Notice of Intent To Amend the Moab, Price, and Vernal Resource Management Plans and Prepare Environmental Assessments To Comply With the 2019 Dingell Act, 59747-59750 [2021-23464]
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cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Abstract: The General Mining Law (30
U.S.C. 29, 30, and 39) authorizes a
holder of an unpatented claim for
hardrock minerals to apply for fee title
(patent) to the federal land (as well as
minerals) embraced in the claim.
Division G, Title I of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 133),
annual appropriation bill for the
Department of the Interior, has
prevented the BLM from processing
mineral patent applications unless the
applications were grandfathered under
the initial legislation. While
grandfathered applications are rare at
present, the approval to collect the
information continues to be necessary
because of the possibility that the
moratorium will be lifted and applicable
regulations that contain the information
are still part of the Code of Federal
Regulations.
There are no proposed program or
other policy changes requested. The
BLM will be adjusting the non-hour cost
burden from $255,375 to $256,425, an
increase of $1,050. The adjustment
results from updating costs estimates.
OMB control number 1004–0025 is
scheduled to expire on February 28,
2022. This request is for OMB to renew
this OMB control number for an
additional three (3) years.
Title of Collection: Mineral Surveys,
Mineral Patent Applications, Adverse
Claims, Protests, and Contests (43 CFR
parts 3860 and 3870).
OMB Control Number: 1004–0025.
Form Numbers: 3860–2 and 3860–5.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Owners
of unpatented mining claims and mill
sites upon the public lands, and of
reserved mineral lands of the United
States, National Forests, and National
Parks.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Respondents: 1.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 10.
Estimated Completion Time per
Response: Varies from 1–100 hours,
depending on activity.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 559.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Non-hour
Burden Cost: $256,425.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor and, notwithstanding any other
provision of law, a person is not
required to respond to a collection of
information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
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The authority for this action is the
PRA of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Darrin A. King,
Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021–23511 Filed 10–27–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–84–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[212L1109AF.LLUTG00000.L12200000.
DU0000.LXSSJ0730000]
Notice of Intent To Amend the Moab,
Price, and Vernal Resource
Management Plans and Prepare
Environmental Assessments To
Comply With the 2019 Dingell Act
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
intends to prepare up to six
Environmental Assessments (EA) to
amend the Resource Management Plans
(RMP) for the Moab Field Office, Price
Field Office, and Vernal Field Office,
which were approved in 2008. By this
notice, the BLM is announcing the
beginning of the scoping process to
solicit public comments and identify
issues.
DATES: This Notice of Intent (NOI)
initiates the public scoping process for
up to six amendments and associated
EAs affecting three RMPs and 10 Areas
of Critical Environmental Concern
(ACEC). The BLM requests comments
concerning the scope of the analysis,
planning criteria, potential alternatives,
and identification of relevant
information, studies, and analyses. All
comments must be received in writing
by November 29, 2021. The date(s) and
location(s) of any scoping meetings will
be announced at least 15 days in
advance through local media outlets and
the BLM websites at https://go.usa.gov/
xV7yu and https://www.blm.gov/
programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-indevelopment/utah/green-river-dingellact. In order to be included in the
analyses, all comments must be received
prior to the close of the 30-day scoping
period as described above or within 15
days after the last public scoping
meeting, whichever is later. The BLM
may later hold individual project
scoping periods for each of the six
amendments before the publication of
SUMMARY:
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the Draft RMP amendments/EAs for
public comment, to be announced
through the above websites.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be
sent to the BLM Green River District,
170 South 500 East, Vernal, Utah 84078.
Comments may also be sent via email to
blm_ut_vernal_comments@blm.gov or
the ePlanning project specific websites.
Documents pertinent to this project may
be examined during regular business
hours upon request using the email
listed below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information and/or to have your
name added to the mailing list, contact
Amber Koski, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator, BLM Green
River District, 170 South 500 East,
Vernal, Utah 84078; email blm_ut_
vernal_comments@blm.gov; telephone
(435) 781–4465. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS)
at 1–800–877–8339 to leave a message
or question for the above individual.
The FRS is available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Replies are provided
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
action will ensure consistency with
Public Law 116–9, the John D. Dingell,
Jr. Conservation, Management, and
Recreation Act’s (Dingell Act),
designation of Jurassic National
Monument, John Wesley Powell
National Conservation Area, McCoy
Flats Trail System, three Green River
Wild and Recreational River segments,
San Rafael Swell Recreation Area and
14 surrounding Wilderness Area
designations, and release of areas in
Emery County from wilderness study
and three adjacent Wilderness Area
designations.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed
Action
This document provides notice that
the BLM Utah Moab Field Office, Price
Field Office, and Vernal Field Office
plan to prepare up to six amendments
for each field office’s associated RMPs
to ensure compliance with applicable
laws, policies, and regulations. The
Dingell Act requires the BLM to develop
either a comprehensive management
plan (Jurassic National Monument) or a
management plan (John Wesley Powell
National Conservation Area, McCoy
Flats Trail System, and San Rafael Swell
Recreation Area) for the long-term
protection and management of these
areas. Similarly, Public Law 99–590, the
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act Amendment
of 1986 (WSR Act), requires the BLM to
develop a management plan to provide
for protection of the designated river
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values; therefore, an RMP amendment is
being prepared for these designations.
BLM RMPs are land use plans that
establish goals and objectives to guide
future land and resource management
actions implemented by the BLM.
Subsequent site-specific planning will
occur to identify goals and objectives to
develop on the ground management
actions.
