[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 3 (Friday, January 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-25577]



[[Page 881]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-030-07-1610-DQ]


Notice of Availability of the Rawlins Proposed Resource 
Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Wyoming

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) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 
(FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its cooperating 
agencies, have prepared a Proposed Resources Management Plan and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/EIS) for the Rawlins Field Office 
for public review.

DATES: The BLM Planning regulations set forth the provisions applicable 
to protests (43 Code of Federal Regulations (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 Rawlins PRMP/EIS and in the SUPPLMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this notice. To ensure compliance with the protest 
regulations, please consult the BLM's Planning regulations at 43 CFR 
1610.5-2.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the PRMP/FEIS has been sent to affected Federal, 
State, and local government agencies and to interested parties. The 
document will be available electronically at the following Rawlins RMP 
revision Web site: http://www.blm.gov/rmp/wy/rawlins. Copies of the 
PRMP/FEIS will be available for public inspection at the following 
locations:
     Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353 
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003.
     Bureau of Land Management, Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. 
Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Storzer, Field Manager, or John 
Spehar, Rawlins RMP Team Leader, BLM Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. 
Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301, or by telephone at 
(307) 328-4200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Rawlins Field Office planning area 
includes all of the public land and Federal mineral ownership in 
Laramie, Albany, Carbon, and eastern Sweetwater Counties, Wyoming. The 
area includes approximately 3.5 million acres of BLM-administered 
surface lands and 4.5 million acres of Federal mineral lands under 
Federal, State, and private surface.
    The Draft RMP/Draft EIS was made available for public review for a 
90-day period on December 12, 2004. The Draft RMP/Draft EIS described 
and analyzed 4 alternatives for the management of the public lands and 
resources, including the Federal mineral estate administered by the BLM 
Rawlins Field Office:
    Alternative 1 (No Action): Continues to balance the use and 
development of resources under current management guidance;
    Alternative 2: Provides development and use opportunities while 
minimizing adverse impacts to cultural and natural resources;
    Alternative 3: Focuses on greater conservation of natural and 
cultural resources while providing for compatible development and use; 
and
    Alternative 4: (Agency Preferred Alternative): Provides development 
opportunities while protecting sensitive resources.
    The key issues addressed by the alternatives are: (1) Development 
of energy resources and minerals; (2) special management designations; 
(3) public access and transportation planning; (4) wildland-urban 
interface; (5) management of special status species; (6) water quality; 
(7) vegetation management; (8) recreation activities; and (9) cultural 
resources management.
    The Draft RMP/Draft EIS includes recommendations regarding Areas of 
Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs). While the Draft RMP/Draft EIS 
fully documents the ACECs considered, to ensure that BLM provided the 
public with the required 60-day comment and review period as required 
by 43 CFR 1610.7-2, the BLM published a notice of supplemental 
information describing the proposed ACECs and associated values and use 
limitations in the Federal Register June 5, 2007.
    Comments received on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS from the public and 
internal BLM review comments were incorporated into the proposed plan. 
Public comments resulted in the addition of clarifying text but did not 
significantly change proposed land use decisions.
    After careful consideration of both public and internal comments 
received on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS, adjustments and clarifications 
have been made to Alternative 4, the Preferred Alternative. As 
modified, Alternative 4 is now presented as the Proposed Rawlins RMP in 
the Final EIS. The Proposed Rawlins 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 PRMP/EIS may be found at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. 
Electronic mail and facsimile protests will be considered only if the 
protesting party provides BLM with the original letter by either 
regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest 
period. Under those conditions, the BLM will consider the electronic or 
facsimile version as an advance copy and it will receive full 
consideration. If you wish to provide the 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 must be in writing and mailed to one of 
the following addresses:

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

Donald A. Simpson,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. E7-25577 Filed 1-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P