[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 149 (Friday, August 4, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51855-51857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16598]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_CO_FRN_MO4500171447]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan and 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Colorado River 
Valley Field Office and Grand Junction Field Office Resource Management 
Plans, Colorado

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 (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLMPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Colorado River Valley 
Field Office (CRVFO) and Grand Junction Field Office (GJFO), and by 
this notice is providing information announcing the opening of the 
comment period on the Draft RMP/Supplemental EIS and is announcing the 
comment period on the BLM's proposed areas of critical environmental 
concern (ACECs).

DATES: This notice announces the opening of a 90-day comment period for 
the Draft RMP/Supplemental EIS beginning on the date following the 
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) publication of its Notice of 
Availability (NOA) of the Draft RMP/Supplemental EIS 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/Final Supplemental EIS, please ensure that the BLM 
receives your comments prior to the close of the 90-day public comment 
period or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever is later.
    In addition, this notice also announces the opening of a 60-day 
comment period for ACECs. The BLM must receive your ACEC-related 
comments by October 3, 2023.

ADDRESSES: The Draft RMP/Supplemental EIS is available for review on 
the BLM ePlanning project Website at: https://go.usa.gov/xtrgf.
    Written comments related to the supplemental EIS for the CRVFO and 
GJFO RMPs/EISs may be submitted by any of the following methods:

 Website: https://go.usa.gov/xtrgf
 Mail: BLM Upper Colorado River District, Attn: Supplemental 
EIS, 2518 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506

    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at 
https://go.usa.gov/xtrgf and at the Grand Junction and Colorado River 
Valley Field Offices.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Krickbaum, Project Manager, 
telephone 970-240-5399; address BLM Upper Colorado River District, 2518 
H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506; email [email protected]. Individuals 
in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have 
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services for contacting Mr. Krickbaum. 
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 
Colorado State Director has prepared a Draft RMP/Supplemental EIS for 
the two RMPs/EISs, provides information announcing the opening of the 
comment period on the Draft RMP/Supplemental EIS, and announces the 
comment period on the BLM's proposed ACECs. The planning area is 
located in Garfield, Mesa, Eagle, Pitkin, Routt, Rio Blanco, and 
Montrose counties, Colorado, and encompasses approximately 1.56 million 
acres of public land and 1.92 million acres of Federal mineral estate.
    CRVFO and GJFO management is identified in their respective 2015 
RMPs. Apart from fluid mineral leasing decisions, all existing 
management as described in the CRVFO and GJFO approved RMPs remains in 
effect.

Purpose and Need for the Planning Effort

    The purpose of the supplemental EIS is to supplement the EISs 
completed in 2014 for the CRVFO RMP and 2015 for the GJFO RMP by 
considering one or more additional alternatives with respect to the 
lands that are allocated as open or closed to oil and gas leasing in 
the planning decision areas, and to provide additional analysis of 
greenhouse gas emissions associated

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with the fluid mineral management alternatives considered in the final 
EISs and the supplemental EIS.
    The need for this supplemental EIS is to address the issues 
identified by the court in litigation involving the Colorado River 
Valley RMP (Wilderness Workshop v. BLM, 16-cv-01822), as described in 
settlement agreements in that case and a related case (Wilderness 
Workshop v. BLM, 18-cv-00987), and to revisit the Grand Junction RMP, 
as described in the BLM's motion for voluntary remand in litigation 
involving that RMP (Center for Biological Diversity v. BLM, 19-cv-
02869). The need is also to consider new information, including 
relevant information provided through tribal consultation.

Alternatives Including the Preferred Alternative

    The BLM has analyzed two additional alternatives in detail. The 
three action alternatives (B through D) and the no action alternative 
(A) from the 2014 CRVFO and the 2015 GJFO Final EISs remain within the 
range of alternatives considered. Alternative E would close the areas 
with no-known, low, and medium potential for fluid mineral leasing to 
future fluid mineral leasing. Alternative E would also close areas that 
would be allocated as closed to fluid mineral leasing in alternative C 
of the 2014 CRVFO and 2015 GJFO Final EISs. Alternative E would 
designate the potential ACECs that were analyzed as closed to leasing 
in alternative C of the 2014 CRVFO and 2015 GJFO Final EISs. 
Alternative F would close the same areas as alternative E to future 
fluid mineral leasing, as well as additional areas identified by the 
public during scoping. Alternative F would designate all potential 
ACECs analyzed in alternative C of the 2014 CRVFO and 2015 GJFO Final 
EISs and would expand one existing ACEC. Alternative F would designate 
one FLPMA Section 202 Wilderness Study Area. The BLM did not identify 
any additional alternatives for detailed analysis.
    The State Director has identified alternative E as the preferred 
alternative. Alternative E was found to best meet the State Director's 
planning guidance and, therefore, selected as the preferred alternative 
because it best meets the purpose and need.

