Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Grand Junction Field Office, Colorado, 19344-19345 [2015-08187]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 69 (Friday, April 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19344-19345]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08187]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCON03000 L16100000.DQ0000]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan 
and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Grand Junction 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) and Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Grand Junction Field Office and by this notice 
is announcing its availability.

DATES: The BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed RMP and 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 in 
the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Grand Junction Field Office Proposed RMP and 
Final EIS were sent to affected Federal, State, and local government 
agencies and to other stakeholders and tribal governments. Copies of 
the Proposed RMP and Final EIS are available for public inspection at 
the Grand Junction Field Office, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506; 
Mesa County libraries in Grand Junction, Collbran, De Beque, Fruita and 
Gateway. Interested persons may also review the Proposed RMP and Final 
EIS on the Internet at www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/gjfo.html. All protests 
must be in writing and mailed to one of the following addresses:
    Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
    Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest 
Coordinator, 20 M Street SE., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina Stark, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator; telephone 970-244-3027; 2815 H Road, Grand 
Junction, CO, 81506; email BLM_CO_GJ_PUBLIC_COMMENTS@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 individual. You will receive a reply during 
normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Lands and Federal mineral estate managed by 
the Grand Junction Field Office within this RMP revision extend across 
most of Mesa County and parts of Garfield, Montrose and Rio Blanco 
counties. Management decisions outlined in this RMP revision apply to 
approximately 1,061,400 acres of BLM-managed surface lands and Federal 
mineral estate and to approximately 169,900 acres of Federal mineral 
split-estate. When approved, this RMP will replace the 1987 Grand 
Junction Resource Area RMP.
    The public comment period on the Draft RMP and Draft EIS began on 
January 14, 2013, and ended June 24, 2013, which included a 60-day 
extension in response to requests from the public. The total comment 
period encompassed 162 days. The BLM developed the Proposed RMP and 
Final

[[Page 19345]]

EIS based on public comments on the Draft RMP and Draft EIS in addition 
to cooperating agency reviews, resource advisory council reviews, U. S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service consultation, and extensive internal BLM 
reviews. The BLM carefully considered and incorporated comments into 
the Proposed RMP as appropriate. Public comments assisted in the 
development of the Proposed RMP and resulted in the addition of 
clarifying text, but did not constitute a substantial change in the 
proposed land use plan decisions that would require a supplement to the 
Draft EIS.
    The Proposed RMP and Final EIS describes and analyzes four 
management alternatives, each of which include objectives and 
management actions to address new management challenges and issues.
    Alternative A is the no action alternative and is a continuation of 
the current management direction and prevailing conditions based on the 
existing 1987 Grand Junction Resource Area RMP and amendments.
    Alternative B (The Proposed RMP) seeks to allocate public land 
resources among competing human interests and land uses, with the 
conservation of natural and cultural resource values. Alternative B 
carries forward the same theme it had in the Draft RMP and Draft EIS, 
but includes elements of the other alternatives analyzed in the Draft 
RMP and Draft EIS.
    Alternative C emphasizes improving, rehabilitating and restoring 
resources; and sustaining the ecological integrity of habitats for all 
priority plant, wildlife and fish species, particularly the habitats 
needed to conserve and recover federally listed, proposed, or candidate 
threatened and endangered plant and animal species.
    Alternative D emphasizes active management for natural resources, 
commodity production, and public use opportunities by allowing a mix of 
multiple use opportunities 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.
    The Proposed RMP would provide comprehensive, long-range decisions 
for the use and management of resources in the planning area 
administered by the Grand Junction Field Office, focusing on the 
principles of multiple use and sustained yield.
    The Proposed RMP includes: Goals, objectives, management actions, 
allowable use and implementation decisions to ensure future BLM 
management in support of 13 areas of critical environmental concern, 
five special recreation management areas, six extensive recreation 
management areas, four wilderness study areas, one national trail 
management corridor, and one segment found suitable for inclusion in 
the National Wild and Scenic River System. Maps are included in the 
Proposed RMP/FEIS to illustrate the Proposed RMP as well as the other 
alternatives considered in the Final EIS. Through the Wild and Scenic 
River study process, the BLM inventoried 514 miles and 114 stream 
segments, found 415 miles and 100 stream segments ineligible, and found 
99 miles and 14 stream segments eligible, of which 10.38 miles of 1 
stream are identified as suitable in the Proposed RMP. Three areas 
covering 44,100 acres located in the southern portion of the field 
office would be managed to protect lands with wilderness 
characteristics. Protective management of the areas would vary; 
however, all of the areas would be managed as right-of-way exclusion, 
no leasing for fluid minerals, no surface occupancy (non-fluid 
minerals), closed to non-energy leasables, closed to mineral material 
disposal, and Visual Resource Management Class II.
    While the RMP proposes some conservation management measures for 
the Greater Sage-grouse habitat, the Northwest Colorado Greater Sage-
Grouse Plan Amendment and EIS will fully analyze applicable Greater-
Sage grouse conservation measures, consistent with BLM Instruction 
Memorandum No. 2012-044. The BLM expects to make a comprehensive set of 
decisions for managing Greater Sage-Grouse on lands administered by the 
Grand Junction Field Office in the Record of Decision for the Northwest 
Colorado Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment and EIS, which will update 
this proposed RMP.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the Proposed RMP and FEIS may be found in the ``Dear Reader'' 
Letter of the Grand Junction Field Office Proposed RMP and Final EIS, 
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 
protest@blm.gov. Unlike land use planning decisions, implementation 
decisions included in this Proposed RMP and Final EIS are not subject 
to protest under the BLM planning regulations. Implementation decisions 
are subject to an administrative review process through appeals to the 
Office of Hearings and Appeals, Interior Board of Land Appeals, 
pursuant to 43 CFR part 4. Implementation decisions generally 
constitute the BLM's final approval allowing on-the-ground actions to 
proceed. Where implementation decisions are made as part of the land 
use planning process, they are still subject to the appeals process or 
other administrative review as prescribed by specific resource program 
regulations once the BLM resolves the protests to land use planning 
decisions and issues an Approved RMP and ROD. Implementation decisions 
made in the plan that may be appealed to the Office of Hearing and 
Appeals are identified in the Proposed RMP and Final EIS. They will 
also be included in the ROD and Approved RMP.
    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 State Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-08187 Filed 4-10-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P