Notice of Availability of a Supplement to the Bighorn Basin Draft Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Cody and Worland Field Offices, WY, 41947-41949 [2013-16630]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 134 / Friday, July 12, 2013 / Notices
The lease sale will be held at 10
a.m. on Wednesday, August 21, 2013.
Sealed bids must be submitted on or
before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 20,
2013.
DATES:
The lease sale will be held
in the First Floor Conference Room
(Room 107), of the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Wyoming State
Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, P.O.
Box 1828, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003.
Sealed bids must be submitted to the
Cashier, BLM Wyoming State Office, at
the address given above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mavis Love, Land Law Examiner, or
Kathy Muller Ogle, Coal Coordinator, at
307–775–6258, and 307–775–6206,
respectively.
ADDRESSES:
This coal
lease sale is being held in response to
a lease by application (LBA) filed by
Cordero Mining LLC, Gillette, Wyoming.
The coal resource to be offered consists
of all reserves recoverable by surface
mining methods in the followingdescribed lands located approximately
15 miles south-southeast of Gillette,
Wyoming, immediately east of State
Highway 59, west of the Cordero Rojo
Mine, and south of the Belle Ayr Mine.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Sixth Principal Meridian
T. 47 N., R. 71 W.,
Sec. 7, lots 6 to 11, inclusive, and lots 14
to 19, inclusive.
T. 47 N., R. 72 W.,
Sec. 1, lots 9 to 13, inclusive, and
NW1⁄4SE1⁄4;
Sec. 12, lots 1 to 12, inclusive, and lots 14
to 16, inclusive.
The areas described aggregate 1,338.37
acres.
The tract is adjacent to a Federal lease
to the east controlled by the Cordero
Rojo Mine, to a Federal lease to the
north controlled by the Belle Ayr Mine,
and to the Maysdorf II South Coal Tract
to the southeast awaiting a future lease
sale. The LBA is adjacent to additional
unleased Federal coal to the west across
State Highway 59. A qualified surface
owner restricts leasing on the Maysdorf
II North Tract toward the south. Most of
the acreage offered has been determined
to be minable except for the State
Highway 59 right-of-way and 100 foot
buffer along the western boundary of the
LBA. Acreage south of the LBA has been
removed from the application due to the
lack of qualified surface owner consent;
however, the economic analysis of the
bonus value for the LBA coal along this
southern boundary includes a
reasonable cost to acquire an overstrip
agreement toward the end of mine life
in order to mine the last of the LBA
coal. Reasonable costs to move features
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such as utilities and pipelines to allow
coal recovery have also been included
in the economic analysis. In addition,
numerous oil and coal bed natural gas
wells have been drilled on the tract. The
estimate of the bonus value of the coal
lease will include consideration of the
future production from these wells and
the successful coal lessee’s interaction
with gas producers regarding any preexisting rights of such producers. An
economic analysis of this future income
stream will consider reasonable
compensation to the gas lessee for lost
production of the natural gas when the
wells are bought out by the coal lessee.
Most of the surface estate of the tract is
owned by Alpha Coal West, Inc., with
a small portion in the southeast corner
owned by Caballo Rojo, Inc.
The LBA tract contains surface
mineable coal reserves in the Wyodak
Coal Zone currently being recovered in
the adjacent, existing mines. Several
beds are merged on the LBA tract into
a single mineable seam. The average
total coal thickness is approximately 69
feet and the range of overburden
thickness is approximately 266 to 397
feet. The tract contains an estimated
148,565,000 tons of mineable coal. This
estimate of mineable reserves includes
the main seam mentioned above but
does not include any tonnage from
localized seams or splits containing less
than 5 feet of coal. It also excludes coal
within and along the highway right-ofway as required by typical mining
practices. The total mineable stripping
ratio of the coal in bank cubic yards per
ton is approximately 4.5:1. Potential
bidders for the LBA should consider the
recovery rate expected from thick seam
mining.
