[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 19 (Monday, January 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4881-4882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1689]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-030-1610-DS]


Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) for the McGregor Range Resource Management Plan 
Amendment (RMPA) and Notice of Opening of Public Comment Period With 
Public Meetings

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.

ACTION: NOA of a DEIS for the McGregor Range RMPA, New Mexico.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 202 of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the BLM announces the availability of the 
DEIS for the McGregor Range RMPA.
    The DEIS documents the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
environmental impacts of four alternative management plans for BLM-
administered withdrawn public lands within the McGregor Range. When 
completed, the RMPA will fulfill the obligations set forth by NEPA, the 
Federal Land Policy and

[[Page 4882]]

Management Act, and associated Federal regulations.

DATES: The McGregor Range DEIS and RMPA 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 your comments and resource information submissions within the 
90-day review period provided above. Formal hearings and open house 
meetings will be scheduled to provide the public additional 
opportunities to submit comments on the McGregor Range DEIS and RMPA.
    All hearings or meetings and any other public involvement 
activities will be announced at least 15 days in advance through public 
notices, media news releases, New Mexico BLM Web site announcements, or 
mailings.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the DEIS/RMPA 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.nm.blm.gov. Copies of the DEIS/RMPA will be available for 
public inspection at the following locations: BLM New Mexico State 
Office, 1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505; BLM Las Cruces Field 
Office, 1800 Marquess, Las Cruces, NM 88005. The current RMPs/EISs, and 
all other documents relevant to this planning process, are available 
for public review at the Las Cruces Field Office at the above address.
    Written comments may be mailed directly, or delivered to the BLM 
at: Draft McGregor Range RMPA/EIS, BLM Las Cruces Field Office, 1800 
Marquess, Las Cruces, NM 88005. Comments may be electronically mailed 
to: [email protected]. Comments may be faxed to the BLM at: (505) 
525-4412. Comments that are e-mailed or faxed must include ``Comments 
on Draft McGregor RMPA/EIS'' in the subject line. Interested parties 
may also provide written comments during the public open house meetings 
and hearings. The BLM will only accept comments on the Draft McGregor 
Range RMPA/EIS if they are submitted in one of the four ways described 
above. To be given consideration by the BLM all DEIS/RMPA 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 and businesses will be made available 
for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tom Phillips, RMPA Team Leader, at 
the BLM Las Cruces Field Office (see address above), telephone (505) 
525-4377. Requests for information may be sent electronically to: 
[email protected] with ``Attention: McGregor RMPA Information 
Request'' in the subject line.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1990, the BLM approved the McGregor Range 
RMPA that established management direction for the BLM managed 
withdrawn public lands and resources administered by the BLM Las Cruces 
Field Office, New Mexico. The administrative area is located in 
southern Otero County, New Mexico, and includes approximately 606,233 
acres of withdrawn public lands within McGregor Range, which is a 
military training range managed by Ft. Bliss, Texas. Within the 
McGregor Range, Ft. Bliss administers an additional 70,884 acres owned 
by the Department of Defense and 17,864 acres managed by the U.S. 
Forest Service. In 1999, the Military Lands Withdrawal Act (PL 106-65) 
reauthorized the withdrawn public lands within McGregor Range for use 
by the Secretary of the Army for military maneuvering, training, and 
equipment development and testing; training for aerial gunnery, 
rocketry, electronic warfare; and tactical maneuvering and air support 
associated with the Air Force Tactical Target Complex; and other 
defense-related purposes. The Military Lands Withdrawal Act also 
directed the Secretary of the Interior, after consultation with the 
Secretary of the Army, to develop a plan for the management of 
withdrawn public lands. The DEIS documents the direct, indirect, and 
cumulative environmental impacts of four alternative plans for BLM-
administered withdrawn public lands within the McGregor Range. The DEIS 
describes the physical, biological, cultural, historic, and 
socioeconomic resources in and around the surrounding planning area. 
The focus for impact analysis was 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; special status 
species management; recreation access and opportunity; and cultural 
resources management.
    Four alternatives were analyzed in detail: The No-action 
Alternative represents the continuation of existing management plans, 
policies, and decisions as established in the 1990 McGregor Range RMPA. 
Alternative A represents a balance of resource use and conservation. 
Alternative B emphasizes resource use and production. Alternative C 
represents an emphasis of resource conservation, protection, and 
enhancement of natural and cultural resources. The BLM's preferred 
alternative is Alternative A.
    Since the publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an 
RMPA and EIS in the Federal Register on May 15, 2001, open house 
meetings, scoping meetings, and mailings have been conducted to solicit 
public comments and input. The Las Cruces Field Office has been 
providing updates on the development of this RMPA to the Otero County 
Board of Commissioners and the New Mexico Resource Advisory Council. 
Tribal governments with interests in the McGregor Range area were also 
contacted. From the publication date of the NOI in the Federal 
Register, through September 30, 2004, the BLM solicited for and 
received approximately 42 written comments from interested parties. In 
addition, two public meetings were held to provide the public with an 
opportunity to acquire information about the RMPA process and its 
status, and to submit comments. These public meetings were held in 
Alamogordo, New Mexico, on June 20, 2001, and in Las Cruces, New 
Mexico, on June 21, 2001. The two meetings resulted in 47 oral comments 
from the public. All comments presented throughout the process have 
been considered. Background information and maps used in developing the 
DEIS and RMPA are available for public viewing at the Las Cruces Field 
Office at the above address.

    Dated: November 23, 2004.
Linda S.C. Rundell,
New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-1689 Filed 1-28-05; 8:45 am]
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