Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for the San Juan Islands National Monument, Washington, 50402-50404 [2018-21629]
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daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
50402
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 194 / Friday, October 5, 2018 / Notices
the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II
of the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990, Architectural Barriers Act of
1968, Executive Order 11063: Equal
Opportunity in Housing, Executive
Order 13166: Improving Access to
Services for Persons with Limited
English Proficiency, HUD’s Equal
Access Rule (24 CFR 5.105(a)(2), Age
Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX
of the Education Amendments Act of
1972, as well as HUD and governmentwide regulations implementing these
authorities. PHAs should review PIH
Notice 2011–31 for more details.
• Court Orders and Voluntary
Compliance Agreements: MTW agencies
must comply with the terms of any
applicable court orders or Voluntary
Compliance Agreements that are in
existence or may come into existence
during the term of the MTW CACC
Amendment. The PHA must cooperate
fully with any investigation by the HUD
Office of Inspector General or any other
investigative and law enforcement
agencies of the U.S. Government.
admitted pursuant to the 2016 MTW
Expansion Statute, including all of the
provisions of this Operations Notice and
the accompanying MTW CACC
Amendment.
Should an existing MTW agency elect
to administer its MTW program
pursuant to the framework described in
this Operations Notice, it will not be
required to implement the cohortspecific policy change associated with
any of the MTW cohorts and it will not
be required to participate in the
evaluation of that specific policy
change. All other requirements in this
Operations Notice will apply.
10. MTW Agencies Admitted Prior to
2016 MTW Expansion Statute
The 39 MTW agencies that entered
the MTW demonstration prior to the
2016 MTW Expansion Statute adhere to
an administrative structure outlined in
the Standard MTW Agreement, a
contract between each current agency
and HUD. The 2016 MTW Expansion
Statute extended the term of the
Standard MTW Agreement for these
existing MTW agencies through each
agency’s 2028 fiscal year.
Some agencies that entered the MTW
demonstration prior to the 2016 MTW
Expansion Statute may wish to opt out
of their Standard MTW Agreement and
administer their MTW program
pursuant to the MTW Expansion and
the requirements in this MTW
Operations Notice. HUD will support an
existing MTW agency’s request to join
the MTW Expansion provided that the
agency:
• Makes the change at the end of its
fiscal year, so that it does not have part
of a fiscal year under the Standard
Agreement and part under the
Operations Notice;
• follows the same public comment
and Board resolution process as would
be required for amending the Standard
MTW Agreement;
• executes its MTW CACC
Amendment to authorize participation
in the MTW demonstration consistent
with the Operations Notice; and
• agrees to all the terms and
conditions that apply to MTW agencies
A Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) with respect to the
environment was made for a previous
version of this Notice in accordance
with HUD regulations in 24 CFR part 50
that implement section 102(2)(C) of the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)). The FONSI
is applicable to the current version of
the Notice because there were no
significant changes to the provisions of
the Notice. The FONSI will be available
for public inspection on
www.regulations.gov.
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11. Sanctions, Terminations, and
Default
If the MTW agency violates any of the
requirements outlined in this Notice,
HUD is authorized to take any corrective
or remedial action permitted by law.
Sanctions, terminations, and default are
covered in the agency’s MTW CACC
Amendment.
III. Environmental Impact
1. Purpose and Applicability
Dated: August 24 2018.
Robert E. Mulderig,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public
Housing Investments.
[FR Doc. 2018–21723 Filed 10–4–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLOR932000.L16100000.
DP0000.LXSSH0930000.18X.HAG 18–0143]
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Resource Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement for
the San Juan Islands National
Monument, Washington
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
PO 00000
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In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976
(FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) has prepared
a Draft Resource Management Plan
(RMP) and Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the San Juan Islands
National Monument, and, by this notice,
is announcing the opening of the
comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft RMP and
Draft EIS within 90 days following the
date the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes its Notice of
Availability of the Draft RMP and 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 San Juan Islands National
Monument Draft RMP and Draft EIS by
any of the following methods:
• Website: https://go.usa.gov/xRphc.
• Email: blm_or_sanjuanislandsnm@
blm.gov.
• Fax: 509–536–1275.
• Mail: San Juan Islands National
Monument Comments, Lopez Island
BLM Office, PO Box 3, Lopez, WA
98261.
