Notice of Intent To Revise Resource Management Plans and an Associated Environmental Impact Statement for Six Western Oregon Districts of the Bureau of Land Management, 14414-14416 [2012-5641]
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14414
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices
Ft. Lancaster TX 76908
Landholding Agency: Air Force
Property Number: 18201210038
Status: Excess
Directions: 509, 512, 516
Comments: National security concerns; no
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Reasons: Secured Area
[FR Doc. 2012–5426 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLORE00000
L63500000.DO0000.LXSS021H0000.HAG11–
XXXX]
Notice of Intent To Revise Resource
Management Plans and an Associated
Environmental Impact Statement for
Six Western Oregon Districts of the
Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
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) Oregon State Office,
Portland, Oregon, intends to revise six
Resource Management Plans (RMPs)
with a single associated Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Western
Oregon Planning Area and by this notice
is announcing the beginning of the
scoping process to solicit public
comments and identify issues. The
Western Oregon Planning Area consists
of the Coos Bay District, Eugene District,
Medford District, Roseburg District,
Salem District, and the Klamath Falls
Resource Area of the Lakeview District.
Although this document identifies the
scale of planning as six RMPs with a
single EIS, public input is being sought
on whether a different approach to
scale—such as by district, region, or
type of forest—should be considered.
DATES: This notice initiates the public
scoping process for the RMP and
associated EIS. Comments on issues
may be submitted in writing until June
7, 2012. The BLM has not yet scheduled
public meetings for this plan revision.
The date(s) and location(s) of any
scoping meetings will be announced at
least 15 days in advance through local
media, newspapers, and the BLM Web
site at: https://www.blm.gov/or/plans/. In
order to be included in the Draft EIS, all
comments must be received prior to the
close of the 90-day scoping period or 30
days after the last public meeting,
whichever is later. The BLM will
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SUMMARY:
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provide additional opportunities for
public participation and comment upon
publication of the Draft EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on issues and planning criteria related
to the Western Oregon RMPs/EIS by any
of the following methods:
• Web site: https://www.blm.gov/or/
plans.
• Email:
BLM_OR_Forestry_Plan@blm.gov.
• Fax: 503–808–6333.
• Mail: P.O. Box 2965, Portland,
Oregon 97208.
Documents pertinent to this proposal
may be examined at the Oregon State
Office, Public Room, 333 SW. 1st
Avenue, Portland, OR 97204.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
And/or to have your name added to our
mailing list, contact Michael Campbell,
Western Oregon RMP Outreach
Coordinator, telephone 503–808–6031;
address P.O. Box 2965, Portland, Oregon
97208; email
BLM_OR_Forestry_Plan@blm.gov.
Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the
Federal Information Relay Service
(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to contact the
above individual during normal
business hours. The FIRS is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a
message or question with the above
individual. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
document provides notice that the BLM
State Office, Portland, Oregon, intends
to revise six RMPs with an associated
EIS for the Western Oregon Planning
Area, announces the beginning of the
scoping process, and seeks public input
on issues and planning criteria. The
purpose of the public scoping process is
to determine the scope of issues to be
addressed by the environmental
analysis, including alternatives, and the
significant issues related to the planning
process. The planning area for the RMPs
includes approximately 2,550,000 acres
of BLM-administered lands and 69,000
acres of split-estate, where the BLM
only manages the Federal mineral
estate.
The Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA)
requires the development, maintenance,
and revision of land use plans. The vast
majority of the BLM-administered lands
in the planning area are Revested
Oregon and California Railroad (O&C)
lands, or Reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon
Road (CBWR) lands, and are managed
under the statutory authority of the
Oregon and California Revested
Railroad Lands Act of 1937 (O&C Act,
Pub. L. 75–405) and FLPMA (43 U.S.C.
PO 00000
Frm 00076
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
1701 et seq.). Preparation of the RMPs
and EIS will conform to the above land
management laws and will also comply
with other Federal laws, including, but
not limited to the Endangered Species
Act (ESA), the Clean Water Act, and the
National Environmental Policy Act.
