[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 103 (Friday, May 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30718-30720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12999]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLMTM00000 L16100000.DQ0000.LXSS048E0000 MO# 4500079299]


Notice of Availability of the HiLine District Proposed Resource 
Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, HiLine 
District, Montana

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 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final

[[Page 30719]]

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the HiLine District in Montana 
and by this notice is announcing its availability.

DATES: BLM planning regulations state 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: Copies of the HiLine Proposed RMP/Final EIS have been sent 
to affected Federal, State, and local government agencies, tribal 
governments, and to other stakeholders and members of the public who 
have requested copies. Copies of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS are 
available for public inspection at the following locations:
     The BLM, Montana/Dakotas State Office, 5001 Southgate 
Drive, Billings, Montana 59101.
     The BLM, Havre Field Office, 3990 Highway 2 West, Havre, 
Montana 59501.
     The BLM, Malta Field Office, 501 South 2nd Street, Malta, 
Montana 59538.
     The BLM, Glasgow Field Office, 5 Lasar Drive, Glasgow, 
Montana 59230.
Interested persons may also review the Proposed RMP/Final EIS on the 
Internet at http://www.blm.gov/8qkd. 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: Brian Hockett, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator, telephone: 406-262-2837; address: 3990 
Highway 2 West, Havre, MT 59501; 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 planning area includes lands within the 
HiLine District Office's administrative boundaries in the following 
Montana counties: Blaine, Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Liberty, Phillips, 
Toole, and Valley Counties. The Planning area includes all lands, 
regardless of jurisdiction, totaling approximately 17.6 million acres; 
however, the BLM will only make decisions on lands that fall under the 
BLM's jurisdiction. Lands within the Planning Area under the BLM's 
jurisdiction make up the Decision Area. The Decision Area consists of 
2.43 million acres of public land surface and 4.24 million acres of 
federal mineral estate. These lands and minerals are managed by three 
BLM Field Offices in Havre, Malta, and Glasgow, Montana, along with the 
Great Falls Oil and Gas Field Office, which provides oil and gas 
program support in western, central, and north central Montana. The 
Proposed RMP will replace the current guidance provided by the West 
HiLine (1988) and Sweet Grass Hills Amendment (1996) and Judith-Valley-
Phillips Resource Management Plans (1994) and land use plan amendments 
(1996). The Proposed RMP will also manage oil and gas leasing in 
Phillips and Valley counties, which is currently managed under four 
Management Framework Plans (MFP): Phillips MFP, Valley MFP, Little 
Rocky Mountains MFP, and the UL Bend/Zortman MFP.
    The BLM published the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the Malta 
Field Office Draft RMP/EIS in the Federal Register on September 6, 2006 
(71 FR 52572). This Draft RMP/EIS included the Malta, Havre and Glasgow 
Montana Field Offices which currently make up the HiLine District in 
Montana. The HiLine Draft RMP/EIS was released to the public on March 
22, 2013 (78 FR 17714). The BLM conducted five public meetings 
regarding the HiLine Draft RMP/EIS. These meetings were held in 
Glasgow, Malta, Havre, Chester and Great Falls, Montana during May 
2013. The Draft RMP/EIS included a series of management actions, within 
five management alternatives, designed to address management challenges 
and issues raised during scoping. These included, but were not limited 
to, renewable and traditional energy development, management of solid 
minerals, soil and vegetation management, land tenure, public land 
access, off-highway vehicles, lands with wilderness characteristics, 
wildlife habitat and special status species, including Greater Sage-
Grouse, cultural and paleontological resources, special designations 
and management areas including areas of critical environmental concern 
(ACEC), wildfire and prescribed fire management, and social and 
economic conditions across the HiLine District. Cooperating agencies 
assisted the BLM in the identification and refinement of the issues and 
the development of the alternatives.
    Comments on the HiLine Draft RMP/EIS received from the public and 
internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as appropriate 
into the Proposed RMP/Final EIS which analyzes five alternatives:
    1. Alternative A (No Action): Continues existing management;
    2. Alternative B: Emphasizes conservation of natural and cultural 
resources while providing for compatible development and use;
    3. Alternative C: Provides development opportunities while 
protecting sensitive resources;
    4. Alternative D: Emphasizes resource development and use while 
protecting natural and cultural resources; and
    5. Alternative E (Proposed): Focuses on a balance between managing 
public lands for economic and recreational growth and protecting 
valuable resources.
The HiLine District has identified Alternative E as the Proposed RMP. 
Alternative E supports management of greater sage-grouse seasonal 
habitats and maintaining habitat connectivity to achieve population 
objectives.
    In accordance with 43 CFR 1610.7-2(b), the Notice of Availability 
for the Draft RMP/EIS also announced a concurrent public comment period 
on nominated ACECs. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS, Alternative E, includes 
ACEC designation for the following areas (all resource use limitations 
are subject to valid existing rights).
Azure Cave ACEC (141 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: Wildlife habitat, natural 
hazards.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: Solid mineral leasing, 
mineral material sales, commercial wind energy development.
     Other Restrictions: Avoidance area for rights-of-way 
(ROWs).
Big Bend of the Milk River ACEC (1,972 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: Cultural, historic.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: Oil and gas leasing, 
mineral material sales, commercial wind energy development.
     Other Restrictions: Avoidance area for ROWs.
Bitter Creek ACEC (60,701 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: Historic, cultural, scenic, 
wildlife habitat, natural processes.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing, 
commercial wind energy development.
     Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.