ACECs

    Consistent with land use planning regulations at 43 CFR 1610.7-
2(b), the BLM is announcing the opening of a 60-day comment period on 
the ACECs proposed for designation in the preferred alternative. 
Comments may be submitted using any of the methods listed in the 
ADDRESSES section earlier.
    The proposed ACEC included in the preferred alternative for CRVFO 
is:
     Greater Sage-grouse Habitat, 24,600 acres, to protect 
priority habitat for the greater sage-grouse. Close to fluid mineral 
leasing, right-of-way avoidance, visual resource management (VRM) Class 
II, prohibit net increase in motorized/mechanized routes.
    The proposed ACECs included in the preferred alternative for GFJO 
are:
     Atwell Gulch, 6,100 acres (an additional 3,200 acres above 
current designation), to protect rare plants, cultural resources, 
scenic values, and wildlife habitat. Close to fluid mineral leasing, 
close to mineral material disposal and non-energy solid leasable 
mineral exploration and development, right-of-way exclusion, travel 
closed to motorized and mechanized travel (except for Sunnyside Rd), 
VRM Class II.
     Badger Wash, 2,200 acres, to protect rare plants and use 
as a hydrologic study area. Close to fluid mineral leasing, close to 
mineral material disposal and non-energy solid leasable mineral 
exploration and development, 1,800 acres right-of-way exclusion, 400 
acres right-of-way avoidance, VRM Class II.
     Glade Park-Pinyon Mesa, 27,200 acres, to protect occupied 
Gunnison Sage-grouse habitat. Close to fluid mineral leasing, close to 
mineral material disposal and non-energy solid leasable mineral 
exploration and development, right-of-way avoidance, travel limited to 
designated routes, VRM Class II.
     John Brown Canyon, 1,400 acres, to preserve old growth 
pinyon-juniper woodlands. Close to fluid mineral leasing, close to 
mineral material disposal and non-energy solid leasable mineral 
exploration and development, travel limited to designated routes, VRM 
Class II.
     Mt. Garfield, 5,700 acres (an additional 3,300 acres above 
current designation), to protect its scenic values. Close to fluid 
mineral leasing, close to mineral material disposal and non-energy 
solid leasable mineral exploration and development, travel limited to 
designated routes, right-of-way exclusion, VRM Class I.
     Plateau Creek, 200 acres, to protect special status fish 
species. Close to fluid mineral leasing, close to mineral material 
disposal and non-energy solid leasable mineral exploration and 
development, right-of-way avoidance, travel limited to designated 
routes, VRM Class II.
     Prairie Canyon, 6,900 acres, to protect rare plants and 
wildlife habitat. Close to fluid mineral leasing, close to mineral 
material disposal and non-energy solid leasable mineral exploration and 
development, 2,800 acres right-of-way exclusion, 2,600 acres right-of-
way avoidance, travel limited to designated routes, VRM Class II.
     South Shale Ridge, 28,200 (an additional 400 acres above 
current designation), to protect rare plants, wildlife habitat, and 
scenic values. Close to fluid mineral leasing, close to mineral 
material disposal and non-energy solid leasable mineral exploration and 
development, right-of-way exclusion, travel limited to designated 
routes, VRM Class II.
    The preferred alternative would not propose the following potential 
ACECs in CRVFO for designation: Abrams Creek, Dotsero Crater, Glenwood 
Springs Debris Flow Hazard Zones, Grand Hogback, Hardscrabble-East 
Eagle, Lyons Gulch, McCoy Fan Delta, Mount Logan Foothills, Sheep Creek 
Uplands, and The Crown Ridge.
    The preferred alternative would not propose the following potential 
ACECs in GJFO for designation: Colorado River Riparian, Coon Creek, 
Gunnison River Riparian, Hawxhurst Creek, Indian Creek, Nine-mile Hill 
Boulders, Pyramid Rock Expansion, and Reeder Mesa.

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. The Proposed RMP/Final 
Supplemental EIS is anticipated to be available for public protest in 
the spring of 2024 with a supplemental approved RMP and Record of 
Decision in the summer of 2024.
    The BLM will hold two public meetings. The specific dates and 
locations of these meetings will be announced least 15 days in advance 
through local media, newspapers, and the BLM website at https://go.usa.gov/xtrgf.
    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

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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, 43 CFR 
1610.7-2)

Douglas J. Vilsack,
BLM Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2023-16598 Filed 8-3-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-16-P