[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 225 (Friday, November 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 74378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25646]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[212.LLWO230000. L11700000.PH0000.LXSGPL000000]


Notice of Availability of the Final Colorado Sage Grouse 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

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) Colorado State 
Office has prepared a final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the management of Greater Sage-Grouse habitat, 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 (EPA) publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal 
Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the final Supplemental EIS are available for 
public inspection at the Colorado Bureau of Land Management State 
Office, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80215. Interested 
persons may also review the final Supplemental EIS on the internet at: 
https://go.usa.gov/xGMzS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leah Waldner, Colorado Sage-Grouse 
Coordinator, at 970-244-3045; Colorado Grand Junction Field Office, 
2815 H Rd, Grand Junction, CO 81506; [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 Leah Waldner 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 BLM has prepared this final Supplemental 
EIS to review its previous NEPA analysis and clarify and augment it 
where necessary. This final Supplemental EIS addressed four specific 
issues: The range of alternatives, the need to take a hard look at 
environmental impacts, cumulative effects analysis, and the BLM's 
approach to compensatory mitigation. The final Supplemental EIS will 
help the BLM determine whether its 2015 and 2019 land use planning and 
NEPA processes have sufficiently addressed Greater Sage-Grouse habitat 
conservation or whether the BLM should initiate a new land use planning 
process to consider additional alternatives or new information.
    Comments on the draft Supplemental EIS (85 FR 10185) received from 
the public and internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as 
appropriate into the final Supplemental EIS. To address public comments 
raised during this supplemental analysis, the BLM convened a team of 
biologists and land use planners to evaluate scientific literature 
provided to the agency. Upon review, the BLM found that the most up-to-
date Greater Sage-Grouse science and other information has 
incrementally increased, and built upon, the knowledgebase of Greater 
Sage-Grouse management evaluated by the BLM most recently in its 2019 
land use plan amendments, but does not change the scope or direction of 
the BLM's management; however, new science does suggest adaptations to 
management may be warranted at site-specific scales.
    After reviewing public comments and completing the new science 
evaluation, the BLM determined that the most recent scientific 
information relating to Greater Sage-Grouse is consistent with the 
BLM's environmental analysis in supporting its 2019 Greater Sage-Grouse 
land use plan amendments.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)

Jamie E. Connell,
Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-25646 Filed 11-19-20; 8:45 am]
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