[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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