Congress, in 1866, established a land
grant to promote the completion of the
Oregon and California Railroad from
Portland, Oregon, to San Francisco,
California. In 1916, Congress revested,
or brought back into Federal ownership,
the title to approximately 2.2 million
acres of land deeded to the Oregon and
California Railroad after the company
violated the terms of the land grant.
Congress revested about 93,000 acres of
Coos Bay Wagon Road lands to the
United States due to similar
circumstances in 1919. The O&C Act of
1937 placed management jurisdiction of
these lands under the United States
Department of the Interior.
In 1994, the Departments of the
Interior and Agriculture (USDA)
adopted the Northwest Forest Plan
(NWFP) to provide coordinated
management direction for the lands
administered by the BLM and the
USDA’s Forest Service and to adopt
complimentary approaches of other
Federal agencies within the range of the
northern spotted owl. The NWFP
included a coordinated, comprehensive
ecosystem management strategy, the
purpose of which was to meet dual
needs: The need for long-term health of
forest habitat and the need for a steady
supply of forest products.
The six western Oregon BLM districts
completed RMPs in 1995 that
incorporated the land use allocations
and Standards and Guidelines from the
NWFP. In 2008, the BLM completed
RMP revisions for the six western
Oregon districts. Pending litigation
seeks vacatur of the 2008 RMPs. The
BLM intends to revise its RMPs
notwithstanding the pending litigation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS) issued a revised recovery plan for
the northern spotted owl on June 28,
2011. The plan contains
recommendations for retaining and
restoring owl habitat in Federal, State
and private forestland. The FWS
anticipates revising its critical habitat
designation for the northern spotted owl
and issuing a proposed rule in February
2012.
The FWS completed a recovery plan
for the marbled murrelet in 1997 and
revised its critical habitat for the
marbled murrelet in October 2011. On
August 22, 2011, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Fisheries Service adopted a
final ESA recovery plan for upper
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09MRN1
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices
Willamette Chinook salmon and
steelhead.
The revisions to the existing RMPs
will determine how the BLM will
actively manage BLM-administered
lands in western Oregon to further
recovery of threatened and endangered
species, provide clean water, restore
fire-adapted ecosystems, produce a
sustained yield of timber products, and
provide for recreation opportunities.
Through the public participation
process, the BLM will work with
interested parties to identify the most
appropriate management direction for
BLM-administered lands in western
Oregon in accordance with the
provisions of relevant laws and
considering local, regional, and national
interests. The first step in this process
is formal public scoping which will
help identify planning issues and
provide an opportunity to receive public
comment on the scope of planning, and
proposed planning criteria.
Planning issues are disputes or
controversies about existing and
potential land and resource allocations,
levels of resource use, production, and
related management practices. Issues
include resource use, development, and
protection opportunities for
consideration in the preparation of
RMPs. These issues may stem from new
information or changed circumstances,
and the need to reassess the appropriate
mix of allowable uses. In considering
these issues, the BLM is seeking to
explore how its discretion under the
various laws that guide resource
management will be exercised with
regard to the intensity and frequency of
forest management at a landscape scale
to meet a sustainable supply of forest
products, recovery of listed species, and
watershed management on BLMadministered lands suitable for timber
harvest. Planning issues will be
addressed in the alternatives set forth in
the RMP/EIS. The BLM has identified
the following preliminary planning
issues which may be refined as a result
of future public participation
opportunities, collaborative efforts, and
comments received during scoping:
• Vegetation—How should BLMadministered lands be managed, both
temporally and spatially, to provide a
sustainable supply of wood and other
forest products that contribute to the
economic stability of communities?
• Habitat—How should the BLMadministered lands be managed to
contribute to the recovery of threatened
and endangered species and provide for
other rare and little known latesuccessional associated species?
