[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 105 (Friday, May 31, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25304-25305]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11290]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLOR930000.L16100000.DS0000.LXSS072H0000.19X.HAG 19-0013]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Southeastern Oregon Resource
Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for
the Malheur Field Office, Vale District, Oregon
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 Draft Southeastern Oregon Resource Management Plan (RMP)
Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
Malheur Field Office of the Vale District and, by this notice, is
announcing the opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft Southeastern Oregon RMP Amendment and
Draft EIS within 90 days following the date the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability of the Draft
Southeastern Oregon RMP Amendment and 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 Draft Southeastern
Oregon RMP Amendment and Draft EIS by any of the following methods:
Website: https://go.usa.gov/xnsQx.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 541-473-6213.
Mail: SEORMPA, c/o Vale District BLM, 100 Oregon Street,
Vale, OR 97918.
The Draft Southeastern Oregon RMP Amendment and Draft EIS and
accompanying background documents are available at the website: https://go.usa.gov/xnsQx.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Renee Straub, Assistant Field Manager,
541-473-6289; 100 Oregon Street, Vale, OR 97918;
[email protected]. Contact Ms. Straub to have your name added to
our mailing list. 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. FRS is
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or a
question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during
normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq., is the statutory authority that
provides the primary direction to the BLM to develop, maintain, amend,
and revise land use plans, which provide for the use of public lands.
Further, FLPMA provides that the BLM shall manage the public lands
under the principles of multiple use and sustained yield (Sec. 103, 43
U.S.C. 1702; Sec 202, 43 U.S.C. 1712; and Sec. 302, 43 U.S.C. 1732).
The southeastern Oregon planning area covers approximately 4.6 million
acres of public lands in Malheur, Grant, Harney, and Baker Counties in
Oregon. The area is characterized by a basin and range topography, with
remote canyons, desert, and mountain systems. The Draft Southeastern
Oregon RMP Amendment and Draft EIS includes a range of five
alternatives designed to address three main issues raised in a 2010
settlement agreement: Lands with wilderness characteristics, off
highway vehicle (OHV) use, and livestock grazing. Resource uses not
addressed by the alternatives in this focused amendment will continue
as defined under the 2002 Southeastern Oregon RMP, as amended by the
2015 and 2019 Oregon Greater Sage-Grouse Approved RMP Amendments.
The following is an overview of the five alternatives:
The No Action Alternative represents the continuation of
existing management under the 2002 Southeastern Oregon RMP and Record
of Decision (ROD) (as amended by the 2015 Oregon Greater Sage-Grouse
RMP Amendment) with the inclusion of interim management stipulations
outlined in the 2010 settlement agreement. These stipulations require
the protection of wilderness characteristics in 76 public land units
where the BLM's updated inventory found wilderness characteristics to
exist.
Alternative A is the BLM's preferred alternative and
reflects the continuation of existing management under the 2002
Southeastern Oregon RMP and ROD (as amended by the 2015 Oregon Greater
Sage-Grouse RMP Amendment) without the restrictions of the 2010
settlement agreement. The 2002 Southeastern Oregon RMP and ROD did not
provide specific management for, or protection of, lands with
wilderness characteristics. If this alternative were selected, the 2002
Southeastern Oregon RMP and ROD would not prioritize protection of
lands with wilderness characteristics outside of existing wilderness
study areas. Processing voluntary grazing permit relinquishment and
implementation of measures to address standards and guidelines for
rangeland health would continue as under current management and policy.
Management of all other resources would continue under the 2002
Southeastern Oregon RMP, as amended. Existing allocations at the land
use planning level (such as visual resource management classes, OHV
categories, and rights-of-way authorizations) across the planning area
would not change. Under Alternative A, the BLM would continue to
provide for a sustainable yield of forage for livestock grazing while
maintaining resource values for long-term multiple use, consistent with
management objectives, and would be unchanged from current practices.
Alternatives B, C, and D would establish new management protections
for units of public land (outside of existing wilderness study areas)
that have been identified as having wilderness characteristics. The
specific units identified for protection varies by alternative.
Alternative B reflects the highest level of protection
required by the 2010 settlement agreement. Alternative B prioritizes
protection of wilderness characteristics in all 76 units determined to
possess wilderness characteristics. The 76 wilderness characteristics
units and all wilderness study areas would be managed as closed to OHV
use, and existing primitive routes would be closed to motorized travel.
