Notice of Availability of the Farmington Mancos-Gallup Resource Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement, New Mexico, 12012-12014 [2020-04111]
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12012
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 40 / Friday, February 28, 2020 / Notices
T. 2 S., R. 85 W.,
Sec. 6.
Containing 191 acres.
Aggregating 881 acres.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Lands Outside the Former Clarence Rhode
National Wildlife Range (Public Land Order
No. 2213), Now Known as the Yukon Delta
National Wildlife Refuge
Surface estate to be conveyed to Kugkaktlik
Limited; Subsurface estate to be conveyed to
Calista Corporation.
Seward Meridian, Alaska
T. 1 S., R. 84 W.,
Sec. 22.
Containing 0.94 acres.
T. 1 S., R. 85 W.,
Secs. 31, 32, and 33.
Containing 1,083 acres.
T. 2 S., R. 85 W.,
Secs. 5 and 6.
Containing 916 acres.
Aggregating 2,000 acres.
Aggregating a total of 2,881 acres.
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Notice of Availability of the Farmington
Mancos-Gallup Resource Plan
Amendment and Draft Environmental
Impact Statement, New Mexico
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior; and Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
In compliance 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)
Farmington Field Office, Farmington,
New Mexico, and Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA) Navajo Regional Office,
Gallup, New Mexico, have prepared a
Draft Resource Management Plan
Amendment (RMPA) and associated
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
This notice announces a 90-day public
review period of the Draft RMPA/EIS,
and that the BLM and BIA will hold
public meetings to solicit comments.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM and BIA must
receive written comments on the Draft
RMPA/EIS within May 28, 2020 that the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its Notice of Availability for
the Draft RMPA/EIS in the Federal
Register. All information on the public
comment period, including how to
submit comments and when they are
due, will be included on the project
website as information is made
available. The BLM and BIA will
announce future public meetings,
hearings, or other public participation
activities at least 15 days in advance
through public notices, media releases,
and/or direct mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
related to the Draft RMPA/EIS through
the following methods:
Project website: https://go.usa.gov/
xdrjD;
Email: blm_nm_ffo_rmp@blm.gov;
Fax: 505–564–7608, Attn.: Jillian
Aragon, Project Manager; or
Mail: Bureau of Land Management,
Farmington Field Office, Attn.: Project
Manager, 6251 College Blvd., Suite A,
Farmington, New Mexico 87402; or BIA
Navajo Regional Office, Attn.: Robert
Begay, P.O. Box 1060, Gallup, New
Mexico 87301.
SUMMARY:
The decision addresses public access
easements, if any, to be reserved to the
United States pursuant to Sec. 17(b) of
ANCSA (43 U.S.C. 1616(b)), in the lands
described above.
The BLM will publish notice of the
decision once a week for four
consecutive weeks in The Delta
Discovery newspaper.
Any party claiming a property interest
in the lands affected by the decision
may appeal the decision in accordance
with the requirements of 43 CFR part 4
within the following time limits:
1. Unknown parties, parties unable to
be located after reasonable efforts have
been expended to locate, parties who
fail or refuse to sign their return receipt,
and parties who receive a copy of the
decision by regular mail which is not
certified, return receipt requested, shall
have until March 30, 2020 to file an
appeal.
2. Parties receiving service of the
decision by certified mail shall have 30
days from the date of receipt to file an
appeal.
Parties who do not file an appeal in
accordance with the requirements of 43
CFR part 4 shall be deemed to have
waived their rights. Notices of appeal
transmitted by facsimile will not be
accepted as timely filed.
Judy A. Kelley,
Land Law Examiner, Adjudication Section.