• Watershed management and water
quality—How should BLM-
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administered lands be managed to
contribute to restoring and maintaining
the chemical physical and biological
integrity of the Nation’s waters, as well
as to a safe drinking water supply?
• Wildland fire and fuels—How
should BLM-administered lands be
managed to reduce the risk of wildfires
to communities and integrate fire back
into the ecosystem?
• Economics and Community
Support—How should BLMadministered-lands be managed to
contribute to local economies?
• Off-highway vehicle management
and public access—How should the
BLM-administered lands be managed to
meet the demand for off-highway
vehicle use while protecting other
resources and recreation uses? How
should transportation networks to and
across the BLM-administered lands be
evaluated?
The BLM has also identified
preliminary planning criteria to guide
the development of the RMPs. These
criteria may be modified or other
criteria identified after the public
scoping process. The public is invited to
comment on the following preliminary
planning criteria:
• Lands addressed in the RMP will be
public lands (including split estate
lands) administered by the BLM;
• The BLM will protect resources in
accordance with FLPMA and other
applicable laws and regulations;
• The BLM will examine options for
the scope and scale of the plan revisions
for the six western Oregon districts
including, but not limited to a singular
RMP, district-by-district RMPs, or wet
versus dry forests RMPs;
• The BLM will consider and
coordinate land use plan decisions to be
consistent with existing plans and
policies of local, state, Federal, and
tribal agencies to the extent those plans
and policies are consistent with the
purposes, policies, and programs of
Federal laws and regulations;
• The BLM will consider applicable
recovery actions contained in the FWS
and NOAA Fisheries Service recovery
plans and will also consider critical
habitat for threatened and endangered
species;
• The BLM will consider how to
manage BLM-administered lands that
contain wilderness characteristics;
• Where existing planning decisions
are still valid, those decisions may
remain unchanged and incorporated
into the new RMP;
• The plans will recognize valid
existing rights;
• The BLM will consider withholding
lands with important resource values
and/or significant levels of investment
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14415
from mineral leasing and withdrawing
lands from mineral location
• Native American tribal
consultations will be conducted in
accordance with policy and tribal
concerns will be given due
consideration. The planning process
will include the consideration of any
impacts on Indian trust assets;
• Alternatives will be designed to
meet the purpose and need for the plan,
resolve planning issues, and comply
with existing laws.
You may submit comments on issues
and planning criteria in writing to the
BLM at any public scoping meeting, or
you may submit them to the BLM using
one of the methods listed in the
ADDRESSES section above. To be most
helpful, you should submit comments
by the close of the 90-day scoping
period or within 30 days after the last
public meeting, whichever is later.
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 may 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. The minutes and list of attendees
for each scoping meeting will be
available to the public and open for 30
days after the meeting to any participant
who wishes to clarify the views he or
she expressed. The BLM will evaluate
identified issues to be addressed in the
plan and will place them into one of
three categories:
1. Issues to be resolved in the plan;
2. Issues to be resolved through policy
or administrative action; or
3. Issues beyond the scope of this
plan.
The BLM will provide an explanation
in the Draft RMP/Draft EIS as to the
disposition of proposed issues. The
public is also encouraged to help
identify any management questions and
concerns that should be addressed in
the plan. The BLM will work
collaboratively with interested parties to
identify the management decisions that
are best suited to local, regional, and
national needs and concerns.
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary
approach to develop the plan in order
to consider the variety of resource issues
and concerns identified. Specialists
with expertise in the following
disciplines will be involved in the
planning process: Timber, wildlife and
fisheries, economics, botany, climate
change/carbon sequestration, lands and
realty, hydrology, soils, cultural
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices
(including tribal), archeology,
recreation, fire and fuels management,
energy, roads, grazing and wild horses,
and geographic information systems.
As part of this RMP process, the BLM
will analyze areas for potential
designation as Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern (ACEC) in
accordance with 43 CFR 1610.7–2.
