[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 829-830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-103]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR-930-6310-DR-WOPR; HAG-09-0045]


Notice of Availability of the Records of Decision of the Resource 
Management Plans of the Western Oregon Bureau of Land Management Salem, 
Eugene, Roseburg, Coos Bay, and Medford Districts, and the Klamath 
Falls Resource Area of the Lakeview District

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policies, the BLM announces the 
availability of the Records of Decision (RODs) for the Approved 
Resource Management Plans of the Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Coos Bay, and 
Medford Districts, and the Klamath Falls Resource Area of the Lakeview 
District in western Oregon. The Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals 
Management, signed the RODs on December 30, 2008, which constitutes the 
final decision of the Secretary of the Interior. The Approved Resource 
Management Plans (RMPs) are effective immediately.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the RODs will be sent to affected federal, state, 
and local government agencies, and to tribal governments. Interested 
persons may review the RODs on the Internet at http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/wopr/index.php. Copies of the RODs will be available for public 
inspection at the Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Coos Bay, and Medford 
District offices and the Grants Pass, Klamath Falls and Tillamook 
Resource Area offices.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry Hubbard, Western Oregon Plan 
Revisions Public Outreach Coordinator; at (503) 808-6115.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM has analyzed revisions of six 
Resource Management Plans with a single Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS). The FEIS describes four alternatives, including the 
Proposed RMP alternative, for managing approximately 2,550,000 acres of 
federal land within the western Oregon planning area, most of which are 
Oregon and California Railroad and Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant lands.
    The major resource management issues addressed in the Approved RMPs 
include:
     Providing a sustainable supply of wood and other forest 
products, as mandated by the Oregon and California Lands Act of 1937, 
while also meeting other applicable laws.
     Providing for conservation of species listed under the 
Endangered Species Act.
     Contributing to meeting the goals of the Clean Water Act 
and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
     Reducing wildfire hazard and integrating fire back into 
the ecosystem.
    The Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) was published in the Federal Register on August 10, 
2007. During the planning process over 170 meetings were offered and 
nearly 30,000 comment letters were received during the comment period. 
Comments received on the DEIS were important in shaping the Approved 
RMPs. The Approved RMPs are based on Alternative 2 from the DEIS, but 
include portions of the other alternatives in the DEIS.
    Some of the key changes include:
     Including wider Riparian Management Areas, as described in 
Alternative 1 of the DEIS.
     Reconfiguring Late Successional Management Areas to match 
the Final Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan.
     Deferring harvest for 15 years in older and more 
structurally complex multi-layered conifer stands in the Timber 
Management Area to be consistent with the Final Northern Spotted Owl 
Recovery Plan.
     Using uneven-aged management from Alternative 3 in the 
southern Medford District and Klamath Falls Resource Area to decrease 
fire hazard and increase fire resiliency.
    The Notice of Availability of the FEIS/PRMP was published in the 
Federal Register on October 17, 2008. The Governor's consistency review 
period ended on December 8, 2008. The Governor did not identify any 
inconsistency between the Proposed

[[Page 830]]

RMP (PRMP) and approved resource related plans, and the policies or 
programs contained therein, of State or local governments or offer any 
specific recommendation to change the plan to address a finding of 
inconsistency with State or local plans. The Governor did identify 
concerns with the PRMP which were addressed by the BLM State Director, 
Oregon/Washington.
    A protest period for the PRMP was provided between November 7 and 
December 8, 2008. Two hundred and sixty four protests were received on 
the PRMP during the protest period. A minor change resulted from 
resolution of the protests: Two small parcels purchased with Land and 
Water Conservation Funds were added to an Area of Critical 
Environmental Concern in the Salem RMP. Additional minor editorial 
modifications were made in preparing the Approved RMPs to provide 
further clarification of some of the decisions. Through its protest 
resolution process, the BLM has determined that the PRMP complies with 
applicable laws, regulations, and policies.
    The plan does not include any implementation level decisions. When 
the BLM proposes to take an action on lands managed under the revised 
plans, any party to a case adversely affected by that decision may 
appeal such decision to the Interior Board of Land Appeals in 
accordance with regulations found at 43 CFR Part 4.

Edward W. Shepard,
State Director, Oregon/Washington, Bureau of Land Management.
 [FR Doc. E9-103 Filed 1-7-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P