[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 159 (Friday, August 17, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46243-46244]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16165]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ES-020-06-1610-DP-028M]


Notice of Availability of the Alabama and Mississippi Draft 
Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) for Alabama and Mississippi 
and by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.

DATES: To assure that they will be considered, BLM must receive written 
comments on the Draft RMP/EIS within 90 days following the date the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes their Notice of Availability 
in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce future meetings or 
hearings and any other public involvement activities at least 15 days 
in advance through public notices, media news releases, and/or 
mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Web Site: http://www.es.blm.gov/AL_MS_RMP.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (601) 977-5440.
     Mail: Send to the contact listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Taylor, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management, Jackson Field 
Office, 411 Briarwood Drive, Jackson, Mississippi 39206. Mr. Taylor may 
also be contacted by telephone: (601) 977-5413.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft RMP/EIS addresses all BLM-
administered lands and mineral estate in Alabama and Mississippi. This 
includes 333 acres of public surface land including mineral estate in 
Baldwin, Calhoun, Chilton, Coosa, Geneva, Mobile, Shelby and Talladega 
Counties in Alabama and in Hancock County, Mississippi. The Draft RMP/
EIS also covers 704,850 acres of Federal mineral estate where the 
surface is non-Federal and 126,570 acres of Federal minerals where the 
surface is managed by Federal agencies other than the BLM or the Forest 
Service. The issues addressed in the Draft RMP/EIS are mineral (oil, 
gas, and coal) leasing and ownership adjustment of the scattered 
surface tracts.
    The Alabama and Mississippi RMP will be the first BLM land use plan 
for these states. Until now BLM resource management in Alabama and 
Mississippi has been implemented through broad policy guidance and by 
project-specific environmental assessments. When the RMP is approved, 
the BLM will be better able to respond to mineral leasing requests and 
deal efficiently with the long-term management of its scattered lands.
    The BLM published its Notice of Intent to prepare the Alabama and 
Mississippi RMP/EIS in the Federal Register on July 12, 2002. Letters 
were sent to Federal and state agencies, as well as county supervisors 
and commissioners to inform them of the planning process and to the 
governors of both states, inviting them to be cooperating agencies. The 
State of Mississippi accepted the invitation to become a cooperating 
agency. The BLM also contacted Native American tribes to invite them to 
participate in the planning process and coordinated closely with the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the development of oil and gas lease 
stipulations and best management practices. A public workshop was held 
in Gulf Shores, Alabama on September 2, 2004, to solicit additional 
comments for developing alternatives.
    Four alternatives were developed in response to the issues 
identified during the planning process. The ``no action'' alternative 
represents current management and is identified as Alternative 1. Three 
additional ``action'' alternatives present varying levels of oil and 
gas leasing constraints to protect sensitive species and their 
habitats. The alternatives also range from retaining all the surface 
tracts under BLM management to transferring them to other agencies or 
out of Federal ownership. Alternative 3 was identified as the preferred 
alternative because it provides the best balance in protecting 
sensitive resources while allowing responsive mineral development and 
surface ownership adjustment for most of the scattered surface tracts.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted will be 
available for public review and disclosure at the above address during 
regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, 
except holidays. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail, 
or other personal identifying information in your comment, you

[[Page 46244]]

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 and 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
available for public inspection in their entirety. Copies of the Draft 
Alabama and Mississippi RMP/EIS are available in the Jackson Field 
Office at the above address.

A. Barron Bail,
Acting State Director.
 [FR Doc. E7-16165 Filed 8-16-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-GJ-P