[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 19 (Monday, January 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4881-4882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1689]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NM-030-1610-DS]
Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for the McGregor Range Resource Management Plan
Amendment (RMPA) and Notice of Opening of Public Comment Period With
Public Meetings
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.
ACTION: NOA of a DEIS for the McGregor Range RMPA, New Mexico.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 202 of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the BLM announces the availability of the
DEIS for the McGregor Range RMPA.
The DEIS documents the direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental impacts of four alternative management plans for BLM-
administered withdrawn public lands within the McGregor Range. When
completed, the RMPA will fulfill the obligations set forth by NEPA, the
Federal Land Policy and
[[Page 4882]]
Management Act, and associated Federal regulations.
DATES: The McGregor Range DEIS and RMPA will be available for review
for 90 calendar days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) publishes its NOA in the Federal Register. The BLM can best
utilize your comments and resource information submissions within the
90-day review period provided above. Formal hearings and open house
meetings will be scheduled to provide the public additional
opportunities to submit comments on the McGregor Range DEIS and RMPA.
All hearings or meetings and any other public involvement
activities will be announced at least 15 days in advance through public
notices, media news releases, New Mexico BLM Web site announcements, or
mailings.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the DEIS/RMPA has been sent to affected Federal,
State, and local government agencies and to interested parties. The
document will be available electronically on the following Web site:
http://www.nm.blm.gov. Copies of the DEIS/RMPA will be available for
public inspection at the following locations: BLM New Mexico State
Office, 1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505; BLM Las Cruces Field
Office, 1800 Marquess, Las Cruces, NM 88005. The current RMPs/EISs, and
all other documents relevant to this planning process, are available
for public review at the Las Cruces Field Office at the above address.
Written comments may be mailed directly, or delivered to the BLM
at: Draft McGregor Range RMPA/EIS, BLM Las Cruces Field Office, 1800
Marquess, Las Cruces, NM 88005. Comments may be electronically mailed
to: [email protected]. Comments may be faxed to the BLM at: (505)
525-4412. Comments that are e-mailed or faxed must include ``Comments
on Draft McGregor RMPA/EIS'' in the subject line. Interested parties
may also provide written comments during the public open house meetings
and hearings. The BLM will only accept comments on the Draft McGregor
Range RMPA/EIS if they are submitted in one of the four ways described
above. To be given consideration by the BLM all DEIS/RMPA comment
submittals must include the commenter's name and street address.
Our practice is to make comments, including the names and street
addresses of each respondent, available for public review at the BLM
office listed above during business hours 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays. Your comments may
be published as part of the EIS process. Individual respondents may
request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street
address, or both, from public review or from disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your written comments. Such requests will be honored to
the extent allowed by law. We will not consider anonymous comments. All
submissions from organizations and businesses will be made available
for public inspection in their entirety.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tom Phillips, RMPA Team Leader, at
the BLM Las Cruces Field Office (see address above), telephone (505)
525-4377. Requests for information may be sent electronically to:
[email protected] with ``Attention: McGregor RMPA Information
Request'' in the subject line.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1990, the BLM approved the McGregor Range
RMPA that established management direction for the BLM managed
withdrawn public lands and resources administered by the BLM Las Cruces
Field Office, New Mexico. The administrative area is located in
southern Otero County, New Mexico, and includes approximately 606,233
acres of withdrawn public lands within McGregor Range, which is a
military training range managed by Ft. Bliss, Texas. Within the
McGregor Range, Ft. Bliss administers an additional 70,884 acres owned
by the Department of Defense and 17,864 acres managed by the U.S.
Forest Service. In 1999, the Military Lands Withdrawal Act (PL 106-65)
reauthorized the withdrawn public lands within McGregor Range for use
by the Secretary of the Army for military maneuvering, training, and
equipment development and testing; training for aerial gunnery,
rocketry, electronic warfare; and tactical maneuvering and air support
associated with the Air Force Tactical Target Complex; and other
defense-related purposes. The Military Lands Withdrawal Act also
directed the Secretary of the Interior, after consultation with the
Secretary of the Army, to develop a plan for the management of
withdrawn public lands. The DEIS documents the direct, indirect, and
cumulative environmental impacts of four alternative plans for BLM-
administered withdrawn public lands within the McGregor Range. The DEIS
describes the physical, biological, cultural, historic, and
socioeconomic resources in and around the surrounding planning area.
The focus for impact analysis was based on resource issues and concerns
identified during scoping and public involvement activities and
opportunities. Potential impacts of concern regarding possible
management direction and planning decisions (not in priority order)
are: development of energy resources and mineral-related issues;
special management designations; resource accessibility; special status
species management; recreation access and opportunity; and cultural
resources management.
Four alternatives were analyzed in detail: The No-action
Alternative represents the continuation of existing management plans,
policies, and decisions as established in the 1990 McGregor Range RMPA.
Alternative A represents a balance of resource use and conservation.
Alternative B emphasizes resource use and production. Alternative C
represents an emphasis of resource conservation, protection, and
enhancement of natural and cultural resources. The BLM's preferred
alternative is Alternative A.
Since the publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an
RMPA and EIS in the Federal Register on May 15, 2001, open house
meetings, scoping meetings, and mailings have been conducted to solicit
public comments and input. The Las Cruces Field Office has been
providing updates on the development of this RMPA to the Otero County
Board of Commissioners and the New Mexico Resource Advisory Council.
Tribal governments with interests in the McGregor Range area were also
contacted. From the publication date of the NOI in the Federal
Register, through September 30, 2004, the BLM solicited for and
received approximately 42 written comments from interested parties. In
addition, two public meetings were held to provide the public with an
opportunity to acquire information about the RMPA process and its
status, and to submit comments. These public meetings were held in
Alamogordo, New Mexico, on June 20, 2001, and in Las Cruces, New
Mexico, on June 21, 2001. The two meetings resulted in 47 oral comments
from the public. All comments presented throughout the process have
been considered. Background information and maps used in developing the
DEIS and RMPA are available for public viewing at the Las Cruces Field
Office at the above address.
Dated: November 23, 2004.
Linda S.C. Rundell,
New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-1689 Filed 1-28-05; 8:45 am]
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