[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60438-60439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24218]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[19XL.LLIDI00000.L71220000.EO0000.LVTFDX508300.241A.4500137846]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Dairy Syncline Mine and Reclamation Plan, 
Caribou County, Idaho

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior; United States Forest 
Service, Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Idaho 
Falls District, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service 
(USFS) Caribou-Targhee National Forest (CTNF), have prepared a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Dairy Syncline 
Mine Project (Project) and by this notice are announcing its 
availability. This notice also announces the availability of the 
associated Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment for the 
2012 BLM Pocatello Resource Management Plan, in accordance with the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended.

DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed RMP Amendment. 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 
(NOA) in the Federal Register. A 60-day objection period for the Draft 
USFS Record of Decision (ROD) will start when the USFS publishes a 
legal notice in the newspaper of record.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Dairy Syncline Mine and Reclamation Plan Final 
EIS and Proposed RMP Amendment are available for public inspection at 
the BLM Pocatello Field Office at 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID 
83204. Interested persons may also review the Final EIS on the internet 
at the following locations:
     BLM Land Use Planning and NEPA Register: https://go.usa.gov/xUjcA.
     Caribou-Targhee National Forest Current and Recent 
Projects http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/ctnf/landmanagement/projects.
    All protests must be in writing and filed with the BLM Director, 
either as a hard copy or electronically via the BLM'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: Bill Stout, BLM Pocatello Field 
Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID 83204; phone (208) 478-6367; 
email: [email protected]; fax (208) 478-6376. 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. Stout. The FRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
for Mr. Stout. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The J.R. Simplot Company (Simplot) submitted 
a Mine and Reclamation Plan (MRP) application for agency review to 
extract phosphate rock from the Dairy Syncline leases (IDI-28115 and 
IDI-0258) located approximately 14 miles east of Soda Springs in 
Caribou County, Idaho.
    The BLM, as the Federal mineral lease administrator, is the lead 
agency, and the USFS is the co-lead agency for preparation of the EIS. 
The proposed project would disturb about 2,770 acres as described in 
the Final EIS. In order to accommodate the proposed tailings pond, the 
BLM proposes a land sale and the USFS is considering a land exchange. 
The BLM land sale would require an amendment to the current Pocatello 
RMP and the land exchange would require a Forest Plan Amendment. The 
proposed decision to amend the 2012 Pocatello RMP clarifies that the 
lands proposed for sale meet the FLPMA 203(a) sale criteria and is the 
only decision subject to protest.
    The NOA for the Draft EIS published on November 23, 2018, 
initiating a 90-day public comment period. Agencies, organizations, and 
interested parties provided comments on the Draft EIS/Draft RMP 
Amendment via mail, email, and public meetings. Comments on the Draft 
EIS/Draft RMP Amendment received from the public and internal BLM 
review were considered and incorporated, as appropriate, into the Final 
EIS and proposed plan amendment. Public comments resulted in the 
addition of clarifying text, but did not significantly change the 
proposed land use plan decisions.
    The Final EIS fully addresses issues identified during scoping and 
during public review of the Draft EIS, and evaluates alternatives to 
the Proposed Action, including a No Action Alternative. The agency 
Preferred Alternative is the Proposed Action modified by Alternative 3 
(reduces acreage of BLM land sale), Alternative 5 (reduce acreage of 
USFS land exchange), and Alternative 6 (reduces impacts to 
groundwater). The modifications made to the Proposed Action, making up 
the Preferred Alternative, result in a net gain of Federal land acreage 
and the fewest impacts to surface and groundwater of all the action 
alternatives.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the Proposed RMP Amendment 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 or in hard copy.
    The BLM and USFS will make separate but coordinated decisions

[[Page 60439]]

related to the proposed Project. The BLM decisions are related to: (1) 
Approval of the MRP and/or alternatives; (2) enlargement (modification) 
of the existing leases; (3) approval of the Resource Management Plan 
amendment for the land sale; (4) approval of the land sale as proposed 
or modified; and (5) acceptance of the 440-acre parcel donated by 
Simplot.
    The USFS will provide a recommendation to BLM regarding surface 
management and the selected alternative on leased National Forest 
System lands. The USFS will make decisions related to: (1) Approval of 
the land exchange; (2) acceptance of the donation parcel; (3) Roadless 
Area boundary changes; (4) Special Use Authorizations for off-lease 
activities; and (5) amendments to the 2003 Revised Forest Plan for the 
Caribou National Forest to add management prescriptions and designate 
utility corridors.
    The USFS decisions are subject to the objection process pursuant to 
36 CFR 218 and 219. The USFS will provide instructions for filing 
objections to the Draft USFS ROD in the legal notice published in the 
newspaper of record. The USFS will only accept objections from those 
who have previously submitted specific written comments regarding the 
proposed project during scoping or other designated opportunities for 
public comment in accordance with 36 CFR 218.5(a) and 219.53(a). 
Objection issues must be based on previously submitted, timely, and 
specific written comments regarding the proposed project unless based 
on new information arising after designated opportunities. The BLM will 
release a ROD concurrent with release of the USFS Final ROD.
    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 to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Authority: 36 CFR 218 and 219; 40 CFR 1506.6 and 1506.10; 43 CFR 
1610.2 and 3590.

John F. Ruhs,
State Director, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office.
Mel Bolling,
Forest Supervisor, Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2019-24218 Filed 11-7-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-GG-P