Bureau of Land Management
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Copies of the Draft RMPA/EIS are
available from the BLM and the BIA at
the following addresses: BLM
Farmington Field Office, 6251 College
Blvd., Suite A, Farmington, New Mexico
87402; BIA Navajo Regional Office, 301
West Hill, Gallup, New Mexico 87301;
BIA Eastern Agency Office, 222 Chaco
Blvd., Crownpoint, NM 87313; Pueblo
Pintado Chapter House, Navajo Route 9
HCR 79, Cuba, NM 87013; Ojo Encino
Chapter House, HCR 79, Ojo Encino,
NM 87013; Counselor Chapter House
6828 Highway 44, Counselor, NM
87018; Nageezi Chapter House, 1153
US–550, Nageezi, NM 87037; Lake
Valley Chapter House, 7750 NM 371,
Crownpoint, NM 87313; 536 County
Road 7150, Bloomfield, NM 87413;
Upper Fruitland Chapter House,
Fruitland, NM; San Juan Chapter House,
Lower Waterflow, NM; Hogback Chapter
House, Shiprock, NM; Burnham Chapter
House, Newcomb, NM; White Rock
Chapter House, Crownpoint, NM;
Becenti Chapter House, Crownpoint,
NM; Whitehorse Lake Chapter House,
Cuba, NM; Torreon Chapter House,
Cuba, NM; Navajo Nation Library, Hwy.
264 Loop Road, Window Rock, AZ
86515; Farmington Public Library, 2101
Farmington Ave, Farmington, NM
87401; and BLM New Mexico State
Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe,
New Mexico 87508.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jillian Aragon, BLM Project Manager;
telephone: 505–564–7722; address: 6251
College Blvd., Suite A, Farmington, New
Mexico 87402; or contact Robert Begay,
BIA Project Manager; telephone 505–
863–8515; address P.O. Box 1060;
Gallup, New Mexico 87301; or email
both at: blm_nm_ffo_rmp@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 individuals.
You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
document evaluates alternatives for
updating management of BLM-managed
lands and minerals in the Farmington
Field Office, considering new
technologies for oil and gas extraction.
It also evaluates alternatives and issues
related to the BIA’s authority over
mineral leasing and associated activity
decisions on Navajo Tribal Trust lands
and Navajo Indian allotments (hereafter
referred to as Navajo Trust and Navajo
Indian allotments, respectively). The
Draft RMPA/EIS has been developed in
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 40 / Friday, February 28, 2020 / Notices
order to analyze the impacts of
additional development in what was
previously considered a fully developed
oil and gas play in the San Juan Basin
in northwestern New Mexico. The
Mancos Shale/Gallup Formation was
analyzed in the 2002 Reasonably
Foreseeable Development (RFD)
Scenario and current Farmington Field
Office 2003 RMP/EIS. Subsequent
improvements and innovations in
horizontal drilling technology and
multi-stage hydraulic fracturing have
enhanced the economics of developing
this stratigraphic horizon. With
favorable oil prices, the oil play in the
southern part of the Farmington Field
Office boundary has drawn considerable
interest. As full-field development
occurs, especially in the shale oil play,
additional impacts may occur. This
would require an EIS-level plan
amendment and revision of the RFD
regarding the Mancos Shale/Gallup
Formation. Because the BLM is
preparing an RMP amendment and not
a revision, not all decisions from the
2003 RMP will be revisited. On
February 25, 2014, the BLM released an
initial Notice of Intent to prepare the
RMPA/EIS. In 2016, the BIA became a
co-lead agency. This was because of the
two agencies’ shared concerns and
management responsibilities related to
oil and gas development on Navajo
Tribal trust and Navajo Indian
allotments in the area of the RMPA/EIS.
The BIA has the responsibility to
manage fluid and solid mineral leasing
for Indian mineral owners. The Indian
mineral owners include the Navajo
Nation on Navajo Tribal trust lands and
individual Navajo allottees on Navajo
individual Indian allotments. The
Notice of Intent announcing that the
BIA had joined the project was
published in the Federal Register on
October 21, 2016 (81 FR 72819).
The planning area spans portions of
San Juan, Rio Arriba, McKinley, and
Sandoval counties in New Mexico. It
encompasses approximately 4,189,500
acres of land, including approximately
675,400 acres of Navajo Trust surface,
1,316,200 acres of BLM-managed land,
and 210,100 acres of Navajo Indian
allotments, across 17 Navajo Nation
chapters.
