[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 154 (Friday, August 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54663-54665]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17203]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_UT_FRN_MO45172464]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan and 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Grand Staircase-Escalante 
National Monument in Utah

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 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National 
Monument (GSENM or Monument), and by this notice is providing 
information announcing the opening of the comment period on the Draft 
RMP/EIS and the comment period on the BLM's proposed areas of critical 
environmental concern (ACECs) and proposed recreational target shooting 
closures.

DATES: This notice announces the opening of a 90-day comment period for 
the Draft RMP/EIS beginning with the date following the Environmental 
Protection Agency's (EPA's) publication of its Notice of Availability 
(NOA) of the Draft RMP/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 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 90-day 
comment period for proposed target shooting closures and a 90-day 
comment period for proposed ACECs. The BLM must receive your comments 
by November 9, 2023.

ADDRESSES: The Draft RMP/EIS is available for review on the BLM 
ePlanning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020343/510.
    Written comments related to the GSENM Draft RMP/EIS may be 
submitted by any of the following methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020343/510.
     Mail: ATTN: GSENM RMP Project Manager, BLM Paria River 
District, 669 S Highway 89A, Kanab, UT 84741.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at 
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020343/570 and at the 
BLM Paria River District Office, 669 US-89A, Kanab, Utah 84741.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott M. Whitesides, Project Manager, 
telephone (801) 539-4054; address Bureau of Land Management Utah, 440 
West 200 South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101; 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. Whitesides. 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 
Utah State Director has prepared a Draft RMP/EIS, provides information 
announcing the opening of the comment period on the Draft RMP/EIS, and 
announces the comment period on the BLM's proposed ACEC and proposed

[[Page 54664]]

recreational target shooting closures. The planning area is located in 
Kane and Garfield Counties, Utah, and encompasses approximately 1.87 
million acres of public land.
    Management of GSENM is currently guided by the 2020 GSENM Approved 
RMPs and 2020 Kanab Escalante Planning Area (KEPA) Approved RMP to the 
extent the management actions in the RMPs are consistent with 
Presidential Proclamation 10286 (Oct. 8, 2021).

Purpose and Need for the Planning Effort

    The purpose and need serve to frame the identification of issues, 
alternatives development, and effects analyses. Proclamation 10286 
directs the BLM to ``prepare and maintain a new management plan for the 
entire monument'' for the specific purposes of ``protecting and 
restoring the objects identified [in Proclamation 10286] and in 
Proclamation 6920.''
    The RMP's underlying purpose (40 CFR 1502.13) is to provide a 
management framework, including goals, objectives, and management 
direction, to guide GSENM management consistent with the protection 
and/or restoration of GSENM objects and the management direction 
provided in Proclamation 10286.

Alternatives Including the Preferred Alternative

    The BLM has analyzed four alternatives in detail, including the no 
action alternative.
    Alternative A, the no action alternative, represents current 
management from the 2020 GSENM Approved RMPs, which apply to the lands 
in GSENM as it existed under Proclamation 9682, and the 2020 KEPA 
Approved RMP, which applies to the lands that were excluded from GSENM 
by Proclamation 9682, to the extent that those management actions are 
consistent with Proclamation 10286. In some cases, decisions in the 
2020 Approved RMPs are inconsistent with Proclamation 10286; in those 
instances, Alternative A has been modified to be consistent with 
Proclamation 10286.
    Alternative B emphasizes flexibility in planning-level direction to 
maximize the potential for an array of discretionary actions that are 
compatible with the protection of GSENM objects.
    Alternative C emphasizes the protection and maintenance of intact 
and resilient landscapes using a zonal management approach to 
selectively allow for discretionary uses in appropriate settings. Four 
management zones similar to those used in the 2000 GSENM Management 
Plan would be established: the front country zone, passage zone, 
outback zone, and primitive zone. Each of these management zones would 
provide certain management direction to guide resource protection and 
allowable uses; the intensity of resource protection and use would vary 
depending on the zone. Under Alternative C, the designation of 
management zones would serve primarily as a tool for managing 
visitation and allowable uses while also protecting GSENM objects.
    Alternative D strives to maximize natural processes by minimizing 
active management and limiting discretionary uses. Land use allocations 
would minimize discretionary uses, including recreation, livestock 
grazing, rights-of-way (ROWs), and activities under special recreation 
permits. This alternative would also constrain management actions to 
emphasize natural conditions, such as passive vegetation management.
    The BLM further considered two additional alternatives but 
dismissed these alternatives from detailed analysis as explained in the 
Draft RMP/EIS.
    The State Director has identified Alternative C as the preferred 
alternative. Alternative C was found to best meet the State Director's 
planning guidance and, therefore, was selected as the preferred 
alternative because it provides goals, objectives, and management 
direction determined to be most effective at resolving planning issues, 
protecting monument objects, balancing resource uses, and meeting the 
purpose and need.

