80 FR 30707 - Notice of Availability of the South Dakota Field Office Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, South Dakota Field Office, Montana

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 103 (May 29, 2015)

Page Range		30707-30709
FR Document		2015-12926

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the South Dakota Field Office and by this notice is announcing its availability.

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 103 (Friday, May 29, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 103 (Friday, May 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30707-30709]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12926]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLMTC040000.L16100000.DP0000.LXSS059E0000 MO# 4500079352]


Notice of Availability of the South Dakota Field Office Proposed 
Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, 
South Dakota Field Office, Montana

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), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the South Dakota Field Office 
and by this notice is announcing its availability.

[[Page 30708]]


DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed RMP/Final EIS. A person who meets the conditions and files a 
protest must file the protest within 30 days of the date that the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability in 
the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the South Dakota Field Office Proposed RMP/Final 
EIS have been sent to affected Federal, State, and local government 
agencies, tribal governments and to other stakeholders and members of 
the public. Copies of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS are available for 
public inspection at the following locations:
     BLM, South Dakota Field Office, 310 Roundup Street, Belle 
Fourche, SD 57717.
     BLM, Montana/Dakota BLM State Office, 5001 Southgate 
Drive, Billings, Montana 59101.
     BLM, Meade County Courthouse, 1300 Sherman Street, 
Sturgis, SD 57785.
     USFS, Fort Pierre National Grasslands, 1020 N. Deadwood 
Street, Pierre, SD 57532.
     USFS, Wall Ranger District, 708 Main Street, Wall, SD 
57790.
    Copies of the Proposed RMP/EIS may also be viewed on the internet 
at http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/south_dakota_field/rmp.html.
    All protests must be in writing and mailed to one of the following 
addresses:
    Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
    Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest 
Coordinator, 20 M Street SE., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mitch Iverson, RMP Project Manager, 
telephone: 605-892-7008; or Lori (Chip) Kimball, BLM South Dakota Field 
Manager, telephone: 605-892-7000; address: 310 Roundup Street, Belle 
Fourche, SD 57717; email: [email protected]. Persons who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), may call the 
Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS), at 1-800-877-8339, to contact 
the above individuals during normal business hours. The FIRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
with the above individuals. You will receive a reply during normal 
business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planning area includes lands within the 
BLM South Dakota Field Office administrative boundaries which includes 
all lands, regardless of jurisdiction, in the State of South Dakota, 
however, the BLM will only make decisions on lands that fall under the 
BLM's jurisdiction. The BLM administers 274,239 acres of public land 
surface and approximately 1.72 million acres of federal mineral estate. 
Over 98 percent of the BLM-administered surface and Federal mineral 
estate in the decision area is located in western South Dakota. 
Counties with substantial amounts of BLM-administered surface or 
mineral estate (over 1 percent of the county land base), include Butte, 
Custer, Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, 
Perkins, and Stanley counties in western South Dakota. Other counties 
with small amounts of BLM-administered surface or federal minerals 
(less than 1 percent of the county land base), include Bennett, Bon 
Homme, Brule, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Corson, Dewey, 
Edmunds, Faulk, Gregory, Hand, Hughes, Hyde, Jackson, Jones, Lyman, 
Marshall, McPherson, Mellette, Potter, Sully, Tripp, Walworth, Yankton, 
and Ziebach counties in South Dakota. An updated inventory of lands 
with wilderness characteristics was completed for the planning area and 
data from the inventory was analyzed in the Draft RMP/EIS. The revised 
RMP will replace the South Dakota RMP of 1986, as amended, and provide 
the South Dakota Field Office with an updated framework in which to 
administer the BLM-managed public lands in the planning area.
    The formal scoping period began with the publication of the Notice 
of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register on July 19, 2007 (72 FR 39638). 
From August through October 2007, nine scoping meetings were held 
across the planning area. In addition to the nine scoping meetings, 
four open house meetings were held to address the concerns of Native 
American tribes. During scoping, the BLM requested public input to 
identify resource issues and concerns, management alternatives, or 
other ideas to help in determining future land use decisions for the 
planning area. The Draft RMP/EIS was made available for public review 
for a 90-day period on June 14, 2013 (78 FR 35959). Initially, the 
Federal Register NOI announced scoping for both North Dakota and South 
Dakota RMP revisions; however, based on the diverse planning issues and 
other management considerations, the South Dakota RMP revision 
continued ahead, and an RMP revision specific to North Dakota BLM will 
be addressed at a later date.
    The issues raised during scoping included energy development, 
vegetation management, wildlife habitat, special status species 
management, Greater Sage-Grouse, travel, access, commercial uses, land 
tenure adjustments, visual resource management, and climate change. The 
BLM invited local, State, Federal, and tribal representatives to 
participate as cooperating agencies on the South Dakota RMP/EIS.
    The Proposed RMP/Final EIS includes a range of management actions 
within four management alternatives, including the No-Action 
Alternative. These alternatives address the goals, management 
challenges, and issues raised during scoping.
    The four alternatives analyzed are:
    1. Alternative A: Continues existing management practices (No-
Action Alternative).
    2. Alternative B: Emphasizes commercial resource development and 
use while providing adequate levels of resource protection.
    3. Alternative C: Emphasizes conservation of natural resources 
while providing for compatible development and use.
    4. Alternative D (Proposed): Provides development opportunities and 
conserves high value and sensitive resources.
    The South Dakota Field Office has identified Alternative D as the 
Proposed RMP. Alternative D supports management of greater sage-grouse 
seasonal habitats and maintaining habitat connectivity to achieve 
population objectives.
    Two ACECs are currently designated in the existing South Dakota RMP 
and were re-evaluated and addressed in this Proposed RMP/Final EIS. All 
alternatives (including the Proposed Plan) would propose to maintain 
the two existing ACECs, as summarized below:
    Fort Meade Recreation Area ACEC (6,574 acres):
     Relevant and Important Values: Historical and 
archeological.
     Limitations on the Following Uses: Closed to leasable and 
salable minerals, closed to geophysical exploration, recommended for 
withdrawal from appropriation under the mining laws.
     Other Restrictions: Right-of-way (ROW) exclusion area 
except in designated ROW corridors, motorized vehicle use limited to 
designated roads and trails, snowmobiles or machines specifically 
equipped to travel over snow prohibited, closed to construction of new 
roads except rerouting of existing roads to address resource impacts or 
safety, and the continued designation as a back country byway of

