[Federal Register: October 26, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 207)]
[Notices]
[Page 60879-60881]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26oc07-96]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[UT050-1610-012J]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan
(DRMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the
Richfield Field Office in Garfield, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne
Counties, UT
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) hereby gives notice that the Richfield Draft
Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DRMP/DEIS) is available for a 90-day public review and comment period.
This notice also meets requirements in part 1610, 7-2(b) concerning
potential Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs).
DATES: To ensure that they will be considered, BLM must receive written
comments on the DRMP/DEIS within 90 days following the date the
Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability in
the Federal Register. The BLM will announce public meetings and other
public-involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through
public notices, news releases, direct mailings, and on the project Web
site at: http://www.blm.gov/rmp/ut/richfield/. Public meetings will be
held in Junction, Loa, Manti, Richfield, and Salt Lake City, and in
other locations if warranted.
ADDRESSES: Address written comments to: RMP Comments, Richfield Field
Office, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 150 East 900 North, Richfield,
Utah 84701. Comments may also be faxed to the Field Office at 435-896-
1550, or submitted electronically by e-mail:
UT_Richfield_Comments@blm.gov. Comments and information submitted on the Supplement
to the Vernal Field Office DRMP/DEIS, including names, e-mail
addresses, and street addresses of respondents, will be available for
public review and disclosure at the Vernal Field Office address listed
below. The BLM will not accept anonymous comments. Before including
your address, phone number, e-mail 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, or to have
your name added to the Richfield RMP mailing list, visit the RMP Web
site: http://www.blm.gov/rmp/ut/richfield/. Or, you may contact Cornell
Christensen, RMP Project Manager, Richfield BLM Field Office, 150 East
900 North, Richfield, Utah 84701, phone 435-896-1532. The DRMP/DEIS can
be viewed and downloaded in portable document format (PDF) at the
project Web site: http://www.blm.gov/rmp/ut/richfield/. Copies of the
DRMP/DEIS are also available at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Richfield Field Office.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DRMP/DEIS addresses public lands and
resources managed by the Richfield Field Office in Garfield, Piute,
Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne Counties, Utah. These lands and resources
are currently managed under six old land use plans: Cedar-Beaver-
Garfield-Antimony RMP (1986), Forest Management Framework Plan (MFP)
(1982), Henry Mountains MFP (1982), Mountain Valley MFP (1981), Parker
Mountain MFP (1983), and San Rafael RMP (1991). The planning area
includes approximately 2.1 million acres of BLM-administered surface
lands and additional Federally-owned minerals under Federal, state, and
private lands in the area. Decisions in the Richfield RMP will only
apply to BLM-administered public lands and Federally-owned minerals.
The DRMP/DEIS proposes and analyzes five alternatives for future
management of the public lands and resources in the planning area.
Alternative B is BLM's proposed action and the preferred alternative.
Major issues considered in the DRMP/DEIS include oil and gas leasing,
mining, range and livestock management, access and transportation,
recreation and off-highway vehicle management, special status species,
special designations (including Areas of Critical Environmental Concern
[ACECs] and wild and scenic rivers), and lands with wilderness
characteristics, among others. When completed, the new RMP will replace
management decisions in the existing land use plans. As required by
law, the DRMP/DEIS considers the designation and protection of ACECs.
ACEC values and resource use limitations vary by ACEC, and the ACECs
themselves vary by alternative. See table below.
Acres of Public Land To Be Managed as ACECs Under the Alternatives in the Richfield DRMP/DEIS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alt. N (no Alt. B
Values and use limitations action) Alt. A (preferred) Alts. C and D
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Badlands ACEC Values: Outstanding 0 0 0 88,900.
scenery, special status species,
natural processes (wind erosion),
riparian areas, relict vegetation.
Limitations: Designate scenic areas
outside Wilderness study Areas (WSAs)
as Visual Resource Management (VRM)
II, limit or close to Off-Highway
Vehicle (OHV) use, close to oil and
gas leasing, propose withdrawal from
mineral entry.
Beaver Wash ACEC Values: Desert 3,400 0 0 (Included in Dirty Devil/
riparian community. Limitations: North Wash ACEC).
Close to OHV use, close to oil and
gas leasing, close to livestock
grazing, propose withdrawal from
mineral entry.
Bull Creek ACEC Value: Cultural 0 0 0 4,800.
resources. Limitations: Limit off-
highway vehicles to designated routes.
[[Page 60880]]
Dirty Devil/North Wash ACEC: Values: 0 0 0 205,300.
Outstanding scenery, cultural
resources, paleontological resources,
wildlife, special status species,
relict vegetation, riparian areas.
Limitations: Designate scenic areas
outside WSAs as VRM II, close to oil
and gas leasing or lease with no
surface occupancy and propose
withdrawal from mineral entry. Permit
no domestic sheep grazing. Close to
OHV use or limit to designated routes.
Fremont Gorge/Cockscomb Values ACEC: 0 0 0 34,300.
