[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 129 (Friday, July 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55655-55657]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14531]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_CO_FRN_MO4500179560]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Gunnison 
Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus), Colorado and Utah

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 (FLMPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a proposed resource management plan (RMP) amendment and final 
environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Gunnison Sage-Grouse 
(Centrocercus minimus) and by this notice is announcing the start of a 
30-day protest period of the proposed RMP amendment.

DATES: This notice announces the beginning of a 30-day protest period 
to the BLM on the proposed RMP amendment. Protests must be postmarked 
or electronically submitted on the BLM's ePlanning site within 30 days 
of 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: The proposed RMP amendment and final EIS is available on the 
BLM ePlanning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2019031/510. Documents pertinent to this proposal may also 
be examined at the Grand Junction, Uncompahgre, Tres Rios, Gunnison, 
San Luis Valley, Moab, and Monticello Field Offices.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM for the Gunnison 
Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus) RMP amendment can be found at: 
https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be 
submitted in writing by one of the following methods:
    Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2019031/510.
    Regular mail and overnight mail: BLM Director, Attention: Protest 
Coordinator (HQ210), Denver Federal Center, Building 40 (Door W-4), 
Lakewood, CO 80215.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gina Phillips, Project Manager, BLM 
Colorado, telephone 970-589-9852; BLM Southwest District Office, 2465 
S. Townsend Ave., Montrose, CO 81401; 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 
Ms. Phillips. 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: The RMP amendment would change the following 
existing plans.

Colorado

 Canyons of the Ancients National Monument RMP (2010)
 Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area RMP (2017)
 Grand Junction Field Office RMP (2015)
 Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area RMP (2004)
 Gunnison Resource Area RMP (1993)
 McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area RMP (2004)
 San Luis Resource Area RMP (1991)
 Tres Rios Field Office RMP (2015)
 Uncompahgre Field Office RMP (2020)

Utah

 Moab Field Office RMP (2008)
 Monticello Field Office RMP (2008)

    The Gunnison Sage-Grouse RMP amendment updates management decisions 
and actions to promote Gunnison sage-grouse recovery and maintain and 
enhance habitat, as identified in the 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (USFWS) Recovery Plan, across the eight currently recognized 
populations in southwest Colorado and southeast Utah. Gunnison sage-
grouse is federally listed as a threatened species under the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544).

Planning Area

    The planning area spans portions of 19 Colorado Counties: Alamosa, 
Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Delta, Dolores, Garfield, Gunnison, 
Hinsdale,

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La Plata, Mesa, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Rio Grande, 
Saguache, San Juan, and San Miguel; and two Utah Counties: Grand and 
San Juan; and encompasses approximately 25 million acres of public 
land.

Purpose and Need

    The BLM's purpose consists of the following:
     Promote the recovery of the threatened Gunnison sage-
grouse and maintain and enhance BLM-administered occupied and 
unoccupied habitat upon which the species depends, while continuing to 
manage the land wherever possible for multiple use and sustained yield;
     Ensure management actions on BLM-administered lands 
support conservation goals for Gunnison sage-grouse and their habitat;
     Ensure that BLM management aligns with current science and 
data; relevant Federal, State, and local decisions supporting recovery; 
the Department of the Interior Climate Action Plan; and the USFWS Final 
Recovery Plan for Gunnison Sage-Grouse and Recovery Implementation 
Strategy for Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus); and
     Provide consistent guidance for addressing threats to 
Gunnison sage-grouse populations and their habitat.
    This BLM action is necessary to accomplish the following:
     Address the range-wide downward population trend of 
Gunnison sage-grouse since 2014 and address issues related to land 
management that may affect occupied and unoccupied habitat;
     Respond to the ESA section 7(a)(1) (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(1)) 
requirement that the BLM use its authority to further the purposes of 
the ESA by implementing management actions for the conservation of 
federally listed species and the ecosystems upon which they depend; and
     Respond to changing ecological and climate conditions 
affecting BLM-administered lands, including drought, habitat loss and 
fragmentation, reduced riparian areas, and more frequent wildland 
fires.