The Maysdorf II North LBA coal is
ranked as subbituminous C. The overall
average quality on an as-received basis
is 8,602 British Thermal Units per
pound containing approximately 0.24
percent sulfur. These quality averages
place the coal reserves near the middle
of the range of coal quality currently
being mined in the Wyoming portion of
the Powder River Basin.
The tract will be leased to the
qualified bidder of the highest cash
amount provided that the high bid
meets or exceeds the BLM’s estimate of
the fair market value (FMV) of the tract.
The minimum bid for the tract is $100
per acre or fraction thereof. No bid that
is less than $100 per acre, or fraction
thereof, will be considered. The bids
should be sent by certified mail, return
receipt requested, or be hand delivered.
The BLM Wyoming State Office Cashier
will issue a receipt for each handdelivered bid. Bids received after 4 p.m.
local time on Tuesday, August 20, 2013,
PO 00000
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41947
will not be considered. The minimum
bid is not intended to represent FMV.
The FMV of the tract will be determined
by the Authorized Officer after the sale.
The lease that may be issued as a result
of this offering will provide for payment
of an annual rental of $3 per acre, or
fraction thereof, and a royalty payment
to the United States of 12.5 percent of
the value of coal produced by surface
mining methods. The value of the coal
will be determined in accordance with
30 CFR 1206.250.
Pursuant to the regulation at 43 CFR
3473.2(f), the applicant for the Maysdorf
II North Tract, Cordero Mining LLC, has
paid a total case-by-case cost recovery
processing fee in the amount of $86,165.
The successful bidder for the Maysdorf
II North Tract, if someone other than the
applicant, must pay to the BLM the
$86,165 previously paid by Cordero
Mining, LLC. Additionally, the
successful bidder must pay all
processing costs the BLM will incur
after the date this sale notice is
published in the Federal Register,
which are estimated to be $10,000.
Bidding instructions for the LBA tract
offered and the terms and conditions of
the proposed coal lease are available
from the BLM Wyoming State Office at
the address above. Case file documents,
WYW173360, are available for
inspection at the BLM Wyoming State
Office.
Nancy L. Beres,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2013–16629 Filed 7–11–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWYR0000.L16100000.DP0000.
LXSS042K0000]
Notice of Availability of a Supplement
to the Bighorn Basin Draft Resource
Management Plan/Environmental
Impact Statement, Cody and Worland
Field Offices, WY
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is
announcing the availability of a
Supplement to the Draft Resource
Management Plan (RMP) and
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\12JYN1.SGM
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mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
41948
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 134 / Friday, July 12, 2013 / Notices
for the Bighorn Basin Planning Area and
announcing the opening of the comment
period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Supplement to
the Draft RMP/EIS within 90 days after
the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) publishes its notice of availability
of the Supplement in the Federal
Register. The BLM will announce future
meetings or hearings and any other
public participation activities at least 15
days in advance through public notices,
media releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments related to the Supplement to
the Draft RMP/EIS by any of the
following methods:
• Web site: www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/
programs/Planning/RMPs/bighorn.
• Email: BBRMP_WYMail@blm.gov.
• Mail: Worland Field Office, Attn:
RMP Project Manager, 101 South 23rd,
Worland, WY 82401.
Copies of the Supplemental Draft
RMP/EIS are available at the following
locations:
• Bureau of Land Management,
Wyoming State Office, 5353
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY
82003.
• Bureau of Land Management, Cody
Field Office, 1002 Blackburn Street,
Cody, WY 82414.
