[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 87 (Friday, May 4, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19810-19811]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09524]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLWO200000.LXSGPL000000.18x.L11100000.PH0000]


Notice of Availability of the Wyoming Draft Resource Management 
Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Greater 
Sage-Grouse Conservation

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance 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) has 
prepared the Wyoming Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Wyoming Greater Sage-
Grouse (GRSG), and by this notice is announcing the opening of the 
comment period. BLM Wyoming is soliciting comments on the entire Draft 
EIS, as well as the specific planning issues mentioned in this NOA, and 
the cumulative effects analysis.

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

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Wyoming Draft RMP 
Amendment/Draft EIS by any of the following methods:
     website: https://goo.gl/22jKE2.
     mail: attn: Greater Sage-Grouse EIS, BLM Wyoming State 
Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY 82009.
    Copies of the Wyoming Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS are available 
in the Wyoming State Office at the above address or on the project 
website at: https://goo.gl/22jKE2.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact 
Jennifer Fleuret, Planning and Environmental Coordinator, by telephone, 
307-775-6329; at the address above; or by email, [email protected]. 
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call 
the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Ms. 
Fleuret. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a 
message or question with Ms. Fleuret. You will receive a reply during 
normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Greater Sage-Grouse is a state-managed 
species that is dependent on sagebrush steppe ecosystems. These 
ecosystems are managed in partnership across the range of the Greater 
Sage-Grouse by federal, state, and local authorities. Efforts to 
conserve the species and its habitat date back to the 1950s. Over the 
past two decades, state wildlife agencies, federal agencies, and many 
others in the range of the species have been collaborating to conserve 
Greater Sage-Grouse and its habitats. The United States Department of 
the Interior (DOI) and the BLM have broad responsibilities to manage 
federal lands and resources for the public benefit. Nearly half of 
Greater Sage-Grouse habitat is managed by the BLM. The BLM is committed 
to being a good neighbor and investing in on-the-ground conservation 
activities through close collaboration with State governments, local 
communities, private landowners, and other stakeholders.
    In September 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 
determined that the Greater Sage-Grouse did not warrant listing under 
the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The USFWS based its ``not 
warranted'' determination, in part, on the conservation commitments and 
management actions in the BLM and U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service)

[[Page 19811]]

Greater Sage-Grouse land use plan amendments and revisions (2015 GRSG 
land use plan decisions), as well as on other private, state, and 
federal conservation efforts. Since 2015 the BLM, in discussion with 
partners, primarily Governors and state wildlife management agencies, 
recognized that several refinements and policy updates could help 
strengthen conservation efforts, while providing increased economic 
opportunity to local communities. The BLM and Department of Interior 
worked closely with Governors charged with managing Greater Sage-Grouse 
to determine whether some, none, or all of the 2015 Land Use Plans 
should be amended. After carefully considering the Governor's input, 
and using its discretion and authority under FLPMA, as well as under 
direction from the Secretary, including Secretary's Order (SO) 3353, 
the BLM proposes amending the Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse land use 
plans that address GRSG management. This action is proposed to enhance 
cooperation and improve alignment with the state plans or management 
strategies, in accordance with the BLM's multiple use and sustained 
yield mission. The BLM prepared the Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Draft 
RMP Amendment/Draft EIS to address alternatives that will build upon 
its commitment to conserve and restore Greater Sage-Grouse habitat, 
while improving collaboration and alignment with state management 
strategies for Greater Sage-Grouse. The BLM seeks to improve management 
alignment in ways that will increase management flexibility, maintain 
access to public resources, and promote conservation outcomes. The BLM 
used internal, agency, and public scoping to identify issues considered 
in the environmental analysis. As part of this analysis, the BLM also 
examined the range of alternatives evaluated in the BLM's 2015 GRSG 
land use plan decisions and their supporting NEPA analyses.
    This Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS is one of six separate planning 
efforts that are being undertaken in response to SO 3353, Greater Sage-
Grouse Conservation and Cooperation with Western States (June 7, 2017), 
and in accordance with SO 3349, American Energy Independence (March 29, 
2017). The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS proposes to amend the RMPs for 
field offices on BLM lands within BLM Wyoming boundaries. The current 
management decisions for resources are described in the following 
resource management plans (RMPs):
     Buffalo RMP (2015)
     Casper RMP (2007)
     Cody RMP (2015)
     Kemmerer RMP (2010)
     Lander RMP (2014)
     Newcastle RMP (2000)
     Pinedale RMP (2008)
     Rawlins RMP (2008)
     Green River RMP (1997)
     Worland RMP (2015)
    The planning area includes nearly 60 million acres of BLM, National 
Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, State, 
local, and private lands located in Wyoming, in 20 counties: Albany, 
Bighorn, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Crook, Fremont, Hot Springs, 
Johnson, Lincoln, Natrona, Niobrara, Park, Sheridan, Sublette, 
Sweetwater, Teton, Uinta, Washakie, and Weston. Within the decision 
area, the BLM administers more than 18 million acres of public lands, 
providing approximately 17 million acres of Priority and General GRSG 
habitat. Surface management decisions made as a result of this Draft 
RMP Amendment/Draft EIS will apply only to BLM administered lands in 
the decision area.
    The formal public scoping process for the RMP Amendment/EIS began 
on October 11, 2017, with the publication of a Notice of Intent in the 
Federal Register (82 FR 47248), and ended on December 1, 2017. The BLM 
Wyoming held two public scoping meetings in November 2017. The BLM used 
scoping comments to help identify planning issues to form alternatives 
and frame the scope of the analysis in the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft 
EIS. The scoping process was also used to familiarize the public and 
introduce them to preliminary planning criteria, which sets limits on 
the scope of the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS.
    The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS addresses the designation of 
sagebrush focal areas, mitigation standards, clarification of habitat 
objectives tables, adjustments to habitat boundaries to reflect new 
information, and reversing adaptive management responses when the BLM 
determines that resource conditions no longer warrant those responses.
    The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS evaluates two alternatives in 
detail, including the No Action Alternative (Alternative A) and one 
action alternative (Alternative B). Alternative B has been identified 
as BLM's Preferred Alternative for the purposes of public comment and 
review. Identification of this alternative, however, does not represent 
final agency direction, and the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS may 
reflect changes or adjustments from information received during public 
comment, from new information, or from changes in BLM policies or 
priorities. The Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS may include objectives 
and actions described in the other analyzed alternative as well. In 
addition, certain components of the 2015 GRSG plans are not present in 
the Lander RMP; therefore, only the portions applicable to Lander would 
be amended through this process.
    Alternative A would retain the current management goals, 
objectives, and direction specified in the current RMPs for each field 
office.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted 
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of persons who 
submit comments will be available for public review and disclosure at 
the address provided in the ADDRESSES section of this notice during 
regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.), Monday through Friday, 
except holidays.
    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.

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

Mary Jo Rugwell,
State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2018-09524 Filed 5-3-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-84-P