The approved RMP amendments will
each contain an appendix that combines
the land use planning decisions for the
approved RMP amendment with any
needed implementation guidance. This
appendix will serve as the management
plan required by the Dingell Act and the
WSR Act. The RMP amendments will
recognize valid existing rights. This
notice also serves as a 30-day public
scoping period for possible modification
of existing ACEC boundaries within
management plan areas for the Jurassic
National Monument, San Rafael Swell
Recreation Area and 14 surrounding
Wilderness Areas, and release of areas
in Emery County from wilderness study
and three adjacent Wilderness Area
designations pursuant to the Dingell
Act. Following are the sections of the
Dingell Act pertaining to the planned
RMP amendments and how they relate
to existing plan decisions:
RMP amendment 1: Section 1252 of
the Dingell Act designates Jurassic
National Monument (JNM) on 850 acres
of public land in Emery County, Utah,
also known as the Cleveland Lloyd
Dinosaur Quarry (CLDQ). The Dingell
Act specifies that the purpose of the
JNM is to ‘‘conserve, interpret, and
enhance for the benefit of present and
future generations the paleontological,
scientific, educational, and recreational
resources of the area subject to valid
existing rights[.]’’ The Price Field Office
RMP currently manages the CLDQ
under several special designations
including a Special Recreation
Management Area (SRMA), a National
Natural Landmark, and the CLDQ
ACEC. The CLDQ represents the densest
collection of bones of Allosaurus
fragilis, a large meat-eating dinosaur,
and special management attention had
been required to protect known and
unknown paleontological resources
located within the existing ACEC. This
RMP amendment will reflect the Dingell
Act’s withdrawal of the Monument from
public land laws, mining laws, mineral
leasing laws, geothermal leasing laws,
and mineral material laws in order to
conserve, protect, and enhance the
resources and values of the Monument.
In addition, the RMP amendment may
consider modifying the boundaries of
the CLDQ ACEC and SRMA, and may
update the Price Field Office RMP goals,
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objectives, and/or management actions
for fire and drought, livestock grazing,
paleontological resources, recreation
resources, transportation, and/or other
resources to ensure consistency with the
purposes of the Dingell Act designation
and BLM policy.
RMP amendment 2: Section 1118 of
the Dingell Act designates the John
Wesley Powell (JWP) National
Conservation Area (NCA) on 29,868
acres of public land in Uintah County,
Utah. The Dingell Act specifies that the
purpose of the JWP NCA is to
‘‘conserve, protect, and enhance for the
benefit of present and future generations
the nationally significant historic,
cultural, natural, scientific, scenic,
recreational, archaeological,
educational, and wildlife resources’’ of
the NCA. The Vernal Field Office RMP
currently describes management of the
JWP NCA as the Diamond Mountain
BLM Natural Area. The JWP NCA lies
within a big game migration corridor,
and current management is focused on
conservation of habitat, wildlife, and
access to backcountry recreation
opportunities. This RMP amendment
will reflect the Dingell Act’s withdrawal
of the NCA from public land laws,
mining laws, mineral leasing laws,
geothermal leasing laws, and mineral
materials laws in order to conserve,
protect, and enhance the resources of
the JWP NCA. In addition, the RMP
amendment may update the Vernal
Field Office RMP goals, objectives, and/
or management actions for abandoned
mine lands, cultural resources, fire and
fuels management, forage, livestock and
grazing management, non-WSA
(Wilderness Study Area) lands with
wilderness characteristics,
paleontological resources, rangeland
improvements, recreation resources (i.e.,
special recreation management areas
and trail maintenance and
development), riparian resources, soil
and water resources, special status
species, travel management (i.e., roads
and trails), vegetation, visual resource
management, wildlife and fisheries,
woodlands and forest resources, and/or
other resources to ensure consistency
with the purposes of the Dingell Act
designation and BLM policy.
RMP amendment 3: Section 1115 of
the Dingell Act designates the McCoy
Flats Trail System (Trail System) on
public land located near Vernal City in
Uintah County, Utah. The Dingell Act
specifies that the purpose for the Trail
System is to provide new non-motorized
mountain bike routes and trail
construction to increase recreational
opportunities within the area. The Trail
System area is currently managed as
public lands open to multiple use under
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the Vernal Field Office RMP, including
but not limited to dispersed camping
and mineral and right-of-way
development. This RMP amendment
will establish a boundary for the trail
system and may update the Vernal Field
Office RMP goals, objectives, and/or
management actions for forage, lands
and realty management, livestock and
grazing management, minerals and
energy resources (i.e., leasable minerals,
locatable minerals, saleable minerals,
and mineral materials), rangeland
improvements, recreation resources (i.e.,
special recreation management areas
and trail maintenance and
development), special status species,
travel management (i.e., roads and
trails), vegetation, visual resource
management, wildlife and fisheries,
and/or other resources to ensure
consistency with the purposes of the
Dingell Act designation and BLM
policy.
RMP amendment 4: Section 1241 of
the Dingell Act designates a 63-mile
segment of the Green River, through
Emery County, Utah, as a Wild and
Scenic River. The Dingell Act specifies
that the purpose of the Green River Wild
and Scenic River is to manage the 5.3mile segment from the boundary of the
Uintah and Ouray Reservation south to
the Nefertiti boat ramp as a wild river;
the 8.5-mile segment from the Nefertiti
boat ramp south to the Swasey’s boat
ramp as a recreational river; and the
49.2-mile segment from Bull Bottom,
south to the county line between Emery
and Wayne Counties, as a scenic river.
