[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 185 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59155-59156]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24493]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD06000, L16100000.DP0000]


Notice of Availability of South Coast Draft Resource Management 
Plan Revision and Draft Environmental Impact Statement

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, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the South Coast Planning Area (California), and by 
this notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.

DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft RMP/EIS within 90 days following the date 
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of 
Availability of the Draft RMP/EIS in the Federal Register. The BLM will 
announce future meetings or hearings and any other public involvement 
activities at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media 
news releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments related to the South Coast 
Draft RMP/EIS by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/palmsprings.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (760) 833-7199.
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast 
Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, California 92262.
    Copies of the South Coast Draft RMP/EIS are available for review at 
the Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office and via the Internet at: 
http://www.blm.gov/ca/palmsprings. Electronic (on CD-ROM) or paper 
copies may also be obtained by contacting Greg Hill at the address and 
phone number below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Hill; Bureau of Land Management, 
Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm 
Springs, California 92262; (760) 833-7140; [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 South Coast Draft RMP provides guidance 
for the management of approximately 300,000 acres of BLM-administered 
public lands in portions of five highly urbanized southern California 
counties: San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Los 
Angeles. These public lands include over 130,000 acres of BLM-
administered surface lands and 167,000 acres of Federal mineral 
ownership where the surface is privately owned. The Draft RMP/EIS is a 
revision to the existing South Coast RMP (1994). Since 1994, there have 
been significant changes in the patterns of urban growth; increased 
demands on the resources of the public lands; changing policies and 
emphasis on the management of public lands and local land use planning; 
and new data that have led to the listing of additional threatened or 
endangered species. The Notice of Intent to prepare a land use plan 
revision and associated EIS was published in the Federal Register on 
August 7, 2007 (72 FR 44173). The BLM held public workshops and scoping 
meetings in Campo, San Diego, Temecula, and Santa Clarita in December 
2007, and invited agencies to participate as cooperating agencies in 
the planning effort. The Draft RMP/EIS analyzes four alternatives, 
including a No Action alternative, Alternative A, and an agency 
Preferred Alternative, Alternative D, designed to address management 
challenges and issues raised during scoping, including, but not limited 
to Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), sensitive species 
and other wildlife habitat, lands with wilderness characteristics, 
livestock grazing, recreation, off highway vehicle use, minerals 
management, and land use authorizations.
    Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.7-2(b), this notice announces a concurrent 
public comment period on proposed ACECs. The Draft RMP/Draft EIS 
proposes changes to ACEC designations and elimination of ACECs within 
wilderness. The Preferred Alternative, Alternative D, includes 9 ACECs 
comprising of a total of 26,627 acres, or 20 percent of the planning 
area's surface acres. This is in contrast with Alternative A, the No 
Action Alternative of 7 ACECs with 14,539 acres, or 11 percent of 
surface acres. The proposed ACECs and resource use limitations

[[Page 59156]]

which would occur if formally designated are listed below:

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                                            Alternatives and Acres
          Proposed ACEC          --------------------------------------------             Limitations
                                      A          B          C          D
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cedar Canyon....................        708          0        708          0  ACECs are:
Johnson Canyon..................      1,800          0      1,800      1,800  Closed to OHV use or limited to
                                                                               designated roads and trails under
                                                                               all alternatives.
Kuchamaa........................        803          0        803          0
Million Dollar Spring...........      6,265          0      6,265          0
Potrero.........................      2,966          0          0          0  Avoidance areas for land use
                                                                               authorizations under Alternatives
                                                                               A, C, and D. ACECs are exclusion
                                                                               areas under Alternative B.
Santa Ana River Wash............        750        750        750        750
Santa Margarita River...........      1,247      4,474      1,247      4,474
Upper Santa Clara River.........          0      1,620          0      1,620  Closed to fluid mineral and
                                                                               geothermal leasing and sale of
                                                                               mineral materials under
                                                                               Alternatives A, C, and D. The
                                                                               Western Riverside County ACEC
                                                                               would be considered for sale of
                                                                               mineral materials on a case-by-
                                                                               case basis with site specific
                                                                               analysis required to protect ACEC
                                                                               values of relevance and
                                                                               importance.
Western Riverside County........          0     24,995          0          0
Oak Mountain....................          0          0          0        894
Gavilan.........................          0          0          0      3,822
Badlands........................          0          0          0      1,051
Beauty Mountain.................          0     27,376          0      3,925
Otay/Kuchamaa...................          0      8,291          0      8,291
                                 --------------------------------------------
Total acres.....................     14,539     67,506     11,573     26,627
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    A Record of Decision for the proposed RMP will be prepared 
following publication of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS in accordance with 
the planning regulations at 43 CFR 1610.5-1 and the NEPA, 40 CFR 
1505.2.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted 
including names, street addresses, and e-mail 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.

John R. Kalish,
Manager, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 1506.10; 43 CFR 1610.2.

[FR Doc. 2011-24493 Filed 9-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P