[[Page 30709]]

the route that traverses the southern portion of the ACEC.
    Fossil Cycad ACEC (320 acres):
     Relevant and Important Values: Paleontological.
     Proposed Use Limitations: Closed to fluid minerals within 
the ACEC, closed to salable Federal minerals, sale of forest products 
not be allowed, collection of fossils without a BLM permit not allowed, 
and locatable Federal minerals recommended for withdrawal from 
appropriation under the mining laws.
     Other Restrictions: ROW exclusion area.
    The South Dakota Field Office Proposed RMP/Final EIS is one of a 
total of 15 separate EISs that make up the BLM and Forest Service 
National Greater Sage-Grouse Planning Strategy. Greater-Sage Grouse 
habitat within the planning area consists of:
     Priority Habitat Management Area (PHMA)--Areas identified 
as having the highest conservation value for maintaining sustainable 
greater sage-grouse populations; include breeding, late brood-rearing, 
and winter concentration areas.
     General Habitat Management Area (GHMA)--Areas of seasonal 
or year-round habitat outside of PHMA.
    Alternative D supports management of greater sage-grouse seasonal 
habitats and maintaining habitat connectivity to achieve population 
objectives. Alternative D would limit or eliminate new surface 
disturbance in PHMA, while minimizing disturbance in GHMA.
    The Proposed Plan provides for 127,735 acres of Greater Sage-Grouse 
PHMAs.
    The BLM and Forest Service, via the Western Association of Fish and 
Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) Management Zone Greater Sage-Grouse 
Conservation Team, will develop a Regional Mitigation Strategy to guide 
the application of the mitigation hierarchy to address impacts within 
that Zone. The Regional Mitigation Strategy should consider any State-
level greater sage-grouse mitigation guidance that is consistent with 
the requirements. The Regional Mitigation Strategy will be developed in 
a transparent manner, based on the best science available and 
standardized metrics. Development of additional regional mitigation 
strategies for other resource programs may occur for implementation 
level decisions.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the Proposed RMP/Final EIS may be found in the ``Dear 
Reader'' Letter of the South Dakota Proposed RMP/Final EIS and at 43 
CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing and be mailed to the 
appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES section above. 
Emailed protests will not be accepted as valid protests unless the 
protesting party also provides the original printed email by either 
regular or overnight mail, postmarked by the close of the protest 
period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the emailed 
protest as an advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If 
you wish to provide the BLM with such advance notification, please 
direct emails to [email protected].
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised 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 from public review your personal identifying 
information, 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

