[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 4 (Friday, January 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 807-809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28889]
[[Page 807]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_CO_FRN_MO4500175963]
Notice of Intent To Amend the Resource Management Plan for the
Uncompahgre Field Office and Prepare an Associated Environmental Impact
Statement, Colorado
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado State
Director intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment
with an associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
Uncompahgre Field Office and by this notice is announcing the beginning
of the scoping period to solicit public comments and identify issues
and is providing the planning criteria for public review.
DATES: The BLM requests the public submit comments concerning the scope
of the analysis, potential alternatives, and identification of relevant
information and studies by February 20, 2024. To afford the BLM the
opportunity to consider issues raised by commenters in the draft RMP
amendment/EIS, please ensure your comments are received prior to the
close of the 45-day scoping period or 15 days after the last public
meeting, whichever is later.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to the Uncompahgre Field Office RMP Amendment by any of the
following methods:
Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2026528/510.
Mail: Uncompahgre Field Office RMP amendment/EIS, BLM
Uncompahgre Field Office, 2465 South Townsend Avenue, Montrose, CO
81401.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at:
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2026528/510 and at the
Uncompahgre Field Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela LoSasso, Project Manager;
telephone: 970-210-5579; address: BLM Uncomphagre Field Office, 2465
South Townsend Avenue, Montrose, CO 81401; email: [email protected].
Contact Ms. LoSasso to have your name added to our mailing list.
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
Ms. LoSasso. 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 intends to prepare an RMP amendment with an
associated EIS, announces the beginning of the scoping process, and
seeks public input on issues and planning criteria. The RMP amendment
would change the existing 2020 Uncompahgre Field Office RMP. The RMP
amendment is being considered to allow the BLM to evaluate oil and gas
leasing decisions, previously proposed Areas of Critical Environmental
Concern (ACECs), and management of lands with wilderness
characteristics, which would require amending the existing Uncompahgre
Field Office RMP.
The planning area is located in Delta, Gunnison, Mesa, Montrose,
Ouray, and San Miguel counties, Colorado, and encompasses approximately
678,400 acres of public land. The BLM will re-evaluate ACECs previously
nominated during scoping for the 2019 Uncompahgre Field Office RMP
revision in the RMP amendment and EIS.
Purpose and Need
The Uncompahgre Field Office approved RMP and Record of Decision
was signed in April 2020. The BLM received and settled three lawsuits
on the approved RMP. Under one settlement agreement, the BLM initiated
two planning efforts in 2022: one statewide amendment for big game
priority habitat and one range wide amendment for Gunnison Sage-Grouse
habitat. Those planning efforts are currently underway. In the
remaining two settlement agreements, the BLM agreed to complete an RMP
amendment process with a specific scope and within a specific timeline
for the Uncompahgre Field Office decision area.
The BLM needs to undertake this planning process to fulfill its
responsibilities under the settlement agreements that resolved
litigation challenging the 2020 Uncompahgre Field Office approved RMP.
The purpose of this effort is to consider different management of oil
and gas resources, lands with wilderness characteristics, and
previously proposed and analyzed ACECs within the specific scope
described in settlement agreements.
Consistent with settlement agreements, the scope of this land use
planning process includes considering ACECs previously analyzed under
Alternative B of the 2019 Uncompahgre Field Office proposed RMP/final
EIS.
Preliminary Alternatives
Consistent with the settlement agreements, the BLM will consider:
closing to new oil and gas leasing all areas within the Federal mineral
estate that were analyzed under Alternative B/B.1 of the 2019 proposed
RMP/final EIS as either closed to leasing or open to leasing subject to
no surface occupancy; a minimum of 350,000 acres previously analyzed as
controlled surface use under Alternative B/B.1 of the 2019 proposed
RMP/final EIS as subject to no surface occupancy; and protections for
lands with wilderness characteristics and ACEC designations that are
the same as those analyzed under Alternative B of the 2019 proposed
RMP/final EIS. The BLM may also consider alternatives specifically for
oil and gas leasing decisions only (areas open and closed to leasing,
open subject to no surface occupancy, and open subject to controlled
surface use) that are consistent with the BLM Colorado planning efforts
for range-wide Gunnison Sage-Grouse conservation and statewide big game
habitat conservation. The BLM welcomes comments on all preliminary
alternatives as well as suggestions for additional alternatives.
Planning Criteria
The planning criteria guide the planning effort and lay the
groundwork for effects analysis by identifying the preliminary issues
and their analytical frameworks. Preliminary issues for the planning
area have been identified by BLM personnel and from early engagement
conducted for this planning effort with Federal, State, and local
agencies; Tribes; and stakeholders. The BLM has identified 18
preliminary issues for this planning effort's analysis. The planning
criteria are available for public review and comment at the ePlanning
website (see ADDRESSES).
Summary of Expected Impacts
The BLM expects impacts from alternatives to include beneficial or
adverse changes to air quality; climate; oil and gas development
opportunity; paleontological resources; soils including highly erodible
salt and selenium soils; water including surface, ground, and municipal
drinking water; wildlife including big game, threatened,
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and endangered species, BLM special status terrestrial and aquatic
species, and migratory birds; vegetation including native plant
communities, riparian vegetation, noxious and invasive species, and BLM
special status, threatened, and endangered plant species; cultural
resources; Native American religious concerns; socioeconomics;
environmental justice; recreational opportunity; visual resources;
travel and transportation; lands and reality authorizations; livestock
grazing authorizations; ACECs; and lands managed for wilderness
characteristics.
