Notice of Availability of the Utah Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation, 10184 [2020-03392]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 35 (Friday, February 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 10184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03392]



[[Page 10184]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[20X.LLWO200000. L11700000.PH0000.LXSGPL000000]


Notice of Availability of the Utah Draft Supplemental 
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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared this 
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and by this 
notice is announcing the opening of the comment period. BLM Utah is 
soliciting comments on the Draft Supplemental EIS.

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft Supplemental EIS within 45 days following 
the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes a Notice of 
Availability of the Draft Supplemental 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 Draft 
Supplemental EIS by any of the following methods:
     Website: https://bit.ly/36uazln.
     Mail: BLM Utah State Office, 440 West 200 South, Suite 500 
Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1345.
     Fax: (801) 539-4198.
    Copies of the Utah Draft Supplemental EIS for Greater Sage-Grouse 
Conservation are available at the BLM Utah State Office at the above 
address or online at: https://bit.ly/36uazln.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mellissa Wood, Greater Sage-Grouse 
Plan Implementation Coordinator, telephone (801) 539-4068; address 440 
West 200 South, Suite 500 Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1345; 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 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.

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 State wildlife agencies, Federal agencies, local 
communities, private landowners, and other stakeholders. Since the 
1950s these partners have collaborated to conserve Greater Sage-Grouse 
and its habitats. The U.S. Department of the Interior 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 2019, the BLM Utah State Director signed the Record of Decision 
and Approved Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Resource Plan Amendment (84 FR 
10328), building upon the BLM's commitment to conserve and restore 
Greater Sage-Grouse habitat while improving collaboration and alignment 
with State management strategies for Greater Sage-Grouse. The BLM 
sought to improve management alignment in ways that would increase 
management flexibility, maintain access to public resources, and 
promote conservation outcomes.
    The Draft Supplemental EIS will supplement and clarify the analysis 
relied on in the 2019 BLM Utah Record of Decision with respect to the 
BLM considering a range of reasonable alternatives, taking a ``hard 
look'' at environmental effects, and evaluating cumulative impacts. 
Through the Draft Supplemental EIS, the BLM will also allow for 
additional public comment on the BLM's approach to compensatory 
mitigation and Greater Sage-Grouse habitat conservation.
    The Utah planning area analyzed in this Draft Supplemental EIS 
includes approximately 48,158,700 acres of BLM, National Park Service, 
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of 
Reclamation, U.S. Department of Defense, Tribal, State, and private 
lands in 26 counties: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, 
Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, 
Piute, Rich, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, 
Wayne, and Weber Counties. Also analyzed are the cumulative effects 
across the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' 
management zones and entire Greater Sage-Grouse range. The BLM 
administers approximately 20,367,500 acres of public land within this 
area, providing approximately 4,017,400 acres of Greater Sage-Grouse 
habitat.
    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.

Anita Bilbao,
BLM Utah Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-03392 Filed 2-20-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P