The purpose of the public comment
process is to receive public input on the
Draft RMPA/EIS. The BLM’s
preliminary planning criteria identified
in the February 25, 2014, Federal
Register (79 FR 10548) notice and the
BIA’s preliminary planning criteria
identified in the October 21, 2016,
Federal Register (81 FR 72819) notice
are hereby incorporated by reference.
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The BLM and BIA planning teams
developed four preliminary planning
issues to be addressed in the RMPA,
including oil and gas development;
lands and realty; BLM-managed lands
with wilderness characteristics; and
vegetation. The agencies selected these
issues based on broad concerns or
controversies related to conditions,
trends, needs, and existing and potential
uses of planning area lands. The
agencies also identified issues during a
review of current land management
documents, including the 2003
Farmington RMP, and associated plan
amendments and applicable Navajo
Nation chapter house land use plans.
These planning issues address each
agency’s purpose of and need for the
RMPA/EIS and reflect the range of
decisions to be analyzed in the RMPA/
EIS. Land use planning and NEPA
regulations require the BLM and BIA to
formulate a reasonable range of
alternatives to consider different
management scenarios and different
means of resolving resource or resource
use conflicts. Established planning
criteria, as outline in 43 CFR part 1610,
guide the alternatives development
process. This pursuit provides the BLM,
BIA, and the public with an
understanding of the various ways in
which challenges surrounding resources
and resource uses might be resolved.
This Draft RMPA/EIS offers the BLM
State Director and the BIA Navajo
Regional Director a reasonable range of
alternatives from which to make
informed decisions. Both agencies
developed one no action alternative and
four action alternatives. The action
alternatives for each agency were
designed to accomplish the following:
• Address the four planning issues;
• Fulfill the purpose of and need for
the RMPA/EIS;
• Meet the BLM’s multiple use
mandates of FLPMA (43 U.S.C., Section
1716);
• Achieve the BIA’s mission to
enhance quality of life, promote
economic opportunity, and protect and
improve trust assets.
The range of alternatives for each
agency is as follows:
BLM
(1) BLM No Action Alternative—
Continue 2003 RMP management
direction;
(2) BLM Alternative A—Focus on
managing and enhancing habitats in the
BLM decision area;
(3) BLM Alternative B—Emphasize
the preservation and protection of the
Chacoan and cultural landscapes unique
to northern New Mexico;
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(4) BLM Alternative C—Focus on a
strategy that balances community needs
and development, while enhancing land
health; and
(5) BLM Alternative D—Focus on
maximizing resources that target
economic outcomes, while sustaining
land health.
BIA
(1) BIA No Action Alternative—
Continue current management of leasing
practices;
(2) BIA Alternative A—Focus on
protecting and enhancing natural
environments, while emphasizing the
protection of sensitive wildlife areas
and ecological resources;
(3) BIA Alternative B—Emphasize the
preservation and protection of the
cultural and natural landscapes unique
to northern New Mexico;
(4) BIA Alternative C—Focus on
allowing development to occur in
harmony with the traditional, historical,
socioeconomic, and cultural lifeways of
the planning area; and
(5) BIA Alternative D—Focus on
making the most of resources that target
economic outcomes, while protecting
land health.
The BLM and BIA have provided
extensive opportunities for meaningful
and substantive input and comments
when preparing this Draft RMPA/EIS.
Those invited to participate in the
process include the public, nongovernmental organizations, other
Federal agencies, Tribal members, and
state, local, and Tribal governments.
Public involvement for this Draft
RMPA/EIS has consisted of the
following:
• An initial BLM public scoping
comment period from February 25 to
May 28, 2014;
• A second public scoping period
focused on BIA issues from October 21,
2016, to February 26, 2017;
• Public outreach via bulletins,
newspaper announcements, public
meetings, and the project website;
• Collaboration with Federal, state,
local, and Tribal governments and
cooperating agencies; and
• Public review of and comment on
the Draft RMPA/EIS.