The Moab Field Office and Price Field
Office RMPs currently describe
management of the area as suitable for
wild, recreational, and scenic river
management. This RMP amendment
will reflect the Wild and Scenic River
Act’s withdrawal of the designated
segments from public land laws, mining
laws, mineral leasing laws, geothermal
leasing laws, and mineral material laws
in order to provide for the protection of
the river values. In addition, the RMP
amendment will establish the final
boundary for the river segments, and
may update the Moab Field Office and
Price Field Office RMP goals, objectives,
and/or management actions for soil,
water, riparian, vegetation, cultural
resources, paleontological resources,
visual resources management, special
status species, fish and wildlife, fuels
management, fire and drought, livestock
grazing, recreation and off-highway
vehicles, special designations (i.e.,
WSAs and wild and scenic rivers),
transportation, and/or other resources to
ensure consistency with the purposes of
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the Dingell Act designation and BLM
policy.
RMP amendment 5: Sections 1221
and 1222 of the Dingell Act designate
the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area
(Recreation Area), a unit encompassing
approximately 217,000 acres of public
land in Emery County, Utah. The
Dingell Act specifies that the purpose
for the Recreation Area is ‘‘to provide
for the protection, conservation, and
enhancement of the recreational,
cultural, natural, scenic, wildlife,
ecological, historical, and educational
resource values’’ of the location. The
Dingell Act Section 1231 designated the
following Wilderness Areas surrounding
the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area:
Big Wild Horse Mesa, Cold Wash,
Devil’s Canyon, Eagle Canyon, Horse
Valley, Little Ocean Draw, Little Wild
Horse Canyon, Lower Last Chance,
Mexican Mountain, Middle Wild Horse
Mesa, Muddy Creek, Red’s Canyon, San
Rafael Reef, and Sid’s Mountain. Under
the Price Field Office RMP, the
Recreation Area and surrounding
Wilderness Areas currently include
several special designations including
eight ACECs (listed below) and the San
Rafael SRMA. The Recreation Area also
includes public land open to multiple
use, including but not limited to
dispersed camping and mineral and
right-of-way development. This RMP
amendment will reflect the Dingell Act’s
withdrawal of the Recreation Area and
Wilderness Areas from public land
laws, mining laws, mineral leasing laws,
geothermal leasing laws, and mineral
material laws for the protection of the
wilderness character of the land. In
addition, the RMP amendment may
consider modifying or removing the
boundaries of the San Rafael SRMA and
the following ACECs: Uranium Mining
Districts (Hidden Splendor, Lucky
Strike, and Little Susan Mine), Heritage
Sites (Copper Globe, Hunt Cabin, Smith
Cabin, Shepherd’s End, Swasey’s Cabin,
and Temple Mountain), Rock Art Sites
(Cottonwood Canyon, Pictographs, and
Wild Horse), Seger’s Hole, San Rafael
Reef, I–70 Scenic Corridor, San Rafael
Canyon, and Muddy Creek. Finally, the
RMP amendment may update the Price
Field Office RMP goals, objectives, and/
or management actions for soil, water,
riparian, vegetation, cultural resources,
paleontological resources, visual
resources management, special status
species, fish and wildlife, fuels
management, fire and drought, forestry
and woodland products, livestock
grazing, non-WSA lands with
wilderness characteristics, recreation
and off-highway vehicles, special
designations (i.e., WSAs and national
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trails and backways), transportation,
and/or other resources to ensure
consistency with the purposes of the
Dingell Act designations, the Dingell
Act WSA release, and BLM policy. For
the released WSAs outside of the
Recreation Area and the Wilderness
Areas, the RMP amendment may also
update the Price Field Office RMP goals,
objectives, and/or management actions
for lands and realty, mineral and energy
resources, locatable minerals, saleable
minerals, and mineral materials.
RMP amendment 6: Section 1231 of
the Dingell Act designated the following
Wilderness Areas adjacent to the Green
River: Desolation Canyon, Labyrinth
Canyon, and Turtle Canyon. Section
1234 releases 4,400 acres of existing
wilderness study areas near the Turtle
Canyon Wilderness, and releases 2,200
acres of existing wilderness study areas
near Desolation Canyon. This RMP
amendment will reflect the Dingell Act’s
withdrawal of the Wilderness Areas
from public land laws, mining laws,
mineral leasing laws, geothermal leasing
laws, and mineral material laws for the
protection of the wilderness character of
the land. The Price Field Office RMP
currently manages the area as WSA and
the Bowknot ACEC. The RMP
amendment may update the Price Field
Office RMP goals, objectives, and/or
management actions for soil, water,
riparian, vegetation, cultural resources,
paleontological resources, visual
resources management, special status
species, fish and wildlife, fuels
management, fire and drought, forestry
and woodland products, livestock
grazing, non-WSA lands with
wilderness characteristics, recreation
and off- highway vehicles, special
designations (i.e., WSAs and national
trails and backways), transportation,
and/or other resources, and may
consider modifying or removing the
Bowknot ACEC to ensure consistency
with the purposes of the Dingell Act
designations, the Dingell Act WSA
release, and BLM policy. For the
released WSAs, the RMP amendment
may also update the Price Field Office
RMP goals, objectives, and/or
management actions for lands and
realty, mineral and energy resources,
locatable minerals, saleable minerals,
and mineral materials.
