Notice of Availability of the HiLine District Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, HiLine District, Montana, 30718-30720 [2015-12999]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 103 / Friday, May 29, 2015 / Notices
mineral leasing, ROW avoidance/
mitigation area, and pursue a
withdrawal from appropriation under
the mining laws.
• Carter Mountain (10,947 acres):
Value(s) of Concern—Vegetation,
Wildlife, Cultural, Recreational, Special
Status Species, Watershed and Soils.
Proposed Use Limitation(s)—Heavy
equipment restriction on fire
suppression activities, ROW avoidance/
mitigation area, motorized vehicle use
limited to designated roads and trails,
closed to surface-disturbing activities on
slopes greater than 7 percent,
unavailable for fluid mineral leasing,
closed to mineral material disposals,
and pursue a withdrawal from
appropriation under the mining laws.
• Five Springs Falls (163 acres):
Value(s) of Concern—Recreational,
Scenic, Special Status Species, Geologic
and Public Safety. Proposed Use
Limitation(s)—Heavy equipment
restriction on fire suppression activities,
ROW avoidance/mitigation area,
climbing not allowed on the cliff that
forms the falls, motorized vehicle use
limited to designated roads and trails,
and unavailable for fluid mineral
leasing.
• Little Mountain (21,478 acres):
Value(s) of Concern—Caves, Cultural,
Paleontological, Scenic, Recreational,
Special Status Species, Vegetation and
Wildlife. Proposed Use Limitation(s)—
Heavy equipment restriction for fire
suppression activities, motorized
vehicle use limited to designated roads
and trails, a ROW avoidance/mitigation
area, unavailable for fluid mineral
leasing, and pursue a withdrawal from
appropriation under the mining laws.
• Upper Owl Creek (13,572 acres):
Value(s) of Concern—Cultural, Fish,
Recreational, Scenic, Soils, Special
Status Species, Vegetation and Wildlife.
Proposed Use Limitation(s)—Motorized
vehicle use limited to designated roads
and trails, closed to surface-disturbing
activities, pursue a withdrawal from
appropriation under the mining laws for
13,238 acres, ROW avoidance/
mitigation area, and unavailable for
fluid mineral leasing.
• Clarks Fork Canyon (4,759 acres):
Value(s) of Concern—Geologic, Open
Space, Recreational, Special Status
Species, and Wildlife. Proposed Use
Limitation(s)—Close 1,211 acres to
motorized vehicle use with the
remainder limited to designated roads
and trails, closed to surface-disturbing
activities, closed to mineral material
disposals, closed to geophysical
exploration, unavailable for fluid
mineral leasing, pursue a withdrawal
from appropriation under the mining
laws, renewable energy ROW exclusion
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area, and ROW avoidance/mitigation
area.
• Sheep Mountain (25,962 acres):
Value(s) of Concern—Special Status
Species, Vegetation and Wildlife.
Proposed Use Limitation(s)—Motorized
vehicle use limited to designated roads
and trails, unavailable for fluid mineral
leasing, closed to mineral material
disposals, pursue a withdrawal from
appropriation under the mining laws,
closed to surface-disturbing activities,
and ROW avoidance/mitigation area.
• Paleocene, Eocene Thermal
Maximum (14,913 acres): Value(s) of
Concern—Paleontological. Proposed
Use Limitation(s)—NSO restriction
applied to fluid mineral leases, and
closed to mineral material disposals.
The Proposed plan also makes a
determination that 20 waterways (92
miles) are not suitable for WSR
designation and releases those eligible
waterways from further interim
protection.
The Bighorn Basin Proposed RMP/
Final EIS is one of a total of 15 separate
EISs that make up the BLM and Forest
Service National Greater Sage-Grouse
Planning Strategy. Greater-Sage Grouse
habitat within the planning area
consists of:
• Priority Habitat Management Area
(PHMA)—Areas identified as having the
highest conservation value for
maintaining sustainable greater sagegrouse populations; include breeding,
late brood-rearing, and winter
concentration areas.