Copies of the San Juan Islands
National Monument Draft RMP and
Draft EIS are available at the BLM Lopez
Island Office (37 Washburn Place, Lopez
Island, WA 98261), the BLM Spokane
District Office (1103 N Fancher Rd,
Spokane Valley, WA 99212), and the
BLM Oregon/Washington State Office
(1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Portland, OR
97204). The document is also available
on the following website: https://
go.usa.gov/xRphc.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lauren Pidot, Planner, 503–808–6297;
Lopez Island BLM Office, PO Box 3,
Lopez, WA 98261; lpidot@blm.gov.
Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–800–
877–8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business
hours. FRS is available 24 hours a day,
7 days a week, to leave a message or a
question with the above individual. You
will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM
has prepared the San Juan Islands
National Monument Draft RMP/EIS to
evaluate potential management
strategies for the San Juan Islands
SUMMARY:
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daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 194 / Friday, October 5, 2018 / Notices
National Monument. Presidential
Proclamation 8947 designated the
monument on March 25, 2013. The
lands included in the monument are not
now, and have never been, covered by
an RMP. The BLM currently administers
these lands using a custodial
management approach focused on
meeting legal mandates.
The decision area for this planning
process comprises the approximately
1,021 acres of public land that compose
the monument. The decision area does
not include private lands or local, State,
or non-BLM-administered Federal
public lands, with the exception of
approximately 179 acres of land
currently withdrawn to the U.S. Coast
Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard is in the
process of relinquishing these acres. The
BLM anticipates that acres relinquished
by the U.S. Coast Guard will come
under BLM administration prior to the
publication of the record of decision for
this planning process. In the event that
the relinquishment process is not
complete prior to the publication of the
record of decision, the approved RMP
will only go into effect for those 179
acres once they are under BLM
administration.
The monument includes headlands,
islands, and rocks scattered across the
San Juan Islands. As a whole, the San
Juan Islands encompass private lands
and an array of Federal, State, and local
public lands. Non-BLM public lands
include the San Juan Island National
Historical Park, the San Juan Islands
National Wildlife Refuge (a portion of
which is designated as the San Juan
Wilderness), and a variety of State and
county parks.
The BLM prepared the Draft RMP/EIS
with input from 13 cooperating
agencies, 12 consulting tribes, the
Monument Advisory Committee, and
the public. The formal public scoping
process began on March 2, 2015, when
the Federal Register published the
Notice of Intent to prepare the RMP/EIS
(80 FR 11220). During the scoping
period, the BLM held five open house
meetings attended by more than 90
members of the public. The BLM used
scoping comments to help identify
planning issues that led to the
formulation of alternatives and framed
the scope of analysis in the Draft RMP/
EIS. In the winter and spring of 2016,
the BLM solicited additional public
comments on recreation management in
the monument. During this time, the
BLM held four workshops at which
members of the public used large-scale
maps of monument locations to provide
information on recreational uses the
public would like to see facilitated,
limited, or prohibited. The BLM used
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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Jkt 247001
these comments to develop recreation
management area frameworks and
alternatives for an implementation-level
travel and transportation plan.
Presidential Proclamation 8947
required that the BLM ‘‘establish an
advisory committee under the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.)
to provide information and advice
regarding the development [of an
RMP].’’ The Monument Advisory
Committee is composed of twelve
members representing a variety of
interests. The Secretary of the Interior
appoints committee members for twoyear terms. The BLM met with the San
Juan Islands National Monument
Advisory Committee 11 times during
the development of the Draft RMP/EIS.
Major issues considered in the Draft
RMP/EIS include the protection and
restoration of the ecological and cultural
resources identified in Presidential
Proclamation 8947, as well as the
management of recreation,
transportation, visual resources, and
wilderness characteristics. The
document describes the direct, indirect,
and cumulative environmental impacts
of a range of alternatives to address
these issues.
The Draft RMP/EIS evaluates four
action alternatives (Alternatives A, B, C,
and D) along with one sub-alternative
and the No Action Alternative. The
BLM identified Alternative B as the
preferred alternative. The BLM is
required by regulation (43 CFR 1610) to
identify a preferred alternative in the
Draft RMP/EIS. It is simply the BLM’s
starting point for gaining public
feedback to use in developing the
Proposed RMP. The preferred
alternative does not represent the final
agency direction. In developing a
Proposed RMP/Final EIS, the BLM will
consider making modifications to the
preferred alternative in response to
public comments; advice from
consulting tribes, cooperating agencies,
and the Monument Advisory
Committee; and BLM priorities. The
Proposed RMP may be a modification of
the design of Alternative B, a
modification of the design of a different
alternative analyzed in the Draft RMP/
EIS, a new alternative developed from
within the spectrum of alternatives
analyzed in the Draft RMP/EIS, or an
alternative analyzed in the Draft RMP/
EIS as written.