• Bureau of Land Management,
Worland Field Office, 101 South 23rd
Street, Worland, WY 82401
The Supplement is also available on
the Web site: www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/
programs/Planning/RMPs/bighorn.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Caleb Hiner, RMP Project Manager,
telephone 307–347–5171; address 101
South 23rd Street, Worland, WY 82401;
email chiner@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: The
Planning Area for the RMP supplement
includes lands within the BLM Cody
and Worland Field Offices
administrative boundaries, in all of Big
Horn, Park and Washakie Counties, and
most of Hot Springs County in northcentral Wyoming. The Planning Area
includes all lands, regardless of
jurisdiction, totaling 5.6 million acres;
however, the BLM will only make
decisions on lands that fall under the
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BLM’s jurisdiction. Lands within the
Planning Area under the BLM’s
jurisdiction make up the Decision Area.
The Decision Area consists of BLMadministered surface, totaling 3.2
million acres, and mineral estate,
totaling 4.2 million acres. The BLMadministered surface acreage and the
Federal mineral estate acreage overlap
in some areas.
The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare
the Bighorn Basin RMP/EIS was
published in the Federal Register on
October 17, 2008 (73 FR 61900), and the
Draft RMP/EIS was released to the
public on April 22, 2011. On December
9, 2011, the NOI for the BLM’s National
Greater Sage-grouse Planning Strategy
was published in the Federal Register
(76 FR 77008). The planning area for
National Greater Sage-grouse Planning
Strategy included the Bighorn Basin
Planning Area. The National Greater
Sage-grouse Planning Strategy NOI
invited the public to nominate or
recommend areas on public lands for
Greater Sage-grouse and their habitat to
be considered as areas of critical
environmental concern (ACECs).
Through the scoping process, numerous
nominations were presented, including
a nomination for all priority Greater
Sage-grouse habitats to be included. The
two additional alternatives that will be
analyzed in this Supplement to the Draft
RMP/EIS were prepared to include these
ACEC nominations, since these
nominations were not received during
the initial scoping period for the RMP/
EIS in 2008. The two additional
alternatives in the Supplement to the
Draft RMP/EIS analyze all BLM lands
within identified Greater Sage-grouse
Key Habitat Areas (1.2 million acres—
Alternative E) and Sage-grouse Core
Population Areas (1.1 million acres—
Alternative F), regardless of jurisdiction,
as ACECs, as well as constraints on
development and management of nonwilderness study area lands with
wilderness characteristics. Both
geographic boundaries have been
identified as priority Sage-grouse habitat
(PH), having the highest conservation
value to maintaining sustainable Sagegrouse populations. These areas include
breeding, late brood-rearing, and winter
concentration areas.
Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.7–2(b), this
notice announces a public comment
period on the proposed ACECs. A total
of two ACECs are proposed in the
Supplement. The proposed ACECs and
the proposed resource use limitations
that will occur for each proposed ACEC
if formally designated are:
• Key Habitat Areas (1.2 million
acres): Value of Concern: Greater Sagegrouse Habitat. Proposed Use
PO 00000
Frm 00041
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Limitations: Right-of-Way Exclusion
Areas, 3 percent surface disturbance
limit, closed to fluid mineral leasing,
closed to livestock grazing, closed to
mineral material disposals, and
recommend a withdrawal from
appropriation under the mining laws.
• Core Areas (1.1 million acres):
Value of Concern: Greater Sage-grouse
Habitat. Proposed Use Limitations:
Right-of-Way Avoidance Areas, 5
percent surface disturbance limit, and
timing and surface use restrictions. The
Preferred Alternative (Alternative D)
within the existing Draft RMP/EIS was
developed with consideration of
specific issues raised through the 2008
public scoping period,
recommendations from cooperating
agencies, consideration of planning
criteria, impact analysis and
conformance with local land use plans.
The Preferred Alternative remains
unchanged in the Supplement to the
Draft RMP/EIS. The final agency
decision will follow a public protest
period for the Proposed RMP, scheduled
for release later in 2013. The Proposed
RMP and Final EIS will reflect changes
or adjustments based on information
received during public comment, new
information, or changes in BLM policies
or priorities. The Proposed RMP may
include portions of any analyzed
alternatives or decisions otherwise
within the spectrum of alternatives
analyzed.
