[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]
 BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P