Mitigation

    The BLM will identify, analyze, and consider best management 
practices to mitigate the reasonably foreseeable impacts to resources 
and monument objects. The Draft EIS analyzes all alternatives and, in 
accordance with 40 CFR 1502.14(e), will include appropriate mitigation 
measures (best management practices) not already included in the 
proposed plan or alternatives. Best management practices may include 
measures to avoid, minimize, rectify, reduce, or eliminate reasonably 
foreseeable impacts over time, and may be considered at multiple 
scales, including the landscape scale.

ACECs

    Consistent with land use planning regulations at 43 CFR 1610.7-
2(b), the BLM is announcing a comment period on the ACECs proposed for 
designation, which will be open for 90 days. Comments may be submitted 
using any of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section.
    The proposed ACECs included in the preferred alternative are:
     Little No Man's Mesa Research Natural Area (RNA)--
approximately 50 acres. Designation proposed to protect vegetation and 
provide opportunities for scientific research. Identified special 
management would include prohibiting campfires, camping, ROWs, and 
recreational target shooting and making the area unavailable for 
livestock grazing.
     No Man's Mesa RNA--approximately 2,800 acres. Designation 
proposed to protect vegetation resources and provide opportunities for 
scientific research. Identified special management would include 
prohibiting campfires and recreational target shooting, making the area 
unavailable for livestock grazing, and closing the area to off-highway 
vehicles.
     Little Spring Point RNA--approximately 300 acres. 
Designation proposed to protect vegetation resources and provide 
opportunities for scientific research. Special management would include 
prohibiting campfires, camping, ROWs, and recreational target shooting 
and making the area unavailable for livestock grazing.
     Fiftymile Mountain RNA--approximately 56,800 acres. 
Designation proposed to protect cultural resources and provide 
opportunities for scientific research. Special management would include 
camping by permit only, prohibiting ROWs and recreational target 
shooting, and requiring monitoring to ensure the appropriate level of 
grazing, including, if necessary, no grazing for the protection of 
cultural resources.
    The preferred alternative does not propose to designate the 
following potential ACECs:
     Warm Creek ACEC.
     Willis Creek ACEC.

Dingell Act Proposed Target Shooting Closures

    In accordance with the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, 
Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 (Dingell Act, Pub. L. 116-9, 
Section 4103), the BLM is announcing the opening of a public comment 
period on the proposed recreational target shooting closures within the 
Monument, which will be open for 90 days. The preferred alternative 
would close approximately 1,215,100 acres to recreational target 
shooting to protect GSENM objects. Comments may be submitted using any 
of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section.

[[Page 54665]]

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 EIS is 
anticipated to be available for public protest in April 2024 with a 
Record of Decision and Approved RMP in July 2024.
    The BLM will hold a total of five public meetings. Two meetings 
will be held virtually, and three meetings will be conducted in-person: 
in Kanab, Panguitch, and Escalante, Utah. The dates and locations of 
these meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through 
local media, social media, newspapers, and the ePlanning 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 Manual Section 1780, and other Departmental policies. Tribal 
concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and potential 
impacts to cultural resources, will be given due consideration.
    You may submit comments on the Draft RMP/EIS in writing to the BLM 
at any public meetings or to the BLM using one of the methods listed in 
the ADDRESSES section. To be considered, comments must be received by 
the end of the 90-day comment period. The ePlanning website (see 
ADDRESSES) includes background information on GSENM and the planning 
process.
    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, 43 CFR 
1610.7-2)

Gregory Sheehan,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2023-17203 Filed 8-10-23; 8:45 am]
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