Notice of Availability of the Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area Rangeland Health Management Actions Draft Environmental Impact Statement in the Vale District, Oregon, 94759-94761 [2024-28011]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 230 (Friday, November 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 94759-94761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28011]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_OR_FRN_MO4500183397]


Notice of Availability of the Louse Canyon Geographic Management 
Area Rangeland Health Management Actions Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement in the Vale District, Oregon

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the 
availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area Rangeland Health Management 
Actions.

DATES: To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider comments in the 
Draft EIS, please ensure that the BLM receives your comments within 45 
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft EIS in the 
Federal Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.

ADDRESSES: The Draft EIS is available for review on the BLM project 
website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1501965/510.
    Written comments related to the Louse Canyon Geographic Management 
Area Rangeland Health Management Actions Draft EIS may be submitted by 
any of the following methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1501965/510.

[[Page 94760]]

     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: LCGMA, BLM Vale District, 100 Oregon Street, Vale, 
Oregon 97918.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at 
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1501965/510 and at the 
BLM Vale District Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonah Blustain, Malheur Field Manager 
and Project Lead, telephone: 541-473-6250, address: LCGMA, BLM Vale 
District, 100 Oregon Street, Vale, Oregon 97918; 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. 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: 

Background

    The Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area encompasses 547,696 
acres within seven BLM livestock grazing allotments--five allotments 
totaling 536,434 acres in Malheur County, Oregon, and two allotments 
totaling 11,262 acres in Humboldt County, Nevada. The 2015 Greater 
Sage-grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment and Oregon 
Record of Decision identified the entire EIS project area as Greater 
Sage-grouse habitat, 74 percent of which is classified as Priority 
Habitat Management Area for Greater Sage-grouse, and the remaining 26 
percent classified as General Habitat Management Area. Approximately 26 
percent of the EIS project area was impacted by the 2012 Long Draw 
Fire.
    A Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Livestock 
Grazing Management (Standards and Guidelines) evaluation of the area 
was completed in 2018 and can be accessed at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/106452/570.
    The Draft EIS analyzes a range of alternative livestock management 
and restoration actions that would allow the Louse Canyon Geographic 
Management Area's seven livestock grazing allotments to make progress 
toward meeting the Standards and Guidelines.

Purpose and Need

    The purposes for the proposed actions are to make progress toward 
meeting the BLM Oregon/Washington's Standards for Rangeland Health and 
Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management. This includes restoring, 
maintaining, and enhancing riparian, wetland/aquatic, sagebrush, and 
other wildlife habitat; addressing invasive species; providing 
sustainable livestock management in concert with other resource 
objectives; and renewing term grazing permits.
    There is a need to take restoration, livestock grazing, and 
livestock administration actions to promote ecosystem health, renew 
livestock grazing permits, and improve livestock grazing management. 
Portions of the management area are currently not meeting one or more 
of the Standards and Guidelines as required by 43 CFR subpart 4180 
(2005).

Alternatives

    The Draft EIS analyzes a no action alternative and six action 
alternatives.
    No Action Alternative: This alternative would make no changes to 
livestock grazing, and no restoration or livestock administration 
actions would be implemented.
    Alternative A, Condition-Based Flexible Grazing Permits: This 
adaptive grazing alternative could reduce animal unit months (AUM) 
below what is currently permitted and/or adjust the season of use to 
promote healthy rangelands and riparian systems should current 
environmental conditions change. Restoration and livestock 
administration actions are proposed to further aid in meeting Standards 
and Guidelines and promote proper livestock grazing. The restoration 
actions proposed under this alternative include upland sagebrush and 
riparian habitat restoration actions such as invasive annual grass 
treatments, seeding, shrub planting treatments, water trough 
relocation, and protection and enhancement of riparian areas. The 
rangeland administration actions proposed under this alternative 
include water developments, fencing, and livestock trailing and 
crossing.
    Alternative B, Threshold and Response Grazing Permits: Under this 
alternative, AUMs would remain the same as under the current grazing 
permit, with an exception in the Bull Flat Pasture of the Anderson 
Allotment where reductions of 205 AUMs to grazing may be made due to 
grazing being allocated as unavailable in the Toppin Creek Butte Key 
Research Natural Area under the 2015 Oregon Approved Resource 
Management Plan Amendment for Greater Sage-grouse. This action would 
permit livestock use for year-round grazing and provide a baseline of 
AUMs. Thresholds and rangeland ecosystem responses would be established 
to modify annual grazing periods of use to promote healthy rangelands 
and riparian systems. The proposed restoration and livestock 
administration actions are identical to Alternative A in order to aid 
in meeting Standards and Guidelines and promote proper livestock 
management.
    Alternative C, Rest-Rotation and Assigned Individual Use Areas: 
This alternative would reduce AUMs below what is currently permitted 
based on carrying capacity and would emphasize resting riparian areas 
from livestock use during the hot season in July through September. 
Additionally, this alternative would authorize individual use areas and 
eliminate community pastures. Alternative C proposes the same 
restoration and livestock administration actions as Alternative A.
    Alternative D, Permittee Proposals: This alternative reflects 
proposals submitted by the six authorized grazing permittees that hold 
livestock permits in the project area. This alternative would change 
the grazing seasons of use and increase the AUMs above the No Action 
Alternative. Alternative D's proposed restoration and livestock 
administration actions are the same as Alternative A, except that this 
alternative proposes additional seeding and brush treatments in three 
pastures and the installation of new fences.
    Alternative E, No Grazing: Under this alternative, no livestock 
grazing would occur for at least a 10-year period within the seven 
allotments. No new livestock administration actions would occur and 
existing livestock improvements, such as fencing and water 
developments, would be removed. Proposed restoration actions under this 
alternative would be the same as those described under Alternative A 
above.
    Alternative F, Temporary Suspension of Grazing AUMs and Reduced 
Restoration: Under Alternative F, the BLM would not issue 10-year 
grazing permits for any pastures where livestock grazing was identified 
as a preliminary causal factor for the pasture not achieving the 
Standards and Guidelines. The pastures that remain available to grazing 
would retain the same AUMs as the No Action Alternative but would 
provide the BLM with additional flexibilities to manage the seasons of 
use. Under Alternative F, the BLM would reduce the acreage where the 
restoration actions are proposed under Alternatives A through E to 
focus on restoring higher priority discrete areas. Alternative F's 
proposed livestock grazing administration actions would be identical to 
Alternatives A through D, however, the scope of these actions would be 
reduced to the pastures that remain open to grazing.

[[Page 94761]]

Public Participation

    The BLM will hold one public meeting regarding the Draft EIS in 
McDermitt, Nevada. The specific date and location of the meeting will 
be announced at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media 
releases, and/or mailings to the BLM Vale District's interested public 
and stakeholder mailing list.
    The BLM will continue to consult with Indian Tribal Nations on a 
government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order 
13175, BLM MS 1780, and other Departmental policies. Tribal concerns, 
including impacts on Indian trust assets and potential impacts to 
cultural resources, will be given due consideration.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)

Tracy Skerjanec,
Vale Deputy District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2024-28011 Filed 11-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-24-P