Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve Monument Management Plan Amendment, Idaho, 537-538 [2017-28392]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 3 (Thursday, January 4, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 537-538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-28392]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[17XL.LLIDT03100.L17110000.DF0000.241A00; 4500109142]


Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the Craters of 
the Moon National Monument and Preserve Monument Management Plan 
Amendment, Idaho

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Approved Monument Management 
Plan (MMP) for the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve 
located in south-central Idaho. The Idaho State Director signed the ROD 
on July 31, 2017, which constitutes the final decision of the BLM and 
makes the Approved MMP effective immediately.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD/Approved MMP are available upon request 
from the Monument Manager, Shoshone Field Office, Bureau of Land 
Management, 400 West F St., Shoshone, ID 83352, or online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-in-development/idaho/craters-of-moon. Copies of the ROD/Approved MMP are available for 
public inspection at the Shoshone Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Holly Crawford, BLM Monument Manager, 
telephone 208-732-7200; address 400 West F Street, Shoshone, ID 83352; 
email [email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device 
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-
877-8339 to to leave a message or question for Ms. Crawford. The FRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will receive a reply 
during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM Craters of the Moon National 
Monument and Preserve (hereafter, Monument) Approved Management Plan 
Amendment and Record of Decision (MMPA/ROD) are now available. The BLM 
prepared this document in consultation with Cooperating Agencies and in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended 
(FLPMA), implementing regulations, the BLM Land Use Planning Handbook 
(H-1601-1), the BLM National Environmental Policy Act Handbook (H-1790-
1), and other applicable law and policy, including Instruction 
Memorandum No. 2016-105--Land Use Planning and Environmental Policy Act 
Compliance within Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management 
Plans and Plan Amendments Decision Area.
    The planning area comprises about 753,200 acres of land, which 
includes 275,100 acres managed by the BLM Shoshone, Burley, and Upper 
Snake Field Offices. Based on analysis in the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the project, the MMP is amended and will 
guide livestock grazing management on BLM-managed public lands within 
the Monument into the future.
    The Monument is part of the BLM's National Conservation Lands 
system and is jointly managed with the National Park Service. This 
Monument was created in 1924 and expanded to its current acreage in 
2000.
    The BLM completed a Final EIS to determine the appropriate 
management of livestock grazing on approximately 275,100 acres of BLM-
administered lands within the Monument. This Final EIS analyzed 
management options not previously addressed by the 2007 MMP as amended 
by the 2015 Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment 
(ARMPA). This Approved MMPA/ROD amends the 2007 plan but will not amend 
the ARMPA. Among the most important decisions the BLM made through this 
plan amendment are which lands should be available for livestock 
grazing and with what protections for Greater sage-grouse and their 
sagebrush habitat.
    The purpose of this Approved MMPA/ROD is to make the 2007 MMP's 
grazing management direction consistent with current laws, regulations, 
and policies regarding Greater sage-grouse habitat conservation. More 
specifically, it considers a range of FLPMA-compliant management 
options for livestock grazing and Greater sage-grouse on BLM-managed 
lands in the planning area in a manner that maintains the Monument 
values identified in Proclamation 7373. In addition, this Approved 
MMPA/ROD is needed to cure deficiencies in the 2007 MMP/EIS identified 
by the U.S. District Court for Idaho. The Court found that BLM had 
failed to adequately address current science and the agency's policies 
designed to protect sage-grouse habitat, primarily with regard to 
managing livestock grazing in the Monument.
    After the 2007 MMP/EIS was signed, the Greater sage-grouse was 
deemed warranted for listing, but was precluded from the Threatened and 
Endangered Species list. More recently, the BLM completed the Greater 
Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Plan ARMPA for Idaho and Southwestern 
Montana, which resulted in a determination that listing the Greater 
sage-grouse was not warranted. The ARMPA amended the 2007 MMP/EIS, 
thereby addressing several of the deficiencies identified by the Court 
with regard to Greater sage-grouse conservation in the Monument.
    The Final EIS for this plan amendment, prepared after release of 
the 2015 ARMPA, analyzed five alternatives that provide a range of 
livestock grazing availability and sage-grouse protections. Alternative 
C is the BLM's selected alternative.
    Alternative A is the No Action alternative, which would continue 
the management established in the 2007 MMP/EIS. Under this alternative, 
273,900 acres would be available for livestock grazing, with 38,187 
animal unit months (AUMs) available.
    Alternative B would reduce AUMs by 75 percent and close 5 areas to 
grazing: Little Park kipuka (an island of older land surrounded by lava 
flows), the North Pasture of Laidlaw Park Allotment, Larkspur Park 
kipuka, the North Pasture of Bowl Crater Allotment, and Park Field 
kipuka. This alternative would adjust two allotment boundaries and make 
21,000 acres unavailable for livestock grazing for the protection of 
sage-grouse and other Monument values.
    Alternative C, the Approved Plan, makes 273,600 acres available for 
livestock grazing and adjusts two allotment boundaries, which would set 
the maximum number of AUMs at 37,792. Where appropriate, livestock 
grazing will be used as a tool to improve and/or protect wildlife 
habitat. Guidelines for livestock grazing management will be set based 
on vegetation and wildlife habitat conditions and needs identified in 
the 2007 MMP and current agency guidance.

[[Page 538]]

    Alternative D would eliminate livestock grazing from BLM-managed 
lands within the Monument boundary and adjust two allotment boundaries. 
All livestock-related developments would be removed, and some fences 
would be required to exclude livestock from the Monument.
    Alternative E would reduce AUMs by approximately 50 percent and 
close Larkspur Park kipuka to grazing. This alternative would adjust 
two allotment boundaries and make 272,800 acres available for grazing. 
No net gain in livestock-related infrastructure would be allowed.
    The land use planning process was initiated on June 28, 2013, 
through a Notice of Intent published in the Federal Register (78 FR 
39009), notifying the public of a formal scoping period and soliciting 
public participation in the planning process. Four scoping meetings 
were held in July 2013 in the communities of Arco, Carey, Rupert, and 
American Falls. During the scoping period the public provided the BLM 
with input on relevant issues to consider in the planning process. 
Based on this input and the BLM's goals and objectives, the five 
alternatives described above were formulated for consideration and 
analysis in the Draft EIS. Because Area of Critical Environmental 
Concern (ACEC) nominations were previously analyzed in the 2007 MMP/
EIS, no new ACEC nominations were solicited during scoping.
    Comments on the Draft EIS received from the public, Cooperating 
Agencies, and through internal BLM review were considered and 
incorporated as appropriate into the Proposed Plan and Final EIS, 
published on May 26, 2017 (82 FR 24387). Public comments on the Draft 
EIS resulted in the addition of clarifying text but did not 
significantly change proposed land use plan decisions.
    Two protests were receieved on the Final EIS, and the issues raised 
have been resolved. As a result, only minor editorial modifications 
were made in preparing the Approved MMPA. These modifications provided 
further clarification of some of the decisions. The Idaho Governor's 
consistency review identified that the ARMPA is inconsistent with the 
State of Idaho Sage Grouse Plan but identified no inconsistences with 
the Approved MMPA. The Approved MMPA/ROD are in compliance with the 
current BLM policy on mitigation, but because the management actions 
are programmatic in nature, the mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimize, 
or compensate) will be applied during site-specific NEPA analysis at 
the implementation stage following the ROD.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.

Peter J. Ditton,
Acting BLM Idaho State Director.
[FR Doc. 2017-28392 Filed 1-3-18; 8:45 am]
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