[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53485-53486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21716]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

[LLCOS010000-L16100000-DP0000]


Notice of Availability of the Supplement to the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Draft San Juan Land Management 
Plan, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior, Forest Service, 
Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning 
Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest Management Act of 1976, 
and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) have 
prepared a Supplement to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
and the Draft Land Management Plan (LMP) for the San Juan Public Lands 
that was published on December 14, 2007, and by this notice, are 
announcing the opening of the comment period. The San Juan Public Lands 
Center (SJPLC) is the joint USFS/BLM Service First Office responsible 
for the management of BLM and USFS lands covered in the Draft LMP.

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the SJPLC must 
receive written comments on the Supplement to the Draft LMP/EIS by 
November 25, 2011. The SJPLC will announce future meetings or hearings 
and any other public participation activities at least 15 days in 
advance through public notices, media releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Supplement to the San 
Juan Draft EIS and LMP by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (970) 375-2331.
     Mail: San Juan Plan Revision, 15 Burnett Court, Durango, 
Colorado 81301.
    Copies of the Supplement to the San Juan Draft EIS and LMP are 
available in the SJPLC at the above address; copies are also available 
at the following offices during regular business hours:
     Columbine Field Office, 367 Pearl St., Bayfield, CO 81122.
     Dolores Public Lands Office, 29211 Hwy. 184, Dolores, CO 
81323.

[[Page 53486]]

     Pagosa Springs Field Office, 180 Pagosa Street, Pagosa 
Springs, CO 81147.
     BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street, 
Lakewood, CO 80215.
     USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, 740 Simms St, 
Golden, CO 80401.
     Libraries in Cortez, CO; Durango, CO; Pagosa Springs, CO; 
Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO; University of Colorado, 
Boulder, CO; and Ft. Lewis College, Durango, CO.
    An electronic version can be viewed and downloaded at the project 
Web site: http://ocs.fortlewis.edu/forestPlan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact 
Shannon Manfredi, Planning Team Lead, telephone (970) 385-1229; address 
San Juan Public Land Center, 15 Burnett Court, Durango, Colorado 81301; 
e-mail [email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device 
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service 
(FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during normal 
business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to 
leave a message or question with the above individual. You will receive 
a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planning area is located in southwest 
Colorado in Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, 
Montezuma, Montrose, Rio Grande, San Juan and San Miguel counties.
    The Supplement to the Draft EIS was prepared to include the 
development potential of a shale gas play area found within the western 
portion of the planning area. Information about the Gothic Shale Gas 
Play (GSGP) area became available during the comment period on the 
Draft EIS and Draft LMP (between December 14, 2007, and April 2008).
    The GSGP is a 646,403-acre area within Paradox Basin in Montezuma, 
Dolores and San Miguel Counties. The play area includes a mix of 
private, state, and public lands, with Federal mineral estate 
encompassing 57 percent of the area. Comments indicated that the shale 
gas formation warranted inclusion in the Draft EIS given the 
technological advances in directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing 
that made shale gas extraction more viable, economically feasible and 
successful in other parts of the country.
    The Reasonable Foreseeable Development (RFD) scenario for oil and 
gas on the San Juan National Forest and BLM public lands covered by the 
Draft LMP was revised to include the GSGP development scenario 
(including trends, timelines, well numbers, infrastructure, and surface 
disturbance). According to the RFD, approximately 1,200 wells could be 
developed on Federal mineral estate lands over the next 15 years.
    The supplement analyzes the consequences of the new development 
projections for oil and gas leasing and discloses the results of a 
recently completed air-quality model, as requested by the Environmental 
Protection Agency. The supplement does not address other issues or 
attempt to address comments received on the Draft LMP/Draft EIS. The 
supplement does not change the range of alternatives, nor add or remove 
any alternatives--it only adds information regarding the GSGP area and 
air quality model results for public review and comment. The supplement 
only contains new information about oil and gas leasing, and the 
potential environmental consequences associated with it, including 
potential effects to air quality.
    The BLM met with and consulted 10 Tribes on oil and gas development 
which concluded on September 2010. The BLM finds that further 
consultation is appropriate under Executive Order 13175 and will send 
the draft supplement to the 25 Tribes that the BLM regularly contacts 
about issues in this area. The BLM will schedule face-to-face 
consultation meetings to discuss the supplement at the Tribes' request. 
All public comments submitted during the original Draft LMP/Draft EIS 
comment period regarding other plan revision issues and resources are 
still valid. The comments received in 2008 and the comments received on 
this supplement will create the complete set of comments that will be 
considered in developing the Final EIS and Proposed LMP.
    The supplement is intended to be used in conjunction with the Draft 
EIS and Draft LMP that was published on December 14, 2007. Those 
documents can be found on the plan revision Web site: http://ocs.fortlewis.edu/forestPlan. Compact disk copies, and a limited number 
of printed copies, are available by contacting Elysia Retzlaff, (970) 
385-1253; [email protected].
    Please note that public comments and information submitted 
including names, street addresses, and e-mail addresses of persons who 
submit comments will be available for public review and disclosure at 
the above address during regular business hours, 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 from public review your personal 
identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do 
so.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4) and 43 CFR 1610.2(e).

Helen M. Hankins,
Colorado State Director.
Mark Stiles,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2011-21716 Filed 8-25-11; 8:45 am]
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