[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 153 (Thursday, August 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46031-46032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18200]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-100-08-1610-DU]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Buffalo Resource Management 
Plan Amendment and Fortification Creek Management Area Environmental 
Assessment, 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 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and Environmental Assessment (RMPA/EA) for the Buffalo Field 
Office (BFO) and by this notice is announcing the opening of the 
comment period for the Draft Buffalo RMPA and Fortification Creek 
Management Area EA. The BLM also announces the availability of 
information regarding a proposed Area of Critical Environmental Concern 
(ACEC) designation considered in the Draft RMPA/EA.

DATES: To assure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft RMPA/EA within 60 days following the date 
that this notice appears in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/bfodocs/fortification_creek.html
     E-mail: [email protected];
     Fax: (307) 684-1122;
     Mail: Buffalo RMP Amendment/Fortification Creek EA, BLM 
Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 82834; or
     By personal delivery to the Buffalo Field Office or at a 
BLM-hosted public meeting.
    Copies of the Draft RMPA/EA were sent to affected Federal, State, 
and local government agencies and interested parties. There are a 
limited number of hard copies available upon request. Copies of the 
Draft RMPA/EA are available in the Buffalo Field Office at the above 
address and at the following location:
     Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353 
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Bills, Buffalo RMPA Team 
Leader, BLM Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 82834; 
or by telephone at 307-684-1133.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following descriptions of alternatives 
considered in the Draft Buffalo RMPA and Fortification Creek EA have 
been included to provide context for reviewing the proposed ACECs. The 
Draft RMPA/EA documents the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
environmental impacts of three alternatives for management of BLM-
administered public lands within the Fortification Creek Management 
Area of the BFO. Three alternatives are analyzed in detail:
    1. Alternative 1 (No Action Alternative): Continues the existing 
management direction; no ACECs;
    2. Alternative 2: Establishes an ACEC based on crucial elk habitats 
(52,069 acres; over 55 percent public surface); and
    3. Alternative 3: Establishes an ACEC based on a citizen proposal 
(33,757 acres; mostly public surface).
    There are no ACECs in the existing BFO land use plan. As proposed 
in the Draft RMPA/EA, there is potential for designation of a 
Fortification Creek ACEC in both Alternative 2 and 3. Values of concern 
include steep slopes, erosive soils, elk habitat, cultural resources, 
and visual resource management.

                 Proposed ACEC Resource--Use Limitations
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Alternative 2: Crucial Elk Habitat ACEC  Alternative 3: Citizen Proposed
              52,069 Acres                      ACEC  33,757 Acres
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Performance-based, phased coalbed        Same as Alternative 2.
 natural gas (CBNG) development occurs
 by geographic area.
Surface disturbance is not allowed on    Same as Alternative 2.
 areas of highly erosive soils and/or
 slopes of 25 percent or more.

[[Page 46032]]

 
After interim CBNG reclamation, there    After interim CBNG reclamation,
 is an up to two-year rest period from    there is a one-year rest
 livestock grazing.                       period from livestock grazing.
Direct discharge of water to drainages   No direct discharge of water is
 is permissible, with subsequent          allowed into ephemeral or
 monitoring and mitigation of             intermittent drainages.
 downstream impacts on lease.
Reservoirs and ancillary CBNG            Reservoirs and ancillary CBNG
 facilities, including compressors, are   facilities, including
 located outside of yearlong elk range.   compressors, are located
                                          outside of elk crucial winter
                                          range and elk calving areas.
There is a winter timing limitation for  There is no winter timing
 surface-disturbing and disruptive        limitation in elk crucial
 activities from November 15 through      winter range but there is a
 April 30 in elk crucial winter range     timing limitation from May 1
 as well as a timing limitation for       through June 30 in elk calving
 surface-disturbing and disrupting        ranges.
 activities from May 1 through June 30
 in elk calving ranges.
CBNG well metering and monitoring/       CBNG well metering and
 maintenance activities are restricted    monitoring/maintenance
 to weekly visitation in 1) elk crucial   activities are prohibited in
 winter range from November 15 through    1) elk crucial elk winter
 April 30 and 2) elk calving areas from   range from November 15 through
 May 1 through June 30.                   April 30 and 2) elk calving
                                          areas from May 1 through June
                                          30.
Allow for no net road density change     Allow road density change from
 from BLM base data to conserve elk       BLM base data to conserve 80
 security habitat.                        percent elk security habitat.
Overhead power on BLM surface along      Same as Alternative 2.
 existing corridors is allowed.
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    When commenting, please include reference to either the page or 
section in the Draft RMPA/EA to which the comment applies. To 
facilitate analysis of comments and information submitted, BLM 
encourages commenters to submit comments in an electronic format.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted 
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of respondents 
will be available for public review and disclosure at the above address 
during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. 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.

Donald A. Simpson,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. E8-18200 Filed 8-6-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P