The BLM and BIA are required to
consult Indian Tribes, as applicable, on
a government-to-government basis, in
accordance with Executive Order 13175
and other policies. Tribal and
individual Indian allottee concerns,
including impacts on Indian trust assets
and potential impacts on cultural
resources in the planning area, will
continue to be given due consideration.
Federal, state, and local agencies and
individual Indian allottees, Tribes, and
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 40 / Friday, February 28, 2020 / Notices
other stakeholders that may be
interested in or affected by the proposed
action being evaluated are invited to
participate in the public comment
process. These entities may request, or
be requested by the BIA and BLM, to
participate in the development of the
environmental analysis as cooperating
agencies, if eligible. Additionally, the
BLM and BIA will continue to consult
with the cooperating agencies, as
appropriate.
You may submit comments on the
Draft RMPA/EIS in writing at any public
comment meeting, or by using one of
the methods listed in the ADDRESSES
section above. To be included in the
analysis, all comments must be received
by the date set forth in the DATES section
above and must be submitted using one
of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES
section above. Please include your
name, return address, and the caption
‘‘Draft EIS Comments, Farmington
Mancos-Gallup RMPA/EIS’’ on the first
page of your written comments.
Written comments, including names
and addresses of respondents, will be
available for public review at one of the
addresses listed in the ADDRESSES
section above, during regular business
hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address,
telephone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information
in your comment, be aware that your
entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
You can ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, but we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10,
43 CFR 1610.2
Timothy R. Spisak,
BLM New Mexico State Director.
Bartholomew Stevens,
BIA Navajo Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2020–04111 Filed 2–27–20; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[19XL.LLIDI00000.L71220000.EO0000.
LVTFD1900100.241A.4500134029]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed East Smoky Panel Mine
Project at Smoky Canyon Mine,
Caribou County, ID
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior; Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service (USFS) Caribou-Targhee
National Forest (CTNF), have prepared
a Final Environmental Impact Statement
(Final EIS) for the proposed East Smoky
Panel Mine Project (Project) and by this
notice are announcing its availability.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a final
decision on the proposal for a minimum
of 30 days after the date the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its notice of availability in the
Federal Register. The Final EIS and the
Draft USFS Record of Decision (ROD)
are now available for public review. A
60-day objection period for the Draft
USFS ROD will start when the USFS
publishes a legal notice in the
newspaper of record.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the East Smoky
Panel Mine Project Final EIS are
available for public inspection at the
BLM Pocatello Field Office at 4350
Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID 83204.
Interested persons may also review the
Final EIS on the internet at the
following locations:
• BLM Land Use Planning and NEPA
Register: https://go.usa.gov/xnYTG
• Caribou-Targhee National Forest
Current and Recent Projects: https://
www.fs.usda.gov/projects/ctnf/
landmanagement/projects
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kyle
Free, BLM Pocatello Field Office, 4350
Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID 83204; phone
208–478–6352; email: kfree@blm.gov;
fax 208–478–6376. 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. Free. The FIRS is available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave
a message or question for Mr. Free. You
SUMMARY:
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will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The J.R.
Simplot Company (Simplot) submitted a
proposed lease modification
(enlargement) and Mine and
Reclamation Plan (M&RP) for the East
Smoky Panel leases (IDI–015259, IDI–
26843, and IDI–012890), with the intent
of expanding the current Smoky Canyon
Phosphate Mine in Caribou County,
Idaho.
The BLM, as the Federal lease
administrator, is the lead agency, and
the USFS is the co-lead agency. The
Idaho Department of Environmental
Quality, Idaho Department of Lands,
and Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy
and Mineral Resources are cooperating
agencies.
The NOA for the Draft EIS published
on September 28, 2018, initiating a 90day public comment period. Agencies,
organizations, and interested parties
provided comments on the Draft EIS via
mail, email, and public meetings.
The Final EIS fully addresses issues
identified during scoping and during
public review of the Draft EIS by
analyzing impacts to water resources,
air quality, human health and safety,
socioeconomics, and wildlife. It also
addresses reclamation, financial
assurance, mitigation and monitoring.
