80 FR 8105 - Notice of Intent To Amend the Resource Management Plan for the Bureau of Land Management Gunnison Field Office and Prepare an Associated Environmental Impact Statement, Colorado

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 30 (February 13, 2015)

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Gunnison Field Office, Gunnison, Colorado, intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment with an associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 30 (Friday, February 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8105-8107]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02946]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCOS06000 L10200000.EE0000]


Notice of Intent To Amend the Resource Management Plan for the 
Bureau of Land Management Gunnison Field Office and Prepare an 
Associated Environmental Impact Statement, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
Gunnison Field Office, Gunnison, Colorado, intends to prepare a 
Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment with an associated 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and by this notice is announcing 
the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and 
identify issues.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the RMP 
amendment with associated EIS. Comments on issues may be submitted in 
writing until March 16, 2015. The date(s) and location(s) of any 
scoping meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through 
local media, newspapers and the BLM Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/gfo.html. In order to be included in the Draft EIS, all 
comments must be received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping 
period or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever is later. 
The BLM will provide additional opportunities for public participation 
as appropriate.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria 
related to the Gunnison Field Office RMP amendment/EIS by any of the 
following methods:
     Email: [email protected]">blm_co_[email protected].
     Fax: 970-642-4990.
     Mail: 210 West Spencer Street, Suite A, Gunnison, CO 
81230.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the BLM 
Gunnison Field Office at the address above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristi Murphy, Outdoor Recreation 
Planner; telephone, 970-642-4955; address, 210 West Spencer Street, 
Suite A, Gunnison, CO 81230; email, blm_

[[Page 8106]]

co_[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, 7 days a 
week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You 
will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM 
Gunnison Field Office intends to prepare an RMP amendment with an 
associated EIS for 16 domestic sheep grazing allotments, announces the 
beginning of the scoping process and seeks public input on issues and 
planning criteria. The planning area is located in Gunnison, Hinsdale, 
and portions of Montrose, Ouray, and San Juan counties, Colorado. The 
planning area encompasses approximately 115,000 acres of public land. 
The BLM will analyze grazing that is currently authorized by five 
livestock grazing permits in the planning area. The five livestock 
grazing permits authorize sheep grazing on twelve grazing allotments. 
Eight of those allotments completely or partly overlap with mapped 
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (RMBS) habitat. Livestock grazing 
authorized by these five permits has not yet been fully analyzed in 
compliance with NEPA; therefore, these permits are currently being 
authorized under the authority of Public Law 108-108 and Public Law 
111-8. In addition, the BLM will analyze livestock grazing on four 
other livestock grazing allotments located in areas south and west of 
Lake City, Colorado, which are currently vacant (domestic livestock 
grazing is not currently permitted on those allotments). Although there 
is no demand for livestock grazing on these four vacant allotments, the 
risk of contact with RMBS is high if permitted. Because the BLM may 
change livestock grazing allocations through this process, the BLM may 
need to amend its Resource Management Plan. These changes could include 
making some areas and related allotments unavailable to livestock 
grazing; adjusting area-wide forage availability for livestock; and 
making some areas or allotments that are currently unavailable to 
livestock grazing available for that use.
    Over the past 30 years, the bighorn sheep population in the area 
has increased to a level indicating a healthy, stable population. New 
information about disease transmission between domestic sheep and RMBS 
indicates that contact between the species can pose a risk to the 
health of the RMBS population. The potential for disease transmission 
is a particular concern in areas where the risk of contact between 
species is high and design criteria or mitigation measures to achieve 
separation may not be effective. To fully analyze the direct, indirect 
and cumulative impacts of authorizing livestock grazing in bighorn 
sheep habitat areas, the EIS will consider the five livestock grazing 
permits, including the associated grazing allotments outside of RMBS 
habitat, as well as four allotments that are currently vacant and 
unpermitted.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis, 
including alternatives, and guide the planning process. Preliminary 
issues for the plan amendment area have been identified by BLM 
personnel; Federal, State, and local agencies; and other stakeholders. 
The issues include: RMBS population health, domestic sheep grazing, 
socio-economics, riparian area conditions, noxious weeds, Canada lynx 
habitat, Gunnison Sage-Grouse habitat and upland soils. Preliminary 
planning criteria include:
    1. The BLM will continue to manage the Gunnison Field Office in 
accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, 43 
U.S.C. 1701 (et seq.), other applicable laws and regulations and all 
existing public land laws.
    2. The RMP amendment will be developed using an interdisciplinary 
approach to identify alternatives and analyze resource impacts, 
including cumulative impacts to natural and cultural resources and the 
social and economic environment.
    3. The amendment process will follow the FLPMA planning process and 
the BLM will develop an EIS analyzing the amendment, consistent with 
NEPA.
    You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria in writing 
to the BLM at any public scoping meeting, or you may submit them to the 
BLM using one of the methods listed earlier in the ADDRESSES section. 
To be most helpful, you should submit comments by the close of the 30-
day scoping period or within 15 days after the last public meeting, 
whichever is later.
    Before including your address, phone number, email 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. The minutes and list of attendees for each scoping 
meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days after the 
meeting to any participant who wishes to clarify the views he or she 
expressed.
    The BLM will evaluate identified issues to be addressed in the plan 
amendment, and will place them into one of three categories:
    1. Issues to be resolved in the plan amendment;
    2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action; 
or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan amendment.
    The BLM will provide an explanation in the Draft RMP amendment/
Draft EIS as to why an issue was placed in category two or three. The 
public is also encouraged to help identify any management questions and 
concerns that should be addressed in the plan amendment. The BLM will 
work collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management 
decisions that are best suited to local, regional, and national needs 
and concerns.
    The BLM will use the NEPA public participation requirements to 
assist the agency in satisfying the public involvement requirements 
under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 
U.S.C. 470(f)) pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about 
historic and cultural resources within the area potentially affected by 
the proposed action will assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating 
impacts to such resources in the context of both NEPA and Section 106 
of the NHPA.
    The BLM will consult with Indian tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other 
policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and 
potential impacts to cultural resources, will be given due 
consideration. Federal, State and local agencies, along with tribes and 
other stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the 
proposed action the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate in 
the scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by 
the BLM to participate in the development of the environmental analysis 
as a cooperating agency. The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach 
to develop the plan amendment in order to consider the variety of 
resource issues and concerns identified. Specialists with expertise in 
the following disciplines will be involved in the planning process: 
rangeland management, minerals and geology,

[[Page 8107]]

forestry, outdoor recreation, archaeology, paleontology, wildlife and 
fisheries, lands and realty, hydrology, soils, sociology, and 
economics.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2

Ruth Welch,
BLM Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-02946 Filed 2-12-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P