[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 13, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73788-73790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7254]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT-070-1610-DP-011J]


Supplement to Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource 
Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Price 
Field Office To List Proposed Areas of Critical Environmental Concern 
and Specific Associated Resource Use Limitations for Public Lands in 
Carbon and Emery Counties, UT

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

[[Page 73789]]


ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: A notice of availability for the Draft Resource Management 
Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Price Field 
Office planning area in Carbon and Emery Counties, Utah was published 
in the Federal Register, volume 69, number 136, Friday, July 16, 2004. 
This supplements that Notice with information on existing and potential 
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs) considered within the 
Draft RMP and EIS, as required in 43 CFR 1610.7-2. The CFR also 
provides an associated 60-day comment period.

DATES: The comment period will commence with the publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register and end 60 days after its publication.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on ACECs should be sent to the Bureau of 
Land Management, Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, Price, UT 
84501. If you have already submitted comments during the comment period 
for the Draft RMP and EIS held from July 16, 2004, to November 30, 
2004, they will be considered for the Proposed RMP and Final EIS, and 
there is no need to resubmit them in response to this notice.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the Price Field Office during regular 
business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
holidays and will be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA). They may be published as part of the EIS and 
other related documents. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street address 
from public review and disclosure under the FOIA, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses will be made available for public 
inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Floyd Johnson, Assistant Field 
Manager, BLM Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, Price, UT 84501, 
phone 435-636-3600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Price Field Office planning area 
includes all of the public land and Federal mineral ownership managed 
by the Price Field Office in Carbon and Emery Counties, Utah. This area 
includes approximately 2.5 million acres of BLM-administered surface 
lands and 2.8 million acres of Federal mineral lands under Federal, 
State, and private surface in the area. The decisions of the Price RMP 
will only apply to BLM-administered public lands and Federal mineral 
estate.
    The Draft RMP/EIS addresses five alternatives and provides proposed 
management decisions and impact analysis of the alternatives. The 
number and acreages of ACECs that would be designated vary by 
alternative. For example, Alternative A would designate eight ACECs 
comprising 167,439 public surface acres, while Alternative C would 
designate 19 ACECs comprising 642,516 acres. Resource use limitations 
applied to the ACECs also vary by alternative in some cases. There are 
presently 13 existing designated ACECs (289,629 total acres) in the 
Price Field Office, which were established by the San Rafael RMP 
(1991). These are reflected in the No Action Alternative of the Draft 
RMP and EIS. There are also 9 potential ACECs (286,416 total acres), 
each of which is being considered in at least one action alternative. 
Specific ACEC proposals, including resource use limitations, are 
described in detail by alternative in Chapter 2 of the Draft RMP/EIS. A 
summary of this information follows:
    The 13 currently designated ACECs that are being reconsidered are 
as follows: Big Flat Tops ACEC (192 acres), Copper Globe ACEC (128 
acres), San Rafael Canyon ACEC (49,791 acres), Sids Mountain ACEC 
(55,165 acres), Bowknot Bend ACEC (1,087 acres), Dry Lake 
Archaeological District ACEC (18,007 acres), Pictographs ACEC (43 
acres), San Rafael Reef ACEC (74,102 acres), Muddy Creek ACEC (25,751 
acres), Segers Hole ACEC (7,369 acres), Highway I-70 Scenic ACEC 
(39,488 acres), Swasey's Cabin ACEC (60 acres) and Temple Mountain ACEC 
(2,442 acres). These currently designated ACECs would continue to be 
designated in the No Action Alternative and in at least one of the 
action alternatives. Boundaries and acreages vary by alternative for 
the San Rafael Canyon ACEC, Sids Mountain ACEC, and Highway I-70 Scenic 
ACEC (acreage figures shown above are for existing ACEC boundaries). 
Resource use limitations for all currently designated ACECs vary by 
alternative and relate to leasing for oil and gas, locatable mineral 
entry, right-of-way (ROW) grants, private or commercial use of woodland 
products, livestock use, land treatments and range improvements, visual 
resource management (VRM), off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, disposal of 
mineral materials, and fire suppression activities. In addition, 
cultural resource considerations are made for Dry Lake Archaeological 
District ACEC, Pictographs ACEC, San Rafael Reef ACEC, Muddy Creek 
ACEC, Segers Hole ACEC, and Highway I-70 Scenic ACEC. Under all action 
alternatives, the Pictographs ACEC name would change to the Rock Art 
ACEC and 12 sites would be added, totaling 16,047 acres. Under 
Alternatives C and D, Swasey's Cabin ACEC and Temple Mountain ACEC 
would be included as a part of the Heritage Sites Potential ACEC.
    The 9 potential ACECs being considered are the Lower Green River 
Potential ACEC (38,317 acres), Gordon Creek Potential ACEC (2,620 
acres), Beckwith Plateau Potential ACEC (50,531 acres), Temple-
Cottonwood-Dugout Wash Potential ACEC (72,796 acres), Nine Mile Canyon 
Potential ACEC (48,861 acres), Range Creek Potential ACEC (65,495 
acres), Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry Potential ACEC (767 acres), 
Heritage Sites Potential ACEC (2,862 acres, 7 locations) and Uranium 
Mining Districts Potential ACEC (4,167 acres, 4 locations).
    The Lower Green River Potential ACEC, Gordon Creek Potential ACEC, 
and Beckwith Plateau Potential ACEC are proposed for designation under 
at least one action alternative. Resource use limitations would vary by 
alternative and relate to livestock grazing, leasing for oil and gas; 
disposal of mineral materials, locatable mineral entry, OHV use, and 
VRM. Use limitations for ROWs within the Beckwith Plateau Potential 
ACEC would vary by alternative, and protective measures would have to 
be taken within the Gordon Creek Potential ACEC before surface-
disturbing activities could occur.
    The Temple-Cottonwood-Dugout Wash Potential ACEC, Nine Mile Canyon 
Potential ACEC, and the Range Creek Potential ACEC are proposed for 
designation under at least one action alternative. Resource use 
limitations relate to oil and gas leasing, OHV use, disposal of mineral 
materials, and locatable mineral entry. Within the Range Creek 
potential ACEC, public access would be limited to hiking and horseback 
riding only. The Nine Mile Canyon Potential ACEC would have 
restrictions relating to VRM and cultural resources as well.
    The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry Potential ACEC would be 
designated in all action alternatives. Resource use limitations would 
vary by alternative and relate to public access, OHV use, construction 
of facilities, recreation, oil and gas leasing, disposal of mineral 
materials, locatable mineral entry; and collection of nonrenewable 
resources.

[[Page 73790]]

    The Heritage Sites Potential ACEC and the Uranium Mining Districts 
Potential ACEC would be designated under Alternatives C and D. Resource 
use limitations for the Heritage Sites Potential ACEC relate to oil and 
gas leasing, locatable mineral entry, disposal of mineral materials, 
ROW grants, land treatments and range improvements, and VRM. Resource 
use limitations for the Uranium Mining Districts Potential ACEC relate 
to firewood collection, livestock use, oil and gas leasing, disposal of 
mineral materials, locatable mineral entry, and cultural resources.

    Dated: October 18, 2005.
Jeff Rawson,
Acting State Director.
 [FR Doc. E5-7254 Filed 12-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DK-P