Preliminary Proposed Actions and
Alternatives
No Action Alternative
Under the No Action Alternative,
management of the designated areas
would continue to follow the decisions
of the existing Moab Field Office, Price
Field Office, and Vernal Field Office
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59749
RMPs. Under this alternative, the
outcomes for the designations in the
Dingell Act would likely not be
achieved.
Proposed Action
The BLM will review current RMP
outcomes and modify goals and
objectives to meet outcomes described
in the Dingell Act. The BLM will
develop legal descriptions and
refinements as needed to boundaries
established by the Dingell Act and
modify or remove any unnecessary land
use designations established under the
current RMPs. The BLM will modify,
add, or remove current RMP allowable
uses to meet the outcomes described in
the Dingell Act and reduce resource
conflicts. The BLM will modify or
remove current RMP management
actions and develop new actions to meet
the outcomes described in the Dingell
Act.
Summary of Expected Impacts
The BLM will develop a list of
specific issues for which an
interdisciplinary team will analyze the
impacts of each RMP amendment.
Generally, issues will focus on the
difference between the Dingell Act’s
designations, including desired
outcomes and existing or absent RMP
direction. These differences will likely
center around recreation use, visual
resource management, motorized and
non-motorized travel, mineral
development, etc. Specific issues will be
discussed during public involvement for
each amendment.
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
No permits or authorizations are
anticipated to be required under any
alternative.
Schedule for the Decision-Making
Process
This NOI announces a public scoping
period for all six RMP amendments and
the need for potential changes to
existing ACECs to conform with the
Dingell Act. The BLM may also hold
future individual project scoping
periods before the publication of Draft
RMP amendments/EAs for public
comment.
Public Scoping Process
This NOI initiates the public scoping
process which guides development of
the RMP amendments and EAs. The
BLM requests that the public submit
electronically or in writing any
information, alternatives, or concerns
relevant to one or more of the RMP
amendments that the BLM should
consider during the planning process.
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Comments may be submitted in writing
to the BLM at any public scoping
meeting, or they may be submitted to
the BLM using one of the methods listed
in the ADDRESSES section above.
Interested parties may submit comments
by the close of the 30-day scoping
period or within 15 days after the last
public meeting, whichever is later. The
BLM will use the NEPA scoping process
to fulfill the public involvement process
under section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C.
306108) as provided in 36 CFR
800.2(d)(3) and the public involvement
requirements of the Dingell Act. The
date(s) and location(s) for any public
scoping meetings will be announced at
least 15 days in advance though local
media outlets, and on the BLM’s project
website(s) at https://go.usa.gov/xV7yu
and https://www.blm.gov/programs/
planning-and-nepa/plans-indevelopment/utah/green-river-dingellact.
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.
The BLM will consult with American
Indian Tribes on a government-togovernment basis in accordance with
Executive Order 13175 and other
policies. Tribal concerns, including
impacts on Indian trust assets and
potential impacts to cultural resources,
will be given due consideration.
Federal, State, and local agencies,
along with Tribes and other
stakeholders that may be interested in or
affected by the proposed action that the
BLM is evaluating are invited to
participate in the scoping process and,
if eligible, may request, or be requested
by the BLM, to participate in
development of the EAs as cooperating
agencies.
It is important that reviewers provide
their comments at such times and in
such manner that they are useful to the
BLM. Therefore, comments should be
provided prior to the close of the
comment period and be clearly
articulated.
Comments received in response to
this solicitation, including names and
addresses of those who comment, will
be part of the public record for this
proposed action. Comments submitted
anonymously will be accepted and
considered.
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Request for Identification of Potential
Alternatives, Information, and Analysis
Relevant to the Proposed Action
The BLM invites public comments
identifying alternatives, relevant data
and information, planning criteria, and
issues for analyses pertaining to each
RMP amendment.
Planning criteria are the standards,
rules, and other factors developed by
managers and interdisciplinary team
members for use in forming judgements
about decision making, analysis, and
data collection during the planning
process. The BLM has identified some
preliminary planning criteria to guide
development of the RMP amendments,
to avoid unnecessary data collection
and analysis, and to ensure the RMP
amendments are tailored to the issues.
These criteria may be modified and/or
other criteria may be identified during
the public scoping process. The
following preliminary specific planning
criteria will help guide the planning
process.
Criteria 1: The BLM will observe the
principles of multiple use and sustained
yield.
Criteria 2: The BLM will use a
systematic interdisciplinary approach to
integrate physical, biological, economic,
and other sciences.
Criteria 3: The BLM will prioritize the
designation and protection of ACECs.
Criteria 4: The BLM will use the best
available data regarding natural
resources.
Criteria 5: The BLM will consider the
present and potential uses of public
lands and where existing RMP decisions
are valid, those decisions will remain
unchanged.
Criteria 6: The BLM will consider the
relative scarcity of values and
availability of alternative means and
sites for recognizing those values.
Criteria 7: The BLM will weigh the
long-term benefits against short-term
benefits.
Criteria 8: The BLM will comply with
Tribal, Federal, and State pollution
laws, standards, and implementation
plans.
Criteria 9: The BLM will seek
coordination and consistency with other
government programs, plans, and
policies.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The Council on Environmental
Quality regulations provide for and
describe both lead and cooperating
agency status and emphasize agency
cooperation early in the NEPA process.