• General Habitat Management Area
(GHMA)—Areas of seasonal or yearround habitat outside of PHMA.
Alternative D supports management
of greater sage-grouse seasonal habitats
and maintaining habitat connectivity to
achieve population objectives.
Alternative D would limit or eliminate
new surface disturbance in PHMA,
while minimizing disturbance in
GHMA. Alternative D is also consistent
with guidelines provided in the
Governor’s Sage-Grouse Implementation
Team’s Core Population Area strategy
and the Governor’s Executive Order
(WY EO 2011–05).
The BLM and Forest Service, via the
Western Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA)
Management Zone Greater Sage-Grouse
Conservation Team, will develop a
Regional Mitigation Strategy to guide
the application of the mitigation
hierarchy to address impacts within that
Zone. The Regional Mitigation Strategy
should consider any State-level greater
sage-grouse mitigation guidance that is
consistent with the requirements. The
Regional Mitigation Strategy will be
developed in a transparent manner,
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based on the best science available and
standardized metrics.
Instructions for filing a protest with
the Director of the BLM regarding the
Proposed RMP/Final EIS may be found
in the ‘‘Dear Reader’’ letter of the
Proposed RMP/Final EIS for the Bighorn
Basin RMP Revision Project 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.
Before including your address, 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 may 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
Mary Jo Rugwell,
Acting State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2015–12941 Filed 5–28–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLMTM00000
L16100000.DQ0000.LXSS048E0000 MO#
4500079299]
Notice of Availability of the HiLine
District Proposed Resource
Management Plan and Final
Environmental Impact Statement,
HiLine District, Montana
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Proposed Resource
Management Plan (RMP) and Final
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\29MYN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 103 / Friday, May 29, 2015 / Notices
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the HiLine District in Montana 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 in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the HiLine
Proposed RMP/Final EIS have been sent
to affected Federal, State, and local
government agencies, tribal
governments, and to other stakeholders
and members of the public who have
requested copies. Copies of the
Proposed RMP/Final EIS are available
for public inspection at the following
locations:
• The BLM, Montana/Dakotas State
Office, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings,
Montana 59101.
• The BLM, Havre Field Office, 3990
Highway 2 West, Havre, Montana
59501.
• The BLM, Malta Field Office, 501
South 2nd Street, Malta, Montana
59538.
• The BLM, Glasgow Field Office, 5
Lasar Drive, Glasgow, Montana 59230.
Interested persons may also review the
Proposed RMP/Final EIS on the Internet
at https://www.blm.gov/8qkd. 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:
Brian Hockett, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator, telephone:
406–262–2837; address: 3990 Highway
2 West, Havre, MT 59501; email: MT_
HiLine_RMP@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 includes lands within the
HiLine District Office’s administrative
boundaries in the following Montana
counties: Blaine, Chouteau, Glacier,
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15:17 May 28, 2015
Jkt 235001
Hill, Liberty, Phillips, Toole, and Valley
Counties. The Planning area includes all
lands, regardless of jurisdiction, totaling
approximately 17.6 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 2.43
million acres of public land surface and
4.24 million acres of federal mineral
estate. These lands and minerals are
managed by three BLM Field Offices in
Havre, Malta, and Glasgow, Montana,
along with the Great Falls Oil and Gas
Field Office, which provides oil and gas
program support in western, central,
and north central Montana. The
Proposed RMP will replace the current
guidance provided by the West HiLine
(1988) and Sweet Grass Hills
Amendment (1996) and Judith-ValleyPhillips Resource Management Plans
(1994) and land use plan amendments
(1996). The Proposed RMP will also
manage oil and gas leasing in Phillips
and Valley counties, which is currently
managed under four Management
Framework Plans (MFP): Phillips MFP,
Valley MFP, Little Rocky Mountains
MFP, and the UL Bend/Zortman MFP.
