[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10323-10324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05294]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[19X LLWO230 L11100000.PN0000 LXSGPL000000]


Notice of Availability of Record of Decision and Approved 
Resource Management Plan Amendment for Greater Sage-Grouse 
Conservation, Nevada and Northeastern California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Approved Resource Management 
Plan (RMP) Amendment for Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation for the 
Nevada and Northeastern California Greater Sage-Grouse Sub-Region. The 
Nevada and California State Directors signed the ROD on March 15, 2019, 
which constitutes the final decision of the BLM and makes the Approved 
RMP Amendment effective immediately.

ADDRESSES: The ROD is available on the BLM ePlanning project website at 
https://goo.gl/uz89cT. Click the Documents and Reports link on the left 
side of the screen to find the electronic version of these materials. 
Hard copies of the ROD are also available for public inspection at the 
BLM Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada 89502, 
and the BLM California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way #W1623, 
Sacramento, California 95825.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Magaletti, Sage-Grouse Lead, 
telephone, 775-861-6472; address, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, 
Nevada 89502; 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 Mr. Magaletti. The FRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
with Mr. Magaletti. You will receive a reply during normal business 
hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM developed the Nevada and 
Northeastern California Greater Sage-Grouse Approved RMP Amendment to 
enhance cooperation with States by improving alignment with State 
management plans and strategies for Greater Sage-Grouse, while 
continuing to conserve, enhance, and restore Greater Sage-Grouse and 
its habitat. The Approved RMP Amendment also addresses a legal 
vulnerability, which was exposed when a Federal District Court in 
Nevada

[[Page 10324]]

determined that the BLM had violated the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) when it finalized the 2015 plans.
    The BLM developed the Approved RMP Amendment in collaboration with 
the Governor's Offices in Nevada and California, State wildlife 
managers, and other concerned organizations and individuals, largely 
through the Western Governors Association's Sage-Grouse Task Force. 
Using its discretion and authority under the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act (FLPMA), the BLM amends land use plans that address 
Greater Sage-Grouse management to improve alignment with the State of 
Nevada and the State of California plans and management strategies, in 
accordance with the BLM's multiple use and sustained yield mission.
    This Approved RMP Amendment is one of six separate plan amendments 
developed and issued in response to the Secretary's Order (SO) 3353 
(Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation and Cooperation with Western States) 
and in accordance with SO 3349 (American Energy Independence). The 
amendments refine the previous management plan adopted in 2015 and aim 
to strike a regulatory balance and build greater trust among 
neighboring interests in Western communities.
    The Nevada and Northeastern California Approved RMP Amendment 
specifically addresses Sagebrush Focal Area designations, mitigation, 
adjustments to habitat management area designations to reflect new 
information, reversing adaptive management responses when the BLM 
determines that resource conditions no longer warrant those responses 
(in addition to addressing updates to the adaptive management strategy 
based on best available science), allocation exception processes, 
seasonal timing restrictions, modifying habitat objectives when best 
available science is available, and through plan clarification: 
Modifying lek buffers, requirements for required design features, and 
removal and/or modification to three livestock grazing management 
decisions in order to comply with 43 CFR 4160.1. The Approved RMP 
Amendment amends the following RMPs for BLM-administered lands in 
Nevada and Northeastern California:

 Alturas RMP (2008)
 Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon NCA RMP (2004)
 Carson City Consolidated RMP (2001)
 Eagle Lake RMP (2008)
 Elko RMP (1987)
 Ely RMP (2008)
 Shoshone-Eureka RMP (1986)
 Surprise RMP (2008)
 Tonopah RMP (1997)
 Wells RMP (1985)
 Winnemucca RMP (2015)

    The planning area includes approximately 70.3 million acres of BLM, 
National Park Service, United States Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of 
Reclamation, State, local, and private lands located in Nevada and 
northeastern California, in 17 counties: Churchill, Elko, Eureka, 
Humboldt, Lander, Lassen, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Modoc, Nye, Pershing, 
Plumas, Sierra, Storey, Washoe, and White Pine. Within the decision 
area, the BLM administers approximately 45.4 million acres of public 
lands, providing approximately 20.5 million acres of Greater Sage-
Grouse habitat. Surface management decisions made in the Approved RMP 
Amendment apply only to lands administered by the BLM in the decision 
area.
    The BLM prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in 
accordance with the NEPA to analyze the direct, indirect, and 
cumulative environmental impacts associated with the proposed action 
and the alternatives. The ROD approves the Agency Preferred Alternative 
identified in the Final EIS. The BLM issued the ROD based on compliance 
with relevant laws, regulations, policies, and plans, including those 
guiding agency decisions that may have an impact on resources and their 
values, services, and functions. On December 10, 2018, the Notice of 
Action (NOA) for the Nevada and Northeastern California Greater Sage-
Grouse Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS (83 FR 63528) was published in 
the Federal Register. The publication of the NOA initiated a 30-day 
protest period for the proposed land-use-planning decision. The protest 
period was later extended an additional seven days to help account for 
technical issues the public encountered when submitting protests during 
the partial Federal government shutdown in January 2019. NOA 
publication also initiated a simultaneous 60-day review by the 
Governors of Nevada and California to identify any inconsistencies with 
State or local plans, policies, or programs. At the close of the 
protest period, 14 protests had been received. These protests were 
resolved by the BLM Director. Individual protest response letters were 
sent to all protesting parties. Protest resolution is contained in the 
Director's Protest Summary Report, which is available online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports. The Nevada Governor's review recommended that the 
BLM reference its Instruction Memorandum 2018-018 (Compensatory 
Mitigation) and the State of Nevada's Executive Order 2018-32 (order 
establishing use of the Nevada Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan 
and Conservation Credit System on state and Federal lands) within the 
Approved RMP Amendment, relative to compensatory mitigation and 
allocation exception management decisions. The BLM incorporated these 
references into the Approved RMP Amendment. The California Governor did 
not respond to the BLM within the 60-day review period, therefore the 
proposed RMP Amendment is presumed consistent with the State of 
California's policies and management strategies.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.

Jon K. Raby,
BLM Nevada State Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-05294 Filed 3-19-19; 8:45 am]
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