Under the No Action Alternative, the
BLM would continue to manage the
monument using a custodial approach
with no RMP. There would continue to
be no plan-level objectives, direction, or
allocations, except for the limited
decisions made in the 1990 decision
record creating the Iceberg Point and
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50403
Point Colville Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern (described
below). Custodial management of the
monument would continue to focus on
meeting legal and policy mandates and
preventing unnecessary and undue
degradation. The BLM would make
decisions about taking management
actions on a case-by-case basis after
completing the appropriate level of
National Environmental Policy Act
analysis and ensuring that actions are
consistent with Proclamation 8947 and
the FLPMA.
Alternative A would undertake a
generally passive approach to vegetation
management and would prohibit
recreation while facilitating scientific,
educational, cultural, and spiritual uses
of the monument. Under both
alternatives B and C, the BLM would
pursue ambitious vegetation restoration
objectives. Under Alternative B,
recreational opportunities would
include hiking, hunting, designated site
and dispersed camping, and
opportunities for pursuing solitude and
quiet, which would be provided by
expanding the existing trail network,
requiring permits to access 167 acres of
the monument, and providing dispersed
camping by permit. Under Alternative
C, recreational opportunities would
include hiking, equestrian use, and
designated site camping; portions of the
monument would be closed to the
discharge of firearms except for half of
the firearm-based hunting season. SubAlternative C is identical to Alternative
C, except the BLM would not allow the
use of chemical treatments and would
close the monument to the discharge of
firearms. Under Alternative D, the BLM
would maintain the current extent and
condition of plant communities;
recreational opportunities would
include hunting and increased camping
and hiking, biking, and equestrian use
on an expanded trail network. The BLM
is undertaking concurrent
implementation-level travel and
transportation planning.
There has been no recent history of
uses such as grazing, logging, or mining
within the monument. The
proclamation designating the monument
withdrew it from entry, location,
selection, sale, leasing, or other
disposition under public land and
mining laws other than by exchange that
furthers the protective purposes of the
proclamation. Except for emergencies,
Federal law enforcement use, or
authorized administrative purposes, the
proclamation also restricts motorized
vehicle use to designated roads and
mechanized vehicle use (e.g., bicycle
use) to designated roads and trails.
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daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
50404
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 194 / Friday, October 5, 2018 / Notices
Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.7–2(b), this
notice announces a concurrent public
comment period on the areas of critical
environmental concern (ACEC). The
1990 Iceberg Point and Point Colville
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern
Decision Record designated the BLMadministered lands at Iceberg Point and
Point Colville as ACECs. These ACECs
were later extended to Watmough Bay
and Chadwick Hill after the BLM’s
acquisition of these areas and now
apply to approximately 500 acres of
land included in the monument. The
1990 decision record and the 1988 draft
planning analysis for these ACECs
generally discuss protecting the areas’
‘‘natural values’’ but do not identify
specific relevant and important values.
These decisions prohibit fires, trail
construction, overnight camping, fuel
woodcutting and commercial timber
sales, certain types of rights-of-way, and
livestock grazing. They also require
members of the public to obtain permits
for any collection of vegetation and for
organized groups of 10 or more.
The BLM technical specialists on the
planning team considered whether the
monument encompasses values that
meet the relevance and importance
criteria described in the BLM’s ACEC
Manual. They determined that the
whole of the monument contains
historic and cultural, fish and wildlife,
and scenic values that meet the
relevance and importance criteria for an
ACEC. The planning team also
determined that the alternatives
considered in the Draft RMP, which
meet the purpose and need of protecting
the objects for which the monument was
designated, would protect these relevant
and important values. Since the values
do not require special management to
protect them from the potential effects
of actions permitted by the alternatives,
the action alternatives do not include
ACECs.
The public is encouraged to comment
on any and all portions of the
document. The BLM asks that those
submitting comments make them as
specific as possible with reference to
chapters, page numbers, and line
numbers in the Draft RMP/EIS.
