[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 100 (Thursday, May 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 29173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10032]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT933-07-4310-DP]


Notice of Intent To Prepare Supplemental Draft Resource 
Management Plans and Environmental Impact Statements for the Vernal and 
Price Field Offices, Utah

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), Vernal and Price Field Offices, Utah, are preparing Supplemental 
Draft Resource Management Plans/Environmental Impact Statements (Draft 
RMP/EIS) to include additional information and analyses of wilderness 
characteristics on lands outside existing Wilderness Study Areas 
(WSAs). This information and analysis includes multiple areas in both 
the Vernal and Price Field Office planning areas.

DATES: Because the BLM has previously requested (Federal Register, 
Volume 66, Number 48, March 12, 2001, pages 14415-14417, and Federal 
Register, Volume 66, No. 216, November 7, 2001, pages 56343-56344) and 
received extensive information from the public on issues to be 
addressed in these RMPs, and because the Council on Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) do not require additional scoping for this 
supplemental draft RMP/EIS process (40 CFR 1502.9(c)( 4), the BLM is 
not asking for further public information and comment at this time. 
This issue has been defined in earlier scoping efforts. A 90-day public 
comment period will be provided upon release of the supplemental draft 
document EISs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shelley Smith, Project Manager, BLM 
Utah State Office, P.O. Box 45155, Salt Lake City, Utah 84145-0155; 
telephone: (801) 539-4053; e-mail: [email protected]. The public 
may also contact Howard Cleavinger, Assistant Field Manager, BLM Vernal 
Field Office, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, Utah 84078; telephone: (435) 
781-4480; e-mail: [email protected] or Floyd Johnson, 
Assistant Field Manager, BLM Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, 
Price, Utah 84501; telephone: (435) 636-3650; e-mail: [email protected]. Or, the public may visit the Price RMP Web site at 
http://www.blm.gov/rmp/ut/price and the Vernal RMP Web site at http://www.blm.gov/rmp/ut/vernal.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There are multiple areas in the Price and 
Vernal Field Offices, outside of existing wilderness study areas 
(WSAs), found to have wilderness characteristics in previous 
inventories. The BLM's Land Use Planning Handbook (H-1601-1) provides 
guidance for consideration of non-WSA lands with wilderness 
characteristics in land use planning. The handbook provides that the 
BLM consider these lands and resource values in planning, and prescribe 
measures to protect wilderness characteristics. These characteristics 
include appearance of naturalness, outstanding opportunities for 
solitude, or outstanding opportunities for primitive and unconfined 
recreation.
    To ensure compliance with the ruling in the court case, Southern 
Utah Wilderness Alliance et al. v. Gale Norton, in her official 
capacity as Secretary of the Interior et al. (Utah District Court, Case 
No. 2:04CV574DAK), regarding the sale and issuance of oil and gas 
leases on lands outside of existing WSAs with wilderness 
characteristics, the BLM is supplementing its consideration of non-WSA 
lands with wilderness characteristics in land use planning. BLM shall 
ensure that (1) adequate consideration is given to wilderness 
characteristics in ongoing RMPs, (2) a range of alternatives is 
analyzed for management of these lands, and (3) an adequate analysis is 
prepared from which to base decisions for future oil and gas leasing.

    Dated: April 4, 2007.
Jeff Rawson,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. E7-10032 Filed 5-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P