Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the BLM Rio Puerco Field Office, New Mexico, 65392-65394 [2024-17514]
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65392
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 154 / Friday, August 9, 2024 / Notices
lands and 4.1 million acres of BLMadministered mineral estate in North
Dakota. The planning area is currently
managed under the 1988 North Dakota
RMP, as amended. This planning effort
would update management guidance
and create a new North Dakota RMP.
The proposed RMP/final EIS
evaluates five alternatives in detail.
Alternative A is the No Action
Alternative, which is the continuation
of current management under the
existing 1988 North Dakota RMP, as
amended.
Alternative B (Preferred Alternative
from the draft RMP/EIS) emphasizes
sustaining the ecological integrity of
habitats for all priority plant, wildlife,
and fish species, while allowing
appropriate development scenarios for
resource uses. Under Alternative B, the
BLM would close low oil and gas
development potential areas and Statedesignated drinking water source
protection areas to future Federal oil
and gas leasing and would not allow
future leasing for Federal coal outside of
a 4-mile development area from existing
mine permit boundaries. Where oil and
gas are available for leasing, no surface
occupancy, controlled surface use, or
timing limitation stipulations would
apply to most areas. Alternative B
provides opportunities for recreation
and improved access by designating one
special recreation management area
(SRMA) and two backcountry
conservation areas (BCAs). It would
manage for other social and scientific
values by designating one area of critical
environmental concern (ACEC).
Alternative B would recommend three
eligible wild and scenic rivers as
suitable for designation.
Alternative B.1 is a sub-alternative to
Alternative B that provides the same
management opportunities and
protections as found under Alternative
B for all resources except coal. Under
this alternative, future leasing of Federal
coal would be further restricted by
designating the area outside the
approved permit boundaries at each
coal mine (as of September 9, 2022) as
unavailable for coal leasing.
Alternative C does not close any areas
to future Federal oil and gas leasing, but
more acres would be subject to no
surface occupancy lease stipulations
than Alternative A. Under Alternative C,
fewer acres of Federal coal would be
made unavailable for leasing than
Alternative B, but more than Alternative
A. Alternative C provides opportunities
for recreation and improved access by
also designating one SRMA and two
BCAs, but with reduced size and/or
management restrictions.
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Alternative D is the proposed RMP
and includes management direction
from Alternatives A, B, and C.
Alternative D carries forward many of
the key allocations from Alternative B
(the Preferred Alternative in the draft
RMP/draft EIS) for oil, gas, and coal as
well as the management direction
establishing the SRMA, two BCAs, and
designation of one ACEC. Alternative D
would close low oil and gas
development potential areas and Statedesignated drinking water source
protection areas to future Federal oil
and gas leasing and would make Federal
coal minerals outside a 4-mile
development area from existing mine
permit boundaries unavailable for
consideration for future leasing.
Alternative D, however, adjusts fluid
mineral lease stipulations for some
wildlife habitat and would change some
right-of-way exclusion areas to
avoidance areas where the functionality
of the habitat can be maintained by
applying special stipulations and design
features. Alternative D also adjusts the
application of Coal Screen 4 to look for
clusters of surface owner opposition in
determining lands as unavailable for
future consideration for leasing.
Alternative D would not recommend
any river as suitable for inclusion in the
National Wild and Scenic River System
due to segments being small,
fragmented, and impractical to manage.
Alternative D would also reduce some
visual resource management
classifications and would include
approximately 100 acres as potentially
available for disposal to allow for
flexibility for transfer, exchange, or
direct sale of a handful of small,
scattered parcels without public access
ranging in size from 0.1 –1.0 acres.
The North Dakota draft RMP/draft EIS
public comment period began on
January 20, 2023, was extended 30-days,
and ended on May 22, 2023. The BLM
held two in-person public meetings in
Bowman and Dickinson, North Dakota,
during the public comment period. The
BLM considered and incorporated in the
proposed RMP, as appropriate,
comments received from the public,
cooperating agencies, and internal BLM
review.
