[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 88 (Monday, May 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29691-29692]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09735]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_WY_FRN_MO4500169330]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the 2015 
Buffalo Field Office Approved Resource Management Plan, Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 2015 Buffalo 
Field Office Approved RMP and by this notice is providing information 
announcing the opening of the comment period on the Draft RMP 
Amendment/Supplemental EIS.

DATES: This notice announces the opening of a 90-day comment period for 
the Draft RMP Amendment/Supplemental EIS beginning with the date 
following the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) publication of 
its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register. The EPA 
usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.
    To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider comments in the 
Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS, please ensure your comments are 
received prior to the close of the 90-day comment period or 15 days 
after the last public meeting, whichever is later.
    The BLM will hold one in-person public meeting on May 31, 2023, 
from 5 to 7 p.m. MT in Gillette, Wyoming, at the George Amos Building, 
412 South Gillette Avenue, Gillette, Wyoming 82716. The BLM will also 
host one online public meeting on June 5, 2023, from 5 to 7 p.m. MT.

ADDRESSES: The Draft RMP Amendment/Supplemental EIS is available for 
review on the BLM ePlanning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2021239/510.
    Written comments related to the Draft RMP Amendment/Supplemental 
EIS may be submitted by any of the following methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2021239/510.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Buffalo RMP Amendment SEIS, Attn: Thomas Bills, 
Project Manager, BLM Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, 
WY 82834.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at 
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2021239/510 and at the 
Buffalo Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Bills, Project Manager, 
telephone 307-684-1131; address BLM Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort 
Street, Buffalo, WY 82834; email [email protected]. Individuals in the 
United States who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing, or have a 
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services for contacting Mr. Bills. Individuals 
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within 
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in 
the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM 
Wyoming State Director has prepared a Draft RMP Amendment/Supplemental 
EIS and provides information announcing the opening of the comment 
period on the Draft RMP Amendment/Supplemental EIS. The RMP amendment 
provides additional analysis for land use planning in accordance with 
the Montana District Court's order and would change the existing 2015 
Buffalo Field Office Approved RMP and 2019 Buffalo Field Office 
Approved RMP Amendment.
    The Buffalo planning area is located in Campbell, Johnson, and 
Sheridan Counties, Wyoming. The Coal Development Potential Area is 
located within Campbell County, Wyoming, and encompasses approximately 
48 billion short tons of recoverable BLM-administered Federal coal.

Purpose and Need

    The purpose of this Draft RMP Amendment/Supplemental EIS is to 
address a United States District Court of Montana order (Western 
Organization of Resource Councils, et al. v. BLM; CV 00076-GF-BMM; 8/3/
2022). In relation to land use planning, the BLM must prepare a Draft 
RMP Amendment/Supplemental EIS to address the following direction in 
the court order:
    (1) complete new coal screening and NEPA analysis that considers 
no-leasing and limited coal leasing alternatives, and
    (2) disclose the public health impacts, both climate and non-
climate, of burning fossil fuels (coal and oil and gas) from the 
planning areas.

Alternatives Including the Preferred Alternatives

    The BLM has analyzed three alternatives in detail, including the no 
action alternative, varying the amount of BLM-administered Federal coal 
authorized to be available for leasing. The alternatives are: (1) 
approximately 48.0 billion short tons of recoverable BLM-administered 
coal within the Coal Development Potential Area established in the 2019 
RMP amendment/Final Supplemental EIS would be suitable for further 
consideration of leasing (No Action); (2) the Coal Development 
Potential Area would be unavailable for leasing (no leasing 
alternative); and (3) a reduced level of coal (1.24 billion short tons 
of recoverable BLM-administered coal) would be available for leasing 
within the Coal Development Potential Area.
    The BLM considered three additional alternatives but dismissed 
these alternatives from detailed analysis as explained in the Draft RMP 
Amendment/Supplemental EIS.
    Identifying a preferred alternative(s) does not indicate any final 
decision commitments from the BLM. In developing the Final SEIS and 
Potential RMPA, which is the next phase of the planning process, the 
decision maker may select various components from each of the 
alternatives analyzed in the Draft SEIS. The Final SEIS and Potential 
RMPA may also reflect changes and adjustments based on comments 
received on the Draft SEIS, new information, or changes in BLM policies 
or priorities.
    The BLM used the impact analysis, along with recommendations from 
cooperating agencies; consideration of planning criteria; and 
anticipated resolution of resource conflicts to

[[Page 29692]]

identify Alternatives A (no leasing) and C (limited leasing) as co-
preferred alternatives from the suite of alternatives analyzed. 
Specifically, the identification of the co-preferred alternatives was 
based on the following.
     Two different alternatives have been identified has co-
preferred alternatives for the purpose of public comment and review;
     Satisfaction of statutory requirements and the court 
order; and
     Provision of an acceptable approach to addressing key 
planning issues.

Schedule for the Decision-Making Process

    The BLM will provide additional opportunities for public 
participation consistent with the NEPA and land use planning processes, 
including a 30-day public protest period and a 60-day Governor's 
consistency review on the Proposed RMP Amendment. The Proposed RMP 
Amendment/Final Supplemental EIS is anticipated to be available for 
public protest in September 2023 with an Approved RMP and Record of 
Decision in December 2023.
    The BLM will hold one in-person public meeting on May 31, 2023, 
from 5 to 7 p.m. MT in Gillette, Wyoming, at the George Amos Building, 
412 S Gillette Ave., Gillette, WY 82716. The BLM will also host one 
online public meeting on June 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. MT. The date(s) and 
location(s) of any additional meetings will be announced at least 15 
days in advance through local media, newspapers, ePlanning project page 
(see ADDRESSES), and BLM website (see ADDRESSES).
    The BLM will continue to consult with Indian Tribal Nations on a 
government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order 
13175, BLM MS 1780, and other Departmental policies. Tribal concerns, 
including impacts on Indian trust assets and potential impacts to 
cultural resources, will be given due consideration.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2.)

Andrew S. Archuleta,
Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2023-09735 Filed 5-5-23; 8:45 am]
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