Following the public comment period,
the BLM will prepare the Proposed RMP
and Final EIS. The BLM will respond to
substantive comments by making
appropriate revisions to the document
or by explaining why a comment did
not warrant a change. Comments that
contain only opinions or preferences
will not receive a formal response;
however, they will be considered and
included as part of the BLM’s decisionmaking process.
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Jkt 247001
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 BLM Lopez
Island Office (37 Washburn Place, Lopez
Island, WA 98261) during regular
business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.),
Monday through Friday, except
holidays.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personally identifiable information in
your comment, you should be aware
that your entire comment—including
your personally identifiable
information—may be made publicly
available at any time. While you can ask
the BLM in your comment to withhold
your personally identifiable 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.
Jamie E. Connell,
State Director, Oregon/Washington, Bureau
of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2018–21629 Filed 10–4–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–33–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVS00000.L54400000.RB0000.
LVCLF1705370 N–94491; 11–08807;
MO#4500125057; TAS: 17X]
Notice of Realty Action: Direct Sale of
Public Land to the City of Henderson,
NV
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of realty action.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) is proposing a noncompetitive (direct) sale of 10 acres of
public land to the City of Henderson,
Nevada, pursuant to the Southern
Nevada Public Land Management Act of
1998 (SNPLMA), as amended, and
applicable provisions of the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of
1976 (FLPMA) and BLM land sale
regulations. This parcel was nominated
by the local government for future
development of homes and businesses
for the expansion of growing
communities in the City of Henderson.
DATES: Interested parties may submit
written comments regarding this direct
sale until November 19, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to
the BLM Las Vegas Field Office,
Assistant Field Manager, 4701 North
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
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Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV
89130.
Joe
Fields, Realty Specialist, BLM Las Vegas
Field Office at telephone: 702–515–
5194, email: jfields@blm.gov. Persons
who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Relay Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339
to contact the above individual during
normal business hours. The FRS 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
This
property is located near a strategic
location in the City of Henderson and
the local government has an interest in
ensuring the property is ultimately
developed. The appraised fair market
value for the sale parcel is $4,120,000.
The parcel is located in the City of
Henderson on the corner of St. Rose
Parkway and Bowes Avenue and is
legally described as: Mount Diablo
Meridian, Nevada T. 23 S., R. 61 E., sec.
9, NE1⁄4NW1⁄4NW1⁄4. The area described
contains 10.00 acres.
This sale is in conformance with the
BLM Las Vegas Resource Management
Plan decisions LD–1 and LD–2,
approved on October 5, 1998. The Las
Vegas Valley Disposal Boundary
Environmental Impact Statement and
Record of Decision issued on December
23, 2004, analyzed the sale parcel. A
parcel-specific Determination of
National Environmental Policy Act
Adequacy (DNA) document numbered
DOI–BLM–NV–S010–2017–0034–DNA
was prepared in conjunction with this
Notice of Realty Action. This sale is
consistent with Section 203 of FLPMA,
and meets the following disposal
criteria: ‘‘such tract because of its
location or other characteristics is
difficult and uneconomic to manage as
part of the public lands, and is not
suitable for management by another
Federal department or agency.’’ The
subject parcel of land is located in a
heavily developed residential and
commercial area. These lands are not
needed for Federal purposes and the
United States has no present interest in
the property.
The land also meets the criteria for
direct sale under FLPMA, Section
203(a)(3) and 43 CFR 2711.3–3(a),
which states ‘‘Direct sales (without
competition) may be utilized, when in
the opinion of the authorized officer, a
competitive sale is not appropriate and
the public interest would best be served
by a direct sale.’’ The parcel will be
offered through direct sale procedures
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 194 (Friday, October 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50402-50404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-21629]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLOR932000.L16100000. DP0000.LXSSH0930000.18X.HAG 18-0143]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement for the San Juan Islands National
Monument, Washington
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the San Juan Islands National Monument, and,
by this notice, is announcing the opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft RMP and Draft EIS within 90 days
following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its
Notice of Availability of the Draft RMP and 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 San Juan Islands
National Monument Draft RMP and Draft EIS by any of the following
methods:
Website: https://go.usa.gov/xRphc.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 509-536-1275.
Mail: San Juan Islands National Monument Comments, Lopez
Island BLM Office, PO Box 3, Lopez, WA 98261.