The BLM published the Notice of
Intent (NOI) to prepare the Malta Field
Office Draft RMP/EIS in the Federal
Register on September 6, 2006 (71 FR
52572). This Draft RMP/EIS included
the Malta, Havre and Glasgow Montana
Field Offices which currently make up
the HiLine District in Montana. The
HiLine Draft RMP/EIS was released to
the public on March 22, 2013 (78 FR
17714). The BLM conducted five public
meetings regarding the HiLine Draft
RMP/EIS. These meetings were held in
Glasgow, Malta, Havre, Chester and
Great Falls, Montana during May 2013.
The Draft RMP/EIS included a series of
management actions, within five
management alternatives, designed to
address management challenges and
issues raised during scoping. These
included, but were not limited to,
renewable and traditional energy
development, management of solid
minerals, soil and vegetation
management, land tenure, public land
access, off-highway vehicles, lands with
wilderness characteristics, wildlife
habitat and special status species,
including Greater Sage-Grouse, cultural
and paleontological resources, special
designations and management areas
including areas of critical
environmental concern (ACEC), wildfire
and prescribed fire management, and
social and economic conditions across
the HiLine District. Cooperating
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30719
agencies assisted the BLM in the
identification and refinement of the
issues and the development of the
alternatives.
Comments on the HiLine Draft RMP/
EIS received from the public and
internal BLM review were considered
and incorporated as appropriate into the
Proposed RMP/Final EIS which
analyzes five alternatives:
1. Alternative A (No Action):
Continues existing management;
2. Alternative B: Emphasizes
conservation of natural and cultural
resources while providing for
compatible development and use;
3. Alternative C: Provides
development opportunities while
protecting sensitive resources;
4. Alternative D: Emphasizes resource
development and use while protecting
natural and cultural resources; and
5. Alternative E (Proposed): Focuses
on a balance between managing public
lands for economic and recreational
growth and protecting valuable
resources.
The HiLine District has identified
Alternative E as the Proposed RMP.
Alternative E supports management of
greater sage-grouse seasonal habitats
and maintaining habitat connectivity to
achieve population objectives.
In accordance with 43 CFR 1610.7–
2(b), the Notice of Availability for the
Draft RMP/EIS also announced a
concurrent public comment period on
nominated ACECs. The Proposed RMP/
Final EIS, Alternative E, includes ACEC
designation for the following areas (all
resource use limitations are subject to
valid existing rights).
Azure Cave ACEC (141 Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
Wildlife habitat, natural hazards.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
Solid mineral leasing, mineral material
sales, commercial wind energy
development.
• Other Restrictions: Avoidance area
for rights-of-way (ROWs).
Big Bend of the Milk River ACEC (1,972
Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
Cultural, historic.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
Oil and gas leasing, mineral material
sales, commercial wind energy
development.
• Other Restrictions: Avoidance area
for ROWs.
Bitter Creek ACEC (60,701 Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
Historic, cultural, scenic, wildlife
habitat, natural processes.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
oil and gas leasing, commercial wind
energy development.
• Other Restrictions: avoidance area
for ROWs.
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Kevin Rim ACEC (4,557 Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
cultural, wildlife habitat.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
oil and gas leasing, solid mineral
leasing, mineral material sales,
commercial wind energy development.
• Other Restrictions: avoidance area
for ROWs.
Mountain Plover ACEC (24,762 Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
wildlife habitat.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
oil and gas leasing, solid mineral
leasing, mineral material sales,
commercial wind energy development.
• Other Restrictions: avoidance area
for ROWs.
Sweet Grass Hills ACEC (7,419 Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
historic, cultural.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
oil and gas leasing, solid mineral
leasing, mineral material sales,
commercial wind energy development.
• Other Restrictions: avoidance area
for ROWs.
Frenchman Breaks ACEC (42,020 Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
scenic, wildlife habitat, natural
processes.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
oil and gas leasing, solid mineral
leasing, mineral material sales,
commercial wind energy development.
• Other Restrictions: avoidance area
for ROWs.
Malta Geological ACEC (6,153 Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
geologic, paleontological, natural
processes.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
oil and gas leasing, solid mineral
leasing, mineral material sales,
commercial wind energy development.
• Other Restrictions: avoidance area
for ROWs; personal collection of
common fossils would not be allowed.