[[Page 30720]]

Kevin Rim ACEC (4,557 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: cultural, wildlife habitat.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing, 
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy 
development.
     Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Mountain Plover ACEC (24,762 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: wildlife habitat.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing, 
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy 
development.
     Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Sweet Grass Hills ACEC (7,419 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: historic, cultural.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing, 
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy 
development.
     Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Frenchman Breaks ACEC (42,020 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: scenic, wildlife habitat, 
natural processes.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing, 
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy 
development.
     Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Malta Geological ACEC (6,153 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: geologic, paleontological, 
natural processes.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing, 
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy 
development.
     Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs; personal 
collection of common fossils would not be allowed.
Woody Island ACEC (32,869 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: scenic, wildlife habitat.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing, 
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy 
development.
     Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Zortman/Landusky Mine Reclamation ACEC (2,682 Acres)
     Relevant and Important Values: natural hazards, public 
safety.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: commercial wind energy 
development.
     Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs, closed to all 
unauthorized vehicle use during reclamation activities.
    Two areas are being considered for designation as off-highway 
vehicle (OHV) use areas. In the Proposed RMP, 40 acres in the Glasgow 
OHV area would remain open until an alternate site is located, and in 
the Fresno OHV area 125 acres would be designated as open to OHV use.
    The Hiline District Proposed RMP/Final EIS is one of a total of 15 
separate EISs that make up the BLM and Forest Service National Greater 
Sage-Grouse Planning Strategy. Greater-Sage Grouse habitat within the 
planning area consists of:
     Priority Habitat Management Area (PHMA)--Areas identified 
as having the highest conservation value for maintaining sustainable 
Greater Sage-Grouse populations; include breeding, late brood-rearing, 
and winter concentration areas.
     General Habitat Management Area (GHMA)--Areas of seasonal 
or year-round habitat outside of PHMA.
    Alternative E identifies 1,006,312 acres as Greater Sage-Grouse 
PHMAs and 426,355 acres as Grassland Bird/Greater Sage-Grouse PHMAs. 
The latter areas have special management prescriptions to provide high-
quality habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse and other sagebrush-dependent 
species. These PHMAs would be closed to solid mineral leasing, and oil 
and gas leasing would be subject to a no surface occupancy (NSO) and 
use stipulation with only limited exceptions, and no waivers or 
modifications. Both areas would be designated as exclusion areas for 
wind and solar energy ROWs, and avoidance areas for all other ROWs.
    The BLM and Forest Service, via the Western Association of Fish and 
Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) Management Zone Greater Sage-Grouse 
Conservation Team, will develop a Regional Mitigation Strategy to guide 
the application of the mitigation hierarchy to address impacts within 
that Zone. The Regional Mitigation Strategy should consider any State-
level greater sage-grouse mitigation guidance that is consistent with 
the requirements. The Regional Mitigation Strategy will be developed in 
a transparent manner, based on the best science available and 
standardized metrics.
    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 HiLine 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 address, 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.

Jamie E. Connell,
State Director, Montana/Dakotas.
[FR Doc. 2015-12999 Filed 5-28-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P