Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Grand Junction Field Office Approved Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement, Colorado, 51303-51304 [2015-20706]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 163 / Monday, August 24, 2015 / Notices
Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory
Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) Dakotas
Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will
meet as indicated below.
The Dakotas Resource Advisory
Council meeting will be held on
September 9, 2015 in Dickinson, North
Dakota. When determined, the meeting
place and time will be announced in a
news release.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Jacobsen, Public Affairs Specialist,
BLM Eastern Montana/Dakotas District,
111 Garryowen Road, Miles City,
Montana 59301; (406) 233–2831;
mjacobse@blm.gov. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–677–8339
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.
The 15member council advises the Secretary of
the Interior through the BLM on a
variety of planning and management
issues associated with public land
management in North and South
Dakota. At this meeting, topics will
include: an Eastern Montana/Dakotas
District report, North Dakota and South
Dakota Field Office manager reports,
Fort Meade trail work report, Lead
shooting range report, Sturgis Rally
briefing, individual RAC member
reports and other issues the council may
raise. All meetings are open to the
public and the public may present
written comments to the council. Each
formal RAC meeting will also have time
allocated for hearing public comments.
Depending on the number of persons
wishing to comment and time available,
the time for individual oral comments
may be limited. Individuals who plan to
attend and need special assistance, such
as sign language interpretation, tour
transportation or other reasonable
accommodations should contact the
BLM as provided above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Authority: 43 CFR 1784.4–2
Diane M. Friez,
Eastern Montana/Dakotas District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2015–20838 Filed 8–21–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:48 Aug 21, 2015
Jkt 235001
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCON03000 L16100000.DR0000 15x]
Notice of Availability of the Record of
Decision for the Grand Junction Field
Office Approved Resource
Management Plan/Final Environmental
Impact Statement, Colorado
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) announces the
availability of the Record of Decision
(ROD) for the Approved Resource
Management Plan (RMP) for the Grand
Junction Field Office (GJFO) located in
Mesa, Garfield, Montrose, and Rio
Blanco counties, Colorado. The
Colorado State Director signed the ROD
on August 24, 2015, which constitutes
the final decision of the BLM and makes
the Approved RMP effective
immediately.
SUMMARY:
Copies of the ROD and
Approved RMP are available upon
request from the Field Manager, GJFO,
BLM, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO
81506 or via the Internet at https://
www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/gjfo/rmp/
rmp.html under the ‘‘RMP Documents’’
link. Copies of the ROD and Approved
RMP are available for public inspection
at the GJFO (see address above) and the
Mesa County libraries in Grand
Junction, Collbran, De Beque, Fruita and
Gateway, Colorado.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christina Stark, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator; telephone
970–244–3027; GJFO (see address
above); email cstark@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: The GJFO
has worked cooperatively with the
public, interest groups, stakeholders,
cooperating agencies, Native American
tribes, the Northwest Colorado Resource
Advisory Council, the Environmental
Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and
neighboring BLM offices for the past
seven years developing the approved
RMP. The result is an Approved RMP
that seeks to provide a balance between
ADDRESSES:
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51303
the protection, restoration and
enhancement of natural and cultural
values, while allowing resource use and
development in existing or reasonable
locations. Goals and objectives focus on
environmental, economic and social
outcomes achieved by strategically
addressing demands across the
landscape. Management direction is
broad to accommodate a variety of
values and uses. Management decisions
outlined in the Approved RMP apply
only to BLM-managed surface lands
(approximately 1,061,400 acres) and
BLM-managed Federal mineral estate
(approximately 1,231,300 acres) that lies
beneath BLM-managed surface lands,
and lands managed by other Federal,
State, and private owners, including
National Forest System lands.
The Approved RMP will replace the
1987 Grand Junction Resource Area
RMP. The Approved RMP outlines
goals, objectives, management actions
and allowable uses for resources and
land uses including, but not limited to:
Air, soil, water, upland and riparian
vegetation, fish and wildlife, cultural
and paleontological resources, visual
resources, recreation, livestock grazing,
energy development, minerals, forestry
and realty.
The BLM initiated scoping for the
RMP revision in 2008 and collected
information and public input via public
meetings in order to develop the Draft
RMP/Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS), which was published in December
2012. Based on public and agency
comments, the BLM developed the
Proposed RMP by combining various
elements of all the alternatives
considered in the Draft RMP/EIS.
The BLM published the Proposed
RMP/Final EIS on April 10, 2015, and
made it available for a 30-day public
protest period. During the protest period
for the Proposed RMP/Final EIS, the
BLM received 19 protests on a variety of
issues. Following the protest resolution,
the BLM made minor editorial
modifications to the Approved RMP to
provide further clarification on some of
the decisions being made. The BLM
dismissed all protests.