Public nominations for potential ACECs
to be considered in these revisions must
be made by June 7, 2012.
Edward W. Shepard,
State Director, Oregon/Washington, Bureau
of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2012–5641 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–33–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CACA–051552, LLCAD0700 L51010000
FX0000 LVRWB10B3980]
Notice of Availability of a Final
Environmental Impact Statement and
Final Environmental Impact Report for
the Pattern Energy Group’s Ocotillo
Express Wind Energy Project and
Proposed California Desert
Conservation Area Land Use Plan
Amendment, Imperial County, CA
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
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 Proposed California Desert
Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan
Amendment (PA)/Final Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) and Final
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for
the Ocotillo Express Wind Energy
Facility (OWEF) and by this notice is
announcing the availability of the
Proposed PA and Final EIS/EIR.
DATES: BLM planning regulations state
that any person who meets the
conditions as described in the
regulations may protest the BLM’s
Proposed PA. A person who meets the
conditions and files a protest must file
the protest within 30 days of the date
that the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) publishes its notice in the
Federal Register. The Record of
Decision (ROD) on the OWEF and PA
will be issued no sooner than 30 days
after the release of the Final EIS.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Proposed PA
and Final EIS/EIR have been sent to
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SUMMARY:
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affected Federal, state, and local
government agencies and to other
stakeholders. Copies of the Proposed PA
and Final EIS/EIR are also available for
public inspection at the BLM El Centro
Field Office, 1661 S. 4th Street, El
Centro, California 92243 and the BLM
California Desert District Office, 22835
Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno
Valley, California 92553. Interested
persons may also review the Proposed
PA and Final EIS/EIR at the following
Web site: https://www.ca.blm.gov/
elcentro.
All protests of the BLM’s Proposed PA
must be in writing and mailed to one of
the following addresses:
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box
71383, Washington, DC 20024–1383.
Overnight Mail: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Brenda Williams, 20 M
Street SE., Room 2134LM,
Washington, DC 20003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cedric Perry, BLM Project Manager,
telephone (951) 697–5388; address
22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos,
Moreno Valley, CA 92553; email
Cedric_Perry@ca.blm.gov. Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at
(800) 877–8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business
hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, to leave a message
or question with the above individual.
You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Ocotillo
Express, LLC (Applicant), a subsidiary
of Pattern Energy Group, LP, has
submitted an application for a right-ofway (ROW) authorization to construct,
operate, maintain, and decommission an
approximately 12,436 acre, up to 456
megawatt (MW), wind energy project
including up to 155 wind turbine
generators; a substation; administration,
operations and maintenance facilities;
transmission lines; and temporary
construction lay down areas. The BLM’s
purpose and need for the OWEF is to
respond to the Applicant’s application
under Title V of the Federal Lands
Policy and Management Act of 1976
(FLPMA) for a ROW grant to construct,
operate, maintain, and decommission a
wind energy facility on public lands in
compliance with FLPMA, BLM ROW
regulations, and other applicable
Federal laws. The BLM will decide
whether to grant, grant with
modification, or deny a ROW to the
Applicant for the proposed OWEF. In
connection with its processing of the
ROW application for the OWEF, the
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BLM will also amend the CDCA Plan as
applicable, depending on its decision on
the ROW grant. The CDCA Plan, while
recognizing the potential compatibility
of wind energy generation facilities with
other uses on public lands, requires that
all sites proposed for power generation
or transmission not identified in the
CDCA Plan be considered through the
plan amendment process. Therefore, in
connection with its review of the
OWEF, the BLM is also proposing to
amend the CDCA Plan to designate the
project area as either available or
unavailable for wind energy
development, as appropriate.
In addition to the proposed action and
a no action alternative, the BLM
analyzed a 137-turbine alternative, a
105-turbine alternative, and ‘‘no
project’’ alternatives that reject the ROW
application for the OWEF but amend the
CDCA Plan to make the project area
either:
(1) Available for future wind energy
generation projects; or
(2) Unavailable for future wind energy
generation projects.