Woody Island ACEC (32,869 Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
scenic, wildlife habitat.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
oil and gas leasing, solid mineral
leasing, mineral material sales,
commercial wind energy development.
• Other Restrictions: avoidance area
for ROWs.
Zortman/Landusky Mine Reclamation
ACEC (2,682 Acres)
• Relevant and Important Values:
natural hazards, public safety.
• Limitations on the Following Uses:
commercial wind energy development.
• Other Restrictions: avoidance area
for ROWs, closed to all unauthorized
vehicle use during reclamation
activities.
Two areas are being considered for
designation as off-highway vehicle
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15:17 May 28, 2015
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(OHV) use areas. In the Proposed RMP,
40 acres in the Glasgow OHV area
would remain open until an alternate
site is located, and in the Fresno OHV
area 125 acres would be designated as
open to OHV use.
The Hiline District Proposed RMP/
Final EIS is one of a total of 15 separate
EISs that make up the BLM and Forest
Service National Greater Sage-Grouse
Planning Strategy. Greater-Sage Grouse
habitat within the planning area
consists of:
• Priority Habitat Management Area
(PHMA)—Areas identified as having the
highest conservation value for
maintaining sustainable Greater SageGrouse populations; include breeding,
late brood-rearing, and winter
concentration areas.
• General Habitat Management Area
(GHMA)—Areas of seasonal or yearround habitat outside of PHMA.
Alternative E identifies 1,006,312
acres as Greater Sage-Grouse PHMAs
and 426,355 acres as Grassland Bird/
Greater Sage-Grouse PHMAs. The latter
areas have special management
prescriptions to provide high-quality
habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse and
other sagebrush-dependent species.
These PHMAs would be closed to solid
mineral leasing, and oil and gas leasing
would be subject to a no surface
occupancy (NSO) and use stipulation
with only limited exceptions, and no
waivers or modifications. Both areas
would be designated as exclusion areas
for wind and solar energy ROWs, and
avoidance areas for all other ROWs.
The BLM and Forest Service, via the
Western Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA)
Management Zone Greater Sage-Grouse
Conservation Team, will develop a
Regional Mitigation Strategy to guide
the application of the mitigation
hierarchy to address impacts within that
Zone. The Regional Mitigation Strategy
should consider any State-level greater
sage-grouse mitigation guidance that is
consistent with the requirements. The
Regional Mitigation Strategy will be
developed in a transparent manner,
based on the best science available and
standardized metrics.
Instructions for filing a protest with
the Director of the BLM regarding the
Proposed RMP/Final EIS may be found
in the ‘‘Dear Reader’’ Letter of the
HiLine Proposed RMP/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
PO 00000
Frm 00070
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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.
Before including your address, 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.
Jamie E. Connell,
State Director, Montana/Dakotas.
[FR Doc. 2015–12999 Filed 5–28–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NRSS–SSB–18382;
PPWONRADE3, PPMRSNR1Y.NM0000 (155)]
Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request; Programmatic
Clearance for NPS-Sponsored Surveys
National Park Service (NPS),
Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:
We (National Park Service)
will ask the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) to approve the
Information Collection (IC) described
below. The National Park Service (NPS)
sponsors public surveys to provide park
managers with information needed for
park planning, management, operations
and evaluation of performance related to
protecting park resources and meeting
the needs of the public. In consultation
with the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) and the Department of
the Interior (DOI), the NPS has
developed a Programmatic Review and
Clearance Process for NPS-sponsored
public surveys. It significantly
streamlines the information collection
review process. To comply with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and
as part of our continuing efforts to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, we invite the general public and
other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on this IC. This
IC is scheduled to expire on October 31,
2015. We may not conduct or sponsor
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\29MYN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 103 (Friday, May 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30718-30720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12999]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLMTM00000 L16100000.DQ0000.LXSS048E0000 MO# 4500079299]
Notice of Availability of the HiLine District Proposed Resource
Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, HiLine
District, Montana
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final
[[Page 30719]]
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the HiLine District in Montana
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 in
the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the HiLine Proposed RMP/Final EIS have been sent
to affected Federal, State, and local government agencies, tribal
governments, and to other stakeholders and members of the public who
have requested copies. Copies of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS are
available for public inspection at the following locations:
The BLM, Montana/Dakotas State Office, 5001 Southgate
Drive, Billings, Montana 59101.