Upon request of the lead agency, any
other Federal agency which has
jurisdiction by law shall be a
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cooperating agency. Jurisdiction by law
means the other agency has authority to
approve, veto, or finance all or part of
the proposal. In addition, any other
Federal agency which has special
expertise with respect to an identified
issue may participate as a cooperating
agency. Special expertise means ‘‘. . .
statutory responsibility, agency mission,
or related program experience’’ (40 CFR
1508.26). When the BLM is a lead
agency, another agency may request the
BLM designate it as a cooperating or
joint lead agency. Any State, Tribal, or
local agency with jurisdiction by law or
special expertise may, by agreement, be
a cooperating agency. The BLM has
extended cooperating agency status to
the following agencies for one or more
of the RMP amendments: Ute Indian
Tribe; U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs—
Uintah and Ouray Agency; U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service—Utah Field Office;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—Jones
Hole Fish Hatchery; U.S. Geological
Survey; National Park Service—
Canyonlands National Park; National
Park Service—Dinosaur National
Monument; National Park Service—
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area;
National Park Service—National Natural
Landmark Office; Utah Division of
Forestry, Fire, and State Lands; Utah
Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining; Utah
Division of Parks and Recreation; Utah
Public Lands Policy Coordinating
Office; Utah School and Institutional
Trust Lands Administration; Daggett
County, UT, Emery County, UT; Grand
County, UT; Uintah County, UT; Ballard
City, UT; Castle Dale City, UT;
Cleveland Town, UT; Duchesne City,
UT; Elmo Town, UT; Green River City,
UT; Huntington City, UT; Moab City,
UT; Naples City, UT; Roosevelt City,
UT; and Vernal City, UT.
Decision Maker
The Decision Maker for the RMP
amendments is the Bureau of Land
Management Utah State Director.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decisions resulting from these
RMP amendments will specify land
management consistent with Public Law
116–9, also known as the Dingell Act.
(Authority: 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 1610.5–
5, and 40 CFR 1506.6)
Gregory Sheehan,
Bureau of Land Management, State Director,
Utah.
[FR Doc. 2021–23464 Filed 10–27–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 206 (Thursday, October 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59747-59750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23464]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[212L1109AF.LLUTG00000.L12200000.DU0000.LXSSJ0730000]
Notice of Intent To Amend the Moab, Price, and Vernal Resource
Management Plans and Prepare Environmental Assessments To Comply With
the 2019 Dingell Act
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
intends to prepare up to six Environmental Assessments (EA) to amend
the Resource Management Plans (RMP) for the Moab Field Office, Price
Field Office, and Vernal Field Office, which were approved in 2008. By
this notice, the BLM is announcing the beginning of the scoping process
to solicit public comments and identify issues.
DATES: This Notice of Intent (NOI) initiates the public scoping process
for up to six amendments and associated EAs affecting three RMPs and 10
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). The BLM requests
comments concerning the scope of the analysis, planning criteria,
potential alternatives, and identification of relevant information,
studies, and analyses. All comments must be received in writing by
November 29, 2021. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping meetings
will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local media
outlets and the BLM websites at https://go.usa.gov/xV7yu and https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-in-development/utah/green-river-dingell-act. In order to be included in the analyses, all
comments must be received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping
period as described above or within 15 days after the last public
scoping meeting, whichever is later. The BLM may later hold individual
project scoping periods for each of the six amendments before the
publication of the Draft RMP amendments/EAs for public comment, to be
announced through the above websites.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to the BLM Green River
District, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, Utah 84078. Comments may also be
sent via email to [email protected] or the ePlanning
project specific websites. Documents pertinent to this project may be
examined during regular business hours upon request using the email
listed below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to the mailing list, contact Amber Koski, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator, BLM Green River District, 170 South 500
East, Vernal, Utah 84078; email [email protected];
telephone (435) 781-4465. Persons who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339
to leave a message or question for the above individual. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action will ensure consistency with
Public Law 116-9, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management,
and Recreation Act's (Dingell Act), designation of Jurassic National
Monument, John Wesley Powell National Conservation Area, McCoy Flats
Trail System, three Green River Wild and Recreational River segments,
San Rafael Swell Recreation Area and 14 surrounding Wilderness Area
designations, and release of areas in Emery County from wilderness
study and three adjacent Wilderness Area designations.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
This document provides notice that the BLM Utah Moab Field Office,
Price Field Office, and Vernal Field Office plan to prepare up to six
amendments for each field office's associated RMPs to ensure compliance
with applicable laws, policies, and regulations. The Dingell Act
requires the BLM to develop either a comprehensive management plan
(Jurassic National Monument) or a management plan (John Wesley Powell
National Conservation Area, McCoy Flats Trail System, and San Rafael
Swell Recreation Area) for the long-term protection and management of
these areas. Similarly, Public Law 99-590, the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act Amendment of 1986 (WSR Act), requires the BLM to develop a
management plan to provide for protection of the designated river
[[Page 59748]]
values; therefore, an RMP amendment is being prepared for these
designations. BLM RMPs are land use plans that establish goals and
objectives to guide future land and resource management actions
implemented by the BLM. Subsequent site-specific planning will occur to
identify goals and objectives to develop on the ground management
actions.
The approved RMP amendments will each contain an appendix that
combines the land use planning decisions for the approved RMP amendment
with any needed implementation guidance. This appendix will serve as
the management plan required by the Dingell Act and the WSR Act. The
RMP amendments will recognize valid existing rights. This notice also
serves as a 30-day public scoping period for possible modification of
existing ACEC boundaries within management plan areas for the Jurassic
National Monument, San Rafael Swell Recreation Area and 14 surrounding
Wilderness Areas, and release of areas in Emery County from wilderness
study and three adjacent Wilderness Area designations pursuant to the
Dingell Act. Following are the sections of the Dingell Act pertaining
to the planned RMP amendments and how they relate to existing plan
decisions:
RMP amendment 1: Section 1252 of the Dingell Act designates
Jurassic National Monument (JNM) on 850 acres of public land in Emery
County, Utah, also known as the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry (CLDQ).