Protest of the Proposed RMP
The BLM planning regulations state
that any person who participated in the
preparation of the RMP and has an
interest that will or might be adversely
affected by approval of the proposed
RMP may protest its approval to the
BLM Director. Protest on the proposed
RMP constitutes the final opportunity
for administrative review of the
proposed land use planning decisions
PO 00000
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prior to the BLM adopting an approved
RMP. Instructions for filing a protest
regarding the proposed RMP with the
BLM Director may be found online at
https://www.blm.gov/programs/
planning-and-nepa/publicparticipation/filing-a-plan-protest and
at 43 CFR 1610.5–2. All protests must be
in writing and mailed to the appropriate
address or submitted electronically
through the BLM ePlanning project
website as set forth in the ADDRESSES
section. Protests submitted by any other
means will be invalid. The BLM
Director will render a written decision
on each protest. The Director’s decision
shall be the final decision of the
Department of the Interior. Responses to
valid protest issues will be compiled
and documented in a Protest Resolution
Report made available following the
protest resolution online at: https://
www.blm.gov/programs/planning-andnepa/public-participation/protestresolution-reports. After resolution of
protests, the BLM will issue a Record of
Decision and approved RMP.
Before including your phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your protest
you should be aware that your entire
protest—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your protest to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10,
43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 1610.5)
Sonya Germann,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024–17402 Filed 8–8–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331–20–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_NM_FRN_MO4500178348]
Notice of Availability of the Proposed
Resource Management Plan and Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the BLM Rio Puerco Field Office, New
Mexico
Bureau of Land Management,
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, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) Rio Puerco
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\09AUN1.SGM
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ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 154 / Friday, August 9, 2024 / Notices
Field Office has prepared a Proposed
Resource Management Plan (RMP) and
associated Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS), and by this notice is
announcing the start of a 30-day protest
period of the Proposed RMP.
DATES: This notice announces a 30-day
protest period to the BLM on the
Proposed RMP beginning with the date
following the Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) publication of its Notice
of Availability (NOA) of the Proposed
RMP/Final EIS by September 9, 2024.
The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on
Fridays. Protests must be postmarked or
electronically submitted on the BLM’s
ePlanning website during the 30-day
protest period.
ADDRESSES: The Proposed RMP/Final
EIS is available online in the Documents
and Reports section of the ePlanning
project website at https://
eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/
project/64954/510. Documents pertinent
to this proposal may be examined
online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/
eplanning-ui/project/64954/510 and at
the Rio Puerco Field Office.
Instructions for filing a protest with
the BLM for the Proposed RMP for the
BLM Rio Puerco Field Office can be
found at: https://www.blm.gov/
programs/planning-and-nepa/publicparticipation/filing-a-plan-protest and
at 43 CFR 1610.5–2.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Adam Lujan, Resource Management
Plan Project Manager, BLM Rio Puerco
Field Office; telephone: 505–761–8734;
address: 100 Sun Ave. NE, Suite 330,
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109; or
email: alujan@blm.gov. Individuals in
the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY,
TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services for
contacting Mr. Lujan. Individuals
outside the United States should use the
relay services offered within their
country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United
States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Rio
Puerco Proposed RMP/Final EIS, the
BLM analyzed the environmental
consequences of four alternatives under
consideration for managing
approximately 731,600 acres of surface
estate and about 3.6 million acres of
subsurface mineral estate, which is
known as the decision area. These
lands, administered by the BLM Rio
Puerco Field Office, are located within
Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Sandoval,
Torrance, and Valencia counties in
central New Mexico. The Rio Puerco
planning area encompasses
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approximately 9.5 million acres,
including National Forest; National
Monuments; and Tribal, State, and
private lands. It also includes valuable
mineral resources and the largest
population center in the State of New
Mexico. This land use plan would
replace the current Rio Puerco RMP,
which the BLM approved in 1986 and
amended in 1992. The Proposed RMP/
Final EIS analyzes the impacts of
delineating lands to account for changes
in population, types of uses,
technologies, user interests, and public
understanding of resource availability in
the Middle Rio Grande Watershed in
central New Mexico.