The BLM regulations also require a
60-day Governor’s Consistency Review
period for the Proposed RMP/Final EIS
to ensure consistency with officially
approved or adopted state or local
government plans, policies or programs.
The Governor did not identify any
inconsistencies as part of this review.
While the Approved RMP contains
some conservation management
measures for the Greater Sage-Grouse
habitat, final decisions on how to
manage Greater Sage-Grouse habitat
within the GJFO administrative
E:\FR\FM\24AUN1.SGM
24AUN1
51304
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 163 / Monday, August 24, 2015 / Notices
boundaries will be made in the Record
of Decision for the Northwest Colorado
Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment
and EIS. 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 GJFO in the ROD
for the Northwest Colorado Greater
Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment. That
decision will amend the Approved
RMP. In the interim, leasing in Greater
Sage-Grouse habitat will continue to be
deferred until a final decision has been
made on the Northwest Colorado
Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment.
The Approved RMP includes some
implementation decisions, which are
displayed and numbered as
implementation decisions in the
Approved RMP. Implementation
decisions are generally appealable to the
Interior Board of Land Appeals under 43
CFR 4.410. For example, the decisions
designating routes of travel are
implementation decisions and are
appealable under 43 CFR part 4. The
route decisions are displayed as an
attachment to Appendix M of the
Approved RMP. Any party adversely
affected by the route designations may
appeal within 30 days of publication of
this Notice of Availability pursuant to
43 CFR, part 4, subpart E. The appeal
should state the specific route(s), as
identified in Appendix M of the
Approved RMP, on which the decision
is being appealed. The appeal must be
filed with the Grand Junction Field
Manager at the address listed above.
Please consult the appropriate
regulations (43 CFR, part 4, subpart E)
for further appeal requirements.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Gregory P. Shoop,
BLM Colorado Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 2015–20706 Filed 8–21–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNM006200 L99110000.EK0000 XXX
L4053RV]
Notice of Final Action: Crude Helium
Sale and Auction for Fiscal Year 2016
Delivery
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Secretary of the Interior
(Secretary), through the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) New Mexico State
Office, is issuing this Final Notice to
conduct a sale and auction from the
Federal Helium Program, administered
by the BLM New Mexico Amarillo Field
Office. The BLM will use the sale and
auction process outlined in this Notice
for the sale and auction that the Helium
Stewardship Act of 2013 (HSA) requires
the BLM to conduct during fiscal year
(FY) 2015 for delivery in FY 2016. This
action takes into consideration public
comments received as a result of the
Notice of Proposed Action published in
the Federal Register on June 12, 2015.
DATES: This Notice is effective on
August 24, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Jolley, Amarillo Field Manager,
at 806–356–1002. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–
8339. The FIRS is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, to leave a message.
You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUMMARY:
A. Purpose and Background
In October 2013, Congress passed the
HSA (Pub. L. 113–40). The HSA
requires the Department of the Interior,
through the BLM Director, to offer for
sale and auction annually a portion of
the helium reserves owned by the
United States and stored underground
in the Cliffside Gas Field, near Amarillo,
Texas (50 U.S.C. 167d(b)). On July 22,
2014, the BLM published a ‘‘Final
Notice for Implementation of Helium
Stewardship Act Sales and Auctions’’ in
the Federal Register, (79 FR 42808)
(2014 Final Notice). The 2014 Final
Notice contained information about the
HSA, definitions of terms used in the
Notice, the reasons for the action, and
a process for conducting the auctions
and sales in FY 2014. The 2014 Final
Notice is available at the BLM helium
operations Web site at: https://
www.blm.gov/nm/helium.
The BLM published a ‘‘Notice of
Proposed Action: Crude Helium Sale
and Auction for Fiscal Year 2016
Delivery’’ in the Federal Register on
June 12, 2015 (80 FR 33548). The BLM
requested comments regarding elements
of the FY 2016 sale and auction. These
elements included:
a. The process for arriving at the price
for helium to be sold at the Phase B
auction and sale, as described in section
1.01 of this Notice;
b. The format of the auction, as
described in section 1.04 of this Notice;
c. Who will be allowed to purchase
helium in the FY 2016 Phase B sale, as
described in section 2.01 of this Notice;
and
d. The process for allocating helium
for the FY 2016 Phase B sale, as
described in section 2.02 of this Notice.
A summary of changes made as a
result of those comments is provided
below:
SUMMARY OF CHANGES
Affected text
Explanation of change
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Volumes Offered in the FY 2016 Helium Auction and Sale.
Section 1.01 ..........................................
Section 1.03 ..........................................
Section 2.01 ..........................................
Section 2.02 ..........................................
Section 2.03 ..........................................
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:48 Aug 21, 2015
Added non-allocated and adjusted sale volumes.
Added the additional three criteria from the statute regarding pricing.
The BLM set the auction date as August 26, 2015, with auction results published on the BLM Web site
on August 27, 2015; the BLM set the sale date for September 1, 2015.
