[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 96 (Wednesday, May 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31252-31254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11726]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[16X LLUT920000 L13100000.DN0000 LXSSJ0540000 24 1A]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Master Leasing Plan, Amend the 
Resource Management Plans for the Price and Richfield Field Offices, 
and Prepare an Associated Environmental Assessment, Utah

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Price and 
Richfield Field Offices intend to prepare a Master Leasing Plan (MLP) 
and Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendments with a single 
Environmental Assessment (EA). The BLM will consider resource 
management plan decisions related to oil and gas leasing and post-
leasing oil and gas development on approximately 525,000 acres of 
public land in the San Rafael Desert, located in Emery and

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Wayne Counties, Utah. By this notice, the BLM is announcing the 
beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and 
identify issues.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the San 
Rafael Desert MLP, RMP amendments, and associated EA. Comments on 
issues may be submitted in writing until the end of the scoping period, 
which is June 17, 2016. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping 
meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local 
news media, newspapers and the BLM Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en.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. We will provide 
additional opportunities for public participation as appropriate.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted on issues and planning criteria 
related to the San Rafael Desert MLP and RMP amendments/EA by any of 
the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]
     Fax: (435) 636-3657
     Mail: BLM Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, Price, 
UT 84501; Attention: Jake Palma

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tyler Ashcroft, National Project 
Manager; telephone (801) 539-4068; email [email protected]. Contact Mr. 
Ashcroft to have your name added to our mailing list. 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. Replies are provided during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM 
Price and Richfield Field Offices in Utah intend to prepare an MLP and 
RMP amendments with a single EA for the San Rafael Desert, announces 
the beginning of the scoping process, and seeks public input on issues 
and planning criteria.
    The planning area is located in Emery and Wayne counties in Utah 
and encompasses approximately 525,000 acres of public land that are 
primarily located south of Interstate 70 and east of Highway 24. The 
eastern boundary of the MLP planning area is generally the Green River. 
A small portion of the MLP area is located north of Interstate 70, west 
of the City of Green River, UT, and East of the San Rafael Swell. U.S. 
Highway 6 bisects this part of the planning area.
    The BLM will prepare the MLP in accordance with Washington Office 
Instruction Memorandum No. 2010-117, Oil and Gas Leasing Reform--Land 
Use Planning and Lease Parcel Reviews, May 17, 2010, which has been 
incorporated and supplemented in various BLM handbooks, including H-
1624-1, Planning for Fluid Mineral Resources. The MLP process will 
provide additional planning and analysis for areas prior to new leasing 
of oil and gas resources. The MLP process will enable the Price and 
Richfield Field Offices to: (1) Resolve long-standing lease protests 
relating to parcels of land for which BLM received lease offers subject 
to protest, but for which BLM has not issued leases in the planning 
area; (2) Determine whether the BLM should cancel, modify, or lift the 
suspensions on suspended leases in the planning area; (3) Evaluate 
potential development scenarios; (4) Identify and address potential 
resource conflicts and environmental impacts from development; (5) 
Create oil and gas development mitigation strategies; and (6) Consider 
a range of new conditions, including prohibiting surface occupancy or 
closing certain areas to leasing.
    The MLP process could result in new oil and gas leasing 
stipulations and development scenarios which would require amendments 
to the Price and Richfield RMPs completed in 2008. The EA will analyze 
likely oil and gas development scenarios and land use plan alternatives 
with varying mitigation levels for leasing.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues, identify alternatives, and guide the planning process. 
Preliminary issues for the plan amendment area have been identified by 
BLM personnel; Federal, State, and local agencies; and other 
stakeholders. The potential issues include: Air quality, climate 
change, cultural resources, paleontological resources, recreation, 
visual resources, night skies, riparian resources, soil and water 
resources, vegetation, wildlife resources, special status species, 
special designations, and wilderness characteristics.
    The BLM established preliminary planning criteria for this effort. 
As part of those criteria, the BLM will: (1) Limit the scope to 
resource management plan decisions pertaining to oil and gas leasing 
and post-leasing development of the area; (2) resolve long-standing 
lease protests and decide whether to cancel, modify, or lift the 
suspension on suspended leases in the planning area; (3) recognize 
valid existing rights; (4) only address management of public lands 
(including federal mineral estate under non-federal surface in a 
``split estate'' situation); (5) use a collaborative, multi-
jurisdictional approach to determine how mineral leasing will be 
managed; (6) ensure that its management decisions are as consistent as 
possible with local, State, and other Federal agency plans; (7) prepare 
development scenarios for oil and gas resources based on historical, 
existing, and projected levels of development; (8) consider a range of 
alternatives that focus on mitigating the impacts of development on 
resources that are of concern; (9) address the socioeconomic impacts of 
the alternatives; and, (10) use the best available scientific 
information and inventory and monitoring information to determine 
appropriate decisions for oil and gas leasing.
    You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria in writing 
to the BLM at any public scoping meeting, or you may submit them to the 
BLM 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 the NEPA scoping process to help fulfill the 
public involvement requirements 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 EA as a cooperating 
agency.
    The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the 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: Minerals and 
geology, outdoor

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recreation, visual resources management, Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern (ACEC) and National Conservation Lands 
management, archaeology, paleontology, wildlife and fisheries, special 
status species, hydrology, soils, rangeland management, air quality, 
and sociology and economics.
    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 may 
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.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2

Jenna Whitlock,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016-11726 Filed 5-17-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P