[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 96 (Friday, May 17, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22515-22516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10289]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[L13200000 DS0000 LXSSK1700000 19X LLWYP07000]
Notice of Availability for the Draft Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement and Potential Amendment for the Approved Resource
Management Plan for the Buffalo Field Office, Wyoming
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, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming Buffalo
Field Office is preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the 2015 Buffalo Field Office Approved Resource Management
Plan (RMP). This effort is in response to a United States District
Court of Montana opinion and order (Western Organization of Resource
Councils, et al. v. BLM). By this notice, the BLM is announcing the
opening of the public comment period on the Draft Supplemental EIS.
DATES: To ensure that we can adequately consider all comments, the BLM
must receive written comments by August 15, 2019. During the public
comment period, the BLM will hold a public meeting to discuss the
project with interested parties. The BLM will announce this meeting
through local news media, newsletters, our ePlanning website (http://go.usa.gov/xP6S3), and the BLM website (http://www.blm.gov/wyoming) at
least 15 days prior to the meeting.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Draft Supplemental
EIS by any of the following methods:
Website: http://go.usa.gov/xP6S3.
Email: [email protected].
Mail: Buffalo RMP SEIS, Attn: Thomas Bills, Project
Manager, BLM
[[Page 22516]]
Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 82834.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact Thomas (Tom) Bills, RMP
Supplemental EIS Project Manager; Telephone 307-684-1133; or at the
above mailing address or email. Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at
1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during normal business
hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven 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 2015 Buffalo Approved RMP provides a
single, comprehensive land use plan that guides management of BLM-
administered lands and minerals in the Buffalo Field Office, which
consists of approximately 800,000 acres of BLM surface land and 4.7
million acres of BLM mineral estate in Campbell, Johnson, and Sheridan
counties in north-central Wyoming.
Based on the court decision Western Organization of Resource
Councils, et al. v. BLM (CV 16-21-GF-BMM; 3/23/2018 and 7/31/2018);
feedback from cooperating agencies and stakeholders; and public
scoping, the BLM developed and analyzed a No Action Alternative and an
Action Alternative, which are detailed in the Draft Supplemental EIS.
The alternatives focus solely on the leasing of BLM-administered coal,
in response to the court order.
The No Action Alternative represents the decision area from the
2015 RMP and brings forward all management decisions that precluded
coal development in the 2015 RMP. It relies on the decisions from the
2001 coal screening process that informed the 2015 RMP, but uses an
updated 2018 coal production baseline. The BLM also used the 2019 U.S.
Energy Information Administration development forecast to project
development over the 20-year planning period. The No Action Alternative
covers a total area of approximately 968,252 acres, including
approximately 59.324 billion tons of BLM-administered coal reserves.
The Action Alternative also uses the 2018 coal production baseline
and the 2019 U.S. Energy Information Administration development
forecast. In addition, the Action Alternative applies new coal screens
(as described in 43 CFR 3420.1-4(e)), considers new scientific and GIS
data, and evaluates issues identified through internal and public
scoping. Based on these factors, the Action Alternative area contains
approximately 328,578 acres, including approximately 37.345 billion
tons of BLM-administered coal reserves.
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: 43 CFR 1610.2(c) and 3420.1-2.
Mary Jo Rugwell,
Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-10289 Filed 5-16-19; 8:45 am]
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