Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan (DRMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Richfield Field Office in Garfield, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne Counties, UT, 60879-60881 [07-5283]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management
• Land Management Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 207 (Friday, October 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60879-60881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-5283]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT050-1610-012J]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan 
(DRMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 
Richfield Field Office in Garfield, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne 
Counties, UT

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 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM) hereby gives notice that the Richfield Draft 
Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DRMP/DEIS) is available for a 90-day public review and comment period. 
This notice also meets requirements in part 1610, 7-2(b) concerning 
potential Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs).

DATES: To ensure that they will be considered, BLM must receive written 
comments on the DRMP/DEIS within 90 days following the date the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability in 
the Federal Register. The BLM will announce public meetings and other 
public-involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through 
public notices, news releases, direct mailings, and on the project Web 
site at: https://www.blm.gov/rmp/ut/richfield/. Public meetings will be 
held in Junction, Loa, Manti, Richfield, and Salt Lake City, and in 
other locations if warranted.

ADDRESSES: Address written comments to: RMP Comments, Richfield Field 
Office, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 150 East 900 North, Richfield, 
Utah 84701. Comments may also be faxed to the Field Office at 435-896-
1550, or submitted electronically by e-mail: UT--Richfield--
Comments@blm.gov. Comments and information submitted on the Supplement 
to the Vernal Field Office DRMP/DEIS, including names, e-mail 
addresses, and street addresses of respondents, will be available for 
public review and disclosure at the Vernal Field Office address listed 
below. The BLM will not accept anonymous comments. Before including 
your address, phone number, e-mail 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, or to have 
your name added to the Richfield RMP mailing list, visit the RMP Web 
site: https://www.blm.gov/rmp/ut/richfield/. Or, you may contact Cornell 
Christensen, RMP Project Manager, Richfield BLM Field Office, 150 East 
900 North, Richfield, Utah 84701, phone 435-896-1532. The DRMP/DEIS can 
be viewed and downloaded in portable document format (PDF) at the 
project Web site: https://www.blm.gov/rmp/ut/richfield/. Copies of the 
DRMP/DEIS are also available at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
Richfield Field Office.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DRMP/DEIS addresses public lands and 
resources managed by the Richfield Field Office in Garfield, Piute, 
Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne Counties, Utah. These lands and resources 
are currently managed under six old land use plans: Cedar-Beaver-
Garfield-Antimony RMP (1986), Forest Management Framework Plan (MFP) 
(1982), Henry Mountains MFP (1982), Mountain Valley MFP (1981), Parker 
Mountain MFP (1983), and San Rafael RMP (1991). The planning area 
includes approximately 2.1 million acres of BLM-administered surface 
lands and additional Federally-owned minerals under Federal, state, and 
private lands in the area. Decisions in the Richfield RMP will only 
apply to BLM-administered public lands and Federally-owned minerals. 
The DRMP/DEIS proposes and analyzes five alternatives for future 
management of the public lands and resources in the planning area. 
Alternative B is BLM's proposed action and the preferred alternative. 
Major issues considered in the DRMP/DEIS include oil and gas leasing, 
mining, range and livestock management, access and transportation, 
recreation and off-highway vehicle management, special status species, 
special designations (including Areas of Critical Environmental Concern 
[ACECs] and wild and scenic rivers), and lands with wilderness 
characteristics, among others. When completed, the new RMP will replace 
management decisions in the existing land use plans. As required by 
law, the DRMP/DEIS considers the designation and protection of ACECs. 
ACEC values and resource use limitations vary by ACEC, and the ACECs 
themselves vary by alternative. See table below.

          Acres of Public Land To Be Managed as ACECs Under the Alternatives in the Richfield DRMP/DEIS
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                                          Alt. N (no                        Alt. B
      Values and use limitations            action)         Alt. A        (preferred)         Alts. C and D
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Badlands ACEC Values: Outstanding                    0               0               0  88,900.
 scenery, special status species,
 natural processes (wind erosion),
 riparian areas, relict vegetation.
 Limitations: Designate scenic areas
 outside Wilderness study Areas (WSAs)
 as Visual Resource Management (VRM)
 II, limit or close to Off-Highway
 Vehicle (OHV) use, close to oil and
 gas leasing, propose withdrawal from
 mineral entry.
Beaver Wash ACEC Values: Desert                  3,400               0               0  (Included in Dirty Devil/
 riparian community. Limitations:                                                        North Wash ACEC).
 Close to OHV use, close to oil and
 gas leasing, close to livestock
 grazing, propose withdrawal from
 mineral entry.
Bull Creek ACEC Value: Cultural                      0               0               0  4,800.
 resources. Limitations: Limit off-
 highway vehicles to designated routes.

