Notice of Availability of the Southeastern States Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 64832-64833 [2014-25693]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 211 (Friday, October 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64832-64833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25693]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLES002000 L16100000 DP0000 LXSS051M0000]


Notice of Availability of the Southeastern States Draft Resource 
Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement

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 
Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Southeastern States Planning Area and by this 
notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft RMP/EIS within 90 days following the date 
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of 
Availability of the Draft RMP/EIS 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 comments related to the Southeastern States 
Draft RMP and Draft EIS by any of the following methods:
     Email: SSFO_RMP@blm.gov.
     Fax: 601-977-5440.
     Mail: BLM Southeastern States Field Office, 411 Briarwood 
Drive, Suite 404, Jackson, MS 39206.
    Copies of the Southeastern States Draft RMP/EIS are available in 
the Southeastern States Field Office, at the above address, or may be 
viewed at https://www.blm.gov/es/st/en/fo/Jackson_Home_Page/planning/southeastern_rmp.html. A limited number of hard copies and DVD copies 
are available upon request while supplies last.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Taylor, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator, telephone 601-977-5413; address 411 
Briarwood Drive, Suite 404, Jackson, MS 39206; email, gtaylor@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 Mr. Taylor during normal business hours. The service is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
for Mr. Taylor. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planning area for the Southeastern 
States Draft RMP/EIS includes the States of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, 
Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and 
Virginia. The RMP will replace previous BLM plans including the Florida 
RMP (1995), the Arkansas Planning Analysis (2002), the Louisiana 
Planning Analysis (2002), and the Meadowood Farm (Virginia) Planning 
Analysis (2003).
    Within the planning area, the decision-making scope of the RMP is 
limited to the decision area. The decision area includes 2,991 acres of 
BLM-administered surface land. In addition to BLM-administered surface 
land, the BLM is generally responsible for administration of Federal 
mineral estate, including mineral estate underlying other Federal 
agencies' lands.
    Within the planning area there are approximately 19 million acres 
of Federal land ownership, including approximately 10.3 million acres 
administered by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), 3.7 million acres by 
the National Park Service (NPS), 2.4 million acres by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (USFWS), and 2.5 million acres by the Department of 
Defense (DOD). The RMP will not make mineral leasing decisions for USFS 
lands, except to say that leasing of mineral estate underlying National 
Forests would be conducted by the BLM consistent with USFS land use 
plans and leasing analyses. Within the planning area there are 28 
National Forests, all of which are covered by existing Forest Plans. 
These plans include mineral leasing decisions where potential for 
mineral development was identified, and typically deferred mineral 
leasing decisions if there was no potential for mineral development. 
Forest Plans are revised, as needed; BLM is currently a Cooperating 
Agency on three Forest Plan revisions.
    The BLM will not make mineral leasing decisions in this RMP for BLM 
mineral estate in areas identified as having no reasonably foreseeable 
development potential, based on Reasonably Foreseeable Development 
Scenario (RFDS) analyses completed by the BLM prior to the planning 
effort. Therefore, the decision area includes 742,505 subsurface acres 
where the surface is administered by other Federal agencies (mostly 
DOD, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and mineral 
development is reasonably foreseeable. The decision area also includes 
280,680 acres of Federal mineral estate where the surface is non-
Federal (i.e. State or local government, or private ownership).
    The total decision area includes 1,026,176 acres of subsurface with 
BLM-administered surface on 2,991 of those acres. There is no decision 
area acreage in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, or South 
Carolina, as these states have no BLM-administered surface acreage and 
the RFDS showed no reasonably foreseeable development of Federal 
minerals in these states.
    On October 8, 2008, the BLM issued a Notice of Intent in the 
Federal

[[Page 64833]]

Register to prepare the Southeastern States RMP (73 FR 58976), which 
initiated public scoping. Planning issues identified during scoping 
include management of energy and mineral resources and land ownership 
adjustments. During scoping, the BLM requested input from federally 
recognized tribes that have ancestral tribal homelands within the 
planning area.
    Four alternatives were developed in response to the issues 
identified during the planning process. The ``No Action'' alternative 
represents current management, and is identified as Alternative A. 
Alternative B is the BLM's Preferred Alternative; it provides 
opportunities to use and develop Federal minerals while providing 
protection of natural resources. Alternative C places more emphasis on 
the protection of natural resources, and Alternative D emphasizes 
Federal mineral development.
    Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.7-2(b), this notice also announces the 
public comment period on proposed Areas of Critical Environmental 
Concern (ACECs). The Draft RMP/EIS evaluates and proposes designation 
for three ACECs. The resource use limitations which would apply to 
these areas, if formally designated, are described below.
    The existing ACEC designation of 54.33 acres on the Jupiter Inlet 
Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area would continue in Alternative A. 
Alternatives B, C and D propose increasing the size of the Jupiter 
Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area ACEC to 85.83 acres. Values 
associated with this proposed ACEC include threatened, endangered, and 
sensitive wildlife and plants, rare vegetation communities, and Native 
American and maritime cultural resources. The resource use limitations 
which would occur are as follows: Closed to mining, mineral leasing and 
mineral material sale; right-of-way avoidance area; limit travel to 
designated routes; and Visual Resource Management (VRM) Class III.
    Alternatives B and C propose designating The Lathrop Bayou tract 
ACEC (183.03 acres). This proposed ACEC is a peninsula with adjacent 
small islands containing upland longleaf pine and slash pine forests 
and habitat for red cockaded woodpecker, among other species. Values 
associated with this proposed ACEC include threatened, endangered, and 
sensitive wildlife and plants, and rare vegetation communities. The 
resource-use limitations which would occur if this proposed ACEC is 
formally designated are as follows: Closed to mining, mineral leasing 
and mineral material sale; right-of-way avoidance area; limit travel to 
designated routes.
    Alternatives B and C propose designating the Egmont Key tract ACEC 
(55 acres). This proposed ACEC is the northern end of the key, located 
at the mouth of Tampa Bay, and contains beach transitioning to 
vegetated uplands with a lighthouse and remnants of an historic fort. 
Values associated with this proposed ACEC include threatened, 
endangered, and sensitive wildlife and plants, and historic cultural 
resources. The resource use limitations which would occur if this 
proposed ACEC is formally designated are as follows: Closed to mining, 
mineral leasing and mineral material sale; right-of-way avoidance area; 
limit travel to designated routes; and VRM Class III.
    The BLM will respond to each substantive comment received during 
the public review and comment period by making appropriate revisions to 
the document, or explaining why the comment did not warrant a change. 
Notice of the availability of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS will be posted 
in the Federal Register.
    In order to reduce the use of paper and control costs, the BLM 
strongly encourages the public to submit comments electronically via 
email. Comments submitted must include the commenter's name and street 
address. Whenever possible, please include reference to either the page 
or section in 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 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.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2.

Bruce Dawson,
Manager, Southeastern States Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2014-25693 Filed 10-30-14; 8:45 am]
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