[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 55 (Friday, March 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15772-15773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06183]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCON02000 L16100000.DQ0000]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan 
and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Kremmling Field 
Office, Colorado

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 
Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP)/Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Kremmling Field Office Planning Area and by 
this notice is announcing its availability.

DATES: The BLM planning regulations provide that any person who meets 
the conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed RMP/Final EIS. A person who meets the conditions and files a 
protest must file the protest within 30 days of the date that the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability in 
the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: The BLM sent copies of the Kremmling Proposed RMP/Final EIS 
to affected Federal, State, and local government agencies; other 
stakeholders; Tribal governments; and members of the public who 
requested copies. Copies of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS are available 
for public

[[Page 15773]]

inspection at the BLM Kremmling Field Office, 2103 East Park Avenue, 
Kremmling, CO 80459. Interested persons may also review the Proposed 
RMP/Final EIS on the Internet at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/kfo.html. All protests must be in writing and mailed to one of the 
following addresses: Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: 
Protest Coordinator, P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383. 
Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
20 M Street SE., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis Gale, project manager; 
telephone: 970-724-3003; address: BLM Kremmling Field Office, P.O. Box 
68, Kremmling, CO 80459; email: [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 Proposed RMP/Final EIS addresses 
management of public lands and resources within the Kremmling Field 
Office planning area, which includes Grand, Jackson, Summit and parts 
of Larimer and Eagle counties, Colorado. Public lands and resources in 
the Kremmling Field Office are currently managed under the 1984 
Kremmling RMP, as amended. The planning area includes approximately 
377,900 acres of BLM-administered surface estate and approximately 
653,500 acres of subsurface Federal mineral estate.
    The Proposed RMP/Final EIS is a mix of the actions presented and 
analyzed in the four alternatives in the Draft RMP/EIS. The Draft RMP 
alternatives emphasized: continuation of current management (No 
Action--Alternative A); allocation of limited resources to meet the 
demands of competing land uses while conserving natural and cultural 
resources (Preferred--Alternative B); resource protection and 
preservation of the ecological integrity of habitats for all priority 
plant, wildlife and fish species, particularly the habitats needed for 
the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered plant and 
animal species (Alternative C); and maximizing resource production 
while maintaining the basic protections needed to sustain resources 
(Alternative D). The alternatives varied accordingly in their resource 
management actions addressing the 12 major planning issues identified 
in the initial public scoping process for the RMP revision. The 
planning issues are recreation demand and uses, special designations, 
energy development, wildlife habitat management, sagebrush habitat and 
sagebrush-dependent species, vegetation, travel management and 
transportation, lands and realty, wildland-urban interface, rangeland 
health and upland management, water and riparian resources and cultural 
resources. The management actions selected for the Proposed RMP are a 
mix of actions from the alternatives in the Draft RMP that best meet 
the purpose and need for the RMP and respond to the major planning 
issues.
    The Proposed RMP includes, among an extensive list of management 
actions, designating and managing 4 special recreation management areas 
and 1 extensive recreation management area; protecting wilderness 
characteristics on 544 acres of lands adjacent to the Troublesome 
Wilderness Study Area; managing to protect a variety of special status 
plant and animal species, including the Greater Sage-Grouse; 
designating 14 core wildlife areas (8 in Jackson County and 6 in Grand 
County); implementing a Stakeholder's Management Plan to manage 2 
Colorado River segments eligible for Wild and Scenic River designation; 
designating 8 Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC); 
continuing to manage 3 existing Wilderness Study Areas; and designating 
motorized and non-motorized travel routes on the public lands within 
the planning area.
    The Proposed RMP also includes a Master Leasing Plan (MLP) to 
facilitate the exploration and development of oil and gas resources in 
the North Park MLP area (390,600 acres) while resolving possible 
conflicts with future leasing and development and ensuring protection 
of the area's resources and resource uses, including, but not limited 
to: air quality, soils, water, riparian, fish and wildlife, Special 
Status Species, recreation and ACECs.
    Comments on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS received from the public and 
internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as appropriate 
into the proposed plan. Public comments resulted in the addition of 
clarifying text, but did not significantly change proposed land use 
plan decisions.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the Proposed RMP/Final EIS may be found in the ``Dear 
Reader'' Letter of the Kremmling Proposed RMP/Final EIS and at 43 CFR 
1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing and mailed to the appropriate 
address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES section above. Emailed protests 
will not be accepted as valid protests unless the protesting party also 
provides the original letter by either regular or overnight mail 
postmarked by the close of the protest period. Under these conditions, 
the BLM will consider the emailed protest as an advance copy and it 
will receive full consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with 
such advance notification, please direct emails to [email protected].
    Before including your phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 
1610.5.

Ruth Welch,
BLM Colorado Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-06183 Filed 3-20-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P