Based on information developed
during the government-to-government
and National Historic Preservation Act
Section 106 consultations for the OWEF,
the Applicant proposed that BLM
consider a new project configuration
that eliminates 43 of the 155 turbines
proposed under the Proposed Action
(the ‘‘Refined Project’’). Under the
Refined Project configuration, only 112
wind turbines generators would be
approved and installed. Those 112
turbines would be located on a subset of
the 155 turbines sites evaluated under
the Proposed Action in the Draft EIS/
EIR. The Refined Project is identified as
the preferred alternative in the Final
EIS/EIR. The BLM has determined that
it is within the range of alternatives
analyzed in the Draft EIS/EIR.
The Final EIS/EIR evaluates the
potential impacts of the proposed
OWEF and alternatives on air quality,
biological resources, cultural resources,
water resources, geological resources
and hazards, land use, noise,
paleontological resources, public health,
socioeconomics, soils, traffic and
transportation, visual resources,
wilderness characteristics, and other
resources.
A Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS/
EIR for the OWEF project was published
in the Federal Register on December 13,
2010 [75 FR 77654]. The BLM held two
public scoping meetings in El Centro
and Ocotillo, California, on January 5
and 6, 2011, respectively. The formal
scoping period ended on February 4,
2011. A Notice of Availability of the
Draft EIS/EIR was published in the
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 47 (Friday, March 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14414-14416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-5641]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLORE00000 L63500000.DO0000.LXSS021H0000.HAG11-XXXX]
Notice of Intent To Revise Resource Management Plans and an
Associated Environmental Impact Statement for Six Western Oregon
Districts of the Bureau of Land Management
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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) Oregon State
Office, Portland, Oregon, intends to revise six Resource Management
Plans (RMPs) with a single associated Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the Western Oregon Planning Area and by this notice is
announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public
comments and identify issues. The Western Oregon Planning Area consists
of the Coos Bay District, Eugene District, Medford District, Roseburg
District, Salem District, and the Klamath Falls Resource Area of the
Lakeview District. Although this document identifies the scale of
planning as six RMPs with a single EIS, public input is being sought on
whether a different approach to scale--such as by district, region, or
type of forest--should be considered.
DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the RMP and
associated EIS. Comments on issues may be submitted in writing until
June 7, 2012. The BLM has not yet scheduled public meetings for this
plan revision. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping meetings will
be announced at least 15 days in advance through local media,
newspapers, and the BLM Web site at: https://www.blm.gov/or/plans/. In
order to be included in the Draft EIS, all comments must be received
prior to the close of the 90-day scoping period or 30 days after the
last public meeting, whichever is later. The BLM will provide
additional opportunities for public participation and comment upon
publication of the Draft EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to the Western Oregon RMPs/EIS by any of the following methods:
Web site: https://www.blm.gov/or/plans.
Email: BLM_OR_Forestry_Plan@blm.gov.
Fax: 503-808-6333.
Mail: P.O. Box 2965, Portland, Oregon 97208.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Oregon
State Office, Public Room, 333 SW. 1st Avenue, Portland, OR 97204.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: And/or to have your name added to our
mailing list, contact Michael Campbell, Western Oregon RMP Outreach
Coordinator, telephone 503-808-6031; address P.O. Box 2965, Portland,
Oregon 97208; email BLM_OR_Forestry_Plan@blm.gov. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM
State Office, Portland, Oregon, intends to revise six RMPs with an
associated EIS for the Western Oregon Planning Area, announces the
beginning of the scoping process, and seeks public input on issues and
planning criteria. The purpose of the public scoping process is to
determine the scope of issues to be addressed by the environmental
analysis, including alternatives, and the significant issues related to
the planning process. The planning area for the RMPs includes
approximately 2,550,000 acres of BLM-administered lands and 69,000
acres of split-estate, where the BLM only manages the Federal mineral
estate.