The Final EIS evaluates three
alternatives: The Proposed Action, the
Preferred Alternative, and a No Action
Alternative. The agencies identified
Alternative 1 as the Preferred
Alternative because it reduces impacts
to groundwater and other resources.
Under the Preferred Alternative, overall
mining operations, mining sequences,
and other associated ancillary
operations remain the same as described
for the Proposed Action. Use of a
steeper pit wall would reduce the
ultimate pit footprint by approximately
78 acres. This eliminates the need to
mine the highly seleniferous cherty
shale overburden. The reduction of
seleniferous overburden material
eliminates the need for the Proposed
Action’s geologic store-and-release
cover and substitutes a less expensive
and less complex, soil-only cover.
The BLM and USFS will make
separate but coordinated decisions
related to the proposed Project. The
BLM will either approve, approve with
modifications, or deny the M&RP;
recommend whether or not to modify
lease IDI–015259; and decide whether to
grant a modification to the previously
approved B-Panel Mine Plan of the
Smoky Canyon Mine. The BLM will
base its decisions on the Final EIS,
public and agency input, and any
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[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 40 (Friday, February 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12012-12014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04111]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNMF01000.L13100000.PP0000; AANNN04650.A0R9044040.999900.201A21000DD]
Notice of Availability of the Farmington Mancos-Gallup Resource
Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement, New Mexico
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior; and Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance 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)
Farmington Field Office, Farmington, New Mexico, and Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA) Navajo Regional Office, Gallup, New Mexico, have prepared
a Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) and associated
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This notice announces a 90-day
public review period of the Draft RMPA/EIS, and that the BLM and BIA
will hold public meetings to solicit comments.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM and BIA must
receive written comments on the Draft RMPA/EIS within May 28, 2020 that
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of
Availability for the Draft RMPA/EIS in the Federal Register. All
information on the public comment period, including how to submit
comments and when they are due, will be included on the project website
as information is made available. The BLM and BIA will announce future
public meetings, hearings, or other public participation activities at
least 15 days in advance through public notices, media releases, and/or
direct mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Draft RMPA/EIS
through the following methods:
Project website: https://go.usa.gov/xdrjD;
Email: [email protected];
Fax: 505-564-7608, Attn.: Jillian Aragon, Project Manager; or
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Farmington Field Office, Attn.:
Project Manager, 6251 College Blvd., Suite A, Farmington, New Mexico
87402; or BIA Navajo Regional Office, Attn.: Robert Begay, P.O. Box
1060, Gallup, New Mexico 87301.
Copies of the Draft RMPA/EIS are available from the BLM and the BIA
at the following addresses: BLM Farmington Field Office, 6251 College
Blvd., Suite A, Farmington, New Mexico 87402; BIA Navajo Regional
Office, 301 West Hill, Gallup, New Mexico 87301; BIA Eastern Agency
Office, 222 Chaco Blvd., Crownpoint, NM 87313; Pueblo Pintado Chapter
House, Navajo Route 9 HCR 79, Cuba, NM 87013; Ojo Encino Chapter House,
HCR 79, Ojo Encino, NM 87013; Counselor Chapter House 6828 Highway 44,
Counselor, NM 87018; Nageezi Chapter House, 1153 US-550, Nageezi, NM
87037; Lake Valley Chapter House, 7750 NM 371, Crownpoint, NM 87313;
536 County Road 7150, Bloomfield, NM 87413; Upper Fruitland Chapter
House, Fruitland, NM; San Juan Chapter House, Lower Waterflow, NM;
Hogback Chapter House, Shiprock, NM; Burnham Chapter House, Newcomb,
NM; White Rock Chapter House, Crownpoint, NM; Becenti Chapter House,
Crownpoint, NM; Whitehorse Lake Chapter House, Cuba, NM; Torreon
Chapter House, Cuba, NM; Navajo Nation Library, Hwy. 264 Loop Road,
Window Rock, AZ 86515; Farmington Public Library, 2101 Farmington Ave,
Farmington, NM 87401; and BLM New Mexico State Office, 301 Dinosaur
Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jillian Aragon, BLM Project Manager;
telephone: 505-564-7722; address: 6251 College Blvd., Suite A,
Farmington, New Mexico 87402; or contact Robert Begay, BIA Project
Manager; telephone 505-863-8515; address P.O. Box 1060; Gallup, New
Mexico 87301; or email both at: [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 individuals.