The plan addresses several
interrelated issues and management
concerns, including land tenure
adjustments, land use authorizations,
recreation, areas with special
management designations, lands with
wilderness characteristics, livestock
grazing, transportation access,
renewable energy, visual resources,
wildland/urban interface, and mineral
resources. The agency selected these
issues based on broad concerns or
controversies related to conditions,
trends, needs, and existing and potential
uses of the planning area lands.
Management prescriptions in potential
areas of critical environmental concern
(ACECs) that could limit development
of (1) commercial mineral, solar, wind,
or geothermal resources or (2) recreation
or other resources important primarily
for their economic benefit to the
planning area must be evaluated to
avoid unnecessarily restricting these
activities. Additionally, large areas of
mixed ownership (BLM parcels amongst
private, Tribal, or other ownership) pose
significant access and multiple-use
issues, which is why this Proposed
RMP/Final EIS identifies them as
potential areas for exchange.
The four alternatives analyzed in
detail in the Final EIS are as follows:
• BLM Alternative A (No Action)—
Continues 1986 Resource Management
Plan management direction;
• BLM Alternative B—Emphasizes
resource protection;
• BLM Alternative C (Proposed)
(Draft Preferred)—Focuses on providing
a balance of resource uses with
conservation; and
• BLM Alternative D—Allows for a
greater opportunity for resource use and
development.
The preferred alternative for the
Proposed RMP is Alternative C, which
was identified in the 2012 Draft RMP/
Final EIS. The BLM has updated the
alternatives, including Alternative C, for
clarity and to incorporate the latest
science and data, as well as to reflect
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
65393
current policies, laws, procedures,
Tribal perspectives from government-togovernment consultation, input and
special expertise provided by
cooperating agencies, and designations
such as the Placitas Withdrawal (89 FR
31763 (April 25, 2024)). Some of these
changes to Alternative C include closing
additional sub-surface mineral acreage
in the Placitas area to salable and
locatable mineral development, closing
areas with low potential for fluid
mineral development, and modifying
recreation management area
designations. Alternative C would
designate a total of 18 ACECs: 8 carried
forward from the existing RMP (Cabezon
Peak, Cañon Tapia, Elk Springs ACEC
and Juana Lopez Research Natural Area,
Jones Canyon, Ojito, Pronoun Cave
Complex, San Luis Mesa Raptor Area,
and Torreon Fossil Fauna); 2 expansions
of ACECs in the existing RMP
(Bluewater Canyon and Espinazo Ridge
[formerly Ball Ranch]); and 10 new
ACECs (Bony Canyon, Cañon Jarido,
Cerro Verde, Guadalupe Ruin and
Community, Ignacio Chavez, Legacy
Uranium Mines, Petaca Pinta, and San
Miguel Dome).
On February 29, 2008, the BLM
published a Notice of Intent in the
Federal Register, notifying the public of
a formal scoping period and soliciting
public participation (73 FR 11142).
Between March 2007 and February
2008, Rio Puerco Field Office managers
and staff had discussions about the Rio
Puerco Draft RMP/Draft EIS with 12
local American Indian Tribal groups,
including Acoma Pueblo, Eastern
Navajo Agency Council, Isleta Pueblo,
Jemez Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo, Navajo
Nation, Ojo Encino Navajo Chapter,
Sandia Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo, Santo
Domingo Pueblo, Torreon Navajo
Chapter, Zia Pueblo, and Zuni Pueblo.
A scoping presentation was given to the
BLM Resource Advisory Council in
March 2008. In April 2008, a scoping
notice was distributed to more than 900
individuals. The BLM also met with
various stakeholder and interest groups
in the following ways:
• The BLM held eight scoping
meetings in April 2008 in Albuquerque,
Bernalillo, Cuba, Grants, Gallup, Los
Lunas, Moriarty, and Rio Rancho.
