[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 8611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3297]



[[Page 8611]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-05-010-1430-EU]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, 
Westside Irrigation District Land Conveyance Project, Big Horn and 
Washakie Counties, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) and to conduct public scoping for the Westside 
Irrigation District Land Conveyance Project, Big Horn and Washakie 
Counties, Wyoming.

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SUMMARY: Public Law 106-485 (November 9, 2000; 114 Stat. 2199) directs 
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM), to convey all right, title, and interest (excluding 
mineral interest) in a parcel of public land in Big Horn County and 
Washakie County, Wyoming. The parcel of land to be conveyed comprises 
approximately 16,500 acres. Conveyance is to be made to the Westside 
Irrigation District at appraised value.
    The sale to the District is to take place after ``completion of an 
environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act'' 
(NEPA) by the BLM. Under the provisions of Section 102(2)(C) of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the BLM announces its 
intentions to prepare an EIS and to solicit public comments regarding 
issues and resource information.

DATES: This notice extends the scoping process initiated July 23, 2004, 
with a mailing of a scoping notice to Federal, State, and local 
government agencies; interested organizations; and news media. The BLM 
can best use public input if comments and resource information are 
submitted within 30 days of publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register. An updated scoping notice advising of the extended scoping 
period will be distributed by mail on, or about, the date of the 
publication of this notice.
    The BLM conducted public meetings in Basin and Worland, Wyoming on 
August 3-4, 2004, at which members of the public were provided 
information on the project and the opportunity to submit comments. The 
BLM will announce public meetings and other opportunities to submit 
comments on this project at least 15 days prior to the event. 
Announcements will be made through local news media and the Worland 
Field Office's Web site: http://www.wy.blm.gov/wfo/info.htm.

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments, or questions, to BLM Worland 
Field Office, P.O. Box 119, Worland, Wyoming 82401. Written comments or 
resource information may also be hand-delivered to BLM Worland Field 
Office, 101 S. 23rd, Worland, Wyoming 82401. Comments, or questions, 
may also be sent electronically to [email protected]. The 
scoping notice and other information regarding this project are posted 
on the Wyoming BLM Web site, at http://www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/wfodocs/westside. Members of the public may examine documents pertinent to this 
proposal by visiting the Worland Field Office during its business hours 
(8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    Your response is important and will be considered in the 
environmental analysis process. If you do respond, we will keep you 
informed of the availability of environmental documents that address 
impacts that occur from this proposal. Please note that comments and 
information submitted regarding this project including names, e-mail 
addresses, and street addresses of the respondents will be available 
for public review and disclosure at the above address. Individual 
respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your 
name, email address, 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 the law. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don Ogaard, Project Manager, BLM, 
Worland Field Office, P.O. Box 119, Worland, Wyoming 82401. Mr. Ogaard 
may also be reached by telephone at 307-347-5160.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Westside Irrigation District Land 
Conveyance Project area is located in southern Big Horn County and 
northern Washakie County. The southern end of the project area is 
approximately 5 miles northwest of Worland, Wyoming. The area comprises 
16,500 acres, in Townships 92 W., 92\1/2\ W., and 93 W.; Ranges 48 N. 
and 49 N.
    Following the conveyance of public lands to the District, the BLM 
anticipates that the land would be re-sold to private individuals for 
agricultural purposes in parcels no less than 160 acres per individual. 
Individuals qualifying for purchase of the lands from the District 
would be selected through a lottery. Successful individuals and the 
lands they acquire would become members of the District. Lands would be 
selected that are irrigable and that avoid impacts to wildlife, 
recreation, sensitive environmental areas, and other land uses. The 
District would make sufficient modifications in their irrigation 
infrastructure to allow for irrigation of the selected parcels.
    The law authorizing transfer of the land specifies that acreage may 
be added to, or subtracted from, the original 16,500 acres to satisfy 
any mitigation requirements resulting from the NEPA analysis. The law 
further provides that proceeds from the sale are to be used ``for the 
acquisition of land and interests in land in the Worland District of 
the Bureau of Land Management that will benefit public recreation, 
public access, fish and wildlife habitat, or cultural resources.''
    The Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC) will be a co-lead 
agency in the preparation of this EIS. The WWDC will use the document 
in support of any future funding decisions should the Westside 
Irrigation District file an application with the Commission for water 
supply development assistance. Cooperating agencies identified to date 
include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Big Horn and Washakie 
Counties, through their respective boards of county commissioners.
    BLM personnel, other agencies, and individuals have preliminarily 
identified the following issues that will be addressed in the EIS: 
Federally-listed Threatened, Endangered, Candidate and Sensitive 
Species and their habitats; surface water resources; prehistoric and 
historic cultural resources; social and economic effects to the local 
communities; wildlife habitat and fisheries; nesting raptors; wetlands 
and riparian areas; and recreation activities and opportunities, such 
as hunting and fishing.

    Dated: November 9, 2004.
Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-3297 Filed 2-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P