[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 125 (Friday, June 28, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31089-31090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13857]



[[Page 31089]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCOS05000.L16100000.DQ0000.LXSS053C0000.19X]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan 
and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Uncompahgre Field 
Office, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

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) prepared a 
Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Uncompahgre Planning Area and by this notice, 
is announcing its availability.

DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed RMP. A person who meets the conditions and files a protest 
must file the protest within 30 days of the date that the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: The Proposed RMP/Final EIS is available on the BLM ePlanning 
project website at https://go.usa.gov/xnpgD. Click on the Documents and 
Reports link on the left side of the screen to find the electronic 
version of this material. Hard copies of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS are 
also available for public inspection at the Uncompahgre Field Office, 
2505 South Townsend Avenue, Montrose, CO 81401. All protests must be in 
writing and filed with the BLM Director, either as a hard copy or 
electronically via the BLMS's ePlanning project website listed 
previously. To submit a protest electronically, go to the ePlanning 
project website and follow the protest instructions highlighted at the 
top of the home page. If submitting a protest in hard copy, it must be 
mailed to one of the following addresses:
    Regular Mail: BLM Director (210) Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
    Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210) Attention: Protest 
Coordinator, 20 M Street SE, Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Loscalzo, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator; telephone 970-240-5300; address 2465 South 
Townsend Avenue, Montrose, CO 81401; 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 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 BLM prepared the Uncompahgre Proposed 
RMP/Final EIS to evaluate and revise the management strategy for 
resources, resource uses, and special designations within the 
Uncompahgre Planning Area. The Uncompahgre Planning Area includes 
approximately 3.1 million acres of public land managed by the BLM 
Uncompahgre Field Office, U.S. Forest Service (portions of the Grand 
Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest), National Park Service 
(Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and portions of Curecanti 
National Recreation Area), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, State of 
Colorado (including Ridgway, Crawford, and Paonia State Parks), and 
local and private lands--all of which are located in southwestern 
Colorado, in Montrose, Delta, Gunnison, Ouray, San Miguel and Mesa 
counties. While the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (NCA) and 
the Dominguez-Escalante NCA are geographically within the Uncompahgre 
Planning Area, they are not part of this planning effort as they are 
managed under separate RMPs. The Uncompahgre RMP will determine 
management for approximately 675,800 acres of BLM-administered surface 
lands and 971,220 acres of Federal mineral estate. When approved, the 
Uncompahgre RMP will replace the 1985 San Juan/San Miguel RMP, as 
amended; and the 1989 Uncompahgre Basin RMP, as amended.
    The Proposed RMP/Final EIS describes and analyzes five management 
alternatives (Alternatives A, B, C, D, E) and one sub-alternative 
(Alternative B.1). Each includes goals, objectives, allowable uses and 
management actions to address new management challenges, issues, and 
changes in BLM regulations, guidance and policy.
    Alternative A is the No Action Alternative and retains the current 
goals, objectives, and direction specified in the existing 1985 San 
Juan/San Miguel RMP and 1989 Uncompahgre Basin RMP.
    Alternative B emphasizes improving, rehabilitating and restoring 
resources; sustaining the ecological integrity of habitats for all 
priority plant, wildlife and fish species; and allowing appropriate 
development scenarios for allowable uses (such as mineral leasing, 
locatable mineral development, recreation, communication sites and 
livestock grazing).
    Alternative B.1 is a subset of Alternative B, and specifically 
addresses oil and gas leasing and development in the North Fork and 
Smith Fork drainages of the Gunnison River. This sub-alternative would 
close certain areas to oil and gas leasing and would impose development 
setbacks with strict surface use restrictions in places where leasing 
may be allowed.
    Alternative C emphasizes a mix of uses that maximize utilization of 
resources, while mitigating impacts on land health. The appropriate 
development scenarios for allowable uses emphasize maximizing resource 
production in an environmentally responsible manner, while maintaining 
the basic protection needed to sustain resources.
    Alternative D is the Agency-Preferred Alternative from the Draft 
RMP/Draft EIS and emphasizes balancing resource protection and resource 
use among competing human interests, land uses, and the conservation of 
natural and cultural resource values, while sustaining and enhancing 
ecological integrity across the landscape, including plant, wildlife 
and fish habitat.
    Alternative E is the Agency's Proposed RMP and is a reasonable 
combination of goals, objectives, allowable uses and management actions 
from the alternatives presented in the Draft RMP/Draft EIS. The 
Proposed RMP would provide comprehensive, long-range decisions for the 
use and management of resources in the Uncompahgre Planning Area 
administered by the BLM, focusing on the principles of multiple use and 
sustained yield.
    The Uncompahgre Draft RMP/Draft EIS public comment period began on 
June 3, 2016, and was extended for an additional 60 days, at the 
request of local governments and interest groups, to November 1, 2016. 
The total comment period encompassed 152 days. The BLM held six public 
open house meetings across the Uncompahgre Planning Area during the 
public comment period. The BLM considered and incorporated in the 
Proposed RMP/Final EIS, as appropriate, comments received from the 
public, cooperating agencies, and internal BLM review. Public comments 
resulted in the addition of clarifying text, but did not

[[Page 31090]]

significantly change proposed land use plan decisions.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the Proposed RMP may be found online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest 
and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing and mailed to 
the appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES section above or 
submitted electronically through the BLM ePlanning project website as 
described above. Protests submitted electronically by any means other 
than the ePlanning project website protest section will be invalid 
unless a protest is also submitted in hard copy. Protests submitted by 
fax will also be invalid unless also submitted either through the 
ePlanning project website protest section or in hard copy.
    Before including your phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest letter 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, 43 CFR 
1610.5.

Jamie E. Connell,
BLM Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-13857 Filed 6-27-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P