[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 32 (Tuesday, February 18, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8889-8890]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03163]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[19X.LLID930000.L11700000.DF0000.LXSGPL000000.241A.4500132602]


Notice of Availability of the Final Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement for Fuel Breaks in the Great Basin; Idaho, Washington, 
Oregon, California, Nevada and Utah

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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Fuel Breaks 
in the Great Basin and by this notice is announcing its availability.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a 
minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final Programmatic EIS for Fuel Breaks in the 
Great Basin are available for public inspection during regular business 
hours at 1387 South Vinnell Way, Boise ID 83709. Interested persons may 
also review the Final Programmatic EIS online at: https://go.usa.gov/xnQcG. Additional copies can be made available at the California, 
Nevada, Oregon/Washington and Utah BLM State Offices upon request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ammon Wilhelm, telephone 208-373-3824; 
address BLM Idaho State Office, 1387 South Vinnell Way, Boise ID 83709; 
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: Strategically placed fuel breaks in the 
Great Basin region would improve firefighter safety and expand 
opportunities to catch rapidly moving fires, potentially reducing fire 
size. Fuel breaks should provide greater protection of human life and 
property, sagebrush communities, and habitat restoration investments. 
Reducing fire size helps to reduce the expansion of invasive species, 
such as cheatgrass and medusahead. Fuel breaks are needed due to the 
increased size and frequency of wildfires throughout the western United 
States in recent years. From 2009 through 2018 over 13.5 million acres 
of BLM-administered lands burned within the project area, impacting 
healthy rangelands, sagebrush communities, and the general productivity 
of the lands. Larger and more frequent wildfires result in increased 
risk for injuries and fatalities among wildland firefighters, 
destruction of private property, degradation and loss of rangelands, 
loss of recreational opportunities, and habitat loss for a variety of 
species, including conversion of native habitats to invasive annual 
grasses. Conversion of rangeland habitats to invasive annual grasslands 
further impedes rangeland health and productivity by slowing or 
preventing the recovery of sagebrush ecosystems.
    This programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluates 
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposal to create and maintain a 
system of fuel breaks in the Great Basin region. The project area, 
covering nearly 224 million acres, includes portions of California, 
Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The fuel breaks would be 
placed along a subset of available linear features, such as roads and 
rights-of-way on BLM-administered lands within sagebrush communities; 
these

[[Page 8890]]

potential treatment areas cover approximately 38 million acres within 
the project area boundary. The preferred alternative (Alternative D) 
analyzes a full suite of manual, chemical and mechanical treatments, 
including prescribed fire, seeding, and targeted grazing, to construct 
and maintain up to 11,000 miles of fuel breaks, potentially removing or 
altering vegetation on approximately 667,000 acres and protecting 
approximately 38 million acres of the sagebrush ecosystem. Fuel break 
types include green strips (areas planted with low-statured, fire-
resistant vegetation), brown strips (areas where all vegetation is 
removed), and mowed fuel breaks (reduced vegetation height).
    The NOA for the Draft Programmatic EIS published on June 21, 2019, 
initiating a 45-day public comment period. During July 2019, the BLM 
hosted 12 public comment meetings throughout the six-state project 
area. Agencies, organizations, and interested parties provided comments 
on the draft Programmatic EIS via mail, email, and at the public 
meetings. The BLM received 907 comment form letters and 138 unique 
comment letters. Comments on the Draft Programmatic EIS received from 
the public and internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as 
appropriate into the Final Programmatic EIS. Public comments resulted 
in the addition of clarifying text, but did not significantly change 
the alternatives or analysis.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.

John F. Ruhs,
Idaho State Director, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2020-03163 Filed 2-14-20; 8:45 am]
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