The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) requires
the development, maintenance, and revision of land use plans. The vast
majority of the BLM-administered lands in the planning area are
Revested Oregon and California Railroad (O&C) lands, or Reconveyed Coos
Bay Wagon Road (CBWR) lands, and are managed under the statutory
authority of the Oregon and California Revested Railroad Lands Act of
1937 (O&C Act, Pub. L. 75-405) and FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.).
Preparation of the RMPs and EIS will conform to the above land
management laws and will also comply with other Federal laws,
including, but not limited to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the
Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. Congress,
in 1866, established a land grant to promote the completion of the
Oregon and California Railroad from Portland, Oregon, to San Francisco,
California. In 1916, Congress revested, or brought back into Federal
ownership, the title to approximately 2.2 million acres of land deeded
to the Oregon and California Railroad after the company violated the
terms of the land grant. Congress revested about 93,000 acres of Coos
Bay Wagon Road lands to the United States due to similar circumstances
in 1919. The O&C Act of 1937 placed management jurisdiction of these
lands under the United States Department of the Interior.
In 1994, the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture (USDA)
adopted the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) to provide coordinated
management direction for the lands administered by the BLM and the
USDA's Forest Service and to adopt complimentary approaches of other
Federal agencies within the range of the northern spotted owl. The NWFP
included a coordinated, comprehensive ecosystem management strategy,
the purpose of which was to meet dual needs: The need for long-term
health of forest habitat and the need for a steady supply of forest
products.
The six western Oregon BLM districts completed RMPs in 1995 that
incorporated the land use allocations and Standards and Guidelines from
the NWFP. In 2008, the BLM completed RMP revisions for the six western
Oregon districts. Pending litigation seeks vacatur of the 2008 RMPs.
The BLM intends to revise its RMPs notwithstanding the pending
litigation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a revised recovery
plan for the northern spotted owl on June 28, 2011. The plan contains
recommendations for retaining and restoring owl habitat in Federal,
State and private forestland. The FWS anticipates revising its critical
habitat designation for the northern spotted owl and issuing a proposed
rule in February 2012.
The FWS completed a recovery plan for the marbled murrelet in 1997
and revised its critical habitat for the marbled murrelet in October
2011. On August 22, 2011, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service adopted a final ESA recovery
plan for upper
[[Page 14415]]
Willamette Chinook salmon and steelhead.
The revisions to the existing RMPs will determine how the BLM will
actively manage BLM-administered lands in western Oregon to further
recovery of threatened and endangered species, provide clean water,
restore fire-adapted ecosystems, produce a sustained yield of timber
products, and provide for recreation opportunities.
Through the public participation process, the BLM will work with
interested parties to identify the most appropriate management
direction for BLM-administered lands in western Oregon in accordance
with the provisions of relevant laws and considering local, regional,
and national interests. The first step in this process is formal public
scoping which will help identify planning issues and provide an
opportunity to receive public comment on the scope of planning, and
proposed planning criteria.
Planning issues are disputes or controversies about existing and
potential land and resource allocations, levels of resource use,
production, and related management practices. Issues include resource
use, development, and protection opportunities for consideration in the
preparation of RMPs. These issues may stem from new information or
changed circumstances, and the need to reassess the appropriate mix of
allowable uses. In considering these issues, the BLM is seeking to
explore how its discretion under the various laws that guide resource
management will be exercised with regard to the intensity and frequency
of forest management at a landscape scale to meet a sustainable supply
of forest products, recovery of listed species, and watershed
management on BLM-administered lands suitable for timber harvest.
Planning issues will be addressed in the alternatives set forth in the
RMP/EIS. The BLM has identified the following preliminary planning
issues which may be refined as a result of future public participation
opportunities, collaborative efforts, and comments received during
scoping:
Vegetation--How should BLM-administered lands be managed,
both temporally and spatially, to provide a sustainable supply of wood
and other forest products that contribute to the economic stability of
communities?
