[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 154 (Friday, August 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65391-65392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17402]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_MT_FRN_MO4500180327]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan 
and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the North Dakota Resource 
Management Plan Revision

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, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
proposed resource management plan (RMP) and final environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for the North Dakota Resource Management Plan Revision 
and by this notice is announcing the start of a 30-day protest period 
of the proposed RMP.

DATES: This notice announces a 30-day protest period to the BLM on the 
proposed RMP beginning with the date following the Environmental 
Protection Agency's (EPA) publication of its Notice of Availability 
(NOA) of the proposed RMP/final EIS in the Federal Register. The EPA 
usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays. Protests must be postmarked or 
electronically submitted on the BLM's ePlanning site during the 30-day 
protest period.

ADDRESSES: The proposed RMP and final EIS and other pertinent documents 
are available on the BLM ePlanning project website at 
eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1505069/510 and at the North 
Dakota Field Office; address 99 23rd Avenue West, Suite A, Dickinson, 
ND 58601.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM for the North Dakota 
Resource Management Plan Revision 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 through one of the 
following methods:

 Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1505069/510
 Regular and Overnight Mail: BLM Director, Attention: Protest 
Coordinator (HQ210), Denver Federal Center, Building 40 (Door W-4), 
Lakewood, CO 80215

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristine Braun, telephone 701-227-
7725; address 99 23rd Avenue West, Suite A, Dickinson, ND 58601; 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. Kristine Braun. 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 North Dakota proposed RMP provides a 
comprehensive land use plan that guides management on approximately 
58,500 acres of BLM-managed public

[[Page 65392]]

lands and 4.1 million acres of BLM-administered mineral estate in North 
Dakota. The planning area is currently managed under the 1988 North 
Dakota RMP, as amended. This planning effort would update management 
guidance and create a new North Dakota RMP.
    The proposed RMP/final EIS evaluates five alternatives in detail. 
Alternative A is the No Action Alternative, which is the continuation 
of current management under the existing 1988 North Dakota RMP, as 
amended.
    Alternative B (Preferred Alternative from the draft RMP/EIS) 
emphasizes sustaining the ecological integrity of habitats for all 
priority plant, wildlife, and fish species, while allowing appropriate 
development scenarios for resource uses. Under Alternative B, the BLM 
would close low oil and gas development potential areas and State-
designated drinking water source protection areas to future Federal oil 
and gas leasing and would not allow future leasing for Federal coal 
outside of a 4-mile development area from existing mine permit 
boundaries. Where oil and gas are available for leasing, no surface 
occupancy, controlled surface use, or timing limitation stipulations 
would apply to most areas. Alternative B provides opportunities for 
recreation and improved access by designating one special recreation 
management area (SRMA) and two backcountry conservation areas (BCAs). 
It would manage for other social and scientific values by designating 
one area of critical environmental concern (ACEC). Alternative B would 
recommend three eligible wild and scenic rivers as suitable for 
designation.
    Alternative B.1 is a sub-alternative to Alternative B that provides 
the same management opportunities and protections as found under 
Alternative B for all resources except coal. Under this alternative, 
future leasing of Federal coal would be further restricted by 
designating the area outside the approved permit boundaries at each 
coal mine (as of September 9, 2022) as unavailable for coal leasing.
    Alternative C does not close any areas to future Federal oil and 
gas leasing, but more acres would be subject to no surface occupancy 
lease stipulations than Alternative A. Under Alternative C, fewer acres 
of Federal coal would be made unavailable for leasing than Alternative 
B, but more than Alternative A. Alternative C provides opportunities 
for recreation and improved access by also designating one SRMA and two 
BCAs, but with reduced size and/or management restrictions.
    Alternative D is the proposed RMP and includes management direction 
from Alternatives A, B, and C. Alternative D carries forward many of 
the key allocations from Alternative B (the Preferred Alternative in 
the draft RMP/draft EIS) for oil, gas, and coal as well as the 
management direction establishing the SRMA, two BCAs, and designation 
of one ACEC. Alternative D would close low oil and gas development 
potential areas and State-designated drinking water source protection 
areas to future Federal oil and gas leasing and would make Federal coal 
minerals outside a 4-mile development area from existing mine permit 
boundaries unavailable for consideration for future leasing. 
Alternative D, however, adjusts fluid mineral lease stipulations for 
some wildlife habitat and would change some right-of-way exclusion 
areas to avoidance areas where the functionality of the habitat can be 
maintained by applying special stipulations and design features. 
Alternative D also adjusts the application of Coal Screen 4 to look for 
clusters of surface owner opposition in determining lands as 
unavailable for future consideration for leasing. Alternative D would 
not recommend any river as suitable for inclusion in the National Wild 
and Scenic River System due to segments being small, fragmented, and 
impractical to manage. Alternative D would also reduce some visual 
resource management classifications and would include approximately 100 
acres as potentially available for disposal to allow for flexibility 
for transfer, exchange, or direct sale of a handful of small, scattered 
parcels without public access ranging in size from 0.1 -1.0 acres.
    The North Dakota draft RMP/draft EIS public comment period began on 
January 20, 2023, was extended 30-days, and ended on May 22, 2023. The 
BLM held two in-person public meetings in Bowman and Dickinson, North 
Dakota, during the public comment period. The BLM considered and 
incorporated in the proposed RMP, as appropriate, comments received 
from the public, cooperating agencies, and internal BLM review.

Protest of the Proposed RMP

    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 may protest its 
approval to the BLM Director. Protest on the proposed RMP constitutes 
the final opportunity for administrative review of the proposed land 
use planning decisions prior to the BLM adopting an approved RMP. 
Instructions for filing a protest regarding the proposed RMP with the 
BLM Director may be found online 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 in writing and mailed to the 
appropriate address or submitted electronically through the BLM 
ePlanning project website as set forth in the ADDRESSES section. 
Protests submitted by any other means will be invalid. The BLM Director 
will render a written decision on each protest. The Director's decision 
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. After resolution of 
protests, the BLM will issue a Record of Decision and approved RMP.
    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)

Sonya Germann,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-17402 Filed 8-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-20-P