The Dingell Act specifies that the purpose of the JNM is to ``conserve,
interpret, and enhance for the benefit of present and future
generations the paleontological, scientific, educational, and
recreational resources of the area subject to valid existing
rights[.]'' The Price Field Office RMP currently manages the CLDQ under
several special designations including a Special Recreation Management
Area (SRMA), a National Natural Landmark, and the CLDQ ACEC. The CLDQ
represents the densest collection of bones of Allosaurus fragilis, a
large meat-eating dinosaur, and special management attention had been
required to protect known and unknown paleontological resources located
within the existing ACEC. This RMP amendment will reflect the Dingell
Act's withdrawal of the Monument from public land laws, mining laws,
mineral leasing laws, geothermal leasing laws, and mineral material
laws in order to conserve, protect, and enhance the resources and
values of the Monument. In addition, the RMP amendment may consider
modifying the boundaries of the CLDQ ACEC and SRMA, and may update the
Price Field Office RMP goals, objectives, and/or management actions for
fire and drought, livestock grazing, paleontological resources,
recreation resources, transportation, and/or other resources to ensure
consistency with the purposes of the Dingell Act designation and BLM
policy.
RMP amendment 2: Section 1118 of the Dingell Act designates the
John Wesley Powell (JWP) National Conservation Area (NCA) on 29,868
acres of public land in Uintah County, Utah. The Dingell Act specifies
that the purpose of the JWP NCA is to ``conserve, protect, and enhance
for the benefit of present and future generations the nationally
significant historic, cultural, natural, scientific, scenic,
recreational, archaeological, educational, and wildlife resources'' of
the NCA. The Vernal Field Office RMP currently describes management of
the JWP NCA as the Diamond Mountain BLM Natural Area. The JWP NCA lies
within a big game migration corridor, and current management is focused
on conservation of habitat, wildlife, and access to backcountry
recreation opportunities. This RMP amendment will reflect the Dingell
Act's withdrawal of the NCA from public land laws, mining laws, mineral
leasing laws, geothermal leasing laws, and mineral materials laws in
order to conserve, protect, and enhance the resources of the JWP NCA.
In addition, the RMP amendment may update the Vernal Field Office RMP
goals, objectives, and/or management actions for abandoned mine lands,
cultural resources, fire and fuels management, forage, livestock and
grazing management, non-WSA (Wilderness Study Area) lands with
wilderness characteristics, paleontological resources, rangeland
improvements, recreation resources (i.e., special recreation management
areas and trail maintenance and development), riparian resources, soil
and water resources, special status species, travel management (i.e.,
roads and trails), vegetation, visual resource management, wildlife and
fisheries, woodlands and forest resources, and/or other resources to
ensure consistency with the purposes of the Dingell Act designation and
BLM policy.
RMP amendment 3: Section 1115 of the Dingell Act designates the
McCoy Flats Trail System (Trail System) on public land located near
Vernal City in Uintah County, Utah. The Dingell Act specifies that the
purpose for the Trail System is to provide new non-motorized mountain
bike routes and trail construction to increase recreational
opportunities within the area. The Trail System area is currently
managed as public lands open to multiple use under the Vernal Field
Office RMP, including but not limited to dispersed camping and mineral
and right-of-way development. This RMP amendment will establish a
boundary for the trail system and may update the Vernal Field Office
RMP goals, objectives, and/or management actions for forage, lands and
realty management, livestock and grazing management, minerals and
energy resources (i.e., leasable minerals, locatable minerals, saleable
minerals, and mineral materials), rangeland improvements, recreation
resources (i.e., special recreation management areas and trail
maintenance and development), special status species, travel management
(i.e., roads and trails), vegetation, visual resource management,
wildlife and fisheries, and/or other resources to ensure consistency
with the purposes of the Dingell Act designation and BLM policy.
RMP amendment 4: Section 1241 of the Dingell Act designates a 63-
mile segment of the Green River, through Emery County, Utah, as a Wild
and Scenic River. The Dingell Act specifies that the purpose of the
Green River Wild and Scenic River is to manage the 5.3-mile segment
from the boundary of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation south to the
Nefertiti boat ramp as a wild river; the 8.5-mile segment from the
Nefertiti boat ramp south to the Swasey's boat ramp as a recreational
river; and the 49.2-mile segment from Bull Bottom, south to the county
line between Emery and Wayne Counties, as a scenic river. The Moab
Field Office and Price Field Office RMPs currently describe management
of the area as suitable for wild, recreational, and scenic river
management. This RMP amendment will reflect the Wild and Scenic River
Act's withdrawal of the designated segments from public land laws,
mining laws, mineral leasing laws, geothermal leasing laws, and mineral
material laws in order to provide for the protection of the river
values. In addition, the RMP amendment will establish the final
boundary for the river segments, and may update the Moab Field Office
and Price Field Office RMP goals, objectives, and/or management actions
for soil, water, riparian, vegetation, cultural resources,
paleontological resources, visual resources management, special status
species, fish and wildlife, fuels management, fire and drought,
livestock grazing, recreation and off-highway vehicles, special
designations (i.e., WSAs and wild and scenic rivers), transportation,
and/or other resources to ensure consistency with the purposes of
[[Page 59749]]
the Dingell Act designation and BLM policy.