The BLM, Havre Field Office, 3990 Highway 2 West, Havre,
Montana 59501.
The BLM, Malta Field Office, 501 South 2nd Street, Malta,
Montana 59538.
The BLM, Glasgow Field Office, 5 Lasar Drive, Glasgow,
Montana 59230.
Interested persons may also review the Proposed RMP/Final EIS on the
Internet at https://www.blm.gov/8qkd. 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: Brian Hockett, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator, telephone: 406-262-2837; address: 3990
Highway 2 West, Havre, MT 59501; email: MT_HiLine_RMP@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 includes lands within the
HiLine District Office's administrative boundaries in the following
Montana counties: Blaine, Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Liberty, Phillips,
Toole, and Valley Counties. The Planning area includes all lands,
regardless of jurisdiction, totaling approximately 17.6 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
2.43 million acres of public land surface and 4.24 million acres of
federal mineral estate. These lands and minerals are managed by three
BLM Field Offices in Havre, Malta, and Glasgow, Montana, along with the
Great Falls Oil and Gas Field Office, which provides oil and gas
program support in western, central, and north central Montana. The
Proposed RMP will replace the current guidance provided by the West
HiLine (1988) and Sweet Grass Hills Amendment (1996) and Judith-Valley-
Phillips Resource Management Plans (1994) and land use plan amendments
(1996). The Proposed RMP will also manage oil and gas leasing in
Phillips and Valley counties, which is currently managed under four
Management Framework Plans (MFP): Phillips MFP, Valley MFP, Little
Rocky Mountains MFP, and the UL Bend/Zortman MFP.
The BLM published the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the Malta
Field Office Draft RMP/EIS in the Federal Register on September 6, 2006
(71 FR 52572). This Draft RMP/EIS included the Malta, Havre and Glasgow
Montana Field Offices which currently make up the HiLine District in
Montana. The HiLine Draft RMP/EIS was released to the public on March
22, 2013 (78 FR 17714). The BLM conducted five public meetings
regarding the HiLine Draft RMP/EIS. These meetings were held in
Glasgow, Malta, Havre, Chester and Great Falls, Montana during May
2013. The Draft RMP/EIS included a series of management actions, within
five management alternatives, designed to address management challenges
and issues raised during scoping. These included, but were not limited
to, renewable and traditional energy development, management of solid
minerals, soil and vegetation management, land tenure, public land
access, off-highway vehicles, lands with wilderness characteristics,
wildlife habitat and special status species, including Greater Sage-
Grouse, cultural and paleontological resources, special designations
and management areas including areas of critical environmental concern
(ACEC), wildfire and prescribed fire management, and social and
economic conditions across the HiLine District. Cooperating agencies
assisted the BLM in the identification and refinement of the issues and
the development of the alternatives.
Comments on the HiLine Draft RMP/EIS received from the public and
internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as appropriate
into the Proposed RMP/Final EIS which analyzes five alternatives:
1. Alternative A (No Action): Continues existing management;
2. Alternative B: Emphasizes conservation of natural and cultural
resources while providing for compatible development and use;
3. Alternative C: Provides development opportunities while
protecting sensitive resources;
4. Alternative D: Emphasizes resource development and use while
protecting natural and cultural resources; and
5. Alternative E (Proposed): Focuses on a balance between managing
public lands for economic and recreational growth and protecting
valuable resources.
The HiLine District has identified Alternative E as the Proposed RMP.
Alternative E supports management of greater sage-grouse seasonal
habitats and maintaining habitat connectivity to achieve population
objectives.