Copies of the San Juan Islands National Monument Draft RMP and
Draft EIS are available at the BLM Lopez Island Office (37 Washburn
Place, Lopez Island, WA 98261), the BLM Spokane District Office (1103 N
Fancher Rd, Spokane Valley, WA 99212), and the BLM Oregon/Washington
State Office (1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97204). The document is
also available on the following website: https://go.usa.gov/xRphc.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lauren Pidot, Planner, 503-808-6297;
Lopez Island BLM Office, PO Box 3, Lopez, WA 98261; [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 the above
individual during normal business hours. FRS is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or a question with the above
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM has prepared the San Juan Islands
National Monument Draft RMP/EIS to evaluate potential management
strategies for the San Juan Islands
[[Page 50403]]
National Monument. Presidential Proclamation 8947 designated the
monument on March 25, 2013. The lands included in the monument are not
now, and have never been, covered by an RMP. The BLM currently
administers these lands using a custodial management approach focused
on meeting legal mandates.
The decision area for this planning process comprises the
approximately 1,021 acres of public land that compose the monument. The
decision area does not include private lands or local, State, or non-
BLM-administered Federal public lands, with the exception of
approximately 179 acres of land currently withdrawn to the U.S. Coast
Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard is in the process of relinquishing these
acres. The BLM anticipates that acres relinquished by the U.S. Coast
Guard will come under BLM administration prior to the publication of
the record of decision for this planning process. In the event that the
relinquishment process is not complete prior to the publication of the
record of decision, the approved RMP will only go into effect for those
179 acres once they are under BLM administration.
The monument includes headlands, islands, and rocks scattered
across the San Juan Islands. As a whole, the San Juan Islands encompass
private lands and an array of Federal, State, and local public lands.
Non-BLM public lands include the San Juan Island National Historical
Park, the San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge (a portion of which
is designated as the San Juan Wilderness), and a variety of State and
county parks.
The BLM prepared the Draft RMP/EIS with input from 13 cooperating
agencies, 12 consulting tribes, the Monument Advisory Committee, and
the public. The formal public scoping process began on March 2, 2015,
when the Federal Register published the Notice of Intent to prepare the
RMP/EIS (80 FR 11220). During the scoping period, the BLM held five
open house meetings attended by more than 90 members of the public. The
BLM used scoping comments to help identify planning issues that led to
the formulation of alternatives and framed the scope of analysis in the
Draft RMP/EIS. In the winter and spring of 2016, the BLM solicited
additional public comments on recreation management in the monument.
During this time, the BLM held four workshops at which members of the
public used large-scale maps of monument locations to provide
information on recreational uses the public would like to see
facilitated, limited, or prohibited. The BLM used these comments to
develop recreation management area frameworks and alternatives for an
implementation-level travel and transportation plan.
Presidential Proclamation 8947 required that the BLM ``establish an
advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C.
App.) to provide information and advice regarding the development [of
an RMP].'' The Monument Advisory Committee is composed of twelve
members representing a variety of interests. The Secretary of the
Interior appoints committee members for two-year terms. The BLM met
with the San Juan Islands National Monument Advisory Committee 11 times
during the development of the Draft RMP/EIS.
Major issues considered in the Draft RMP/EIS include the protection
and restoration of the ecological and cultural resources identified in
Presidential Proclamation 8947, as well as the management of
recreation, transportation, visual resources, and wilderness
characteristics. The document describes the direct, indirect, and
cumulative environmental impacts of a range of alternatives to address
these issues.
The Draft RMP/EIS evaluates four action alternatives (Alternatives
A, B, C, and D) along with one sub-alternative and the No Action
Alternative. The BLM identified Alternative B as the preferred
alternative. The BLM is required by regulation (43 CFR 1610) to
identify a preferred alternative in the Draft RMP/EIS. It is simply the
BLM's starting point for gaining public feedback to use in developing
the Proposed RMP. The preferred alternative does not represent the
final agency direction. In developing a Proposed RMP/Final EIS, the BLM
will consider making modifications to the preferred alternative in
response to public comments; advice from consulting tribes, cooperating
agencies, and the Monument Advisory Committee; and BLM priorities. The
Proposed RMP may be a modification of the design of Alternative B, a
modification of the design of a different alternative analyzed in the
Draft RMP/EIS, a new alternative developed from within the spectrum of
alternatives analyzed in the Draft RMP/EIS, or an alternative analyzed
in the Draft RMP/EIS as written.