• The BLM held two Economic
Profile System workshops early in the
process with local citizens and
community leaders to develop a
common understanding of the local
economies and the ways in which landuse planning decisions might affect
them.
• The public provided input on
relevant issues to consider in the
planning process. This information was
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65394
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 154 / Friday, August 9, 2024 / Notices
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
received during the scoping period
ending on September 30, 2008.
• The BLM hosted two internal
Alternatives Development Workshops.
• The BLM held a Cooperating
Agency Workshop.
On July 13, 2012, the BLM published
a Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register, notifying the public of the
release of the Draft RMP/Draft EIS, and
the beginning of the comment period
(77 FR 41444). During the 90-day
comment period, the BLM received over
45,000 comments from interested
parties. Substantive public comments
and BLM responses are available in the
Proposed RMP/Final EIS, Volume III,
Appendix R. The Proposed RMP/Final
EIS is the compilation of all the public
input and data analyzed and presented
in the Draft RMP/Draft EIS plus the
public input considered during the 90day comment period.
Protest of the Proposed RMP
The BLM planning regulations state
that any person who participated in the
preparation of the RMP and has an
interest that will or might be adversely
affected by approval of the Proposed
RMP may protest its approval to the
BLM Director. Protest on the Proposed
RMP constitutes the final opportunity
for administrative review of the
proposed land use planning decisions
prior to the BLM adopting an approved
RMP. Instructions for filing a protest
regarding the Proposed RMP with the
BLM Director may be found online at
https://www.blm.gov/programs/
planning-and-nepa/publicparticipation/filing-a-plan-protest and
at 43 CFR 1610.5–2. All protests must be
in writing and mailed to the appropriate
address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES
section earlier, or submitted
electronically through the BLM
ePlanning project website as described
previously. Protests submitted
electronically by any means other than
the ePlanning project website or by fax
will be invalid unless a protest is also
submitted as a hard copy. The BLM
Director will render a written decision
on each protest. The Director’s decision
shall be the final decision of the
Department of the Interior. Responses to
valid protest issues will be compiled
and documented in a Protest Resolution
Report made available following the
protest resolution online at: https://
www.blm.gov/programs/planning-andnepa/public-participation/protestresolution-reports. Upon resolution of
protests, the BLM will issue a Record of
Decision and Approved RMP.
Before including your phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your protest,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:21 Aug 08, 2024
Jkt 262001
you should be aware that your entire
protest—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your protest to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10,
43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 1610.5)
Melanie G. Barnes,
BLM New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024–17514 Filed 8–8–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–FB–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement
[S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000
245S180110; S2D2S SS08011000
SX064A000 24XS501520; OMB Control
Number 1029–0036]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Surface Mining Permit
Applications—Minimum Requirements
for Reclamation and Operation Plan
Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE),
are proposing to renew an information
collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before
September 9, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function. Please provide a copy
of your comments to Mark Gehlhar,
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement, 1849 C Street NW,
Room 1544–MIB, Washington, DC
20240, or by email to mgehlhar@
osmre.gov. Please reference OMB
Control Number 1029–0036 in the
subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Mark Gehlhar by email
at mgehlhar@osmre.gov, or by telephone
at (202) 208–2716. Individuals in the
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
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United States who are deaf, deafblind,
hard of hearing, or have a speech
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. You may
also view the ICR at https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA; 44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we
provide the general public and other
Federal agencies with an opportunity to
comment on new, proposed, revised,
and continuing collections of
information. This helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. It also helps the
public understand our information
collection requirements and provide the
requested data in the desired format.
A Federal Register notice with a 60day public comment period soliciting
comments on this collection of
information was published on February
12, 2024 (89 FR 9865). No comments
were received.
