[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 26 (Monday, February 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7030-7031]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02551]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD07000 L16100000.DS0000 15XL1109AF]


Notice of Intent To Amend the California Desert Conservation Area 
Plan and Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact 
Report for a Proposed Recreation Area Management Plan and General Plan 
Update for the Management of Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation 
Area in Imperial County, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) El 
Centro Field Office, California, and California Department of Parks and 
Recreation Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVR) intend 
to prepare a California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan Amendment 
with an associated joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Ocotillo Wells State 
Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) for the proposed Recreation Area 
Management Plan (RAMP) and General Plan update. By this notice, the BLM 
and OHMVR are announcing the beginning of the scoping process to 
solicit public comments and identify issues.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the CDCA 
Plan Amendment with associated joint EIS/EIR. Comments on issues may be 
submitted in writing until March 11, 2015.
    The BLM has scheduled two public scoping meetings:

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

    3:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Temecula Conference Center, 41000 Main Street, 
Temecula, CA 92590.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

    12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Ocotillo Wells SVRA Visitor Center, Discovery 
Center Building, 5172 Highway 78, Borrego Springs, CA 92004.

    The date(s) and location(s) of any additional scoping meetings will 
be announced at least 15 days in advance through local media, 
newspapers and the BLM Web site at: www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro.html. In order to be included in the analysis, all comments 
must be received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15 
days after the last public meeting, whichever is later. The BLM will 
provide additional opportunities for public participation as 
appropriate.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria 
related to the Ocotillo Wells SVRA RAMP and General Plan Update by any 
of the following methods:
     Web site: www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro.html.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 760-337-4490
     Mail: Attn: Carrie Simmons, BLM El Centro Field Office, 
1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the El Centro 
Field Office at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carrie Simmons; telephone 760-337-
4437; address 1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243; or 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: This document provides notice that the BLM 
intends to prepare a CDCA Plan Amendment with an associated EIS, 
announces the beginning of the scoping process, and seeks public input 
on issues and planning criteria. The Ocotillo Wells SVRA is located in 
San Diego and Imperial counties, generally north of State Route 78, 
west of State Route 86, and bounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 
on the north and west. The BLM portion of this project occurs solely 
within Imperial County and constitutes approximately 21,600 acres 
within the 85,000 acre Ocotillo Wells SVRA.
    The BLM lands within the Ocotillo Wells SVRA are managed by 
California State Parks OHMVR Division through a Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU). A joint RAMP/General Plan would improve the 
efficiency and effectiveness of resource and recreation management at 
Ocotillo Wells SVRA. Primary recreation activities at Ocotillo Wells 
SVRA include off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, camping, education and 
interpretation, and special events. The California State Parks General 
Plan revision is needed to provide updated planning and management 
policies, goals, and guidelines for the entire SVRA including SVRA 
expansions since the 1982 General Plan was adopted. The BLM decisions 
include whether or not to amend the CDCA plan to change the land use 
designation of some BLM parcels in the SVRA. This may include making 
changes in OHV area designations in accordance with 43 CFR 8342. The 
CDCA Plan Amendment/EIS will consider a proposal to designate the 
Ocotillo Wells SVRA as a Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA). 
SRMA designations recognize public lands where recreation is the 
predominant land use. In response to a California State Parks 
Recreation and Public Purposes Act (R&PP Act) application, the BLM will 
also identify lands within the planning area that would be available 
for leasing or patent to the State of California through the R&PP Act 
or other land transfer or disposal processes. The purpose of the public 
scoping process is to determine relevant issues that will influence the 
scope of the environmental analysis, including alternatives, and guide 
the planning process. Preliminary issues for the CDCA Plan Amendment 
area have been identified by BLM and OHMVR as well as other Federal, 
State, and local agencies and stakeholders. Issues include wildlife and 
botany; cultural resources and paleontology; water resources; noise; 
land use; geology and soils; mineral resources including geothermal; 
socioeconomics; hazardous materials and solid waste; public health; 
visual resources; air quality; recreation; and traffic and 
transportation.
    In addition, the BLM anticipates the following planning issues: (1) 
How best to address conflicts between recreational users, and (2) how 
to balance opportunities for the different kinds of recreation uses.
    A preliminary list of the potential planning criteria that will be 
used to help guide and define the scope of the Plan Amendment includes:
    1. Compliance with FLPMA, NEPA, and all other relevant Federal 
laws, executive orders, and BLM policies;
    2. To the extent consistent with Federal law, the lands will be 
managed consistently with the California Department of Parks and 
Recreation OHMVR Division's Strategic Plan and the Off-Highway 
Motorized Vehicle Recreation Act, which include policies for managing 
both environmental resources and recreational activities in a 
sustainable manner;

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    3. The Plan Amendment/RAMP/General Plan will recognize valid 
existing rights;
    4. Public involvement and participation will be an integral part of 
the planning process; and
    5. Where existing planning decisions are still valid, those 
decisions may remain unchanged and be incorporated into the new Plan 
Amendment/RAMP/General Plan.
    You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria in writing 
to the BLM at any public scoping meeting, or using one of the methods 
listed in the ADDRESSES section above. To be most helpful, you should 
submit comments by the close of the 30-day scoping period or within 15 
days after the last public meeting, whichever is later.
    The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA scoping process to 
help fulfill the public involvement process under the National Historic 
Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). 
The information about historic and cultural resources within the area 
potentially affected by the proposed action will assist the BLM in 
identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources. The BLM will 
consult with Indian tribes on a government-to-government basis in 
accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other policies. Tribal 
concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and potential 
impacts to cultural resources, will be given due consideration. 
Federal, State, and local agencies, along with tribes and other 
stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the proposed 
action that the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate in the 
scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by the 
BLM to participate in the development of the EIS as a cooperating 
agency.
    Before including your address, phone number, email 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. The minutes and list of attendees for each scoping 
meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days after the 
meeting to any participant who wishes to clarify the views he or she 
expressed.
    The BLM will evaluate identified issues to be addressed, and will 
place them into one of three categories:
    1. Issues to be resolved in the CDCA Plan Amendment;
    2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action; 
or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this CDCA Plan Amendment.
    The BLM will provide an explanation in the Scoping Report or the 
EIS/EIR as to why an issue was placed in category two or three. The 
public is also encouraged to help identify any management questions and 
concerns that should be addressed by the project. The BLM will work 
collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management 
decisions that are best suited to local, regional, and national needs 
and concerns. The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop 
the CDCA Plan Amendment in order to consider the variety of resource 
issues and concerns identified. Specialists with expertise in the 
following disciplines will be involved in the planning process: 
Planning, minerals and geology, outdoor recreation, archaeology, 
paleontology, wildlife, botany, lands and realty, hydrology, soils, 
sociology and economics.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2

Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-02551 Filed 2-6-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P