You may submit comments in writing
to the BLM at any public meeting, or
you may submit them to the BLM using
one of the methods listed in the
ADDRESSES section above. In order to
reduce the use of paper and control
costs, the BLM strongly encourages the
public to submit comments
electronically at the project Web site or
via email. Only comments submitted
using the methods described in the
ADDRESSES section above will be
accepted. Comments submitted must
include the commenter’s name and
street address. Whenever possible,
please include reference to either the
page or section in the Supplement to the
Draft RMP/EIS to which the comment
applies.
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.
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 134 / Friday, July 12, 2013 / Notices
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 1506.10, and 43
CFR 1610.2, 1610.7–2.
Mary Jo Rugwell,
Associate State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2013–16630 Filed 7–11–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
[LLWYR05000
L51100000.GN0000.LVEMK13CY200]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Lower Gas Hills Conventional
Uranium Project, Fremont County, WY
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (NEPA) and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976, as
amended (FLPMA), and in response to
a proposal filed by Strathmore
Resources (US), LTD (Strathmore), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM),
Lander Field Office, Wyoming, intends
to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). By this notice, the BLM
is announcing the beginning of the
scoping process to solicit public
comments regarding issues and resource
information for the proposed Lower Gas
Hills Conventional Uranium Project
(Project) in Fremont County, Wyoming.
The Project is a proposed uranium
exploration and development project
employing open pit mining methods
and using heap leach methods for
uranium recovery.
DATES: This notice initiates the public
scoping process. The BLM can best
consider public input if comments and
resource information are submitted
within 60 days of publication of this
notice. To provide the public with an
opportunity to review the proposal and
project information, the BLM will host
public meetings in Lander and Riverton,
Wyoming; and will announce the dates,
times, and locations for these meetings
at least 15 days prior to each event.
Announcements will be made by news
release to the news media and
individual mailings, and posted on the
project Web site listed below. Project
information and documents including
the submitted Plan of Operations will be
available on the Project Web site
address given below.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments by any of the following
methods:
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SUMMARY:
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• Email: BLM_WY_Lower_Gas_Hills_
Conventional_Mine@blm.gov.
• Mail: Lander Field Office, Attn:
Kristin Yannone, 1335 Main Street,
Lander, WY 82520.
• Project Web site: https://www.blm.
gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/
lfo/LowerGasHillsConvMine.html.
Documents pertinent to this proposal
may be examined at the Lander Field
Office.
Kristin Yannone, Project Manager, at:
• Telephone: 307–332–8400;
• Address: 1335 Main Street, Lander,
Wyoming 82520;
• Email: kyannone@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: The
Lander Field Office intends to prepare
an EIS to inform decision-making
regarding the proposed Lower Gas Hills
Conventional Uranium Project and to
begin the public scoping period. The
BLM seeks public input on the
preliminary issues identified below
regarding this Project, as well as other
Project issues of public concern. The
Project area is located in central
Wyoming; 45 miles east of Riverton, 35
miles southwest of Casper, and 70 miles
northeast of Lander, Wyoming, in the
Gas Hills Mining District of Fremont
County, Wyoming. The Project area
encompasses approximately 12,400
acres of land, 11,040 acres of which is
public land administered by the BLM
Lander Field Office. Uranium mining
activities have been active in the Gas
Hills area since the early 1950s; as a
result the proposed project area contains
land surface disturbance and variably
effective mine land reclamation efforts.
In November 2012, Strathmore
submitted a Preliminary Plan of
Operations in accordance with the
BLM’s surface management regulations
at 43 CFR part 3809 to develop a
conventional uranium mining and heap
leach recovery operation. The purpose
of the proposed Project is to explore for
and identify mining reserves and extract
and process uranium ore from 4
separate mine units over an anticipated
project life of 12 or more years.
Strathmore proposes to construct four
different mine units in a phased manner
utilizing open pit mining methods.
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41949
Several mine units will require
dewatering of existing open pits prior to
and during mining of new open pits.
