82 FR 48847 - Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment/Final Environmental Impact Statement for Recreational Target Shooting in the Sonoran Desert National Monument, AZ

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 202 (October 20, 2017)

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Recreational Target Shooting in the Sonoran Desert National Monument (SDNM) and by this Notice is announcing its availability.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 202 (Friday, October 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48847-48848]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22598]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AZ-P040-2017-1711-PH-1000-241A 17X.LLAZP04000.L1711.PH0000]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan 
Amendment/Final Environmental Impact Statement for Recreational Target 
Shooting in the Sonoran Desert National Monument, AZ

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, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Recreational Target Shooting 
in the Sonoran Desert National Monument (SDNM) and by this Notice is 
announcing its 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 Amendment/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 (NOA) in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS for 
Recreational Target Shooting in the SDNM have been sent to affected 
Federal, State, and local government agencies and to other 
stakeholders. Copies of the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS are 
available for public inspection at the Lower Sonoran Field Office, 
21605 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85027. Interested persons may also 
review the proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS on the Internet at http://1.usa.gov/1ZPyFSA.
    All protests must be in writing and mailed to one of the following 
addresses:
    Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
WO-210, P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
    Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest 
Coordinator, WO-210, 20 M Street SE., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 
20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne Monger, Monument Manager, 
telephone: 623-580-5683; address: Lower Sonoran Field Office, 21605 
North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027; email: 
[email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 
1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during normal business 
hours. FRS 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: The planning area covers nearly 496,400 
surface acres of south-central Arizona and lies within Maricopa and 
Pinal Counties. Population centers adjacent to the planning area 
include metropolitan Phoenix, and the communities of Ajo, Goodyear, 
Buckeye, Gila Bend, Mobile, and Maricopa. The planning area encompasses 
Federal- and State-administered lands as well as private lands. The BLM 
manages 486,400 surface acres of public lands in the planning area, as 
well as 461,000 acres of (sub-surface) mineral estate. The State of 
Arizona manages 3,900 surface acres in the planning area, with the 
remaining 6,100 surface acres being privately owned land.
    The BLM has prepared the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS to 
address management of recreational target shooting in the SDNM and to 
address rulings by the U.S. District Court--District of Arizona. The 
Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS was required to analyze recreational 
target shooting in the SDNM due to a ruling by the U.S. District 
Court--District of Arizona that vacated portions of the 2012 Record of 
Decision, approved RMP, and Final EIS related to recreational target 
shooting throughout the SDNM, and remanded the decision to the BLM for 
reconsideration. The Court ordered the BLM to issue the decision for 
this amendment by September 30, 2017. The formal public scoping process 
for the RMP Amendment began on January 21, 2016, with the publication 
of a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register (81 FR 3463), and ended 
on March 21, 2016. The BLM held three public scoping meetings in 
February 2016. The BLM used public scoping comments to help identify 
planning issues that directed the formulation of alternatives and 
framed the scope of analysis in the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS. The 
formal 90-day public comment period for the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft 
EIS began on December 16, 2016, with the publication of a NOA by the 
Environmental Protection Agency in the

[[Page 48848]]

Federal Register (81 FR 91169), and ended on March 15, 2017. The BLM 
also published a NOA in the Federal Register (81 FR 90865) for the 
Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS. To allow the public an opportunity to 
review the Draft EIS, the BLM conducted five public meetings in January 
and February of 2017 at the following locations: BLM National Training 
Center, Phoenix; Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, Casa 
Grande, and Maricopa City; and Burton Barr Library, Phoenix. During the 
comment period, the BLM received 437 unique submittals containing 121 
substantive comments from Federal, State, and local agencies; public 
and private organizations; and individuals. Following the public 
comment period on the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS, comments were used 
to inform the proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS. Public comments 
resulted in the addition of clarifying text, but did not significantly 
change proposed land use plan amendment decisions. The BLM responded to 
substantive comments and made appropriate revisions to the document, or 
explained why a comment did not warrant a change.
    The Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS evaluates five alternatives in 
detail, including the No Action Alternative (Alternative A) and four 
action alternatives (Alternatives B, C, D, and E). Alternative A, the 
No Action Alternative, provides that recreational target shooting on 
the SDNM will continue to be managed in accordance with land use 
planning guidance of the Lower Gila South Resource Management Plan of 
1988, which did not include any management restrictions on recreational 
target shooting. Thus, the entire SDNM would be available for 
recreational target shooting. Under Alternative B, an area temporarily 
restricted from recreational target shooting, by order of the U.S. 
District Court, District of Arizona (approximately 10,599 acres or 2.1 
percent of the SDNM) would be permanently unavailable to recreational 
target shooting. The Final EIS identifies Alternative C as the BLM 
Proposed RMP Amendment. Alternative C would make recreational target 
shooting available in the Desert Back Country Recreational Management 
Zone only, resulting in approximately 53,300 acres, or 11 percent of 
the SDNM, unavailable for this activity. Alternative C would protect 
the monument's resources, objects, and values as well as the public 
health. Under Alternative D, recreational target shooting would be 
available only outside of designated wilderness areas, land managed for 
wilderness characteristics, and the Juan Bautista de Anza National 
Historic Trail Recreation Management Zone, resulting in approximately 
320,317 acres, or 66 percent of the SDNM, unavailable for this 
activity. Under Alternative E, the entire SDNM would be unavailable for 
recreational target shooting. Additionally, Alternative C is consistent 
with Department of the Interior Secretarial Order (SO) 3356 titled, 
``Hunting, Fishing, Recreational Shooting, and Wildlife Conservation 
Opportunities and Coordination with States, Tribes, and Territories.'' 
Within SO 3356, several sections speak to expanding or providing 
opportunities for ``recreational shooting.'' For example, Sec 4b.(1) 
speaks to amending ``National Monument Management Plans to include or 
expand hunting, recreational shooting, and fishing opportunities to the 
extent practicable under the law.'' Whereas, Sec 4b.(6) requires 
Departmental Bureaus to ``incorporate analysis of the impacts of 
Federal land and water management actions on hunting, fishing, and 
recreational shooting access in planning and decisionmaking.'' Although 
unstated in SO 3356, inherent therein is that public safety is 
paramount under actions taken to fulfill the Order. Further, 
responsible use of our public lands is necessary by all users for the 
continued enjoyment of these lands by the American people.
    The BLM will issue a Record of Decision for this planning effort 
after the 30-day protest period, the 60-day Governor's Consistency 
Review, and after any protest resolution.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM Director regarding 
the Proposed RMP/Final EIS may be found in the ``Dear Reader'' Letter 
of the proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS for Recreational Target 
Shooting in the SDNM and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in 
writing and mailed to the appropriate address, see the ADDRESSES 
section above. Emailed protests will not be accepted as valid protests 
unless the protesting party also provides the original letter 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 phone number, email 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.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 
1610.5.

Edward J. Kender,
Field Manager, Lower Sonoran Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2017-22598 Filed 10-19-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-32-P