80 FR 51300 - Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the White River Field Office Oil and Gas Development Resource Management Plan Amendment, Colorado

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 163 (August 24, 2015)

Page Range		51300-51301
FR Document		2015-20882

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment for Oil and Gas Development in the White River Field Office (WRFO). The planning are is located in Rio Blanco, Moffat, and Garfield Counties, Colorado. The Colorado State Director signed the ROD on August 20, 2015, which constitutes the final decision of the BLM and makes the Approved RMP Amendment effective immediately.

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 163 (Monday, August 24, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 163 (Monday, August 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51300-51301]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20882]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCON05000 L16100000.DT0000]


Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the White River 
Field Office Oil and Gas Development Resource Management Plan 
Amendment, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan 
(RMP) Amendment for Oil and Gas Development in the White River Field 
Office (WRFO). The planning are is located in Rio Blanco, Moffat, and 
Garfield Counties, Colorado. The Colorado State Director signed the ROD 
on August 20, 2015, which

[[Page 51301]]

constitutes the final decision of the BLM and makes the Approved RMP 
Amendment effective immediately.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD/Approved RMP Amendment are available upon 
request from the Field Manager, White River Field Office, Bureau of 
Land Management, 220 East Market Street, Meeker, CO 81641 or via the 
Internet at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/wrfo.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Sauls, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator; telephone 970-878-3855; White River Field 
Office, 220 East Market Street, Meeker, CO 81641; 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 individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is 
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or 
question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during 
normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The WRFO has worked with the public, 
interest groups, stakeholders, cooperating agencies, tribes, the 
Northwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council, and neighboring BLM 
offices for the past nine years through the oil and gas amendment 
development process. The result is an Approved RMP Amendment for oil 
and gas development that seeks to provide for a level of oil and gas 
development that is appropriate to the Nation's energy needs in a 
responsible manner of multiple use that maintains the ecological 
integrity of the area and important natural, cultural, social and 
historical values.
    Included as part of the RMP Amendment is the Dinosaur Trail Master 
Leasing Plan (MLP), which will minimize the impacts from oil and gas 
exploration and development to important natural resources and areas in 
that portion of the planning area, including the Dinosaur National 
Monument, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), and 
Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs), . Impacts will be minimized by managing 
leasing opportunities in a phased approach and imposing controlled 
surface use stipulations for visual resources, night skies, and 
soundscapes.
    While the WRFO Approved RMP Amendment for Oil and Gas Development 
contains some conservation management measures for Greater Sage-Grouse 
habitat, the Northwest Colorado BLM Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment 
and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) fully analyzed applicable 
Greater Sage-Grouse conservation measures, including measures effecting 
lands within the WFRO. The BLM expects to make a comprehensive set of 
decisions for managing Greater Sage-Grouse on lands administered by the 
WRFO in the Record of Decision for the Northwest Colorado Greater Sage-
Grouse Plan Amendment. That decision will amend the 1997 WRFO RMP, as 
needed, including any of the changes made to the 1997 WRFO as part of 
this Approved RMP Amendment for Oil and Gas Development. In the 
interim, leasing in Greater Sage-Grouse habitat will continue to be 
deferred until a final decision has been made on the Northwest Colorado 
Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment. The BLM initiated scoping for the 
RMP Amendment in 2006 and collected information and public input via 
public meetings in order to develop the Draft RMP Amendment/
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in August 2012. Based on public 
and agency comments, the BLM developed the Proposed RMP Amendment by 
combining various elements of all the alternatives considered in the 
Draft RMP Amendment/EIS. The BLM published the Proposed RMP Amendment/
Final EIS on March 27, 2015 (80 FR 16424), and made it available for a 
30-day public protest period. During the protest period for the 
Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS, the BLM received 11 protest letters 
on a variety of issues. From those protest letters, the BLM granted in 
part one protest regarding the requirement in BLM's ACEC Manual that 
the BLM conduct a timely evaluation of ACEC nominations. As explained 
in the ROD, the BLM will evaluate these nominated areas to determine 
whether they satisfy the relevance and importance criteria consistent 
with BLM's planning regulations and provide temporary (interim) 
management for those areas found to meet the criteria. The BLM included 
a timeline for conducting these evaluations in the ROD. The BLM also 
made minor editorial modifications to the Approved RMP Amendment to 
provide further clarification of some of the decisions.
    BLM regulations also require a 60-day Governor's Consistency Review 
period for the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS to review consistency 
with approved state or local plans, policies, or programs. The Governor 
did not identify any inconsistencies with approved state or local 
plans, policies, or programs.
    Management decisions outlined in the Approved RMP Amendment apply 
only to oil and gas exploration and development activities on BLM-
administered lands in the WRFO Planning Area and do not address other 
resources or resource allocations, or authorize development of those 
resources. Approximately 1.7 million acres of Federal oil and gas 
mineral estate is open to leasing and would be subject to lease 
stipulations and other management actions developed during this 
planning effort (i.e., BLM-leasable acres not associated with WSAs or 
surface estate managed by the National Park Service or U.S. Forest 
Service). Major decisions include adopting the Dinosaur Trail MLP; 
using thresholds to promote clustered development to allow for year-
round drilling while reducing habitat loss due to behavioral avoidance 
by big game; using a tiered approach to managing lands with wilderness 
characteristics and identifying specific success criteria for 
reclamation.
    The Approved RMP Amendment does not include implementation 
decisions that would be appealable to the Interior Board of Land 
Appeals under 43 CFR part 4, subpart E.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6.