You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document evaluates alternatives for
updating management of BLM-managed lands and minerals in the Farmington
Field Office, considering new technologies for oil and gas extraction.
It also evaluates alternatives and issues related to the BIA's
authority over mineral leasing and associated activity decisions on
Navajo Tribal Trust lands and Navajo Indian allotments (hereafter
referred to as Navajo Trust and Navajo Indian allotments,
respectively). The Draft RMPA/EIS has been developed in
[[Page 12013]]
order to analyze the impacts of additional development in what was
previously considered a fully developed oil and gas play in the San
Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico. The Mancos Shale/Gallup
Formation was analyzed in the 2002 Reasonably Foreseeable Development
(RFD) Scenario and current Farmington Field Office 2003 RMP/EIS.
Subsequent improvements and innovations in horizontal drilling
technology and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing have enhanced the
economics of developing this stratigraphic horizon. With favorable oil
prices, the oil play in the southern part of the Farmington Field
Office boundary has drawn considerable interest. As full-field
development occurs, especially in the shale oil play, additional
impacts may occur. This would require an EIS-level plan amendment and
revision of the RFD regarding the Mancos Shale/Gallup Formation.
Because the BLM is preparing an RMP amendment and not a revision, not
all decisions from the 2003 RMP will be revisited. On February 25,
2014, the BLM released an initial Notice of Intent to prepare the RMPA/
EIS. In 2016, the BIA became a co-lead agency. This was because of the
two agencies' shared concerns and management responsibilities related
to oil and gas development on Navajo Tribal trust and Navajo Indian
allotments in the area of the RMPA/EIS.
The BIA has the responsibility to manage fluid and solid mineral
leasing for Indian mineral owners. The Indian mineral owners include
the Navajo Nation on Navajo Tribal trust lands and individual Navajo
allottees on Navajo individual Indian allotments. The Notice of Intent
announcing that the BIA had joined the project was published in the
Federal Register on October 21, 2016 (81 FR 72819).
The planning area spans portions of San Juan, Rio Arriba, McKinley,
and Sandoval counties in New Mexico. It encompasses approximately
4,189,500 acres of land, including approximately 675,400 acres of
Navajo Trust surface, 1,316,200 acres of BLM-managed land, and 210,100
acres of Navajo Indian allotments, across 17 Navajo Nation chapters.
The purpose of the public comment process is to receive public
input on the Draft RMPA/EIS. The BLM's preliminary planning criteria
identified in the February 25, 2014, Federal Register (79 FR 10548)
notice and the BIA's preliminary planning criteria identified in the
October 21, 2016, Federal Register (81 FR 72819) notice are hereby
incorporated by reference.
The BLM and BIA planning teams developed four preliminary planning
issues to be addressed in the RMPA, including oil and gas development;
lands and realty; BLM-managed lands with wilderness characteristics;
and vegetation. The agencies selected these issues based on broad
concerns or controversies related to conditions, trends, needs, and
existing and potential uses of planning area lands. The agencies also
identified issues during a review of current land management documents,
including the 2003 Farmington RMP, and associated plan amendments and
applicable Navajo Nation chapter house land use plans. These planning
issues address each agency's purpose of and need for the RMPA/EIS and
reflect the range of decisions to be analyzed in the RMPA/EIS. Land use
planning and NEPA regulations require the BLM and BIA to formulate a
reasonable range of alternatives to consider different management
scenarios and different means of resolving resource or resource use
conflicts. Established planning criteria, as outline in 43 CFR part
1610, guide the alternatives development process. This pursuit provides
the BLM, BIA, and the public with an understanding of the various ways
in which challenges surrounding resources and resource uses might be
resolved. This Draft RMPA/EIS offers the BLM State Director and the BIA
Navajo Regional Director a reasonable range of alternatives from which
to make informed decisions. Both agencies developed one no action
alternative and four action alternatives. The action alternatives for
each agency were designed to accomplish the following:
Address the four planning issues;
Fulfill the purpose of and need for the RMPA/EIS;
Meet the BLM's multiple use mandates of FLPMA (43 U.S.C.,
Section 1716);
Achieve the BIA's mission to enhance quality of life,
promote economic opportunity, and protect and improve trust assets.
