[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30426-30427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-12969]


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DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-930-1610-DR]


Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the Kemmerer 
Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Record of Decision (ROD)/Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) 
for the Kemmerer Field Office planning area located in Lincoln, 
Sweetwater, and Uinta counties, Wyoming. The Wyoming State Director 
signed the ROD on May 24, 2010, which constitutes the final decision of 
the BLM and makes the Approved RMP effective immediately.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD/Approved RMP are available upon request 
from the Field Manager, Kemmerer Field Office, Bureau of Land 
Management, 312 Highway 189 North, Kemmerer, Wyoming 83101; from the 
Wyoming State Office, Bureau of Land Management, 5353 Yellowstone Road, 
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003; or via the Internet at: http://www.blm.gov/rmp/kemmerer/docs.htm. Copies of the ROD/Approved RMP are available for 
public inspection at the addresses listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact John 
Christensen, Kemmerer Field Manager, or Michele Easley, Kemmerer 
Assistant Field Manager and RMP team leader, at the Kemmerer Field 
Office, 312 Highway 189 North, Kemmerer, Wyoming 83101; telephone at 
(307) 828-4500; or e-mail [email protected] and [email protected], respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The approved Kemmerer RMP was revised 
collaboratively with the State of Wyoming, county governments, other 
Federal agencies, and tribal governments. The Kemmerer RMP planning 
area includes approximately 1.4 million acres of BLM-administered 
public lands and 1.6 million acres of Federal mineral lands under 
Federal, state, and private surface ownership.
    The Approved RMP establishes the goals, objectives, and management 
actions to meet desired resource conditions; identifies comprehensive 
management direction for all resources and uses; identifies lands that 
are open or available for certain uses along with associated surface 
restrictions; and identifies lands closed to certain uses. The Approved 
RMP makes broad-scale decisions to guide future site-specific project 
implementation for wind energy, fluid minerals, and coal resource 
development in the Kemmerer planning area. The agency preferred 
alternative (Alternative D, in the Proposed RMP/Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS), with modifications) is the selected alternative 
for the Approved RMP.
    After the publication of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS on August 22, 
2008, the BLM received 10 protest letters. As a result of these 
protests, the BLM made modifications to the proposed plan that are 
reflected in the Approved RMP. The BLM eliminated Christy Canyon as a 
forage reserve allotment since a lack of available water and a short 
growing season preclude full-season emergency relief for livestock 
operations. The BLM also made other minor editorial modifications in 
preparing the Approved RMP. These modifications provided further 
clarification of some of the decisions.
    In addition, the BLM received protests asserting that the public 
was not provided adequate opportunity to comment on expanded sage-
grouse restrictions in the Proposed RMP/Final EIS. To resolve the 
issues raised in these protests, the Approved RMP adopts the sage-
grouse restrictions originally presented in the Draft RMP/EIS (and 
reflected in the no action alternative in the Proposed RMP/Final EIS). 
The BLM Wyoming State Office, however, is also initiating the process 
to amend the Kemmerer, Casper, Pinedale, Rock Springs, Newcastle, and 
Rawlins RMPs. These RMP amendments will revise sage-grouse and 
sagebrush management direction to incorporate policies set forth in BLM 
Wyoming Instruction Memoranda (IM) WY-2010-012 and WY-2010-013. The IMs 
may be accessed at the following Web address: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs.wildlife.html.
    To ensure appropriate management of sage-grouse habitat during the 
amendment process (and associated NEPA analysis), the BLM will 
undertake the following actions:
    1. The BLM will apply the direction provided in IM WY-2010-012 and 
IM WY-2010-013 to specific projects, as appropriate, on a case-by-case 
basis.

[[Page 30427]]

    2. As the BLM considers implementing decisions governed by the 
Approved Kemmerer RMP, the BLM will coordinate with Federal, state, and 
local agencies to ensure that the policies established by the Governor 
of Wyoming's Executive Order on Sage-Grouse (E.O. 2008-2), including 
managing sage-grouse habitats in support of population objectives 
consistent with the Governor's Sage-Grouse Core Population Area 
strategy, are considered and implemented, as appropriate.
    3. The BLM will apply expanded sage-grouse restrictions when 
supported by site-specific environmental analysis.
    4. The BLM will make use of statewide sage-grouse seasonal habitat 
models and sagebrush mapping as they are developed.
    5. The BLM will provide for additional sage-grouse protections 
through a statewide oil and gas lease stipulation--Lease Notice No.3: 
``Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat: The lease may in part, or in total, 
contain important Greater sage-grouse habitats as identified by the 
BLM, either currently or prospectively. The operator may be required to 
implement specific measures to reduce impacts of oil and gas operations 
on the Greater sage-grouse populations and habitat quality. Such 
measures shall be developed during the Application for Permit to Drill 
(APD) on-site and environmental review process and will be consistent 
with the lease rights granted.''
    The Governor's consistency review of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS 
identified a concern which prompted the BLM to clarify the definition 
of surface-disturbing activity to maintain consistency with other BLM 
Wyoming Field Offices.
    The decisions identifying designated routes of travel and closures 
for motorized vehicles are implementation decisions and are appealable 
under 43 CFR part 4. These decisions are contained in Table 1-1 of the 
Approved RMP. Any party adversely affected by the proposed route 
identifications may appeal within 30 days of publication of this Notice 
of Availability pursuant to 43 CFR, part 4, subpart E. The appeal 
should state the specific route(s), as identified in Table 1-1 of the 
Approved RMP, on which the decision is being appealed. The appeal must 
be filed with the Kemmerer Field Manager at the above listed address. 
Please consult the appropriate regulations (43 CFR, part 4, subpart E) 
for further appeal requirements.

Donald A. Simpson
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-12969 Filed 5-28-10; 8:45 am]
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