictions, within the 
boundaries described by law and policy; (6) the BLM will, to the extent 
possible, use current scientific information, research, new 
technologies and the results of resource assessments, monitoring and 
coordination to determine appropriate management strategies that will 
enhance or restore impaired ecosystems; and (7) the Amendment will 
supersede only sections of the existing Land Use Plans that relate to 
Fire and Fuels Management. Additional planning criteria may be 
identified during the comment period.
    Existing information will be used to develop the Plan Amendment. An 
interdisciplinary approach will be used to develop the Plan Amendment 
in order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns 
identified.

[[Page 17447]]

Disciplines involved in the planning process will include but are not 
limited to fire and fuels, rangeland, outdoor recreation, cultural 
resources, wildlife, wilderness, hydrology, soils science, sociology, 
and economics. Selectable alternatives must contribute to the purpose 
of the proposed Plan Amendment and protection of communities at risk 
from catastrophic wildfire. A collaborative process will be used to 
involve other Federal agencies, Native American tribes, conservation 
groups, recreationists, the public, and BLM specialists throughout the 
planning process to ensure that local, regional, and national issues 
and concerns are addressed, and to participate in developing and 
analyzing alternatives. The Governor of Utah, County Commissioners for 
involved counties in Utah, 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. Submitted comments, 
including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available 
for public review at the BLM Utah State Office. 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.
    A congressional restriction was placed on land use planning in the 
western portion of Utah under the National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2000. However, in order to address cumulative impacts 
and increase cost-efficiencies, it is proposed that the Box Elder RMP 
and Pony Express RMP in Salt Lake FO, and House Range RMP and Warm 
Springs RMP in Fillmore FO be included as part of the NEPA analysis 
relating to the LUP amendment. The decision to amend these RMPs will 
not be signed unless or until the restriction is removed or resolved. 
At that time, if circumstances have not changed, the decision to amend 
these four plans would be signed and implemented.

    Dated: March 1, 2004.
Gene Terland,
Utah Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 04-7466 Filed 4-1-04; 8:45 am]
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