Ruth Welch,
BLM Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-20882 Filed 8-21-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P

51300 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 163 / Monday, August 24, 2015 / Notices

Applicant: Robert Winstead, Sandia, 1807(a) and 25 CFR 41.8 to provide Total Number of Responses: 26 per
TX; PRT–72286B information for the purpose of securing year, on average.
Applicant: Jeffery Palmer, Mapleton, a grant. Similarly, each tribally- Frequency of Response: Annually.
CO; PRT–72842B controlled college or university that Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour.
receives financial assistance under the Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:
Applicant: Andrew Wood, Chico, CA; Act is required by 25 U.S.C. 1808(c)(1) 26 hours.
PRT–73008B and 25 CFR 41.9 to provide a report on Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour
Applicant: William Mathers, Littletown, the use of funds received. Dollar Cost: $0.
PA; PRT–73254B II. Request for Comments * * * * *
OMB Control Number: 1076–0105.
Applicant: John Justus, Lewisville, TX; The BIA requests your comments on Title: Tribal Colleges and Universities
PRT–68941B these collections concerning: (a) The Annual Report Form.
necessity of this information collection Brief Description of Collection:
Brenda Tapia,
for the proper performance of the Collection of the information is
Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch
functions of the agency, including mandatory under the Tribally
of Permits, Division of Management
Authority. whether the information will have Controlled Colleges and Universities
practical utility; (b) The accuracy of the Assistance Act of 1978, as amended, 25
[FR Doc. 2015–20788 Filed 8–21–15; 8:45 am]
agency’s estimate of the burden (hours U.S.C. 1801 et seq., for the respondent
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
and cost) of the collection of to receive or maintain a benefit.
information, including the validity of Type of Review: Extension without
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR the methodology and assumptions used; change of a currently approved
(c) Ways we could enhance the quality, collection.
Bureau of Indian Affairs utility, and clarity of the information to Respondents: Tribal college and
be collected; and (d) Ways we could university administrators.
[156A2100DD/AAKC001030/ minimize the burden of the collection of
A0A501010.999900 253G] Number of Respondents: 26 per year,
the information on the respondents, on average.
Renewal of Agency Information such as through the use of automated Total Number of Responses: 26 per
Collection for Bureau of Indian collection techniques or other forms of year, on average.
Education Collection Activities; information technology. Frequency of Response: Annually.
Request for Comments Please note that an agency may not Estimated Time per Response: 3
conduct or sponsor, and an individual hours.
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, need not respond to, a collection of Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:
Interior. information unless it has a valid OMB 78 hours.
ACTION: Notice of request for comments. Control Number. Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour
It is our policy to make all comments Dollar Cost: $0.
SUMMARY: In compliance with the available to the public for review at the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Elizabeth K. Appel,
location listed in the ADDRESSES section.
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is seeking Before including your address, phone Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs and
comments on the renewal of Office of Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs.
number, email address or other personal
Management and Budget (OMB) identifying information in your [FR Doc. 2015–20817 Filed 8–21–15; 8:45 am]
approval for the collection of comment, you should be aware that BILLING CODE 4337–15–P
information for the Tribal Colleges and your entire comment—including your
Universities Application for Grants, personal identifying information—may
authorized by OMB Control Number be made publicly available at any time. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
1076–0018, and the Tribal Colleges and While you can ask us in your comment
Universities Annual Report Form, Bureau of Land Management
to withhold your personal identifying
authorized by OMB Control Number information from public review, we [LLCON05000 L16100000.DT0000]
1076–0105. Both of these information cannot guarantee that we will be able to
collections expire November 30, 2015. do so. Notice of Availability of Record of
DATES: Submit comments on or before Decision for the White River Field
October 23, 2015. III. Data Office Oil and Gas Development
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments OMB Control Number: 1076–0018. Resource Management Plan
on the information collection to Juanita Title: Tribal Colleges and Universities Amendment, Colorado
Mendoza, Acting Chief of Staff, Bureau Application for Grants Form. AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,
of Indian Education, 1849 C Street NW., Brief Description of Collection: Interior.
MIB—Mail Stop 4657, Washington, DC Collection of the information is ACTION: Notice of availability.
20240; email Juanita.Mendoza@bie.edu. mandatory under the Tribally
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Controlled Colleges and Universities SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land
Juanita Mendoza, (202) 208–3559. Assistance Act of 1978, as amended, 25 Management (BLM) announces the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: U.S.C. 1801 et seq., for the respondent availability of the Record of Decision
to receive or maintain a benefit. (ROD) and Approved Resource
I. Abstract
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Type of Review: Extension without Management Plan (RMP) Amendment
Each tribally-controlled college or change of a currently approved for Oil and Gas Development in the
university requesting financial collection. White River Field Office (WRFO). The
assistance under the Tribally Controlled Respondents: Tribal college and planning are is located in Rio Blanco,
Colleges and Universities Assistance university administrators. Moffat, and Garfield Counties, Colorado.
Act of 1978, as amended, 25 U.S.C. 1801 Number of Respondents: 26 per year, The Colorado State Director signed the
et seq. (Act) is required by 25 U.S.C. on average. ROD on August 20, 2015, which

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Document Created: 2015-12-15 10:54:28
Document Modified: 2015-12-15 10:54:28

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.
Contact		Heather Sauls, Planning and Environmental Coordinator; telephone 970-878-3855; White River Field Office, 220 East Market Street, Meeker, CO 81641; 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 individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
FR Citation		80 FR 51300

80 FR 51300 - Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the White River Field Office Oil and Gas Development Resource Management Plan Amendment, Colorado

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 163 (August 24, 2015)

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management