Waste rock and ore material will be
stored at the surface during mining, and
mine facilities will be constructed at
each mine unit. Haul roads will be
constructed or re-occupied for ore
material to be transported to the central
processing facility. Uranium recovery
will be performed on-site using heap
leach methods and a processing facility
to produce yellowcake (uranium oxideU3O8). Strathmore proposes to construct
a centrally located uranium recovery
facility consisting of a heap leach pad,
solution exchange building, and drying
facility with ancillary collection and
drainage ponds.
Anticipated new surface disturbance
associated with the Lower Gas Hills
Conventional Uranium Project proposal
will include approximately 2,000 total
acres; including surface disturbance for
the construction of open pits, haul
roads, spoils piles and associated
facilities. Surface disturbance will be
phased over several years, depending on
the uranium production rate and the
availability of mine construction
equipment and personnel. Final surface
reclamation is required by regulatory
agencies and assured through
procurement of a financial guarantee.
The BLM’s analysis of any potential
impacts from granting surface use
authorization for the milling facility and
water disposal operations are in
addition to the environmental analysis
conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission as part of its permitting
process.
Final reclamation will commence at
the end of surface mining, including
placing all mine overburden and spoil
back in the mine pits, removing all
ponds and buried piping, and re-grading
and re-vegetating the disturbed surface
with approved native plant species.
After vegetation has been reestablished,
the mine surface will be returned to its
pre-mining use of livestock grazing and
wildlife habitat or any other use
consistent with the applicable land use
plan.
Depending on the residual
radiological hazards found to be present
within the mill site or processing part of
the Project area, ownership of the
reclaimed surface may be required to be
transferred to the Department of Energy
for long-term custodian care until
contamination is deemed to no longer
be a threat to public health and safety.
Strathmore estimates that the Project
will employ a mix of full-time personnel
and temporary contractors throughout
the life of the mine. It is likely that the
majority of employees will live in
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 134 (Friday, July 12, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41947-41949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16630]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWYR0000.L16100000.DP0000.LXSS042K0000]
Notice of Availability of a Supplement to the Bighorn Basin Draft
Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Cody and
Worland Field Offices, WY
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is
announcing the availability of a Supplement to the Draft Resource
Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
[[Page 41948]]
for the Bighorn Basin Planning Area and announcing the opening of the
comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Supplement to the Draft RMP/EIS within 90 days
after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its notice of
availability of the Supplement in the Federal Register. The BLM will
announce future meetings or hearings and any other public participation
activities at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media
releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments related to the Supplement to
the Draft RMP/EIS by any of the following methods:
Web site: www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Planning/RMPs/bighorn.
Email: BBRMP_WYMail@blm.gov.
Mail: Worland Field Office, Attn: RMP Project Manager, 101
South 23rd, Worland, WY 82401.
Copies of the Supplemental Draft RMP/EIS are available at the
following locations:
Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY 82003.
Bureau of Land Management, Cody Field Office, 1002
Blackburn Street, Cody, WY 82414.
Bureau of Land Management, Worland Field Office, 101 South
23rd Street, Worland, WY 82401
The Supplement is also available on the Web site: www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Planning/RMPs/bighorn.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Caleb Hiner, RMP Project Manager,
telephone 307-347-5171; address 101 South 23rd Street, Worland, WY
82401; email chiner@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: The Planning Area for the RMP supplement
includes lands within the BLM Cody and Worland Field Offices
administrative boundaries, in all of Big Horn, Park and Washakie
Counties, and most of Hot Springs County in north-central Wyoming. The
Planning Area includes all lands, regardless of jurisdiction, totaling
5.6 million acres; however, the BLM will only make decisions on lands
that fall under the BLM's jurisdiction. Lands within the Planning Area
under the BLM's jurisdiction make up the Decision Area. The Decision
Area consists of BLM-administered surface, totaling 3.2 million acres,
and mineral estate, totaling 4.2 million acres. The BLM-administered
surface acreage and the Federal mineral estate acreage overlap in some
areas.