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 90-day public comment period on the draft RMP amendment/EIS
and concurrent 30-day public protest period and 60-day Governor's
consistency review on the proposed RMP amendment. The draft RMP
amendment/EIS is anticipated to be available for public review in
winter 2024/2025 and the proposed RMP amendment/final EIS is
anticipated to be available for public protest of the proposed RMP
Amendment in fall 2025 with an approved RMP amendment and Record of
Decision in winter 2025/2026.
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping period and public
review of the planning criteria, which guide the development and
analysis of the draft RMP amendment/EIS. The BLM will be holding three
scoping meetings in the following locations: two scoping meetings will
be held virtually, and one scoping meeting will be held in Montrose,
Colorado, at the BLM Public Lands Center. The specific date(s) and
location(s) of these scoping meetings will be announced at least 15
days in advance through local media and newspapers, and the BLM
ePlanning website (see ADDRESSES).
ACECs
The following ACECs are currently designated in the planning area:
Adobe Badlands ACEC/Outstanding Natural Area (ONA)/Instant Study Area
(ISA) (6,370 acres), Biological Soil Crust ACEC (390 acres), Fairview
South BLM Expansion ACEC (610 acres), Needle Rock ACEC/ONA (80 acres),
Paradox Rock Art ACEC (1,080 acres), and San Miguel River ACEC (21,660)
acres. Information about each existing ACEC, including the size,
relevant and important values, and other helpful information is
available in the Uncompahgre Field Office ACEC Fact Sheet online on the
project's website in ADDRESSES. The BLM will reevaluate these
designated ACECs for consideration in the draft RMP amendment/EIS.
During the Uncompahgre Field Office RMP Revision planning process
in 2010 the BLM solicited nominations for new ACECs. A total of 21
nominated ACECs covering a third of the field office met relevance and
importance criteria, and all were analyzed in the 2019 proposed RMP/
final EIS. Consistent with settlement agreements, the following 15
areas which were nominated and previously analyzed under Alternative B
of the 2019 proposed RMP/final EIS will be reconsidered for ACEC
designation in this planning effort:
Coyote Wash ACEC--2,100 acres
Dolores Slickrock ACEC--10,670 acres
East Paradox ACEC--7,630 acres
Fairview South CNHP Expansion ACEC--4,250 acres
La Sal Creek ACEC--10,490 acres
Lower Uncompahgre Plateau ACEC--31,810 acres
Needle Rock ACEC--80 acres
Paradox Rock Art ACEC--1,080 acres
Roubideau-Potter-Monitor ACEC--20,430 acres
Salt Desert Shrub Ecosystem ACEC--34,510 acres (includes the
existing Adobe Badlands ACEC)
San Miguel Gunnison Sage-Grouse ACEC--470 acres)
San Miguel River Expansion ACEC--35,480 acres
Sims-Cerro Gunnison Sage-Grouse ACEC--25,620 acres
Tabeguache Pueblo and Tabeguache Caves ACEC--26,400 acres
West Paradox ACEC--5,190 acres
Additional information on these proposed ACECs can be found in the
2013 final ACEC report on the project website (see ADDRESSES). The BLM
has identified the anticipated issues related to the consideration of
ACECs in the planning criteria.
Cooperating Agencies
The BLM is the lead agency. The BLM has invited Federal, State, and
local agencies that are eligible to participate in the development of
the environmental analysis as a cooperating agency. These include the
Bureau of Reclamation; National Park Service; U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Geological
Survey; USDA Forest Service Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison
National Forests; Natural Resource Conservation Service; Department of
Energy Office of Legacy Management; Western Area Power Administration;
Colorado Department of Natural Resources; Colorado Division of
Reclamation, Mining, and Safety; Colorado Energy and Carbon Management
Commission; Colorado State Forest Service; Colorado Department of
Agriculture; Colorado Parks and Wildlife; Colorado River Water
Conservation District; Denver Water Board; Delta, Gunnison, Mesa,
Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel Counties; and the Town of Paonia.
Responsible Official
The Colorado State Director is the deciding official for this
planning effort. Other responsible officials include the BLM Colorado
Southwest District Manager and the BLM Colorado Uncompahgre Field
Manager.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The nature of the decision to be made will be the State Director's
selection of land use planning decisions pursuant to this RMP amendment
for managing BLM-administered lands under the principles of multiple
use and sustained yield in a manner that best addresses the purpose and
need.
Interdisciplinary Team
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan
amendment in order to consider the variety of resource issues and
concerns identified. Specialists with expertise in the following
disciplines will be involved in this planning effort: air quality,
climate, wildlife, threatened and endangered species, vegetation,
hydrology, soils, energy and minerals, lands and reality, outdoor
recreation management, geologic resources, archaeology, environmental
justice, and socioeconomics.
Additional Information
The BLM will identify, analyze, and consider mitigation to address
the reasonably foreseeable impacts to resources from the proposed plan
amendment and all analyzed reasonable alternatives and, in accordance
with 40 CFR 1502.14(e), include appropriate mitigation measures not
already included in the proposed plan amendment or alternatives.
Mitigation may include avoidance, minimization, rectification,
reduction or elimination over time, and compensation; and may be
considered at multiple scales, including the landscape scale.
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA and land use planning
processes for this planning effort to help support compliance with
applicable
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procedural requirements under the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C.
1536) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54
U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), including public
involvement requirements of Section 106. The information about historic
and cultural resources and threatened and endangered species within the
area potentially affected by the proposed plan amendment will assist
the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources.
The BLM will 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. Federal, State, and local agencies, along
with Indian Tribal Nations and other stakeholders that may be
interested in or affected by the proposed Uncompahgre Field Office RMP
Amendment that the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate in the
scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by the
BLM to participate in the development of the environmental analysis as
a cooperating agency.
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 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2)
Douglas J. Vilsack,
BLM Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2023-28889 Filed 1-4-24; 8:45 am]
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