Notice of Availability of the Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Utah, 63527-63528 [2018-26698]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 236 / Monday, December 10, 2018 / Notices
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10,
43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 1610.5
Duane Spencer,
Acting BLM Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018–26700 Filed 12–7–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWO200000.18X
L11100000.PH0000.LXSGPL000000]
Notice of Availability of the Utah
Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed
Resource Management Plan
Amendment and Final Environmental
Impact Statement, Utah
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976, as
amended, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) has prepared the
Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed
Resource Management Plan (Proposed
RMP) Amendment and Final
Environmental Impact Statement (Final
EIS) for the Utah Greater Sage-Grouse
Sub-Region. By this Notice, the BLM is
announcing the opening of a protest
period concerning the Proposed RMP
Amendment and Final EIS.
DATES: A protest regarding the Proposed
RMP Amendment announced with this
notice must be filed by January 9, 2019.
ADDRESSES: The Proposed RMP
Amendment/Final EIS is available on
the BLM ePlanning project website at
https://go.usa.gov/xP8xc. Click the
Documents and Report link on the left
side of the screen to find the electronic
version of these materials. Hard copies
of the Proposed RMP Amendment and
Final EIS are available for public
inspection at the BLM Utah State Office,
440 West 200 South, Suite 500, Salt
Lake City, UT 84101 or on the project
website listed above.
All protests must be in writing (43
CFR 1610.5–2(a)(1)) and filed with the
BLM Director, either as a hard copy or
electronically via the BLM’s ePlanning
project website listed previously. To
submit a protest electronically, go to the
ePlanning project website and follow
the protest instructions highlighted at
the top of the home page. If submitting
a protest in hard copy, it must be mailed
to one of the following addresses:
U.S. Postal Service Mail: BLM
Director (210), Attention: Protest
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:10 Dec 07, 2018
Jkt 247001
Coordinator, WO–210, P.O. Box 71383,
Washington, DC 20024–1383.
Overnight Delivery: BLM Director
(210), Attention: Protest Coordinator,
WO–210, 20 M Street SE, Room
2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Quincy Bahr, Greater Sage-Grouse RMP
Project Manager; telephone 801–539–
4122; address 440 West 200 South, Suite
500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101; or by
email qfbahr@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 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: The BLM
prepared the Proposed RMP
Amendment and Final EIS to analyze a
range of alternatives that will continue
conserving, enhancing, and restoring
Greater Sage-Grouse and its habitat,
while improving alignment with state
management strategies for Greater SageGrouse. The plan also addresses a legal
vulnerability, which was exposed when
a Federal District Court in Nevada
determined that the BLM had violated
the National Environmental Policy Act
when it finalized the 2015 plans.
The BLM developed the proposed
land use plan amendment in
collaboration with Utah Governor Gary
Herbert, state wildlife managers, and
other concerned organizations and
individuals, largely through the Western
Governors Association’s Sage-Grouse
Task Force. Using its discretion and
authority under the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act, the BLM proposes
amending its land use plans that
address Greater Sage-Grouse
management to improve alignment with
the State of Utah’s plan, in accordance
with the BLM’s multiple use and
sustained yield mission. Under the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act, the BLM is required by law to work
cooperatively with states on land-use
plans and amendments.
This Proposed RMP Amendment/
Final EIS is one of six separate planning
efforts that are being undertaken in
response to the Secretary’s Order (SO)
3353 (Greater Sage-grouse Conservation
and Cooperation with Western States)
and in accordance with SO 3349
(American Energy Independence). The
proposed plans refine the previous
management plan adopted in 2015 and
aims to strike a regulatory balance and
build greater trust among neighboring
interests in Western communities. The
Proposed RMP Amendment and Final
PO 00000
Frm 00062
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
63527
EIS proposes to amend the (RMPs) for
field offices on BLM-administered lands
within BLM Utah boundaries. The
current management decisions for
resources are described in the following
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)
• 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, United States
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, which
is limited to the portions of the planning
area where the decisions from this
process may apply, the BLM
administers approximately 4 million
acres of public land, providing
approximately 3.4 million acres of
Greater Sage-Grouse habitat. Surface
management decisions made as a result
of this Proposed RMP Amendment and
Final EIS will apply only to BLMadministered lands in the decision area.
The formal public scoping process for
the RMP Amendment/EIS began on
October 11, 2017, with publication of a
Notice of Intent in the Federal Register
(82 FR 47248) and ended on December
1, 2017. The BLM Utah held public
scoping meetings on November 14,
2017, in Vernal, Utah; on November 15,
2017, in Cedar City, Utah; and on
November 16, 2017, in Snowville, Utah.
