[Federal Register: January 4, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 3)]
[Notices]
[Page 881]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04ja08-49]
[[Page 881]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WY-030-07-1610-DQ]
Notice of Availability of the Rawlins Proposed Resource
Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Wyoming
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
(FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its cooperating
agencies, have prepared a Proposed Resources Management Plan and Final
Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/EIS) for the Rawlins Field Office
for public review.
DATES: The BLM Planning regulations set forth the provisions applicable
to protests (43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1610.5-2). A person
who meets the conditions as described in the regulations cited above,
and who wishes to file a protest, must file said protest within 30 days
of the date this notice is published in the Federal Register.
Additional information on protests is set forth in the Dear Reader
letter of the Rawlins PRMP/EIS and in the SUPPLMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this notice. To ensure compliance with the protest
regulations, please consult the BLM's Planning regulations at 43 CFR
1610.5-2.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the PRMP/FEIS has been sent to affected Federal,
State, and local government agencies and to interested parties. The
document will be available electronically at the following Rawlins RMP
revision Web site: http://www.blm.gov/rmp/wy/rawlins. Copies of the
PRMP/FEIS will be available for public inspection at the following
locations:
Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003.
Bureau of Land Management, Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N.
Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Storzer, Field Manager, or John
Spehar, Rawlins RMP Team Leader, BLM Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N.
Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301, or by telephone at
(307) 328-4200.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Rawlins Field Office planning area
includes all of the public land and Federal mineral ownership in
Laramie, Albany, Carbon, and eastern Sweetwater Counties, Wyoming. The
area includes approximately 3.5 million acres of BLM-administered
surface lands and 4.5 million acres of Federal mineral lands under
Federal, State, and private surface.
The Draft RMP/Draft EIS was made available for public review for a
90-day period on December 12, 2004. The Draft RMP/Draft EIS described
and analyzed 4 alternatives for the management of the public lands and
resources, including the Federal mineral estate administered by the BLM
Rawlins Field Office:
Alternative 1 (No Action): Continues to balance the use and
development of resources under current management guidance;
Alternative 2: Provides development and use opportunities while
minimizing adverse impacts to cultural and natural resources;
Alternative 3: Focuses on greater conservation of natural and
cultural resources while providing for compatible development and use;
and
Alternative 4: (Agency Preferred Alternative): Provides development
opportunities while protecting sensitive resources.
The key issues addressed by the alternatives are: (1) Development
of energy resources and minerals; (2) special management designations;
(3) public access and transportation planning; (4) wildland-urban
interface; (5) management of special status species; (6) water quality;
(7) vegetation management; (8) recreation activities; and (9) cultural
resources management.
The Draft RMP/Draft EIS includes recommendations regarding Areas of
Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs). While the Draft RMP/Draft EIS
fully documents the ACECs considered, to ensure that BLM provided the
public with the required 60-day comment and review period as required
by 43 CFR 1610.7-2, the BLM published a notice of supplemental
information describing the proposed ACECs and associated values and use
limitations in the Federal Register June 5, 2007.
Comments received on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS from the public and
internal BLM review comments were incorporated into the proposed plan.
Public comments resulted in the addition of clarifying text but did not
significantly change proposed land use decisions.
After careful consideration of both public and internal comments
received on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS, adjustments and clarifications
have been made to Alternative 4, the Preferred Alternative. As
modified, Alternative 4 is now presented as the Proposed Rawlins RMP in
the Final EIS. The Proposed Rawlins RMP would provide comprehensive,
long-range decisions for the use and management of resources in the
planning area administered by the BLM and focus on the principles of
multiple use and sustained yield.
As noted above, instructions for filing a protest with the Director
of the BLM regarding the PRMP/EIS may be found at 43 CFR 1610.5-2.
Electronic mail and facsimile protests will be considered only if the
protesting party provides BLM with the original letter by either
regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest
period. Under those conditions, the BLM will consider the electronic or
facsimile version as an advance copy and it will receive full
consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such advance
notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM
protest coordinator at (202) 452-5112, and e-mails to
Brenda_Hudgens-Williams@blm.gov. All protests must be in writing and mailed to one of
the following addresses:
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Regular Mail: Overnight Mail:
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Director (210) Director (210)
Attention: Brenda Williams Attention: Brenda Williams
P.O. Box 66538 1620 L Street, NW., Suite 1075
Washington, DC 20036 Washington, DC 20036
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Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 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.
Donald A. Simpson,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. E7-25577 Filed 1-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P