Cultural resources, outstanding
scenery, riparian areas, special
status plant species, wildlife.
Limitations: Designate scenic areas
outside WSAs as VRM II, open to oil
and gas leasing with no surface
occupancy and propose withdrawal from
mineral entry. Close to OHV or limit
to designated routes.
Gilbert Badlands ACEC Values: Badlands 3,700 0 0 (Included in Badlands
geology. Limitations: Close to OHV ACEC).
use, designate open to oil and gas
leasing with no surface occupancy,
and propose withdrawal from mineral
entry.
Henry Mountains ACEC Values: 0 0 0 288,200.
Outstanding scenery, cultural
resources, wildlife, special status
species, ecological values, riparian
areas. Limitations: Designate scenic
areas outside WSAs as VRM II, close
to off-highway vehicles or limit to
designated routes, close to oil and
gas leasing, and propose withdrawal
from mineral entry.
Horseshoe Canyon ACEC Values: 0 0 0 40,900.
Outstanding scenery, cultural
resources, special status species,
riparian areas. Limitations:
Designate scenic areas outside WSAs
as VRM II, open to oil and gas
leasing with no surface occupancy,
and propose withdrawal from mineral
entry.
Kingston Canyon ACEC Values: Wildlife 0 0 0 22,100.
habitat and riparian areas.
Limitations: Limit off-highway
vehicles to designated routes and
suppress unwanted fires.
Little Rockies ACEC Values: 0 0 0 49,200.
Outstanding scenery, wildlife,
special status species, riparian
areas. Limitations: Designate scenic
areas outside WSAs as VRM II, open to
oil and gas leasing with no surface
occupancy and propose withdrawal from
mineral entry. Change class of
livestock from sheep to cattle.
Lower Muddy Creek ACEC Values: 0 0 0 16,200.
Outstanding scenery, special status
plants, riparian areas. Limitations:
Designate scenic areas as VRM Class
II and close to oil and gas leasing.
No Man Mesa ACEC Value: Relict 0 0 0 (Included in Henry
vegetation. Limitations: Close to OHV Mountains ACEC).
use, close to oil and gas leasing,
and propose withdrawal from mineral
entry.
North Caineville Mesa ACEC Value: 3,800 0 3,800 (Included in Badlands
Relict vegetation. Limitations: Close ACEC).
to OHV use, open to oil and gas
leasing with no surface occupancy,
close to livestock grazing, identify
as unsuitable for coal leasing, and
propose withdrawal from mineral entry.
Old Woman Front ACEC Value: Relict 0 0 330 330.
vegetation. Limitations: Close to
livestock grazing, close to OHV use,
close to oil and gas leasing and
propose withdrawal from mineral entry.
Parker Mountain ACEC Value: Sagebrush- 0 0 0 107,900.
steppe habitat, special status
species. Limitations: Limit off-
highway vehicles to designated
routes, suppress unwanted wildfires,
and implement proper grazing
practices.
Quitchupah Creek ACEC Values: Cultural 0 0 0 180.
resources, Native American values,
riparian areas. Limitations: Limit
off-highway vehicles to designated
routes.
Rainbow Hills ACEC Values: Wildlife 0 0 0 4,000.
habitat and special status plants.
Limitations: Suppress unwanted
wildfires, close to OHV use, and open
to oil and gas leasing with no
surface occupancy.
[[Page 60881]]
Sevier Canyon ACEC Values: Wildlife 0 0 0 8,900.
habitat, special status species,
riparian areas. Limitations: Suppress
unwanted wildfires, limit off-highway
vehicles to designated routes and
close routes seasonally.
South Caineville Mesa ACEC Value: 5,300 0 0 (Included in Badlands
Relict vegetation. Limitations: Close ACEC).
to OHV use, open to oil and gas
leasing with no surface occupancy,
close to livestock grazing, propose
withdrawal from mineral entry.
Special Status Species ACEC Values: 0 0 0 15,100.
Special Status Species and habitat.
Limitations: Close or limit OHV use
to designated routes and open to oil
and gas leasing with controlled
surface use stipulations.
Thousand Lake Bench ACEC Values: 0 0 0 500.
Cultural resources, special status
plants and riparian areas.
Limitations: Close to off-highway
vehicles or limit to designated
routes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total............................. 16,200 0 4,130 886,810.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The application of the Federal coal unsuitability criteria to the
Henry Mountains and Emery Coal Fields is included in Appendix 8 of the
DRMP/DEIS. As required by 43 CFR 3461.2-1(a)(2), the public is invited
to comment on the results of the application of the criteria and the
application process used. The criteria are listed under 43 CFR 3461.5.
Additionally, the BLM will conduct a public hearing on coal leasing
potential in the DRMP/DEIS before it is finalized, if such a hearing is
requested by any person who may be adversely affected by adoption of
the proposed plan.
Selma Sierra,
Utah State Director.
[FR Doc. 07-5283 Filed 10-25-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DK-P