As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we are again soliciting
comments from the public and other
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR
that is described below. We are
especially interested in public comment
addressing the following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether or not the
information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) How might the agency minimize
the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of response.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. Before including your
address, phone number, email address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 154 (Friday, August 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65392-65394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17514]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_NM_FRN_MO4500178348]
Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan
and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the BLM Rio Puerco Field
Office, New Mexico
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rio Puerco
[[Page 65393]]
Field Office has prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and
associated Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and by this
notice is announcing the start of a 30-day protest period of the
Proposed RMP.
DATES: This notice announces a 30-day protest period to the BLM on the
Proposed RMP beginning with the date following the Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) publication of its Notice of Availability
(NOA) of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS by September 9, 2024. The EPA
usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays. Protests must be postmarked or
electronically submitted on the BLM's ePlanning website during the 30-
day protest period.
ADDRESSES: The Proposed RMP/Final EIS is available online in the
Documents and Reports section of the ePlanning project website at
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/64954/510. Documents
pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/64954/510 and at the Rio Puerco
Field Office.
Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM for the Proposed RMP
for the BLM Rio Puerco Field Office can be found at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adam Lujan, Resource Management Plan
Project Manager, BLM Rio Puerco Field Office; telephone: 505-761-8734;
address: 100 Sun Ave. NE, Suite 330, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109; or
email: [email protected]. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services
for contacting Mr. Lujan. Individuals outside the United States should
use the relay services offered within their country to make
international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Rio Puerco Proposed RMP/Final EIS,
the BLM analyzed the environmental consequences of four alternatives
under consideration for managing approximately 731,600 acres of surface
estate and about 3.6 million acres of subsurface mineral estate, which
is known as the decision area. These lands, administered by the BLM Rio
Puerco Field Office, are located within Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley,
Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia counties in central New Mexico. The
Rio Puerco planning area encompasses approximately 9.5 million acres,
including National Forest; National Monuments; and Tribal, State, and
private lands. It also includes valuable mineral resources and the
largest population center in the State of New Mexico. This land use
plan would replace the current Rio Puerco RMP, which the BLM approved
in 1986 and amended in 1992. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS analyzes the
impacts of delineating lands to account for changes in population,
types of uses, technologies, user interests, and public understanding
of resource availability in the Middle Rio Grande Watershed in central
New Mexico.
The plan addresses several interrelated issues and management
concerns, including land tenure adjustments, land use authorizations,
recreation, areas with special management designations, lands with
wilderness characteristics, livestock grazing, transportation access,
renewable energy, visual resources, wildland/urban interface, and
mineral resources. The agency selected these issues based on broad
concerns or controversies related to conditions, trends, needs, and
existing and potential uses of the planning area lands. Management
prescriptions in potential areas of critical environmental concern
(ACECs) that could limit development of (1) commercial mineral, solar,
wind, or geothermal resources or (2) recreation or other resources
important primarily for their economic benefit to the planning area
must be evaluated to avoid unnecessarily restricting these activities.
Additionally, large areas of mixed ownership (BLM parcels amongst
private, Tribal, or other ownership) pose significant access and
multiple-use issues, which is why this Proposed RMP/Final EIS
identifies them as potential areas for exchange.
The four alternatives analyzed in detail in the Final EIS are as
follows:
BLM Alternative A (No Action)--Continues 1986 Resource
Management Plan management direction;
BLM Alternative B--Emphasizes resource protection;
BLM Alternative C (Proposed) (Draft Preferred)--Focuses on
providing a balance of resource uses with conservation; and
BLM Alternative D--Allows for a greater opportunity for
resource use and development.
