[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 70 (Friday, April 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20296-20297]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07316]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCOS05000.L16100000.DQ0000.LXSS053C0000.20X]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the
Uncompahgre Field Office Approved Resource Management Plan, Colorado
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability
of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Approved Resource Management
Plan (RMP) for the Uncompahgre Field Office located in southwestern
Colorado, in Montrose, Delta, Gunnison, Ouray, San Miguel and Mesa
counties. The Colorado State Director signed the ROD on April 2, 2020.
The ROD makes the Approved RMP effective immediately.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD/Approved RMP are available upon request
from the Uncompahgre Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 2465
South Townsend Avenue, Montrose, CO 81401 or via the internet at
https://go.usa.gov/xnpgD. Copies of the ROD/Approved RMP are available
for public inspection by appointment at the Uncompahgre Field Office,
Montrose, CO, and the BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield St,
Lakewood, CO 80215.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela LoSasso, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator, telephone 970-240-5300; 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 Ms. LoSasso during normal business hours. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or
question. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Uncompahgre Approved RMP replaces the
1985 San Juan/San Miguel RMP, as amended; and the 1989 Uncompahgre
Basin RMP, as amended. The BLM developed the Uncompahgre Field Office
RMP in collaboration with 18 cooperating agencies. The BLM began
engaging with the public and its cooperating agencies on the RMP
revision in 2010 and made the Draft RMP/Draft EIS available for public
review and comment in 2016; the BLM made the Proposed RMP/Final EIS
available to the public on June 28, 2019. The BLM received 13 protest
letters from parties with standing during the ensuing protest period,
and the BLM Director resolved those protests. The Colorado Governor
submitted a letter identifying certain concerns related to the
consistency of the Proposed RMP with State plans. After a thorough
review, the BLM determined that the Proposed RMP is consistent with
existing State plans; however, as a result of the Governor's comments,
the BLM adopted a new controlled surface use stipulation for fluid
mineral leasing. Its purpose is to ensure the function and suitability
of big game winter range, migration and production areas. The BLM also
modified a stipulation to enhance the Gunnison Sage-Grouse habitat
protection. The Approved RMP describes landscape-level management
actions and allowable uses for resources, resource uses and special
designations within the Uncompahgre Planning Area. The Planning Area
[[Page 20297]]
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. The ROD/Approved RMP makes decisions for the
approximately 675,800 acres of BLM surface lands and approximately
971,220 acres of Federal mineral estate, including split estate, within
the Planning Area. Two BLM National Conservation Areas are managed
under separate RMPs. The alternative selected as the Approved RMP is a
slightly modified version of Alternative E, as described in the
Proposed RMP. It provides for a balanced combination of goals,
objectives, allowable uses and management actions. The Approved RMP
identifies comprehensive long-range decisions for the management and
use of resources on BLM-administered public lands, focusing on the
principles of multiple use and sustained yield set forth in the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.
Jamie E. Connell,
Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-07316 Filed 4-9-20; 8:45 am]
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