RMP amendment 5: Sections 1221 and 1222 of the Dingell Act
designate the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area (Recreation Area), a
unit encompassing approximately 217,000 acres of public land in Emery
County, Utah. The Dingell Act specifies that the purpose for the
Recreation Area is ``to provide for the protection, conservation, and
enhancement of the recreational, cultural, natural, scenic, wildlife,
ecological, historical, and educational resource values'' of the
location. The Dingell Act Section 1231 designated the following
Wilderness Areas surrounding the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area: Big
Wild Horse Mesa, Cold Wash, Devil's Canyon, Eagle Canyon, Horse Valley,
Little Ocean Draw, Little Wild Horse Canyon, Lower Last Chance, Mexican
Mountain, Middle Wild Horse Mesa, Muddy Creek, Red's Canyon, San Rafael
Reef, and Sid's Mountain. Under the Price Field Office RMP, the
Recreation Area and surrounding Wilderness Areas currently include
several special designations including eight ACECs (listed below) and
the San Rafael SRMA. The Recreation Area also includes public land open
to multiple use, including but not limited to dispersed camping and
mineral and right-of-way development. This RMP amendment will reflect
the Dingell Act's withdrawal of the Recreation Area and Wilderness
Areas from public land laws, mining laws, mineral leasing laws,
geothermal leasing laws, and mineral material laws for the protection
of the wilderness character of the land. In addition, the RMP amendment
may consider modifying or removing the boundaries of the San Rafael
SRMA and the following ACECs: Uranium Mining Districts (Hidden
Splendor, Lucky Strike, and Little Susan Mine), Heritage Sites (Copper
Globe, Hunt Cabin, Smith Cabin, Shepherd's End, Swasey's Cabin, and
Temple Mountain), Rock Art Sites (Cottonwood Canyon, Pictographs, and
Wild Horse), Seger's Hole, San Rafael Reef, I-70 Scenic Corridor, San
Rafael Canyon, and Muddy Creek. Finally, the RMP amendment may update
the Price Field Office RMP goals, objectives, and/or management actions
for soil, water, riparian, vegetation, cultural resources,
paleontological resources, visual resources management, special status
species, fish and wildlife, fuels management, fire and drought,
forestry and woodland products, livestock grazing, non-WSA lands with
wilderness characteristics, recreation and off-highway vehicles,
special designations (i.e., WSAs and national trails and backways),
transportation, and/or other resources to ensure consistency with the
purposes of the Dingell Act designations, the Dingell Act WSA release,
and BLM policy. For the released WSAs outside of the Recreation Area
and the Wilderness Areas, the RMP amendment may also update the Price
Field Office RMP goals, objectives, and/or management actions for lands
and realty, mineral and energy resources, locatable minerals, saleable
minerals, and mineral materials.
RMP amendment 6: Section 1231 of the Dingell Act designated the
following Wilderness Areas adjacent to the Green River: Desolation
Canyon, Labyrinth Canyon, and Turtle Canyon. Section 1234 releases
4,400 acres of existing wilderness study areas near the Turtle Canyon
Wilderness, and releases 2,200 acres of existing wilderness study areas
near Desolation Canyon. This RMP amendment will reflect the Dingell
Act's withdrawal of the Wilderness Areas from public land laws, mining
laws, mineral leasing laws, geothermal leasing laws, and mineral
material laws for the protection of the wilderness character of the
land. The Price Field Office RMP currently manages the area as WSA and
the Bowknot ACEC. The RMP amendment may update the Price Field Office
RMP goals, objectives, and/or management actions for soil, water,
riparian, vegetation, cultural resources, paleontological resources,
visual resources management, special status species, fish and wildlife,
fuels management, fire and drought, forestry and woodland products,
livestock grazing, non-WSA lands with wilderness characteristics,
recreation and off- highway vehicles, special designations (i.e., WSAs
and national trails and backways), transportation, and/or other
resources, and may consider modifying or removing the Bowknot ACEC to
ensure consistency with the purposes of the Dingell Act designations,
the Dingell Act WSA release, and BLM policy. For the released WSAs, the
RMP amendment may also update the Price Field Office RMP goals,
objectives, and/or management actions for lands and realty, mineral and
energy resources, locatable minerals, saleable minerals, and mineral
materials.
Preliminary Proposed Actions and Alternatives
No Action Alternative
Under the No Action Alternative, management of the designated areas
would continue to follow the decisions of the existing Moab Field
Office, Price Field Office, and Vernal Field Office RMPs. Under this
alternative, the outcomes for the designations in the Dingell Act would
likely not be achieved.
Proposed Action
The BLM will review current RMP outcomes and modify goals and
objectives to meet outcomes described in the Dingell Act. The BLM will
develop legal descriptions and refinements as needed to boundaries
established by the Dingell Act and modify or remove any unnecessary
land use designations established under the current RMPs. The BLM will
modify, add, or remove current RMP allowable uses to meet the outcomes
described in the Dingell Act and reduce resource conflicts. The BLM
will modify or remove current RMP management actions and develop new
actions to meet the outcomes described in the Dingell Act.
Summary of Expected Impacts
The BLM will develop a list of specific issues for which an
interdisciplinary team will analyze the impacts of each RMP amendment.
Generally, issues will focus on the difference between the Dingell
Act's designations, including desired outcomes and existing or absent
RMP direction. These differences will likely center around recreation
use, visual resource management, motorized and non-motorized travel,
mineral development, etc. Specific issues will be discussed during
public involvement for each amendment.
