[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 213 (Monday, November 4, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59414-59415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24056]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[XXX.LLAZG02000.71220000.KD0000.LVTFA0958340;AZA3116]


Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the Ray Land 
Exchange Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Proposed 
Plan Amendment, Arizona

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 Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, 
as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Gila District, 
announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the 
Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Plan Amendment 
for the Ray Land Exchange located in Pinal and Gila counties in 
southeastern Arizona.

DATES: Simultaneous to the publication of the Record of Decision, the 
BLM will publish in a local newspaper a Notice of Decision for the land 
exchange, which will initiate a 45-day protest period per 43 CFR 
2200.7-1(b). Protests must be received by December 19, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are available upon request from the 
Project Manager, Michael Werner, address: One North Central Avenue, 
Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 85004-4427, or on the BLM ePlanning project 
website at https://go.usa.gov/xEnKR. Copies of the ROD are available 
for public inspection at the BLM Arizona State Office, and the Kingman 
and Tucson Field Offices.
    Protests related to the proposed land exchange, as described in the 
Notice of Decision, must be submitted in writing to the State Director, 
Attn: Project Manager--Ray Land Exchange Protest, U.S. Bureau of Land 
Management, Arizona State Office, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, 
Phoenix, Arizona 85004-4427.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Manager Michael Werner, 
telephone: 602-417-9561; 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, 7 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 Arizona State Director signed the 
ROD on October 24, 2019 to amend the Phoenix, Lower Sonoran and Safford 
Resource Management Plans (RMPs) to change the land tenure status of 
all the Selected Lands originally considered to be exchanged (10,976 
acres) from ``retention'' to ``available for disposal'' (approximately 
9,906 acres in the Phoenix RMP (1989); approximately 637 acres in the 
Lower Sonoran RMP (2012); and approximately 433 acres in the Safford 
RMP (1992, 1994)). The ROD also approved a land exchange between ASARCO 
LLC and the BLM for 9,339 acres (7,196 acres of full estate and 2,143 
acres of subsurface mineral estate only) of BLM-administered public 
lands for acquisition by ASARCO in exchange for approximately 7,298 
acres (6,938 of full estate, and 360 of surface estate only) of private 
land. Implementation of the ROD occurs only upon expiration of the 45-
day protest period for the land exchange (43 CFR 2201.7-1) and the 
resolution of any protests.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your appeal, 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 to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    Under the approved Ray Land Exchange with ASARCO LLC, the BLM 
acquires 7,298 acres of land in Pinal and Mohave Counties, 
consolidating checkerboard land ownership in those areas and improving 
access to existing public lands for hunting and other types of 
recreation. In exchange, the BLM transfers to ASARCO 9,339 acres of 
surface and subsurface estate near ASARCO's Ray Mine Complex and Copper 
Butte properties in Pinal and Gila Counties, near Kearny. Since the 
public lands appraised at a higher value than the private lands, to 
equalize the value, the BLM will accept a cash payment of the maximum 
allowable amount (25 percent of the value of the federal lands) from 
ASARCO. Approximately 1,637 acres of surface and sub-surface estate 
originally selected by ASARCO will remain under BLM ownership.
    The Ray Land Exchange Supplemental EIS/Plan Amendment was developed 
with stakeholder dialogue throughout the planning process. The BLM was 
not required to conduct scoping for the Supplemental EIS. However, the 
agency has conducted public outreach activities to inform the public 
and answer questions regarding

[[Page 59415]]

the proposed land exchange. The efforts included conducting four public 
meetings, updating the mailing list for the project, contacting mailing 
list persons via postcard and newsletter, providing a detailed project 
website, and interviewing key stakeholders to present details of the 
land exchange and answer questions. The BLM also put the Draft 
Supplemental EIS out for a 90-day public comment period and responsed 
to comments in the Final Supplemental EIS. The Final Supplemental EIS/
Proposed Plan Amendment was published on July 12, 2019.
    The Ray Land Exchange Final Supplemental EIS/Proposed Plan 
Amendment required a 30-day protest period after publication of the 
Final Supplemental EIS. During the 30-day protest period, the BLM 
Director received one protest letter. Three of the protest points in 
the protest letter were remanded back to the State Director for 
resolution. These three protest points are resolved in the ROD. In 
addition, the protest letter contained comments on the Final 
Supplemental EIS. The majority of these comments were previously 
addressed in the Final Supplemental EIS as response to comments on the 
Draft Supplemental EIS and responses are captured in Appendix J of the 
Final Supplemental EIS. Some comments required additional explanation 
and clarification in the ROD. Neither the protests nor the comments 
required changes to the Final Supplemental EIS.
    The BLM prepared an errata sheet to the Final Supplemental EIS to 
make some clarifications on BLM's subsurface estate acreage. No 
comments regarding potential inconsistencies with State and local 
plans, programs, and policies were received from the Governor's Office 
during the Governor's Consistency Review process.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6)

Raymond Suazo,
Arizona State Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-24056 Filed 11-1-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4130-32-P