The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the Bighorn Basin RMP/EIS was
published in the Federal Register on October 17, 2008 (73 FR 61900),
and the Draft RMP/EIS was released to the public on April 22, 2011. On
December 9, 2011, the NOI for the BLM's National Greater Sage-grouse
Planning Strategy was published in the Federal Register (76 FR 77008).
The planning area for National Greater Sage-grouse Planning Strategy
included the Bighorn Basin Planning Area. The National Greater Sage-
grouse Planning Strategy NOI invited the public to nominate or
recommend areas on public lands for Greater Sage-grouse and their
habitat to be considered as areas of critical environmental concern
(ACECs). Through the scoping process, numerous nominations were
presented, including a nomination for all priority Greater Sage-grouse
habitats to be included. The two additional alternatives that will be
analyzed in this Supplement to the Draft RMP/EIS were prepared to
include these ACEC nominations, since these nominations were not
received during the initial scoping period for the RMP/EIS in 2008. The
two additional alternatives in the Supplement to the Draft RMP/EIS
analyze all BLM lands within identified Greater Sage-grouse Key Habitat
Areas (1.2 million acres--Alternative E) and Sage-grouse Core
Population Areas (1.1 million acres--Alternative F), regardless of
jurisdiction, as ACECs, as well as constraints on development and
management of non-wilderness study area lands with wilderness
characteristics. Both geographic boundaries have been identified as
priority Sage-grouse habitat (PH), having the highest conservation
value to maintaining sustainable Sage-grouse populations. These areas
include breeding, late brood-rearing, and winter concentration areas.
Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.7-2(b), this notice announces a public
comment period on the proposed ACECs. A total of two ACECs are proposed
in the Supplement. The proposed ACECs and the proposed resource use
limitations that will occur for each proposed ACEC if formally
designated are:
Key Habitat Areas (1.2 million acres): Value of Concern:
Greater Sage-grouse Habitat. Proposed Use Limitations: Right-of-Way
Exclusion Areas, 3 percent surface disturbance limit, closed to fluid
mineral leasing, closed to livestock grazing, closed to mineral
material disposals, and recommend a withdrawal from appropriation under
the mining laws.
Core Areas (1.1 million acres): Value of Concern: Greater
Sage-grouse Habitat. Proposed Use Limitations: Right-of-Way Avoidance
Areas, 5 percent surface disturbance limit, and timing and surface use
restrictions. The Preferred Alternative (Alternative D) within the
existing Draft RMP/EIS was developed with consideration of specific
issues raised through the 2008 public scoping period, recommendations
from cooperating agencies, consideration of planning criteria, impact
analysis and conformance with local land use plans. The Preferred
Alternative remains unchanged in the Supplement to the Draft RMP/EIS.
The final agency decision will follow a public protest period for the
Proposed RMP, scheduled for release later in 2013. The Proposed RMP and
Final EIS will reflect changes or adjustments based on information
received during public comment, new information, or changes in BLM
policies or priorities. The Proposed RMP may include portions of any
analyzed alternatives or decisions otherwise within the spectrum of
alternatives analyzed.
You may submit comments in writing to the BLM at any public
meeting, or you may submit them to the BLM using one of the methods
listed in the ADDRESSES section above. In order to reduce the use of
paper and control costs, the BLM strongly encourages the public to
submit comments electronically at the project Web site or via email.
Only comments submitted using the methods described in the ADDRESSES
section above will be accepted. Comments submitted must include the
commenter's name and street address. Whenever possible, please include
reference to either the page or section in the Supplement to the Draft
RMP/EIS to which the comment applies.
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.
[[Page 41949]]
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 1506.10, and 43 CFR 1610.2, 1610.7-2.
Mary Jo Rugwell,
Associate State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2013-16630 Filed 7-11-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P