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
No permits or authorizations are anticipated to be required under
any alternative.
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
This NOI announces a public scoping period for all six RMP
amendments and the need for potential changes to existing ACECs to
conform with the Dingell Act. The BLM may also hold future individual
project scoping periods before the publication of Draft RMP amendments/
EAs for public comment.
Public Scoping Process
This NOI initiates the public scoping process which guides
development of the RMP amendments and EAs. The BLM requests that the
public submit electronically or in writing any information,
alternatives, or concerns relevant to one or more of the RMP amendments
that the BLM should consider during the planning process.
[[Page 59750]]
Comments may be submitted in writing to the BLM at any public scoping
meeting, or they may be submitted to the BLM using one of the methods
listed in the ADDRESSES section above. Interested parties may submit
comments by the close of the 30-day scoping period or within 15 days
after the last public meeting, whichever is later. The BLM will use the
NEPA scoping process to fulfill the public involvement process under
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C.
306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3) and the public involvement
requirements of the Dingell Act. The date(s) and location(s) for any
public scoping meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance
though local media outlets, and on the BLM's project website(s) at
https://go.usa.gov/xV7yu and https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-in-development/utah/green-river-dingell-act.
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.
The BLM will consult with American Indian Tribes on a government-
to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other
policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and
potential impacts to cultural resources, will be given due
consideration.
Federal, State, and local agencies, along with Tribes and other
stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the proposed
action that the BLM is evaluating are invited to participate in the
scoping process and, if eligible, may request, or be requested by the
BLM, to participate in development of the EAs as cooperating agencies.
It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times
and in such manner that they are useful to the BLM. Therefore, comments
should be provided prior to the close of the comment period and be
clearly articulated.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be
accepted and considered.
Request for Identification of Potential Alternatives, Information, and
Analysis Relevant to the Proposed Action
The BLM invites public comments identifying alternatives, relevant
data and information, planning criteria, and issues for analyses
pertaining to each RMP amendment.
Planning criteria are the standards, rules, and other factors
developed by managers and interdisciplinary team members for use in
forming judgements about decision making, analysis, and data collection
during the planning process. The BLM has identified some preliminary
planning criteria to guide development of the RMP amendments, to avoid
unnecessary data collection and analysis, and to ensure the RMP
amendments are tailored to the issues. These criteria may be modified
and/or other criteria may be identified during the public scoping
process. The following preliminary specific planning criteria will help
guide the planning process.
Criteria 1: The BLM will observe the principles of multiple use and
sustained yield.
Criteria 2: The BLM will use a systematic interdisciplinary
approach to integrate physical, biological, economic, and other
sciences.
Criteria 3: The BLM will prioritize the designation and protection
of ACECs.
Criteria 4: The BLM will use the best available data regarding
natural resources.
Criteria 5: The BLM will consider the present and potential uses of
public lands and where existing RMP decisions are valid, those
decisions will remain unchanged.
Criteria 6: The BLM will consider the relative scarcity of values
and availability of alternative means and sites for recognizing those
values.
Criteria 7: The BLM will weigh the long-term benefits against
short-term benefits.
Criteria 8: The BLM will comply with Tribal, Federal, and State
pollution laws, standards, and implementation plans.
Criteria 9: The BLM will seek coordination and consistency with
other government programs, plans, and policies.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The Council on Environmental Quality regulations provide for and
describe both lead and cooperating agency status and emphasize agency
cooperation early in the NEPA process. Upon request of the lead agency,
any other Federal agency which has jurisdiction by law shall be a
cooperating agency. Jurisdiction by law means the other agency has
authority to approve, veto, or finance all or part of the proposal. In
addition, any other Federal agency which has special expertise with
respect to an identified issue may participate as a cooperating agency.
Special expertise means ``. . . statutory responsibility, agency
mission, or related program experience'' (40 CFR 1508.26). When the BLM
is a lead agency, another agency may request the BLM designate it as a
cooperating or joint lead agency. Any State, Tribal, or local agency
with jurisdiction by law or special expertise may, by agreement, be a
cooperating agency. The BLM has extended cooperating agency status to
the following agencies for one or more of the RMP amendments: Ute
Indian Tribe; U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs--Uintah and Ouray Agency;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--Utah Field Office; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service--Jones Hole Fish Hatchery; U.S. Geological Survey;
National Park Service--Canyonlands National Park; National Park
Service--Dinosaur National Monument; National Park Service--Glen Canyon
National Recreation Area; National Park Service--National Natural
Landmark Office; Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands; Utah
Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining; Utah Division of Parks and
Recreation; Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office; Utah School
and Institutional Trust Lands Administration; Daggett County, UT, Emery
County, UT; Grand County, UT; Uintah County, UT; Ballard City, UT;
Castle Dale City, UT; Cleveland Town, UT; Duchesne City, UT; Elmo Town,
UT; Green River City, UT; Huntington City, UT; Moab City, UT; Naples
City, UT; Roosevelt City, UT; and Vernal City, UT.
Decision Maker
The Decision Maker for the RMP amendments is the Bureau of Land
Management Utah State Director.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decisions resulting from these RMP amendments will specify land
management consistent with Public Law 116-9, also known as the Dingell
Act.
(Authority: 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 1610.5-5, and 40 CFR 1506.6)
Gregory Sheehan,
Bureau of Land Management, State Director, Utah.
[FR Doc. 2021-23464 Filed 10-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P