The preferred alternative for the Proposed RMP is Alternative C,
which was identified in the 2012 Draft RMP/Final EIS. The BLM has
updated the alternatives, including Alternative C, for clarity and to
incorporate the latest science and data, as well as to reflect current
policies, laws, procedures, Tribal perspectives from government-to-
government consultation, input and special expertise provided by
cooperating agencies, and designations such as the Placitas Withdrawal
(89 FR 31763 (April 25, 2024)). Some of these changes to Alternative C
include closing additional sub-surface mineral acreage in the Placitas
area to salable and locatable mineral development, closing areas with
low potential for fluid mineral development, and modifying recreation
management area designations. Alternative C would designate a total of
18 ACECs: 8 carried forward from the existing RMP (Cabezon Peak,
Ca[ntilde]on Tapia, Elk Springs ACEC and Juana Lopez Research Natural
Area, Jones Canyon, Ojito, Pronoun Cave Complex, San Luis Mesa Raptor
Area, and Torreon Fossil Fauna); 2 expansions of ACECs in the existing
RMP (Bluewater Canyon and Espinazo Ridge [formerly Ball Ranch]); and 10
new ACECs (Bony Canyon, Ca[ntilde]on Jarido, Cerro Verde, Guadalupe
Ruin and Community, Ignacio Chavez, Legacy Uranium Mines, Petaca Pinta,
and San Miguel Dome).
On February 29, 2008, the BLM published a Notice of Intent in the
Federal Register, notifying the public of a formal scoping period and
soliciting public participation (73 FR 11142). Between March 2007 and
February 2008, Rio Puerco Field Office managers and staff had
discussions about the Rio Puerco Draft RMP/Draft EIS with 12 local
American Indian Tribal groups, including Acoma Pueblo, Eastern Navajo
Agency Council, Isleta Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo, Navajo
Nation, Ojo Encino Navajo Chapter, Sandia Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo,
Santo Domingo Pueblo, Torreon Navajo Chapter, Zia Pueblo, and Zuni
Pueblo. A scoping presentation was given to the BLM Resource Advisory
Council in March 2008. In April 2008, a scoping notice was distributed
to more than 900 individuals. The BLM also met with various stakeholder
and interest groups in the following ways:
The BLM held eight scoping meetings in April 2008 in
Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Cuba, Grants, Gallup, Los Lunas, Moriarty, and
Rio Rancho.
The BLM held two Economic Profile System workshops early
in the process with local citizens and community leaders to develop a
common understanding of the local economies and the ways in which land-
use planning decisions might affect them.
The public provided input on relevant issues to consider
in the planning process. This information was
[[Page 65394]]
received during the scoping period ending on September 30, 2008.
The BLM hosted two internal Alternatives Development
Workshops.
The BLM held a Cooperating Agency Workshop.
On July 13, 2012, the BLM published a Notice of Availability in the
Federal Register, notifying the public of the release of the Draft RMP/
Draft EIS, and the beginning of the comment period (77 FR 41444).
During the 90-day comment period, the BLM received over 45,000 comments
from interested parties. Substantive public comments and BLM responses
are available in the Proposed RMP/Final EIS, Volume III, Appendix R.
The Proposed RMP/Final EIS is the compilation of all the public input
and data analyzed and presented in the Draft RMP/Draft EIS plus the
public input considered during the 90-day comment period.
Protest of the Proposed RMP
The BLM planning regulations state that any person who participated
in the preparation of the RMP and has an interest that will or might be
adversely affected by approval of the Proposed RMP may protest its
approval to the BLM Director. Protest on the Proposed RMP constitutes
the final opportunity for administrative review of the proposed land
use planning decisions prior to the BLM adopting an approved RMP.
Instructions for filing a protest regarding the Proposed RMP with the
BLM Director may be found online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43
CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing and mailed to the
appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES section earlier, or
submitted electronically through the BLM ePlanning project website as
described previously. Protests submitted electronically by any means
other than the ePlanning project website or by fax will be invalid
unless a protest is also submitted as a hard copy. The BLM Director
will render a written decision on each protest. The Director's decision
shall be the final decision of the Department of the Interior.
Responses to valid protest issues will be compiled and documented in a
Protest Resolution Report made available following the protest
resolution online at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports. Upon resolution of
protests, the BLM will issue a Record of Decision and Approved RMP.
Before including your phone number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR
1610.5)
Melanie G. Barnes,
BLM New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-17514 Filed 8-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P
