[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 235 (Friday, December 7, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69226-69227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23771]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA-670-07-1610-DQ]


Notice of Availability of Eastern San Diego County Proposed 
Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, 
California

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 Proposed Resource Management Plan 
(RMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Eastern 
San Diego County planning area managed by the El Centro Field Office.

DATES: BLM Planning Regulations set forth the provisions applicable to 
protests (43 CFR 1610.5-2). A person who meets the conditions as 
described in the regulations cited above, and who wishes to file a 
protest, must file said protest within 30 days of the date this notice 
is published in the Federal Register. Additional information on 
protests is set forth in the Dear Reader letter of the Eastern San 
Diego County Proposed RMP and Final EIS and in the Supplementary 
Information section of this notice. To ensure compliance with the 
protest regulations, please consult BLM's Planning Regulations at 43 
CFR 1610.5-2.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS has been sent to 
affected Federal, State and local government agencies and interested 
parties. The document will be available electronically at the following 
Eastern San Diego County RMP Web site: http://www.ca.blm.gov/elcentro. 
Copies of the PRMP/FEIS will be available for public inspection at the 
following locations:
     Bureau of Land Management, California State Office, 2800 
Cottage Way, Suite W-1834, Sacramento, CA 95825.
     Bureau of Land Management, El Centro Field Office, 1661 S. 
4\th\ Street, El Centro, CA 92243.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Dreyfuss, Eastern San Diego 
County RMP Team Leader, at (760) 337-4400, Bureau of Land Management, 
1661 S. 4\th\ Street, El Centro, CA 92243; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planning area for the Eastern San Diego 
County RMP is the El Centro Field Office's area of management 
responsibility. A total of approximately 103,000 acres of public lands 
are administered by the BLM in the planning area. The decisions in the 
RMP will only apply to BLM-administered lands and mineral estate in the 
planning area. The Eastern San Diego County Proposed RMP and Final EIS 
have been developed through collaborative planning and consider four 
alternatives. Primary issues include: renewable energy, sensitive 
natural and cultural resources, livestock grazing, energy and mineral 
development, visual resources,

[[Page 69227]]

and motorized vehicle route designations. The Proposed RMP/FEIS 
includes consideration of the designation of Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern (ACECs). The proposed plan includes retaining all 
or portions of the following existing ACECs: In-Ko-Pah ACEC--(currently 
22,186 acres); Table Mountain ACEC--(currently 4,293 acres). In the 
Proposed RMP/FEIS, the In-Ko-Pah ACEC would be reduced in the north and 
east to avoid overlap with designated wilderness and wilderness study 
areas, and expanded in the south and west to include critical habitat 
for Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. Use of public lands within these ACECs 
would vary, depending on the resources and/or values identified but 
would likely include limitations on OHV use and livestock grazing.
    Comments on the Eastern San Diego County Draft RMP/EIS received 
from the public and internal BLM review comments were incorporated into 
the Proposed RMP. Public comments resulted in corrections, clarifying 
text, and the addition of new data used in the analysis of impacts. The 
Proposed Eastern San Diego County RMP would provide comprehensive, 
long-range decisions for the use and management of resources in the 
planning area administered by the BLM and focus on the principles of 
multiple use and sustained yield.
    As noted above, instructions for filing a protest with the Director 
of the BLM regarding the Proposed RMP and Final EIS are described in 43 
CFR 1610.5-2. E-mailed and faxed protests will not be accepted as valid 
protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter 
by regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest 
period. Under these conditions, BLM will consider the e-mailed or faxed 
protest as an advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If 
you wish to provide BLM with such advance notification, please direct 
faxed protests to the attention of the BLM protest coordinator at (202) 
452-5112, and e-mails to [email protected].
    All protests, including the follow-up letter (if e-mailing or 
faxing) must be in writing and mailed to one of the following 
addresses:

Regular Mail:
    Director (210)
    Attention: Brenda Williams
    P.O. Box 66538
    Washington, DC 20035
Overnight Mail:
    Director (210)
    Attention: Brenda Williams
    1620 L Street, NW., Suite 1075
    Washington, DC 20036

    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your protest, you should be 
aware that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: November 19, 2007.
Vicki L. Wood,
Field Manager.
 [FR Doc. E7-23771 Filed 12-6-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P