Notice of Intent To Amend the White River Resource Management Plan and Prepare an Environmental Assessment; Notice of Realty Action: Proposed Sale of Public Lands in Rio Blanco County, CO, 74103-74104 [2021-28257]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74103-74104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28257]



[[Page 74103]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCON05000.L16100000.DU0000; COC-80216]


Notice of Intent To Amend the White River Resource Management 
Plan and Prepare an Environmental Assessment; Notice of Realty Action: 
Proposed Sale of Public Lands in Rio Blanco County, CO

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent and notice of realty action.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing to amend the 
1997 White River Resource Management Plan (RMP) to allow for the 
disposal of 3.73 acres of public land to the Colorado Northwestern 
Community College (CNCC) at the appraised fair market value of $25,000.

DATES: Interested parties may submit written comments regarding the RMP 
amendment planning criteria and proposed land sale during the 45-day 
scoping and comment period initiated by publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register and ending on February 14, 2022. All timely 
comments will be considered during analysis of the RMP amendment and 
land sale proposal.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Monte Senor, Acting Field Manager, 
BLM, White River Field Office, 220 East Market Street, Meeker, CO 81641 
or by email to [email protected].
    Project information, documents, and associated maps will be 
available for review during associated public comment and review 
periods during business hours Monday through Friday at the White River 
Field Office, except during federally recognized holidays. Project 
information will also be available on the BLM's e-Planning website: 
https://go.usa.gov/x79BM.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Sauls, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator, BLM White River Field Office, telephone: 
970-878-3855, or by email 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 during normal business hours. The FRS 
is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or 
question. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The direct sale would be subject to 
applicable provisions of Section 203 of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), and BLM land-sale 
regulations. Publication of this notice in the Federal Register also 
segregates the subject lands from all appropriation under the public 
land laws, including the general mining laws, and from the mineral 
leasing and geothermal leasing laws, except the sales provisions of 
FLPMA. This notice initiates the public scoping process with a 45-day 
comment period for the RMP amendment and associated Environmental 
Assessment (EA) effort. The BLM invites the public to submit comments 
concerning the scope of analysis and identification of relevant 
information involving the proposed plan amendment identified in the 
planning criteria and disposal action.
    The purpose and need of the proposed action is to resolve an 
inadvertent, unauthorized use on public lands for continued operations 
of an existing shooting range that has been in use for over 20 years. 
The CNCC shooting range was previously authorized in 1997, but the 
lease expired in 2006 and was never renewed. This action would allow 
continued use of the shooting range for training law enforcement 
officers while alleviating the BLM of any responsibility for oversight, 
management, and possible future remedial actions of any contamination 
at the site due to the use of lead ammunition. If this parcel is sold 
to CNCC, the BLM anticipates authorizing right-of-way grants for an 
existing access road and power line that serve the shooting range.
    The CNCC shooting range is an outdoor range that is presently used 
by nearly every law enforcement agency in the area for training 
purposes. These agencies include the Rangely Police Department, Rio 
Blanco County Sheriff's Office, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the 
National Park Service's Dinosaur National Monument, all of which send 
their respective armed officers to the range to conduct firearms 
training. Additionally, CNCC's National Park Ranger Academy conducts 6 
weeks of firearms training annually at the range as part of the Federal 
Law Enforcement Training Center's required curriculum for the basic 
training of seasonal law enforcement officers.
    The RMP identifies parcels suitable for disposal, but the subject 
lands are not currently listed as available for disposal. The BLM will 
analyze the suitability for disposal of the 3.73 acres per the criteria 
listed in FLPMA Section 203(a). The proposed RMP amendment would allow 
for the lands to be sold if they are found suitable for disposal. The 
planning criteria identifying the issues and their analytical 
frameworks the BLM proposes to use to guide the effects analysis of the 
RMP amendment is provided for review on the BLM's ePlanning website: 
https://go.usa.gov/x79BM.
    The BLM is considering a direct sale of the following described 
lands:
    Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, T. 1 N., R. 102 W., sec. 12, 
lot 2.
    The area aggregates 3.73 acres.
    If issued, the patent will include the following terms, covenants, 
conditions, and reservations:
    1. A reservation to the United States for all minerals;
    2. A reservation to the United States for ditches and canals 
constructed by authority of the United States under the Act of August 
30, 1890 (43 U.S.C. 945);
    3. Valid existing rights of record; and
    4. Additional terms and conditions that the authorized officer 
deems appropriate.
    Segregation: The segregation will terminate automatically upon 
issuance of a patent or on December 29, 2023, whichever occurs first. 
The BLM is no longer accepting land-use applications affecting the 
subject public lands, except applications to amend previously filed 
right-of-way applications or existing authorizations to increase grant 
terms in accordance with 43 CFR 2807.15 and 43 CFR 2886.15.
    Notification to Grazing Use Authorization Holders: This notice also 
initiates a 2-year notification to grazing-use authorization holders 
that the BLM is considering disposing of the subject lands and that 
such authorizations may be cancelled in accordance with 43 CFR 4110.4-
2(b).
    Additional opportunities to participate in this process: Interested 
parties will be notified when the Draft RMP amendment, EA, and unsigned 
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) are ready for review and will 
be provided another 30-day comment period. Upon review of comments to 
the Draft RMP amendment, EA, and unsigned FONSI, a Proposed RMP 
amendment, EA, and signed FONSI will be completed. Interested parties 
will be notified again when the Proposed RMP amendment, EA, and signed 
FONSI are ready for review, which will initiate three separate external 
engagement opportunities. First, interested parties will be provided a 
30-day protest period subject to 43 CFR 1610.5-2 on the proposed RMP 
amendment to the BLM Director. The BLM Director will review all 
protests and must render a decision on the protests to the land use 
planning decisions, which shall be the final decision for the 
Department of the Interior (43 CFR 1610.5-2(b)). Second,

[[Page 74104]]

the notification will begin a separate, concurrent 60-day Governor's 
consistency review of the proposed RMP amendment (43 CFR 1610.3-2(e)). 
The BLM Colorado State Director will review any inconsistencies with 
State plans, policies, or programs raised by the Governor and accept or 
reject recommendations proposed to resolve the inconsistencies. Any 
rejection of the recommendations will initiate a further 30-day appeal 
period for the Governor on the BLM Colorado State Director's rejection 
of the recommendations. Third, the notification of the Proposed RMP 
amendment, EA, and signed FONSI will also begin a separate, concurrent 
30-day protest period subject to MS2711.4(d) on the land-sale decision. 
The BLM Colorado State Director will review all protests and may 
sustain, vacate, or modify the RMP amendment and land sale, in whole or 
in part. In the absence of any protests, the BLM will develop the 
approved RMP amendment and Decision Record which will document the 
final determination of the Department of the Interior for the land 
sale.
    In addition to publication in the Federal Register, the BLM will 
publish this notice in the Rio Blanco Herald Times newspaper once a 
week for 3 consecutive weeks. Any other subsequent notices related to 
the RMP amendment and land sale may also be published in the Rio Blanco 
Herald newspaper.
    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: 43 CFR 2711.1-2, 43 CFR 1610.2)

Jamie E. Connell,
Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2021-28257 Filed 12-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P