Alternatives Considered, Including the Proposed Plan Alternative

    The BLM analyzed six alternatives in detail, including the no 
action alternative. This land use plan amendment addresses management 
actions impacting, or with the potential to impact, Gunnison sage-
grouse and occupied and unoccupied habitat in the decision area. The 
decision area consists of approximately 2,182,660 acres of BLM-managed 
surface lands (1,951,440 acres in Colorado and 231,220 acres in Utah) 
and 2,852,390 acres of Federal subsurface mineral estate (2,563,220 
acres in Colorado and 289,170 acres in Utah). Alternative A (No Action 
Alternative--Current Management) would continue current BLM management 
direction in the 11 administrative units in the planning area.
    Alternative B would prioritize removing identified threats within 
occupied and unoccupied habitat and reduce impacts within the decision 
area, which includes a 4-mile buffer around habitat and potential 
linkage-connectivity areas to the maximum extent allowable. Alternative 
B contains two sub-alternatives for livestock grazing management 
actions in response to recommendations made in public scoping comments. 
Alternative B would designate all nominated Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern (ACECs) that meet relevance and importance 
criteria.
    Alternative C would minimize, mitigate, or compensate for impacts 
from resource uses and activities in occupied and unoccupied habitat. 
No new ACECs would be designated under Alternative C.
    Alternative D would allocate resource uses and conserve resource 
values while sustaining and enhancing ecological integrity across the 
decision area and designate a specific subset of nominated ACECs. 
Conservation measures focus on occupied and unoccupied habitat that 
includes a 1-mile buffer around habitat and could extend to linkage-
connectivity areas.
    Alternative E considers adopting applicable management direction 
from the interagency Candidate Conservation Agreement for the Gunnison 
sage-grouse, Gunnison Basin Population.
    Alternative F (proposed plan amendment) was developed in response 
to public comments on the draft RMP amendment/EIS and, similar to 
Alternative D, focuses conservation measures on occupied and unoccupied 
habitat. For all populations, Alternative F would apply buffers to all 
lek statuses (active, inactive, historic, unknown, occupied, and 
unoccupied) and manage with the objective of no increase in net surface 
disturbance; and it proposes management to increase available habitat 
for all Gunnison sage-grouse populations.
    The BLM considered three additional alternatives but dismissed them 
from detailed analysis as explained in section 2.1.2.2 of the proposed 
RMP amendment/EIS.

Public Involvement

    The BLM published a notice of intent in the Federal Register to 
initiate the public scoping period for this planning effort on July 6, 
2022 (87 FR 40262). The BLM hosted four public scoping meetings (in 
Dove Creek, CO and Gunnison, CO) and two virtual public meetings to 
solicit nominations for ACECs, identify the scope of issues to be 
addressed in the RMP amendment, and gather input to assist in 
formulating a reasonable range of alternatives. The resource concerns 
identified during the scoping process included Gunnison sage-grouse 
habitat, vegetation, livestock grazing management, mineral development, 
renewable energy development, wildland fire ecology and management, 
ACECs, recreation, lands and realty, air resources, soil resources, 
lands with wilderness characteristics, and social and economic 
conditions.
    After preparing the draft RMP amendment/EIS in coordination with 30 
cooperating agencies and working with Tribes, the BLM announced the 90-
day comment period through publication of its NOA in the Federal 
Register on November 9, 2023 (88 FR 77353). During the comment period, 
the BLM held two in-person public meetings (in Dove Creek, CO and 
Gunnison, CO) and one virtual public meeting to inform the public and 
solicit comments on the draft documents. The BLM received 141 comment 
letters (including 115 unique letters and 26 form, form plus, or 
duplicate letters) during the comment period. The BLM reviewed all 
letters submitted, analyzed the comments, considered substantive 
comments, and revised the RMP amendment/EIS accordingly. Comments and 
responses are attached as Appendix W in the proposed RMP amendment/EIS.

Changes Between Draft RMP Amendment and Proposed RMP Amendment

    Based on public comments received on the draft RMP amendment/draft 
EIS, the BLM updated the proposed RMP amendment/final EIS (Alternative 
F) by incorporating management actions and allowable uses from 
Alternatives A, B, C, D, and E, including corrections and rewording for 
clarification of purpose and intent. Language throughout the document 
was revisited for readability and to meet the required page limits for 
an EIS. In consideration of comments received, the following management 
was updated in Alternative F:
     Uses would be avoided in buffer distances for all Gunnison 
sage-grouse lek statuses (active, inactive, historic,

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unknown in Colorado, occupied, and unoccupied in Utah);
     Objectives and management for net surface disturbance 
rather than disturbance caps were clarified;
     Management for Gunnison sage-grouse satellite populations 
was recognized as different in some aspects from the Gunnison Basin 
population under Lands and Realty and Recreation;
     Management in the current and proposed ACECs was refined, 
and a new Backcountry Conservation Area would be designated; and
     Appendices were also developed and expanded upon.

Protest of the Proposed RMP Amendment

    The BLM planning regulations state that any person who participated 
in the preparation of the RMP and has an interest that will or might be 
adversely affected by approval of the proposed RMP amendment may 
protest its approval to the BLM. Protest on the proposed RMP amendment 
constitutes the final opportunity for administrative review of the 
proposed land use planning decisions prior to the BLM adopting an 
approved RMP amendment. Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM 
regarding the proposed RMP amendment may be found online (see 
ADDRESSES). All protests must be in writing and mailed to the 
appropriate address or submitted electronically through the BLM 
ePlanning project website (see ADDRESSES). Protests submitted 
electronically by any means other than the ePlanning project website 
will be invalid unless a hard copy of the protest is also submitted. 
The BLM will render a written decision on each protest. The protest 
decision of the BLM shall be the final decision of the Department of 
the Interior. Responses to valid protest issues will be compiled and 
documented in a Protest Resolution Report made available following the 
protest resolution online at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports. Upon 
resolution of protests, the BLM will issue a Record of Decision and 
approved RMP amendment.
    Before including your phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your protest you should be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest 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 
1610.5)

Douglas J. Vilsack,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-14531 Filed 7-3-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-16-P