[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 111 (Monday, June 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32138-32139]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10964]



[[Page 32138]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO-140-1610-DT-009C]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Resource 
Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) for Portions of the Roan Plateau 
Planning Area and Supplemental Information for Proposed Areas of 
Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) With Associated Resource Use 
Limitations for Public Lands in Garfield and Rio Blanco Counties, CO

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the RMPA/
Record of Decision (ROD) pertaining to all lands within the Roan 
Plateau planning area located in the Glenwood Springs Field Office with 
the exception of those areas proposed as ACECs in the Proposed Resource 
Management Plan Amendment/Final Environmental Impact Statement (PRMPA/
FEIS). This notice also provides supplemental information and announces 
an associated 60-day comment period regarding four proposed ACECs 
identified in the PRMP/FEIS, as required at 43 CFR 1610.7-2(b). Final 
RMPA decisions for portions of the planning area, which include 
proposed ACECs, are deferred until comments are analyzed.

DATES: The comment period pertaining to the proposed ACEC designations 
will commence with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, and will end 60 days following its publication. All comments 
must be received no later than the close of the last day of the comment 
period.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the RMPA/ROD for the Roan Plateau planning area 
and the PRMPA/FEIS are available upon request from the Glenwood Springs 
Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 50629 Highways 6 and 24, 
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, or via the Internet at http://www.blm.gov/rmp/co/roanplateau.
    Comments on the proposed ACEC designations should be sent to the 
above address. Only comments on the proposed ACECs that are identified 
in the PRMPA/FEIS will be considered. All comments must be in writing. 
Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the Bureau of Land Management, Glenwood 
Springs 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). Before 
including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal 
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your 
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses, or individuals 
representing them, will be made available for public inspection in 
their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamie Connell, Field Manager, Bureau 
of Land Management Glenwood Springs Field Office, 50629 Highways 6 & 
24, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, or by telephone at (970) 947-2800; or 
Greg Goodenow at (303) 239-3789.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Roan Plateau RMPA/ROD was developed with 
broad public participation through a 6-year collaborative planning 
process. This RMPA/ROD addresses the management of approximately 52,568 
acres of public land in the planning area. Final RMPA decisions for 
portions of the planning area where ACECs are proposed (approximately 
21,034 acres) will be deferred until comments are analyzed and 
considered from the 60-day public comment period.
    This RMPA/ROD includes management actions to meet the desired 
resource conditions for upland and riparian vegetation, wildlife 
habitats, cultural and visual resources, mineral resources, and 
recreation. The approved RMPA/ROD for portions of the Roan Plateau is 
essentially the same as the Proposed Alternative in the PRMPA/FEIS, 
published in September 2006. No inconsistencies with State or local 
plans, policies, or programs were identified during the Governor's 
consistency review of the PRMPA/FEIS. As a result, only minor editorial 
modifications were made in preparing the RMPA/ROD for portions of the 
Roan Plateau planning area. These modifications corrected errors that 
were noted during review of the PRMPA/FEIS, and provide further 
clarification for some of the decisions. A list of modifications is 
included within the RMPA/ROD that identifies the location of the 
corrections in the PRMPA/FEIS.
    BLM received 11 protests to the PRMPA/FEIS. In order to resolve one 
protest issue raised by the public, the BLM determined that it is also 
necessary to identify the four proposed ACECs and associated resource 
use limitations in this NOA that were presented in the PRMPA/FEIS, as 
well as to provide a 60-day public comment period. Therefore, the 
proposed ACECs identified in this NOA fulfills a regulatory 
requirement, and supplements the NOA for the PRMP/FEIS published in the 
Federal Register, Volume 71, Number 173, on Thursday, September 7, 
2006.
    The BLM accepted and considered input from the public on ACEC 
values and potential designation during scoping for the RMPA/EIS, 
during public comment on alternative development, and during the 
comment period on the Draft RMPA/Draft EIS (DRMPA/DEIS). The 
alternatives analyzed in the DRMPA/DEIS varied in the number and size 
of potential ACECs. The DRMPA/DEIS considered the designation of no 
ACECs in Alternatives I and V (zero acres), two ACECs in Alternatives 
III and IV (11,529 acres in each alternative), and four ACECs (36,184 
acres) in Alternative II.
    Input from the public and cooperating agencies was considered in 
developing the PRMPA/FEIS, which proposes four ACECs (21,034 acres). 
The four proposed ACECs and their associated relevant and important 
resource values are as follows: (1) Anvil Points (4,955 acres)--visual 
resources/aesthetics, wildlife habitat, botanical/ecological values; 
(2) Magpie Gulch (4,698 acres)--visual resources/aesthetics, wildlife 
habitat, botanical/ecological values; (3) East Fork Parachute Creek 
(6,571 acres)--visual resources/aesthetics, wildlife habitat, fisheries 
habitat, botanical-ecological values; and (4) Trapper/Northwater Creek 
(4,810 acres)--wildlife habitat, fisheries habitat, botanical/
ecological values.
    For all proposed ACECs, surface disturbing activities will be 
limited to protect all relevant and important values within the areas. 
Such activities include oil and gas development, rights-of-way 
designation, and road construction. Limitations include no ground 
disturbance or no surface occupancy prescriptions for activities within 
the ACECs, as well as site specific relocation or controlled surface 
use prescriptions. Further, conditions of approval or permitting level 
requirements may be applied. Detailed discussions of the proposed 
protective measures for the proposed ACECs are

[[Page 32139]]

contained in Table 2-2 and Appendix C of the PRMPA/FEIS.

    Dated: March 29, 2007.
Sally Wisely,
State Director, Colorado.
[FR Doc. E7-10964 Filed 6-8-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P