Notice of Availability of the Utah Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement for Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation, 19803-19804 [2018-09526]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 87 (Friday, May 4, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19803-19804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09526]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLWO200000. LXSGPL000000. 18x. L11100000.PH0000]


Notice of Availability of the Utah Draft Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement for Greater Sage-Grouse 
Conservation

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 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared the Utah Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Utah Greater Sage-
Grouse (GRSG) Planning Area and by this notice is announcing the 
opening of the comment period. BLM Utah is soliciting comments on the 
entire Draft EIS, as well as the specific planning issues mentioned in 
this NOA, and the cumulative effects analysis.

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS within 90 days 
following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes a 
notice of availability of the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft 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 Utah GRSG Draft RMP 
Amendment/Draft EIS by any of the following methods:
     Website: https://goo.gl/ywBXSn.
     Mail: BLM Utah State Office, 440 West 200 South, Suite 
500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101.
    Copies of the Utah GRSG Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS are available 
in the Utah State Office or on the project website at the addresses 
above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Quincy 
Bahr, BLM Utah Sage-Grouse Coordinator, telephone 801-539-4122; address 
440 West 200 South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101; or by 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 contact Mr. Bahr. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a 
week, to leave a message or question with Mr. Bahr. You will receive a 
reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Greater Sage-Grouse is a state-managed 
species that is dependent on sagebrush steppe ecosystems. These 
ecosystems are managed in partnership across the range of the Greater 
Sage-Grouse by federal, state, and local authorities. Efforts to 
conserve the species and its habitat date back to the 1950s. Over the 
past two decades, state wildlife agencies, federal agencies, and many 
others in the range of the species have been collaborating to conserve 
Greater Sage-Grouse and its habitats. The United States Department of 
the Interior (DOI) and the BLM have broad responsibilities to manage 
federal lands and resources for the public benefit. Nearly half of 
Greater Sage-Grouse habitat is managed by the BLM. The BLM is committed 
to being a good neighbor and investing in on-the-ground conservation 
activities through close collaboration with State governments, local 
communities, private landowners, and other stakeholders.
    In September 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 
determined that the Greater Sage-Grouse did not warrant listing under 
the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The USFWS based its ``not 
warranted'' determination, in part, on the conservation commitments and 
management actions in the BLM and U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) 
Greater Sage-Grouse land use plan amendments and revisions (2015 GRSG 
land use plan decisions), as well as on other private, state, and 
federal conservation efforts. Since 2015 the BLM, in discussion with 
partners, primarily Governors and state wildlife management agencies, 
recognized that several refinements and policy updates could help 
strengthen conservation efforts, while providing increased economic 
opportunity to local communities. The BLM and Department of Interior 
worked closely with Governors charged with managing Greater Sage-Grouse 
to determine whether some, none, or all of the 2015 Land Use Plans 
should be amended. After carefully considering the Governor's input, 
and using its discretion and authority under FLPMA, as well as under 
direction from the Secretary, including Secretary's Order (SO) 3353, 
the BLM proposes amending the Utah Greater Sage-Grouse land use plans 
that address GRSG management. This action is proposed to enhance 
cooperation and improve alignment with the state plans or management 
strategies, in accordance with the BLM's multiple use and sustained 
yield mission. The BLM prepared the Utah GRSG Draft RMP Amendment/Draft 
EIS to address alternatives that will build upon its commitment to 
conserve and restore Greater Sage-Grouse habitat, while improving 
collaboration and alignment with state management strategies for 
Greater Sage-Grouse. The BLM seeks to improve management alignment in 
ways that will increase management flexibility, maintain access to 
public resources, and promote conservation outcomes. The BLM used 
internal, agency, and public scoping to identify issues considered in 
the environmental analysis. As part of this analysis, the BLM also 
examined the range of alternatives evaluated in the BLM's 2015 GRSG 
land use plan decisions and their supporting NEPA analyses.
    This Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS is one of six separate planning 
efforts that are being undertaken in response to SO 3353, Greater Sage-
Grouse Conservation and Cooperation with Western States (June 7, 2017), 
and in accordance with SO 3349, American Energy Independence (March 29, 
2017). The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS proposes to amend the RMPs for 
field offices on BLM lands within BLM Utah boundaries. The current 
management decisions for resources are described in the following 
resource management plans (RMPs):
 Box Elder Resource Management Plan (1986)
 Cedar/Beaver/Garfield/Antimony Resource Management Plan (1986)
 Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan 
(2000)
 House Range Resource Management Plan (1987)
 Kanab Resource Management Plan (2008)

[[Page 19804]]

 Park City Management Framework Plan (1975)
 Pinyon Management Framework Plan (1978)
 Pony Express Resource Management Plan (1990)
 Price Resource Management Plan (2008)
 Randolph Management Framework Plan (1980)
 Richfield Resource Management Plan (2008)
 Salt Lake District Isolated Tracts Planning Analysis (1985)
 Vernal Resource Management Plan (2008)
 Warm Springs Resource Management Plan (1987)
    The planning area includes approximately 48,158,700 acres of BLM, 
National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 
State, local, and private lands located in Utah, in 27 counties: 
Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, 
Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt 
Lake, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Wayne, 
and Weber. Within the decision area, the BLM administers approximately 
4,017,400 acres of public lands as GRSG habitat management areas. 
Surface management decisions made as a result of this Draft RMP 
Amendment/Draft EIS will apply only to BLM-administered lands in the 
decision area.
    The formal public scoping process for the RMP Amendment/EIS began 
on October 11, 2017, with the publication of a Notice of Intent in the 
Federal Register (82 FR 47248), and ended on December 1, 2017. The 
following public meetings were held in Utah:
 Vernal, Utah; November 14, 2017
 Cedar City, Utah; November 15, 2017
 Snowville, Utah; November 16, 2017
    The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS addresses the designation of 
sagebrush focal areas; disturbance and density caps; modification of 
habitat objectives; changes to waivers, exceptions and modification 
criteria; the need for General Habitat Management Areas; exceptions to 
greater sage-grouse management within non-habitat portions of Priority 
Habitat Management Areas; lek buffers; reversing adaptive management 
responses when the BLM determines that resource conditions no longer 
warrant those responses; prioritization of mineral leasing; land 
disposals and exchanges; predation; burial of transmission lines; 
direction to consider specific alternatives during implementation 
planning; and clarification of existing management related to 
mitigation standards, adjustment of habitat boundaries to reflect new 
information, grazing systems and prioritization of grazing permits, 
water developments management in relation to water rights, travel and 
transportation management planning, and surface coal mining.
    The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS evaluates two alternatives in 
detail, including the No Action Alternative (Alternative A) and one 
action alternative (Management Alignment Alternative). The Management 
Alignment Alternative has been identified as BLM's Preferred 
Alternative for the purposes of public comment and review. 
Identification of this alternative, however, does not represent final 
agency direction, and the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS may reflect 
changes or adjustments from information received during public comment, 
from new information, or from changes in BLM policies or priorities. 
The Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS may include objectives and actions 
described in the other analyzed alternative as well. Alternative A 
would retain the current management goals, objectives, and direction 
specified in the current RMPs for each field office.
    BLM Utah is soliciting comments on the entire Draft EIS, as well as 
the specific planning issues mentioned in this NOA, and the cumulative 
effects analysis. Please note that public comments and information 
submitted including names, street addresses, and email addresses of 
persons who submit comments will be available for public review and 
disclosure at the address provided in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.), Monday 
through Friday, except holidays.
    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

Edwin L. Roberson,
BLM Utah State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-09526 Filed 5-3-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-84-P