In accordance with 43 CFR 1610.7-2(b), the Notice of Availability
for the Draft RMP/EIS also announced a concurrent public comment period
on nominated ACECs. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS, Alternative E, includes
ACEC designation for the following areas (all resource use limitations
are subject to valid existing rights).
Azure Cave ACEC (141 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: Wildlife habitat, natural
hazards.
Limitations on the Following Uses: Solid mineral leasing,
mineral material sales, commercial wind energy development.
Other Restrictions: Avoidance area for rights-of-way
(ROWs).
Big Bend of the Milk River ACEC (1,972 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: Cultural, historic.
Limitations on the Following Uses: Oil and gas leasing,
mineral material sales, commercial wind energy development.
Other Restrictions: Avoidance area for ROWs.
Bitter Creek ACEC (60,701 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: Historic, cultural, scenic,
wildlife habitat, natural processes.
Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing,
commercial wind energy development.
Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
[[Page 30720]]
Kevin Rim ACEC (4,557 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: cultural, wildlife habitat.
Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing,
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy
development.
Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Mountain Plover ACEC (24,762 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: wildlife habitat.
Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing,
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy
development.
Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Sweet Grass Hills ACEC (7,419 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: historic, cultural.
Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing,
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy
development.
Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Frenchman Breaks ACEC (42,020 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: scenic, wildlife habitat,
natural processes.
Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing,
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy
development.
Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Malta Geological ACEC (6,153 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: geologic, paleontological,
natural processes.
Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing,
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy
development.
Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs; personal
collection of common fossils would not be allowed.
Woody Island ACEC (32,869 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: scenic, wildlife habitat.
Limitations on the Following Uses: oil and gas leasing,
solid mineral leasing, mineral material sales, commercial wind energy
development.
Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs.
Zortman/Landusky Mine Reclamation ACEC (2,682 Acres)
Relevant and Important Values: natural hazards, public
safety.
Limitations on the Following Uses: commercial wind energy
development.
Other Restrictions: avoidance area for ROWs, closed to all
unauthorized vehicle use during reclamation activities.
Two areas are being considered for designation as off-highway
vehicle (OHV) use areas. In the Proposed RMP, 40 acres in the Glasgow
OHV area would remain open until an alternate site is located, and in
the Fresno OHV area 125 acres would be designated as open to OHV use.
The Hiline District Proposed RMP/Final EIS is one of a total of 15
separate EISs that make up the BLM and Forest Service National Greater
Sage-Grouse Planning Strategy. Greater-Sage Grouse habitat within the
planning area consists of:
Priority Habitat Management Area (PHMA)--Areas identified
as having the highest conservation value for maintaining sustainable
Greater Sage-Grouse populations; include breeding, late brood-rearing,
and winter concentration areas.
General Habitat Management Area (GHMA)--Areas of seasonal
or year-round habitat outside of PHMA.
Alternative E identifies 1,006,312 acres as Greater Sage-Grouse
PHMAs and 426,355 acres as Grassland Bird/Greater Sage-Grouse PHMAs.
The latter areas have special management prescriptions to provide high-
quality habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse and other sagebrush-dependent
species. These PHMAs would be closed to solid mineral leasing, and oil
and gas leasing would be subject to a no surface occupancy (NSO) and
use stipulation with only limited exceptions, and no waivers or
modifications. Both areas would be designated as exclusion areas for
wind and solar energy ROWs, and avoidance areas for all other ROWs.
The BLM and Forest Service, via the Western Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) Management Zone Greater Sage-Grouse
Conservation Team, will develop a Regional Mitigation Strategy to guide
the application of the mitigation hierarchy to address impacts within
that Zone. The Regional Mitigation Strategy should consider any State-
level greater sage-grouse mitigation guidance that is consistent with
the requirements. The Regional Mitigation Strategy will be developed in
a transparent manner, based on the best science available and
standardized metrics.
Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM
regarding the Proposed RMP/Final EIS may be found in the ``Dear
Reader'' Letter of the HiLine Proposed RMP/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.
Before including your address, 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.
Jamie E. Connell,
State Director, Montana/Dakotas.
[FR Doc. 2015-12999 Filed 5-28-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P