[[Page 60880]]

 
Dirty Devil/North Wash ACEC: Values:                 0               0               0  205,300.
 Outstanding scenery, cultural
 resources, paleontological resources,
 wildlife, special status species,
 relict vegetation, riparian areas.
 Limitations: Designate scenic areas
 outside WSAs as VRM II, close to oil
 and gas leasing or lease with no
 surface occupancy and propose
 withdrawal from mineral entry. Permit
 no domestic sheep grazing. Close to
 OHV use or limit to designated routes.
Fremont Gorge/Cockscomb Values ACEC:                 0               0               0  34,300.
 Cultural resources, outstanding
 scenery, riparian areas, special
 status plant species, wildlife.
 Limitations: Designate scenic areas
 outside WSAs as VRM II, open to oil
 and gas leasing with no surface
 occupancy and propose withdrawal from
 mineral entry. Close to OHV or limit
 to designated routes.
Gilbert Badlands ACEC Values: Badlands           3,700               0               0  (Included in Badlands
 geology. Limitations: Close to OHV                                                      ACEC).
 use, designate open to oil and gas
 leasing with no surface occupancy,
 and propose withdrawal from mineral
 entry.
Henry Mountains ACEC Values:                         0               0               0  288,200.
 Outstanding scenery, cultural
 resources, wildlife, special status
 species, ecological values, riparian
 areas. Limitations: Designate scenic
 areas outside WSAs as VRM II, close
 to off-highway vehicles or limit to
 designated routes, close to oil and
 gas leasing, and propose withdrawal
 from mineral entry.
Horseshoe Canyon ACEC Values:                        0               0               0  40,900.
 Outstanding scenery, cultural
 resources, special status species,
 riparian areas. Limitations:
 Designate scenic areas outside WSAs
 as VRM II, open to oil and gas
 leasing with no surface occupancy,
 and propose withdrawal from mineral
 entry.
Kingston Canyon ACEC Values: Wildlife                0               0               0  22,100.
 habitat and riparian areas.
 Limitations: Limit off-highway
 vehicles to designated routes and
 suppress unwanted fires.
Little Rockies ACEC Values:                          0               0               0  49,200.
 Outstanding scenery, wildlife,
 special status species, riparian
 areas. Limitations: Designate scenic
 areas outside WSAs as VRM II, open to
 oil and gas leasing with no surface
 occupancy and propose withdrawal from
 mineral entry. Change class of
 livestock from sheep to cattle.
Lower Muddy Creek ACEC Values:                       0               0               0  16,200.
 Outstanding scenery, special status
 plants, riparian areas. Limitations:
 Designate scenic areas as VRM Class
 II and close to oil and gas leasing.
No Man Mesa ACEC Value: Relict                       0               0               0  (Included in Henry
 vegetation. Limitations: Close to OHV                                                   Mountains ACEC).
 use, close to oil and gas leasing,
 and propose withdrawal from mineral
 entry.
North Caineville Mesa ACEC Value:                3,800               0           3,800  (Included in Badlands
 Relict vegetation. Limitations: Close                                                   ACEC).
 to OHV use, open to oil and gas
 leasing with no surface occupancy,
 close to livestock grazing, identify
 as unsuitable for coal leasing, and
 propose withdrawal from mineral entry.
Old Woman Front ACEC Value: Relict                   0               0             330  330.
 vegetation. Limitations: Close to
 livestock grazing, close to OHV use,
 close to oil and gas leasing and
 propose withdrawal from mineral entry.
Parker Mountain ACEC Value: Sagebrush-               0               0               0  107,900.
 steppe habitat, special status
 species. Limitations: Limit off-
 highway vehicles to designated
 routes, suppress unwanted wildfires,
 and implement proper grazing
 practices.
Quitchupah Creek ACEC Values: Cultural               0               0               0  180.
 resources, Native American values,
 riparian areas. Limitations: Limit
 off-highway vehicles to designated
 routes.
Rainbow Hills ACEC Values: Wildlife                  0               0               0  4,000.
 habitat and special status plants.
 Limitations: Suppress unwanted
 wildfires, close to OHV use, and open
 to oil and gas leasing with no
 surface occupancy.

[[Page 60881]]

 
Sevier Canyon ACEC Values: Wildlife                  0               0               0  8,900.
 habitat, special status species,
 riparian areas. Limitations: Suppress
 unwanted wildfires, limit off-highway
 vehicles to designated routes and
 close routes seasonally.
South Caineville Mesa ACEC Value:                5,300               0               0  (Included in Badlands
 Relict vegetation. Limitations: Close                                                   ACEC).
 to OHV use, open to oil and gas
 leasing with no surface occupancy,
 close to livestock grazing, propose
 withdrawal from mineral entry.
Special Status Species ACEC Values:                  0               0               0  15,100.
 Special Status Species and habitat.
 Limitations: Close or limit OHV use
 to designated routes and open to oil
 and gas leasing with controlled
 surface use stipulations.
Thousand Lake Bench ACEC Values:                     0               0               0  500.
 Cultural resources, special status
 plants and riparian areas.
 Limitations: Close to off-highway
 vehicles or limit to designated
 routes.
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    Total.............................          16,200               0           4,130  886,810.
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    The application of the Federal coal unsuitability criteria to the 
Henry Mountains and Emery Coal Fields is included in Appendix 8 of the 
DRMP/DEIS. As required by 43 CFR 3461.2-1(a)(2), the public is invited 
to comment on the results of the application of the criteria and the 
application process used. The criteria are listed under 43 CFR 3461.5. 
Additionally, the BLM will conduct a public hearing on coal leasing 
potential in the DRMP/DEIS before it is finalized, if such a hearing is 
requested by any person who may be adversely affected by adoption of 
the proposed plan.

Selma Sierra,
Utah State Director.
[FR Doc. 07-5283 Filed 10-25-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DK-P