On May 4, 2018, the Notice of
Availability for the Draft RMP
E:\FR\FM\10DEN1.SGM
10DEN1
63528
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 236 / Monday, December 10, 2018 / Notices
Amendment/EIS was published, and the
BLM accepted public comments on the
range of alternatives, effects analysis
and Draft RMP Amendment/EIS for 90
days, ending on August 2, 2018. During
the public comment period public
meetings were held in the following
locations in Utah: June 26, 2018, in
Cedar City, Utah; June 27, 2018 in
Vernal, Utah; and June 28, 208, in
Randolph, Utah.
The Draft RMP Amendment/EIS
focused on the following issues:
Sagebrush focal area designation;
disturbance and density caps;
mitigation; modification of habitat
objectives; changes to fluid mineral
leasing 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; decisions
that require analysis of specific
alternatives during implementation;
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/EIS evaluated two
alternatives in detail, including the NoAction Alternative and one action
alternative, the Management Alignment
Alternative. Comments on the Draft
RMP Amendment/EIS received from the
public and internal BLM review were
considered and incorporated as
appropriate into the Proposed RMP
Amendment and Final EIS. The NoAction Alternative would retain the
management goals, objectives, and
direction specified in the current RMPs,
as amended in 2015, for each field
office. The Management Alignment
Alternative has been identified as the
BLM’s Preferred Alternative.
Identification of this alternative,
however, does not represent final
agency direction.
Instructions for filing a protest with
the Director of the BLM regarding the
Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS
may be found online at https://
www.blm.gov/programs/planning-andnepa/public-participation/filing-a-planprotest 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 or
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:10 Dec 07, 2018
Jkt 247001
submitted electronically through the
BLM ePlanning project website as
described above. Protests submitted
electronically by any means other than
the ePlanning project website protest
section will be invalid unless a protest
is also submitted in hard copy. Protests
submitted by fax will also be invalid
unless also submitted either through
ePlanning project website protest
section or in hard copy.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
protest, please 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 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, 43 CFR 1610.5
Edwin L. Roberson,
BLM Utah State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018–26698 Filed 12–7–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–33–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWO200000.Ll
1100000.PH0000.LXSGPL000000.18X.HAG
18–0089]
Notice of Availability of the Nevada
and Northeastern California Greater
Sage-Grouse Proposed Resource
Management Plan Amendment and
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, (NEPA) and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared the Nevada and Northeastern
California Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed
Resource Management Plan (RMP)
Amendment and Final Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for Greater SageGrouse Conservation for the Nevada and
Northeastern California Greater SageGrouse Sub-Region, and by this notice is
announcing its availability and the
opening of a protest period concerning
the Proposed RMP Amendment and
Final EIS.
DATES: The BLM planning regulations
state that any person who meets the
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00063
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
conditions as described in the
regulations may protest the BLM’s
Proposed RMP Amendment and Final
EIS. A person who meets the conditions
outlined in 43 CFR 1610.5–2 and wishes
to file a protest must do so within 30
days of the date that the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its Notice
of Availability in the Federal Register.
A protest regarding the Proposed RMP
Amendment announced with this notice
must be filed by January 9, 2019.
ADDRESSES: The Proposed RMP
Amendment and Final EIS is available
on the BLM ePlanning project website at
https://goo.gl/uz89cT. Click the
Documents and Report link on the left
side of the screen to find the electronic
version of these materials. Hard copies
of the Proposed RMP Amendment\Final
EIS are available for public inspection at
the BLM Nevada State Office, 1340
Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada
89502, and the BLM California State
Office, 2800 Cottage Way # W1623,
Sacramento, California 95825.
All protests must be in writing (43
CFR 1610.5–2(a)(1)) and filed with the
BLM Director, either as a hard copy or
electronically via the BLM’s ePlanning
project website listed previously. To
submit a protest electronically, go to the
ePlanning project website and follow
the protest instructions highlighted at
the top of the home page.
If submitting a protest in hard copy,
it must be mailed to one of the following
addresses:
U.S. Postal Service Mail: BLM
Director (210), Attention: Protest
Coordinator, WO–210, P.O Box 71383,
Washington, DC 20024–1383.
Overnight Delivery: BLM Director
(210), Attention: Protest Coordinator,
WO–210, 20 M Street SE, Room
2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew Magaletti, Sage-Grouse Lead,
telephone, 775–861–6472; address, 1340
Financial Blvd., Reno, Nevada 89502;
email, mmagalet@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 Mr. Magaletti. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
to leave a message or question with Mr.
Magaletti. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM
prepared the Nevada and Northeastern
California Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed
RMP Amendment and Final EIS to
enhance cooperation with the States by
improving alignment with state
management plans and strategies for
Greater Sage-Grouse, while continuing
to conserve, enhance, and restore
E:\FR\FM\10DEN1.SGM
10DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 236 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63527-63528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26698]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWO200000.18X L11100000.PH0000.LXSGPL000000]
Notice of Availability of the Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed
Resource Management Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact
Statement, Utah
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, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared the
Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed Resource Management Plan (Proposed
RMP) Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) for
the Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Sub-Region. By this Notice, the BLM is
announcing the opening of a protest period concerning the Proposed RMP
Amendment and Final EIS.
