[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 242 (Friday, December 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75558-75560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-27532]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-030-1610-DS]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Rawlins Resource Management Plan Revision

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) for the Rawlins Resource Management Plan (RMP), 
Wyoming.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 202 of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
announces the availability of the DEIS for the Rawlins RMP Revision.
    The DEIS describes and analyzes alternatives for the planning and 
management of public lands and resources administered by the BLM 
Rawlins Field Office.

DATES: The Rawlins RMP and DEIS will be available for review for 90 
calendar days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes its NOA in the Federal Register. The BLM can best utilize 
comments and resource information submissions within this review 
period.
    Formal hearings and open houses will be scheduled to provide the 
public additional opportunities to submit comments on the Rawlins RMP 
revision and DEIS. All meetings or hearings and any other public 
involvement activities will be announced at least 15 days in advance 
through public notices, media news releases, Rawlins RMP Web site 
announcements, or mailings.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the DEIS has been sent to affected Federal, State, 
and local Government agencies and to interested parties. The document 
will be available electronically on the following Web site: http://www.wy.blm.gov/rfo/rfoplan.htm. Copies of the DEIS will be available 
for public inspection at the following locations:
     Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353 
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003
     Bureau of Land Management, Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. 
Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Spehar, Project Manager, BLM 
Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. Third Street, Rawlins, WY 82301. Requests 
for information may be sent electronically to: [email protected] 
with ``Attention: Rawlins RMP Information Request'' in the subject 
line. Mr. Spehar may also be reached at (307) 328-4264.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The administrative area is located in south 
central and southeastern Wyoming and includes approximately 11.2 
million acres of land in Albany, Carbon, Laramie, and Sweetwater 
Counties. Within that area, the BLM administers approximately 3.3 
million acres of public land surface and underlying Federal mineral 
estate. The BLM administers an additional 0.1 million acres of surface 
estate over State and private minerals, and administers an additional 
1.2 million acres of Federal mineral estate under private or State-
owned surface.
    In 1990, the BLM approved the Great Divide RMP. This RMP 
established management direction for the surface and mineral estates 
and associated resources administered by the BLM Rawlins Field Office, 
Wyoming. In July 2001, an evaluation of the Great Divide RMP, 
predecessor to the Rawlins RMP, concluded that the RMP was deficient in 
certain areas as a result of changed conditions and demands on the 
area's resources.
    In 2002, under the provisions found at 43 CFR 1610, the BLM 
published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) that would be used to review and analyze current 
conditions considering new data, new or revised policies, and 
circumstances affecting the entire or major portions of the geographic 
area addressed in the Great Divide RMP. To reflect changes in 
administrative units, the BLM also established that the revised plan 
would henceforth be known as the Rawlins RMP.
    The DEIS describes the physical, biological, cultural, historic, 
and socioeconomic resources in and around the planning area. The focus 
for impact analysis is based on resource issues and concerns identified 
during scoping and public involvement activities and opportunities. 
Potential impacts of concern regarding possible management direction 
and planning decisions (not in priority order) are development of 
energy resources and mineral-related issues; special management 
designations; resource accessibility; wildland-urban interface; special 
status species management; water quality; vegetation management; and 
recreation, cultural and paleontological resources management.
    The DEIS documents the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
environmental impacts of four alternatives for management of BLM-
administered public lands within the Rawlins Field Office. When 
completed, the revised RMP will fulfill the obligations set forth by 
NEPA, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and associated 
Federal regulations. Four alternatives are analyzed in detail:
    1. Alternative 1. Continues Existing Management Direction (``No 
Action'' Alternative);
    2. Alternative 2. Encourages development and use opportunities 
while minimizing adverse impacts to cultural and natural resources 
(Development Alternative);
    3. Alternative 3. Fosters conservation of natural and cultural 
resources while providing for compatible development and use 
(Protection Alternative);
    4. Alternative 4. Provides development opportunities while 
protecting sensitive resources (Agency Preferred Alternative).
    The Rawlins RMP DEIS considers, and is in conformance with, BLM's 
National Fire Plan. The potential for energy development in the Rawlins 
RMP planning area is high, both east and west of Rawlins, Wyoming. 
Based on the high potential within the area administered by the Rawlins 
Field Office, the DEIS considers oil and gas and wind energy 
development in support of the National Energy Plan.
    In the time since the BLM published its Notice of Intent to prepare 
an RMP and EIS in the Federal Register, BLM has conducted open houses, 
taken surveys, and issued mailings to solicit comments and input. The 
Rawlins Field Office has been coordinating with various County 
Governments, Conservation Districts, and Wyoming State Government 
throughout the development of the DEIS. Tribal Governments with 
interests in the Rawlins area were also contacted. Commencing with the 
date that BLM's NOI was published in the Federal Register, through 
April 7, 2003, the BLM solicited for, and received, in excess of, 
26,000 comments from interested parties. In addition, public meetings 
were held to provide the public with an opportunity to acquire 
information about the RMP revision process, as well as to provide the 
public with an opportunity to submit comments. Public meetings were 
held in: Rock Springs, Wyoming, March 3, 2003; Rawlins, Wyoming, March 
4, 2003; Baggs, Wyoming, March 5, 2003; and Laramie, Wyoming, March 6, 
2003. BLM has considered all comments presented throughout the process 
in the preparation of the Draft RMP EIS. Background information and 
maps used in developing the Draft RMP EIS are available for public 
viewing in the Rawlins Field Office.

How To Submit Comments

    The BLM welcomes comments on the Rawlins RMP DEIS. Comments may be 
submitted as follows:
    1. The Rawlins RMP Revision Web site at www.rawlinsrmp.com is 
designed to allow commenters to submit comments electronically by 
resource subject directly onto a comment form posted on the Web site;
    2. Comments may be uploaded in an electronic file directly to the 
above Web site;
    3. Comments may be electronically mailed to 
[email protected].

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    4. Comments may be submitted during the public open houses and 
hearings that will be held at a later date; and
    5. Written comments may be mailed directly, or delivered, to the 
BLM at:Rawlins RMP/EIS, Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office, 
1300 N. Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins, WY 82301-2407.
    BLM will only accept comments on the Rawlins RMP DEIS if they are 
submitted in one of the five methods as described above. To facilitate 
analysis of comment and information submitted, BLM strongly encourages 
the public to submit comments in an electronic format through either 
the Web site or electronic mail. To be given consideration by BLM all 
DEIS comment submittals must include the commenter's name and street 
address.
    Our practice is to make comments, including the names and street 
addresses of each respondent, available for public review at the BLM 
office listed above during business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), 
Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays. Your comments may 
be published as part of the EIS process. Individual respondents may 
request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street 
address or both from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom 
of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your written comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. We will not consider anonymous comments. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses will be made available for 
public inspection in their entirety.

    Dated: January 4, 2004.

    Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the 
Federal Register December 13, 2004.
Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 04-27532 Filed 12-16-04; 8:45 am]
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