Jamie E. Connell,
State Director, Montana/Dakotas.
[FR Doc. 2015-12926 Filed 5-28-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P

30708 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 103 / Friday, May 29, 2015 / Notices

DATES: BLM planning regulations state includes all lands, regardless of vegetation management, wildlife
that any person who meets the jurisdiction, in the State of South habitat, special status species
conditions as described in the Dakota, however, the BLM will only management, Greater Sage-Grouse,
regulations may protest the BLM’s make decisions on lands that fall under travel, access, commercial uses, land
Proposed RMP/Final EIS. A person who the BLM’s jurisdiction. The BLM tenure adjustments, visual resource
meets the conditions and files a protest administers 274,239 acres of public land management, and climate change. The
must file the protest within 30 days of surface and approximately 1.72 million BLM invited local, State, Federal, and
the date that the Environmental acres of federal mineral estate. Over 98 tribal representatives to participate as
Protection Agency publishes its notice percent of the BLM-administered cooperating agencies on the South
of availability in the Federal Register. surface and Federal mineral estate in the Dakota RMP/EIS.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the South Dakota decision area is located in western The Proposed RMP/Final EIS includes
Field Office Proposed RMP/Final EIS South Dakota. Counties with substantial a range of management actions within
have been sent to affected Federal, State, amounts of BLM-administered surface four management alternatives, including
and local government agencies, tribal or mineral estate (over 1 percent of the the No-Action Alternative. These
governments and to other stakeholders county land base), include Butte, Custer, alternatives address the goals,
and members of the public. Copies of Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Lawrence, management challenges, and issues
the Proposed RMP/Final EIS are Meade, Pennington, Perkins, and raised during scoping.
available for public inspection at the Stanley counties in western South The four alternatives analyzed are:
following locations: Dakota. Other counties with small 1. Alternative A: Continues existing
• BLM, South Dakota Field Office, amounts of BLM-administered surface management practices (No-Action
310 Roundup Street, Belle Fourche, SD or federal minerals (less than 1 percent Alternative).
57717. of the county land base), include 2. Alternative B: Emphasizes
• BLM, Montana/Dakota BLM State Bennett, Bon Homme, Brule, Campbell, commercial resource development and
Office, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Corson, use while providing adequate levels of
Montana 59101. Dewey, Edmunds, Faulk, Gregory, resource protection.
• BLM, Meade County Courthouse, Hand, Hughes, Hyde, Jackson, Jones, 3. Alternative C: Emphasizes
1300 Sherman Street, Sturgis, SD 57785. Lyman, Marshall, McPherson, Mellette, conservation of natural resources while
• USFS, Fort Pierre National Potter, Sully, Tripp, Walworth, providing for compatible development
Grasslands, 1020 N. Deadwood Street, Yankton, and Ziebach counties in South and use.
Pierre, SD 57532. Dakota. An updated inventory of lands 4. Alternative D (Proposed): Provides
• USFS, Wall Ranger District, 708 with wilderness characteristics was development opportunities and
Main Street, Wall, SD 57790. completed for the planning area and conserves high value and sensitive
Copies of the Proposed RMP/EIS may data from the inventory was analyzed in resources.
also be viewed on the internet at the Draft RMP/EIS. The revised RMP
The South Dakota Field Office has
http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/south_ will replace the South Dakota RMP of
identified Alternative D as the Proposed
dakota_field/rmp.html. 1986, as amended, and provide the
RMP. Alternative D supports
All protests must be in writing and South Dakota Field Office with an
management of greater sage-grouse
mailed to one of the following updated framework in which to
seasonal habitats and maintaining
addresses: administer the BLM-managed public