DATES: A protest regarding the Proposed RMP Amendment announced with
this notice must be filed by January 9, 2019.
ADDRESSES: The Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS is available on the BLM
ePlanning project website at https://go.usa.gov/xP8xc. Click the
Documents and Report link on the left side of the screen to find the
electronic version of these materials. Hard copies of the Proposed RMP
Amendment and Final EIS are available for public inspection at the BLM
Utah State Office, 440 West 200 South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, UT
84101 or on the project website listed above.
All protests must be in writing (43 CFR 1610.5-2(a)(1)) and filed
with the BLM Director, either as a hard copy or electronically via the
BLM's ePlanning project website listed previously. To submit a protest
electronically, go to the ePlanning project website and follow the
protest instructions highlighted at the top of the home page. If
submitting a protest in hard copy, it must be mailed to one of the
following addresses:
U.S. Postal Service Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest
Coordinator, WO-210, P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest
Coordinator, WO-210, 20 M Street SE, Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Quincy Bahr, Greater Sage-Grouse RMP
Project Manager; 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: The BLM prepared the Proposed RMP Amendment
and Final EIS to analyze a range of alternatives that will continue
conserving, enhancing, and restoring Greater Sage-Grouse and its
habitat, while improving alignment with state management strategies for
Greater Sage-Grouse. The plan also addresses a legal vulnerability,
which was exposed when a Federal District Court in Nevada determined
that the BLM had violated the National Environmental Policy Act when it
finalized the 2015 plans.
The BLM developed the proposed land use plan amendment in
collaboration with Utah Governor Gary Herbert, state wildlife managers,
and other concerned organizations and individuals, largely through the
Western Governors Association's Sage-Grouse Task Force. Using its
discretion and authority under the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act, the BLM proposes amending its land use plans that address Greater
Sage-Grouse management to improve alignment with the State of Utah's
plan, in accordance with the BLM's multiple use and sustained yield
mission. Under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the BLM is
required by law to work cooperatively with states on land-use plans and
amendments.
This Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS is one of six separate
planning efforts that are being undertaken in response to the
Secretary's Order (SO) 3353 (Greater Sage-grouse Conservation and
Cooperation with Western States) and in accordance with SO 3349
(American Energy Independence). The proposed plans refine the previous
management plan adopted in 2015 and aims to strike a regulatory balance
and build greater trust among neighboring interests in Western
communities. The Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS proposes to amend
the (RMPs) for field offices on BLM-administered lands within BLM Utah
boundaries. The current management decisions for resources are
described in the following 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)
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, United States 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, which is limited to the
portions of the planning area where the decisions from this process may
apply, the BLM administers approximately 4 million acres of public
land, providing approximately 3.4 million acres of Greater Sage-Grouse
habitat. Surface management decisions made as a result of this Proposed
RMP Amendment and Final 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 publication of a Notice of Intent in the
Federal Register (82 FR 47248) and ended on December 1, 2017. The BLM
Utah held public scoping meetings on November 14, 2017, in Vernal,
Utah; on November 15, 2017, in Cedar City, Utah; and on November 16,
2017, in Snowville, Utah.
On May 4, 2018, the Notice of Availability for the Draft RMP
[[Page 63528]]
Amendment/EIS was published, and the BLM accepted public comments on
the range of alternatives, effects analysis and Draft RMP Amendment/EIS
for 90 days, ending on August 2, 2018. During the public comment period
public meetings were held in the following locations in Utah: June 26,
2018, in Cedar City, Utah; June 27, 2018 in Vernal, Utah; and June 28,
208, in Randolph, Utah.
The Draft RMP Amendment/EIS focused on the following issues:
Sagebrush focal area designation; disturbance and density caps;
mitigation; modification of habitat objectives; changes to fluid
mineral leasing 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; decisions that
require analysis of specific alternatives during implementation;
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/
EIS evaluated two alternatives in detail, including the No-Action
Alternative and one action alternative, the Management Alignment
Alternative. Comments on the Draft RMP Amendment/EIS received from the
public and internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as
appropriate into the Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS. The No-
Action Alternative would retain the management goals, objectives, and
direction specified in the current RMPs, as amended in 2015, for each
field office. The Management Alignment Alternative has been identified
as the BLM's Preferred Alternative. Identification of this alternative,
however, does not represent final agency direction.
Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM
regarding the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS may be found online at
https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest 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 or submitted electronically through the BLM
ePlanning project website as described above. Protests submitted
electronically by any means other than the ePlanning project website
protest section will be invalid unless a protest is also submitted in
hard copy. Protests submitted by fax will also be invalid unless also
submitted either through ePlanning project website protest section or
in hard copy.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your protest, please 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 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, 43 CFR
1610.5
Edwin L. Roberson,
BLM Utah State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-26698 Filed 12-7-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P