Habitat--How should the BLM-administered lands be managed
to contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered species and
provide for other rare and little known late-successional associated
species?
Watershed management and water quality--How should BLM-
administered lands be managed to contribute to restoring and
maintaining the chemical physical and biological integrity of the
Nation's waters, as well as to a safe drinking water supply?
Wildland fire and fuels--How should BLM-administered lands
be managed to reduce the risk of wildfires to communities and integrate
fire back into the ecosystem?
Economics and Community Support--How should BLM-
administered-lands be managed to contribute to local economies?
Off-highway vehicle management and public access--How
should the BLM-administered lands be managed to meet the demand for
off-highway vehicle use while protecting other resources and recreation
uses? How should transportation networks to and across the BLM-
administered lands be evaluated?
The BLM has also identified preliminary planning criteria to guide
the development of the RMPs. These criteria may be modified or other
criteria identified after the public scoping process. The public is
invited to comment on the following preliminary planning criteria:
Lands addressed in the RMP will be public lands (including
split estate lands) administered by the BLM;
The BLM will protect resources in accordance with FLPMA
and other applicable laws and regulations;
The BLM will examine options for the scope and scale of
the plan revisions for the six western Oregon districts including, but
not limited to a singular RMP, district-by-district RMPs, or wet versus
dry forests RMPs;
The BLM will consider and coordinate land use plan
decisions to be consistent with existing plans and policies of local,
state, Federal, and tribal agencies to the extent those plans and
policies are consistent with the purposes, policies, and programs of
Federal laws and regulations;
The BLM will consider applicable recovery actions
contained in the FWS and NOAA Fisheries Service recovery plans and will
also consider critical habitat for threatened and endangered species;
The BLM will consider how to manage BLM-administered lands
that contain wilderness characteristics;
Where existing planning decisions are still valid, those
decisions may remain unchanged and incorporated into the new RMP;
The plans will recognize valid existing rights;
The BLM will consider withholding lands with important
resource values and/or significant levels of investment from mineral
leasing and withdrawing lands from mineral location
Native American tribal consultations will be conducted in
accordance with policy and tribal concerns will be given due
consideration. The planning process will include the consideration of
any impacts on Indian trust assets;
Alternatives will be designed to meet the purpose and need
for the plan, resolve planning issues, and comply with existing laws.
You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria in writing
to the BLM at any public scoping meeting, or you may submit them to the
BLM using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section above. To
be most helpful, you should submit comments by the close of the 90-day
scoping period or within 30 days after the last public meeting,
whichever is later. 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 may 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. The minutes and list of attendees for each
scoping meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days
after the meeting to any participant who wishes to clarify the views he
or she expressed. The BLM will evaluate identified issues to be
addressed in the plan and will place them into one of three categories:
1. Issues to be resolved in the plan;
2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action;
or
3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan.
The BLM will provide an explanation in the Draft RMP/Draft EIS as
to the disposition of proposed issues. The public is also encouraged to
help identify any management questions and concerns that should be
addressed in the plan. The BLM will work collaboratively with
interested parties to identify the management decisions that are best
suited to local, regional, and national needs and concerns.
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan
in order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns
identified. Specialists with expertise in the following disciplines
will be involved in the planning process: Timber, wildlife and
fisheries, economics, botany, climate change/carbon sequestration,
lands and realty, hydrology, soils, cultural
[[Page 14416]]
(including tribal), archeology, recreation, fire and fuels management,
energy, roads, grazing and wild horses, and geographic information
systems.
As part of this RMP process, the BLM will analyze areas for
potential designation as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC)
in accordance with 43 CFR 1610.7-2. Public nominations for potential
ACECs to be considered in these revisions must be made by June 7, 2012.
Edward W. Shepard,
State Director, Oregon/Washington, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2012-5641 Filed 3-8-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P
