Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Colorado River Valley Field Office, Colorado, 16044-16045 [2014-06334]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 56 (Monday, March 24, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16044-16045]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06334]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCON04000 L16100000.DP0000]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan 
and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Colorado River Valley 
Field Office, Colorado

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, 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)/Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Colorado River Valley Field Office (CRVFO) and 
by this notice is announcing its availability.

DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed RMP/Final EIS. 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 publishes its Notice of Availability of 
the Proposed RMP/Final EIS in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: The BLM has sent copies of the CRVFO Proposed RMP/Final EIS 
to affected Federal, State, and local government agencies; other 
stakeholders; tribal governments; and members of the public who have 
requested copies. Copies of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS are available 
for public inspection at the Colorado River Valley Field Office, 2300 
River Frontage Road, Silt, CO 81652; BLM Colorado Northwest District 
Office, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506; and Garfield County 
libraries in Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, New Castle, Silt, and Rifle. 
Interested persons may also review the Proposed RMP/Final EIS on the 
Internet at: https://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/crvfo.html. All protests 
must be in writing and mailed to one of the following addresses:

Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, WO-
210, P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
WO-210, 20 M Street SE., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Hopkins, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator; telephone 970-876-9073; Colorado River 
Valley Field Office (see address above); email BLM_CO_SI_CRVFO_Webmail@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, seven days a week, to 
leave a message or question with the above

[[Page 16045]]

individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CRVFO RMP revision covers lands and 
Federal mineral estate across six Colorado counties: Eagle, Garfield, 
Mesa, Pitkin, Routt, and Rio Blanco. Management decisions outlined in 
this RMP revision apply only to BLM-managed surface lands 
(approximately 505,200 acres) and to BLM-managed Federal mineral estate 
(approximately 701,200 acres) that may lie beneath other Federal, 
State, and private surface ownership with the exception of National 
Forest lands. The Proposed RMP will replace the 1984 Glenwood Springs 
Resource Area RMP. The BLM made the Draft RMP/EIS available for a 90-
day public comment period on September 9, 2011. Due to several 
requests, the comment period was extended until January 17, 2012, and 
then again to February 29, 2012, for a total of 166 days. The Draft 
RMP/EIS described and analyzed a series of goals, objectives, and 
management actions within four management alternatives designed to 
address new management challenges and issues raised during scoping. The 
four alternatives analyzed in the Draft RMP/EIS were:
     Alternative A: Continues existing management practices (no 
action alternative).
     Alternative B: (Preferred Alternative) seeks to allocate 
public land resources among competing human interests and land uses 
with the conservation of natural and cultural resource values.
     Alternative C: Emphasizes improving, rehabilitating and 
restoring resources while sustaining the ecological integrity of 
habitats for priority, federally-listed, proposed, candidate, and 
threatened and endangered plant, wildlife, and fish species.
     Alternative D: Emphasizes a mix of uses centered on making 
the most of resources that target social and economic outcomes while 
protecting land health. Management direction would recognize and expand 
existing uses, and accommodate new uses to the greatest extent 
possible.
    Alternative B (Proposed RMP) in the Final EIS is based on 
Alternative B (Preferred Alternative) from the Draft RMP/EIS, however, 
it includes elements of the other alternatives analyzed in the Draft 
RMP/EIS.
    The Proposed RMP would provide comprehensive, long-range decisions 
for the use and management of resources in the planning area 
administered by the BLM's CRVFO and focus on the principles of multiple 
use and sustained yield.
    The Proposed RMP includes: Goals, objectives, management actions, 
allowable uses and implementation decisions to ensure future BLM 
management supports the protection of areas of critical environmental 
concern, special recreation management areas, extensive recreation 
management areas, wilderness study areas, and segments found suitable 
for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic River System. Maps are 
included in the document to geographically illustrate the Proposed RMP 
and other alternatives considered in the Final EIS. The appendices 
provide comprehensive information on decisions contained in the 
Proposed RMP (e.g., special designations, travel management 
designations and stipulations applicable to fluid mineral development, 
surface-disturbing activities, surface use and occupancy) as well as 
supporting information (e.g., Final Wild and Scenic Rivers Suitability 
Report, Evaluation of Proposed Areas of Critical Environmental Concern) 
for the Final EIS.
    The Roan Plateau portion of the CRVFO is being addressed through a 
separate planning process and therefore was not included in the 
decision area of the CRVFO Proposed RMP/Final EIS. However, the 
Proposed RMP/Final EIS does include draft Wild and Scenic Rivers 
suitability determinations for the stream segments in the Roan Plateau 
Planning Area. The Roan Plateau Supplemental EIS could contain 
additional analysis and information that may modify the draft Wild and 
Scenic Rivers suitability determinations contained in this document.
    Consistent with BLM Manual 6400, Wild and Scenic Rivers, the CRVFO 
invited the White River National Forest (WRNF) to participate in the 
CRVFO RMP revision process for the analysis of Wild and Scenic Rivers 
because the BLM and the WRNF jointly analyzed Deep Creek for 
eligibility in 1995, and four of the eligible U.S. Forest Service river 
segments studied for suitability are directly upstream or downstream of 
river segments the BLM analyzed. The U.S. Forest Service will use this 
Final EIS to make suitability determinations for river segments on the 
WRNF. Those determinations will be documented in a separate Record of 
Decision issued by the USFS.
    In addition to the CRVFO RMP revision, the BLM is also considering 
other decisions that could amend the CRVFO RMP. The BLM will make final 
decisions on how to manage Greater Sage-Grouse and their habitat in the 
Record of Decision for the Northwest Colorado BLM Greater Sage-Grouse 
Amendment/EIS. In the Record of Decision for the Amendment/EIS, the BLM 
will decide whether the CRVFO RMP should be amended, and if so, which 
decisions should be changed and how. The Draft EIS for the Amendment 
was released for public comment on August 16, 2013.
    The BLM's changes to the Proposed RMP/Final EIS were largely in 
response to public comment on the Draft RMP/EIS. Cooperating agency 
reviews, resource advisory council reviews, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service consultation, and extensive internal BLM reviews of the 
Proposed RMP/Final EIS also resulted in changes. The BLM carefully 
considered all comments and incorporated them into the Proposed RMP as 
appropriate. The BLM has determined that none of the changes, 
individually or collectively, constitute a substantial change in the 
proposed actions that requires preparing a supplement to the Draft EIS.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM Director regarding 
the Proposed RMP/Final EIS may be found in the CRVFO Proposed RMP/Final 
EIS ``Dear Reader'' Letter and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be 
in writing and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth in the 
ADDRESSES section above. Emailed protests will not be accepted as valid 
protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter 
by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the 
protest period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the 
emailed protest as an advance copy and it will receive full 
consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such advance 
notification, please direct emails to protests@blm.gov.
    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.

Ruth Welch,
BLM Colorado Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-06334 Filed 3-21-14; 8:45 am]
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