In addition, in all other units where off-road vehicle use is currently
allowed (referred to as ``open''), OHV use would be limited to existing
roads and primitive routes. To address the 2010 settlement agreement in
this alternative, where existing livestock grazing practices are found
to be significant causal factors for non-attainment of standards and
guidelines for rangeland health, the BLM would suspend grazing permits,
either at the allotment- or pasture-scale, for the duration of the RMP
in units identified
[[Page 25305]]
in the 2010 settlement agreement. Should the BLM receive a voluntary
permit relinquishment in a wilderness study area, designated national
wild and scenic river corridor, designated national historic trail,
area of critical environmental concern, research natural area, a unit
found to possess wilderness characteristics, or designated critical
habitat, the BLM would designate the units as unavailable to grazing
(or reduced grazing use where common use by multiple permittees occurs)
for the life of the Draft Southeastern Oregon RMP Amendment and Draft
EIS.
Alternative C prioritizes protection of 27 of the 76 units
found to have wilderness characteristics. Use of OHVs in these 27 units
would be limited to existing roads and primitive routes, unless
currently designated as limited to designated routes or closed to OHV
use. This alternative would continue existing OHV open management in
eight specific units located in the north half of the planning area.
For all other units currently managed as open to OHV use, Alternative C
would change management to limited to existing roads and primitive
routes for motorized vehicle use. The BLM would continue to follow
existing policy when livestock grazing practices are found to be
significant causal factors for non-attainment of standards and
guidelines for rangeland health. The BLM would also continue to follow
existing policy when a voluntary grazing permit relinquishment is
received.
Alternative D reflects an alternative method for
addressing lands with wilderness characteristic units, OHV use, and
livestock grazing that is required by the 2010 settlement agreement.
This alternative is less protective than Alternative B. Alternative D
prioritizes the protection of 33 of the 76 units found to have
wilderness characteristics. As required by the 2010 settlement
agreement, all 76 units with wilderness characteristics would be
managed as OHV limited, unless currently allocated as limited to
designated routes or closed to OHV use. Wilderness study areas would
continue to be managed under the 2002 Southeastern Oregon RMP, as
amended, as limited to designated routes under this alternative. To
address the 2010 settlement agreement in Alternative D, where existing
livestock grazing practices are found to be a significant causal factor
for non-attainment of standards and guidelines for rangeland health,
the BLM would suspend term grazing permits, either at the allotment- or
pasture-scale, for the duration of the term permit (generally up to 10
years) or until monitoring indicates that significant progress is made
toward meeting standards and guidelines in units identified in the 2010
settlement agreement. Should the BLM receive a permit relinquishment in
a wilderness study area, designated national wild and scenic river
corridor, or designated national historic trail, the BLM would
designate the unit as unavailable to grazing (or reduced grazing use
where common use by multiple permittees occurs) for the life of the
document.
Under Alternatives B, C, and D, units that are identified for the
protection of wilderness characteristics would be designated as visual
resource management class II, land tenure zone 1 (retention in public
ownership), and as exclusion units for major rights-of-way and
commercial renewable energy projects. Under Alternatives B, C, and D, a
250-foot setback unit would be established to provide the BLM with
management flexibility to adapt to resources needs, threats, and
opportunities along boundary roads, while maintaining or enhancing the
values within the protected units.
Alternative A has been identified as the preferred alternative per
40 CFR 1502.14(e). However, identification of a preferred alternative
does not represent the final agency decision. For this reason, the BLM
encourages comments on all alternatives and management actions
described in the Draft Southeastern Oregon RMP Amendment and Draft EIS.
Following the 90-day comment period, the BLM will develop a
Proposed Southeastern Oregon RMP Amendment and Final EIS which will
reflect changes or adjustments based on public comments.
You may submit comments on the Draft Southeastern Oregon RMP
Amendment and Draft EIS in writing to the BLM at any public meeting or
through any of the methods identified in the ADDRESSES section above.
All comments must be received by the end of the comment period.
Comments submitted must include the commenter's name and street
address. Whenever possible, please include reference to either the page
or section in the document to which the comment applies.
This notice begins the 90-day comment period for the Draft
Southeastern Oregon RMP Amendment and Draft EIS. 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 above address during
regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday through Friday,
except holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personally identifiable information in your comment, you should
be aware that your entire comment--including your personally
identifiable information--may be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask the BLM in your comment to withhold your personally
identifiable information from public review, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so. All submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, are
available for public inspection in their entirety.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Theresa M. Hanley,
Acting State Director, Oregon/Washington.
[FR Doc. 2019-11290 Filed 5-30-19; 8:45 am]
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