The range of alternatives for each agency is as follows:
BLM
(1) BLM No Action Alternative--Continue 2003 RMP management
direction;
(2) BLM Alternative A--Focus on managing and enhancing habitats in
the BLM decision area;
(3) BLM Alternative B--Emphasize the preservation and protection of
the Chacoan and cultural landscapes unique to northern New Mexico;
(4) BLM Alternative C--Focus on a strategy that balances community
needs and development, while enhancing land health; and
(5) BLM Alternative D--Focus on maximizing resources that target
economic outcomes, while sustaining land health.
BIA
(1) BIA No Action Alternative--Continue current management of
leasing practices;
(2) BIA Alternative A--Focus on protecting and enhancing natural
environments, while emphasizing the protection of sensitive wildlife
areas and ecological resources;
(3) BIA Alternative B--Emphasize the preservation and protection of
the cultural and natural landscapes unique to northern New Mexico;
(4) BIA Alternative C--Focus on allowing development to occur in
harmony with the traditional, historical, socioeconomic, and cultural
lifeways of the planning area; and
(5) BIA Alternative D--Focus on making the most of resources that
target economic outcomes, while protecting land health.
The BLM and BIA have provided extensive opportunities for
meaningful and substantive input and comments when preparing this Draft
RMPA/EIS. Those invited to participate in the process include the
public, non-governmental organizations, other Federal agencies, Tribal
members, and state, local, and Tribal governments.
Public involvement for this Draft RMPA/EIS has consisted of the
following:
An initial BLM public scoping comment period from February
25 to May 28, 2014;
A second public scoping period focused on BIA issues from
October 21, 2016, to February 26, 2017;
Public outreach via bulletins, newspaper announcements,
public meetings, and the project website;
Collaboration with Federal, state, local, and Tribal
governments and cooperating agencies; and
Public review of and comment on the Draft RMPA/EIS.
The BLM and BIA are required to consult Indian Tribes, as
applicable, on a government-to-government basis, in accordance with
Executive Order 13175 and other policies. Tribal and individual Indian
allottee concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and
potential impacts on cultural resources in the planning area, will
continue to be given due consideration.
Federal, state, and local agencies and individual Indian allottees,
Tribes, and
[[Page 12014]]
other stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the
proposed action being evaluated are invited to participate in the
public comment process. These entities may request, or be requested by
the BIA and BLM, to participate in the development of the environmental
analysis as cooperating agencies, if eligible. Additionally, the BLM
and BIA will continue to consult with the cooperating agencies, as
appropriate.
You may submit comments on the Draft RMPA/EIS in writing at any
public comment meeting, or by using one of the methods listed in the
ADDRESSES section above. To be included in the analysis, all comments
must be received by the date set forth in the DATES section above and
must be submitted using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES
section above. Please include your name, return address, and the
caption ``Draft EIS Comments, Farmington Mancos-Gallup RMPA/EIS'' on
the first page of your written comments.
Written comments, including names and addresses of respondents,
will be available for public review at one of the addresses listed in
the ADDRESSES section above, during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that
your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--
may be made publicly available at any time. You can ask us in your
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2
Timothy R. Spisak,
BLM New Mexico State Director.
Bartholomew Stevens,
BIA Navajo Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-04111 Filed 2-27-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P