habitat connectivity to achieve
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), lands in the planning area.
The formal scoping period began with population objectives.
Attention: Protest Coordinator, P.O. Box Two ACECs are currently designated
71383, Washington, DC 20024–1383. the publication of the Notice of Intent
(NOI) in the Federal Register on July 19, in the existing South Dakota RMP and
Overnight Delivery: BLM Director were re-evaluated and addressed in this
(210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 20 2007 (72 FR 39638). From August
through October 2007, nine scoping Proposed RMP/Final EIS. All
M Street SE., Room 2134LM, alternatives (including the Proposed
Washington, DC 20003. meetings were held across the planning
area. In addition to the nine scoping Plan) would propose to maintain the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: two existing ACECs, as summarized
meetings, four open house meetings
Mitch Iverson, RMP Project Manager, were held to address the concerns of below:
telephone: 605–892–7008; or Lori (Chip) Native American tribes. During scoping, Fort Meade Recreation Area ACEC
Kimball, BLM South Dakota Field the BLM requested public input to (6,574 acres):
Manager, telephone: 605–892–7000; identify resource issues and concerns, • Relevant and Important Values:
address: 310 Roundup Street, Belle management alternatives, or other ideas Historical and archeological.
Fourche, SD 57717; email: BLM_MT_ to help in determining future land use • Limitations on the Following Uses:
South_Dakota_RMP@blm.gov. Persons decisions for the planning area. The Closed to leasable and salable minerals,
who use a telecommunications device Draft RMP/EIS was made available for closed to geophysical exploration,
for the deaf (TDD), may call the Federal public review for a 90-day period on recommended for withdrawal from
Information Relay Service (FIRS), at 1– June 14, 2013 (78 FR 35959). Initially, appropriation under the mining laws.
800–877–8339, to contact the above the Federal Register NOI announced • Other Restrictions: Right-of-way
individuals during normal business scoping for both North Dakota and (ROW) exclusion area except in
hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a South Dakota RMP revisions; however, designated ROW corridors, motorized
day, 7 days a week, to leave a message based on the diverse planning issues vehicle use limited to designated roads
Lhorne on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

or question with the above individuals. and other management considerations, and trails, snowmobiles or machines
You will receive a reply during normal the South Dakota RMP revision specifically equipped to travel over
business hours. continued ahead, and an RMP revision snow prohibited, closed to construction
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The specific to North Dakota BLM will be of new roads except rerouting of
planning area includes lands within the addressed at a later date. existing roads to address resource
BLM South Dakota Field Office The issues raised during scoping impacts or safety, and the continued
administrative boundaries which included energy development, designation as a back country byway of

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Document Created: 2015-12-15 15:31:38
Document Modified: 2015-12-15 15:31:38

Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
Action		Notice of Availability.
Dates		BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's Proposed RMP/Final EIS. A person who meets the conditions and files a protest must file the protest within 30 days of the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability in the Federal Register.
Contact		Mitch Iverson, RMP Project Manager, telephone: 605-892-7008; or Lori (Chip) Kimball, BLM South Dakota Field
FR Citation		80 FR 30707

80 FR 30707 - Notice of Availability of the South Dakota Field Office Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, South Dakota Field Office, Montana

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 103 (May 29, 2015)

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management