The BLM re-instituted the non-allocated sale.
Added explanation for decision to reinstitute non-allocated sale.
Added information on how FY 2016 Phase B sale will be allocated among those participating in the
non-allocated sale.
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 163 (Monday, August 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51303-51304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20706]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCON03000 L16100000.DR0000 15x]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Grand
Junction Field Office Approved Resource Management Plan/Final
Environmental Impact Statement, Colorado
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability
of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Approved Resource Management
Plan (RMP) for the Grand Junction Field Office (GJFO) located in Mesa,
Garfield, Montrose, and Rio Blanco counties, Colorado. The Colorado
State Director signed the ROD on August 24, 2015, which constitutes the
final decision of the BLM and makes the Approved RMP effective
immediately.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD and Approved RMP are available upon
request from the Field Manager, GJFO, BLM, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction,
CO 81506 or via the Internet at https://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/gjfo/rmp/rmp.html under the ``RMP Documents'' link. Copies of the ROD and
Approved RMP are available for public inspection at the GJFO (see
address above) and the Mesa County libraries in Grand Junction,
Collbran, De Beque, Fruita and Gateway, Colorado.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina Stark, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator; telephone 970-244-3027; GJFO (see address
above); email cstark@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: The GJFO has worked cooperatively with the
public, interest groups, stakeholders, cooperating agencies, Native
American tribes, the Northwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council, the
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and neighboring BLM offices for the past seven years
developing the approved RMP. The result is an Approved RMP that seeks
to provide a balance between the protection, restoration and
enhancement of natural and cultural values, while allowing resource use
and development in existing or reasonable locations. Goals and
objectives focus on environmental, economic and social outcomes
achieved by strategically addressing demands across the landscape.
Management direction is broad to accommodate a variety of values and
uses. Management decisions outlined in the Approved RMP apply only to
BLM-managed surface lands (approximately 1,061,400 acres) and BLM-
managed Federal mineral estate (approximately 1,231,300 acres) that
lies beneath BLM-managed surface lands, and lands managed by other
Federal, State, and private owners, including National Forest System
lands.
The Approved RMP will replace the 1987 Grand Junction Resource Area
RMP. The Approved RMP outlines goals, objectives, management actions
and allowable uses for resources and land uses including, but not
limited to: Air, soil, water, upland and riparian vegetation, fish and
wildlife, cultural and paleontological resources, visual resources,
recreation, livestock grazing, energy development, minerals, forestry
and realty.
The BLM initiated scoping for the RMP revision in 2008 and
collected information and public input via public meetings in order to
develop the Draft RMP/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which was
published in December 2012. Based on public and agency comments, the
BLM developed the Proposed RMP by combining various elements of all the
alternatives considered in the Draft RMP/EIS.
The BLM published the Proposed RMP/Final EIS on April 10, 2015, and
made it available for a 30-day public protest period. During the
protest period for the Proposed RMP/Final EIS, the BLM received 19
protests on a variety of issues. Following the protest resolution, the
BLM made minor editorial modifications to the Approved RMP to provide
further clarification on some of the decisions being made. The BLM
dismissed all protests.
The BLM regulations also require a 60-day Governor's Consistency
Review period for the Proposed RMP/Final EIS to ensure consistency with
officially approved or adopted state or local government plans,
policies or programs. The Governor did not identify any inconsistencies
as part of this review.
While the Approved RMP contains some conservation management
measures for the Greater Sage-Grouse habitat, final decisions on how to
manage Greater Sage-Grouse habitat within the GJFO administrative
[[Page 51304]]
boundaries will be made in the Record of Decision for the Northwest
Colorado Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment and EIS. 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 GJFO in the ROD for the Northwest Colorado
Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment. That decision will amend the
Approved RMP. In the interim, leasing in Greater Sage-Grouse habitat
will continue to be deferred until a final decision has been made on
the Northwest Colorado Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment.
The Approved RMP includes some implementation decisions, which are
displayed and numbered as implementation decisions in the Approved RMP.
Implementation decisions are generally appealable to the Interior Board
of Land Appeals under 43 CFR 4.410. For example, the decisions
designating routes of travel are implementation decisions and are
appealable under 43 CFR part 4. The route decisions are displayed as an
attachment to Appendix M of the Approved RMP. Any party adversely
affected by the route designations may appeal within 30 days of
publication of this Notice of Availability pursuant to 43 CFR, part 4,
subpart E. The appeal should state the specific route(s), as identified
in Appendix M of the Approved RMP, on which the decision is being
appealed. The appeal must be filed with the Grand Junction Field
Manager at the address listed above. Please consult the appropriate
regulations (43 CFR, part 4, subpart E) for further appeal
requirements.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.
Gregory P. Shoop,
BLM Colorado Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-20706 Filed 8-21-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P