Under the No Action Alternative, the BLM would continue to manage
the monument using a custodial approach with no RMP. There would
continue to be no plan-level objectives, direction, or allocations,
except for the limited decisions made in the 1990 decision record
creating the Iceberg Point and Point Colville Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern (described below). Custodial management of the
monument would continue to focus on meeting legal and policy mandates
and preventing unnecessary and undue degradation. The BLM would make
decisions about taking management actions on a case-by-case basis after
completing the appropriate level of National Environmental Policy Act
analysis and ensuring that actions are consistent with Proclamation
8947 and the FLPMA.
Alternative A would undertake a generally passive approach to
vegetation management and would prohibit recreation while facilitating
scientific, educational, cultural, and spiritual uses of the monument.
Under both alternatives B and C, the BLM would pursue ambitious
vegetation restoration objectives. Under Alternative B, recreational
opportunities would include hiking, hunting, designated site and
dispersed camping, and opportunities for pursuing solitude and quiet,
which would be provided by expanding the existing trail network,
requiring permits to access 167 acres of the monument, and providing
dispersed camping by permit. Under Alternative C, recreational
opportunities would include hiking, equestrian use, and designated site
camping; portions of the monument would be closed to the discharge of
firearms except for half of the firearm-based hunting season. Sub-
Alternative C is identical to Alternative C, except the BLM would not
allow the use of chemical treatments and would close the monument to
the discharge of firearms. Under Alternative D, the BLM would maintain
the current extent and condition of plant communities; recreational
opportunities would include hunting and increased camping and hiking,
biking, and equestrian use on an expanded trail network. The BLM is
undertaking concurrent implementation-level travel and transportation
planning.
There has been no recent history of uses such as grazing, logging,
or mining within the monument. The proclamation designating the
monument withdrew it from entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or
other disposition under public land and mining laws other than by
exchange that furthers the protective purposes of the proclamation.
Except for emergencies, Federal law enforcement use, or authorized
administrative purposes, the proclamation also restricts motorized
vehicle use to designated roads and mechanized vehicle use (e.g.,
bicycle use) to designated roads and trails.
[[Page 50404]]
Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.7-2(b), this notice announces a concurrent
public comment period on the areas of critical environmental concern
(ACEC). The 1990 Iceberg Point and Point Colville Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern Decision Record designated the BLM-administered
lands at Iceberg Point and Point Colville as ACECs. These ACECs were
later extended to Watmough Bay and Chadwick Hill after the BLM's
acquisition of these areas and now apply to approximately 500 acres of
land included in the monument. The 1990 decision record and the 1988
draft planning analysis for these ACECs generally discuss protecting
the areas' ``natural values'' but do not identify specific relevant and
important values. These decisions prohibit fires, trail construction,
overnight camping, fuel woodcutting and commercial timber sales,
certain types of rights-of-way, and livestock grazing. They also
require members of the public to obtain permits for any collection of
vegetation and for organized groups of 10 or more.
The BLM technical specialists on the planning team considered
whether the monument encompasses values that meet the relevance and
importance criteria described in the BLM's ACEC Manual. They determined
that the whole of the monument contains historic and cultural, fish and
wildlife, and scenic values that meet the relevance and importance
criteria for an ACEC. The planning team also determined that the
alternatives considered in the Draft RMP, which meet the purpose and
need of protecting the objects for which the monument was designated,
would protect these relevant and important values. Since the values do
not require special management to protect them from the potential
effects of actions permitted by the alternatives, the action
alternatives do not include ACECs.
The public is encouraged to comment on any and all portions of the
document. The BLM asks that those submitting comments make them as
specific as possible with reference to chapters, page numbers, and line
numbers in the Draft RMP/EIS. Following the public comment period, the
BLM will prepare the Proposed RMP and Final EIS. The BLM will respond
to substantive comments by making appropriate revisions to the document
or by explaining why a comment did not warrant a change. Comments that
contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal
response; however, they will be considered and included as part of the
BLM's decision-making process.
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 BLM Lopez Island Office (37 Washburn Place, Lopez Island, WA 98261)
during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday through
Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personally identifiable information in your comment, you should
be aware that your entire comment--including your personally
identifiable information--may be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask the BLM in your comment to withhold your personally
identifiable 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.
Jamie E. Connell,
State Director, Oregon/Washington, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2018-21629 Filed 10-4-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P
