Notice of Availability of Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment for Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation, Wyoming, 10322-10323 [2019-05292]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10322-10323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05292]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[19X LLWO230 L11100000.PN0000 LXSGPL000000]


Notice of Availability of Record of Decision and Approved 
Resource Management Plan Amendment for Greater Sage-Grouse 
Conservation, Wyoming

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 Resource Management 
Plan (RMP) Amendment for Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation for the 
Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Sub-Region. The State Director signed the 
ROD on March 15, 2019, which constitutes the final decision of the BLM 
and makes the Approved ROD effective immediately.

ADDRESSES: The ROD is available on the BLM ePlanning project website at 
https://goo.gl/FoqAn9. Click the Documents and Reports link on the left 
side of the screen to find the electronic version of these materials. 
Hard copies of the ROD are also available for public inspection at the 
Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY 82009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenny Marzluf, Greater Sage-Grouse 
Implementation Coordinator by telephone, 307-775-6090; at the address 
above; or by email, jmarzluf@blm.gov. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal Relay 
Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Ms. Marzluf. The FRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
with Ms. Marzluf. You will receive a reply during normal business 
hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  The BLM developed the Wyoming Greater Sage-
Grouse Approved RMP Amendment to enhance cooperation with states by 
improving alignment with state management plans and strategies for 
Greater Sage-Grouse while continuing to conserve, enhance, and restore 
the Greater Sage-Grouse and its habitat. The Approved RMP Amendment 
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 (NEPA) when it finalized the 2015 
plans.
    The BLM developed the Approved RMP Amendment in collaboration with 
the Wyoming Governor's Office, 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 (FLPMA), 
the BLM amends land use plans that address Greater Sage-Grouse 
management to improve alignment with State of Wyoming plans and 
management strategies, in accordance with the BLM's multiple use and 
sustained yield mission.
    This Approved RMP Amendment is one of six separate plan amendments 
developed and issued in response to the

[[Page 10323]]

Secretary's Order (S.O.) 3353 (Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation and 
Cooperation with Western States) and in accordance with S.O. 3349 
(American Energy Independence). The amendments refine the previous 
management plan adopted in 2015 to strike a regulatory balance and 
build greater trust among neighboring interests in Western communities.
    The Wyoming Greater-Sage Grouse Approved RMP Amendment specifically 
addresses sagebrush focal areas, mitigation standards, clarification of 
habitat objectives tables, adjustments to habitat boundaries to reflect 
new information, and reversing adaptive management responses when the 
BLM determines that resource conditions no longer warrant those 
responses. The Approved RMP Amendment amends the following RMPs for 
BLM-administered lands in Wyoming:

 Buffalo RMP (2015)
 Casper RMP (2007)
 Cody RMP (2015)
 Kemmerer RMP (2010)
 Lander RMP (2014)
 Newcastle RMP (2000)
 Pinedale RMP (2008)
 Rawlins RMP (2008)
 Green River RMP (1997)
 Worland RMP (2015)

    The planning area includes approximately 60 million acres of BLM, 
National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 
state, local, and private lands located in 20 counties in Wyoming: 
Albany, Bighorn, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Crook, Fremont, Hot 
Springs, Johnson, Lincoln, Natrona, Niobrara, Park, Sheridan, Sublette, 
Sweetwater, Teton, Uinta, Washakie, and Weston. Within the decision 
area, the BLM administers approximately 18 million acres of public 
land, providing approximately 17 million acres of priority and general 
Greater Sage-Grouse habitat. The ROD approves the Agency Preferred 
Alternative identified in the Final EIS. The BLM issued the ROD in 
compliance with relevant laws, regulations, policies, and plans, 
including those guiding agency decisions that may have an impact on 
resources and their values, services, and functions.
    On December 10, 2018, the BLM published the Notice of Availability 
(NOA) for the Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed RMP Amendment/Final 
EIS (83 FR 63525) in the Federal Register. The publication of the NOA 
initiated a 30-day protest period for the proposed land-use-planning 
decision. The protest period was later extended an additional seven 
days to help account for technical issues the public encountered when 
submitting protests during the partial Federal government shutdown in 
January 2019. The NOA publication also initiated a simultaneous 60-day 
review by the Governor of Wyoming to identify and inconsistencies with 
State or local plans, policies, or programs. At the close of the 
protest period, five protests had been received. These protests were 
resolved by the BLM Director; individual protest response letters were 
sent to all protesting parties. Protest resolution is contained in the 
Director's Protest Summary Report, which is available online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports. The proposed RMP Amendment was not modified as a 
result of the protest resolution. The Wyoming Governor's review 
identified the several editorial changes that were accepted by the BLM. 
The BLM clarified that the 2019 Amendment applies to the BLM's 
management for Sage-Grouse over all prior versions. The BLM made sure 
that Management Decision MD SSS-5 is consistent with MD SSS-6. BLM 
updated Appendix A management directions for special status species 
numbers 7 through 10 to be consistent with the State's strategy and the 
process outlined in management direction special status species number 
4. The BLM rearranged the sentences within management direction special 
status species number 12 to place ``measures would be considered at the 
site-specific project level where and when appropriate'' at the end of 
the management action, thereby putting the emphasis on considering new 
information for noise management. The BLM clarified how components in 
Appendix C would be used to sufficiently demonstrate that no undue harm 
to core area populations would be expected as a result of the proposed 
action and would not impact the statewide viability of the species, 
providing references to additional processes used when making that 
determination.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6.

Mary Jo Rugwell,
BLM Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-05292 Filed 3-19-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-84-P