Notice of Availability of the Lewistown Proposed Resource Management Plan and Associated Final Environmental Impact Statement, Montana, 8607-8608 [2020-02881]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 31 (Friday, February 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8607-8608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02881]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLMTL060-L16100000-DQ0000]


Notice of Availability of the Lewistown Proposed Resource 
Management Plan and Associated Final Environmental Impact Statement, 
Montana

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 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
Lewistown and Butte Field Offices have prepared a Proposed Resource 
Management Plan (RMP) with an associated Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for BLM public lands and resources managed by the 
Lewistown Field Office, and a portion of the Butte Field Office in 
northern Lewis and Clark County, Montana, and by this notice are 
announcing the opening of the protest period.

DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed RMP. To ensure that protests will be considered, the BLM must 
receive any protests on the Proposed RMP on or before the 30th day 
following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its 
Notice of Availability of the Final EIS in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Proposed RMP and Final EIS are available at 
the

[[Page 8608]]

Lewistown Field Office, 920 NE Main Street, Lewistown, MT 59457, or may 
be viewed online at: https://go.usa.gov/xUPsP.
    All protests on the Proposed RMP must be in writing and submitted 
by any of the following methods:
    Website: https://go.usa.gov/xUPsP.
    Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
    Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest 
Coordinator, 20 M Street SE, Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Brunkhorst, RMP Project Manager, 
Lewistown Field Office, at telephone: (406) 538-1981, and at the 
mailing address and website listed earlier. 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. Brunkhorst during normal 
business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to 
leave a message or question. You will receive a reply during normal 
business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Lewistown Proposed RMP provides a 
single, comprehensive land use plan that guides management of BLM lands 
on approximately 651,200 acres of BLM-managed public lands and 
1,196,800 acres of Federal mineral estate in central Montana in 
Cascade, Fergus, Judith Basin, Meagher, Petroleum, Pondera, Teton, 
Chouteau, and Lewis and Clark counties. These lands and minerals are 
managed by two BLM offices located in Lewistown and Butte, Montana. The 
RMP will fulfill the needs and obligations set forth by NEPA, FLPMA, 
and BLM management policies. The RMP will reflect the changing needs of 
the planning area over the next several decades, and will replace the 
current Headwaters and Judith RMPs, as amended, that were developed in 
1984 and 1994, respectively.
    The Proposed RMP/Final EIS evaluates four alternatives in detail. 
Alternative A is the No Action Alternative, which is a continuation of 
current management direction in the existing Judith and Headwaters 
RMPs.
    Alternative B emphasizes managing habitats for priority plant, 
wildlife, and fish species while providing modest development of 
resource uses. Alternative B emphasizes hunting, fishing, and other 
recreation through Backcountry Conservation Areas (BCAs) and management 
of lands with wilderness characteristics.
    The agency Proposed Plan alternative is Alternative C with a few 
modifications, including the addition of two BCAs and two Areas of 
Critical Environmental Concerns (ACECs), and adjustments to oil and gas 
stipulations to be consistent with surrounding BLM field offices. 
Alternative C emphasizes resource uses on BLM-administered lands and 
mineral estate targeting social and economic outcomes while protecting 
land health. The Proposed Plan employs fewer special management 
designations for resource-use objectives, but does emphasize wildlife-
dependent recreation through the allocation of two BCAs.
    Alternative D emphasizes resource uses and a variety of management 
prescriptions (e.g., recreation management areas, ACECs, Visual 
Resource Management, etc.) to address the use and conservation of 
natural and cultural resources, while sustaining and enhancing forest 
and range health across the landscape.
    The Lewistown Draft RMP/Draft EIS public comment period began on 
May 17, 2019, and ended on August 15, 2019. The BLM held three public 
open house meetings in Winnett, Lewistown, and Great Falls, Montana, 
during the public comment period on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS. The BLM 
considered and incorporated in the proposed plan, as appropriate, 
comments received from the public, cooperating agencies and internal 
BLM review.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personally identifiable information in your protest, be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personally identifiable 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest 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 and 43 CFR 1610.2)

Theresa M. Hanley,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-02881 Filed 2-13-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P