83 FR 63528 - Notice of Availability of the Nevada and Northeastern California Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 236 (December 10, 2018)

In accordance 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) has prepared the Nevada and Northeastern California Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation for the Nevada and Northeastern California Greater Sage- Grouse Sub-Region, and by this notice is announcing its availability and the opening of a protest period concerning the Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 236 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63528-63529]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26703]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLWO200000.Ll 1100000.PH0000.LXSGPL000000.18X.HAG 18-0089]


Notice of Availability of the Nevada and Northeastern California 
Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment and 
Final Environmental Impact Statement

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, (NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared the Nevada and Northeastern California Greater Sage-Grouse 
Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Greater Sage-Grouse 
Conservation for the Nevada and Northeastern California Greater Sage-
Grouse Sub-Region, and by this notice is announcing its availability 
and the opening of a protest period concerning the Proposed RMP 
Amendment and Final EIS.

DATES: The BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS. A person who meets the conditions 
outlined in 43 CFR 1610.5-2 and wishes to file a protest must do so 
within 30 days of the date that the Environmental Protection Agency 
publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. A protest 
regarding the Proposed RMP Amendment announced with this notice must be 
filed by January 9, 2019.

ADDRESSES: The Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS is available on the 
BLM ePlanning project website at https://goo.gl/uz89cT. Click the 
Documents and Report link on the left side of the screen to find the 
electronic version of these materials. Hard copies of the Proposed RMP 
Amendment\Final EIS are available for public inspection at the BLM 
Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada 89502, and 
the BLM California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way # W1623, Sacramento, 
California 95825.
    All protests must be in writing (43 CFR 1610.5-2(a)(1)) and filed 
with the BLM Director, either as a hard copy or electronically via the 
BLM's ePlanning project website listed previously. To submit a protest 
electronically, go to the ePlanning project website and follow the 
protest instructions highlighted at the top of the home page.
    If submitting a protest in hard copy, it must be mailed to one of 
the following addresses:
    U.S. Postal Service 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: Matthew Magaletti, Sage-Grouse Lead, 
telephone, 775-861-6472; address, 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno, Nevada 
89502; 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 Mr. Magaletti. The FRS is available 24 hours 
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with Mr. 
Magaletti. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM prepared the Nevada and Northeastern 
California Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS to 
enhance cooperation with the States by improving alignment with state 
management plans and strategies for Greater Sage-Grouse, while 
continuing to conserve, enhance, and restore

[[Page 63529]]

Greater Sage-Grouse and its habitat. The Proposed RMP Amendment and 
Final EIS also addresses the issues remanded to the agency by a March 
31, 2017 Order by the United States District Court for the District of 
Nevada, which determined that the BLM had violated the NEPA when it 
finalized the 2015 Nevada plan.
    The BLM developed the proposed land use plan amendment in 
collaboration with the Governors' Offices in Nevada and California, 
state wildlife managers, and other concerned organizations and 
individuals, largely through the Western Governors Association's Sage-
Grouse Task Force. Using its discretion and authority under the FLPMA, 
the BLM proposes amending land use plans that address Greater Sage-
Grouse management to improve alignment with State of Nevada and State 
of California plans and management strategies, in accordance with the 
BLM's multiple use and sustained yield mission.
    This Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS is one of six separate 
planning efforts that are being undertaken in response to the 
Secretary's Order (SO) 3353 (Greater Sage-grouse Conservation and 
Cooperation with Western States) and in accordance with SO 3349 
(American Energy Independence). The proposed plans refine the previous 
management plan adopted in 2015 and aims to strike a regulatory balance 
and build greater trust among neighboring interests in Western 
communities. The Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS proposes to amend 
the RMPs for field offices on BLM-administered lands within BLM Nevada 
and Northeastern California boundaries. The current management 
decisions for resources are described in the following RMPs:
     Alturas RMP (2008)
     Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon NCA RMP (2004)
     Carson City Consolidated RMP (2001)
     Eagle Lake RMP (2008)
     Elko RMP (1987)
     Ely RMP (2008)
     Shoshone-Eureka RMP (1986)
     Surprise RMP (2008)
     Tonopah RMP (1997)
     Wells RMP (1985)
     Winnemucca RMP (2015)
    The planning area includes approximately 70.3 million acres of BLM, 
National Park Service, United States Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of 
Reclamation, State, local, and private lands located in Nevada and 
Northeastern California, in 17 counties: Churchill, Elko, Eureka, 
Humboldt, Lander, Lassen, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Modoc, Nye, Pershing, 
Plumas, Sierra, Storey, Washoe, and White Pine. Within the decision 
area, the BLM administers approximately 45.4 million acres of public 
lands, providing approximately 20.5 million acres of Greater Sage-
Grouse habitat. Surface management decisions made as a result of this 
Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS will apply only to BLM 
administered lands in the decision area.
    The formal public scoping process for this RMP Amendment and EIS 
began on October 11, 2017, with publication of a Notice of Intent in 
the Federal Register (82 FR 47248) and ended on December 1, 2017. The 
BLM in Nevada and Northeastern California held public scoping meetings 
in Alturas, California on November 3, 2017; Reno/Sparks, Nevada on 
November 7, 2017; Elko, Nevada on November 8, 2017; and Ely, Nevada on 
November 9, 2017. The Notice of Availability for the Draft RMP 
Amendment/EIS was published on May 4, 2018 (83 FR 19800), and the BLM 
accepted public comments on the range of alternatives, effects 
analysis, and Draft RMP Amendment/EIS for 90 days, ending on August 2, 
2018. During the public comment period public meetings were held in 
Alturas, California on June 29, 2018; Reno/Sparks, Nevada on June 26, 
2018; Elko, Nevada on June 28, 2018; and Ely, Nevada on June 27, 2018.
    The Draft RMP Amendment/EIS focused on the issue of Sagebrush Focal 
Area designations, mitigation, adjustments to habitat management area 
designations to reflect new information, reversing adaptive management 
responses when the BLM determines that resource conditions no longer 
warrant those responses (in addition to addressing updates to the 
adaptive management strategy based on best available science), 
allocation exception processes, seasonal timing restrictions, modifying 
habitat objectives when best available science is available, and 
through plan clarification: Modifying lek buffers, requirements for 
required design features, and removal and/or modification to three 
livestock grazing management decisions in order to comply with 43 CFR 
4160.1. The Draft RMP Amendment/EIS evaluated two alternatives in 
detail, including the No-Action Alternative and one action alternative, 
the Management Alignment Alternative. Comments on the Draft RMP 
Amendment/EIS received from the public and internal BLM review were 
considered and incorporated as appropriate into the proposed plan 
amendment. The No-Action Alternative would retain the current 
management goals, objectives, and direction specified in the current 
RMPs, as amended in 2015, for each field office. The Management 
Alignment Alternative has been identified as the BLM's Preferred 
Alternative. Identification of this alternative, however, does not 
represent final agency direction.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS may be found online 
at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in 
writing and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth in the 
ADDRESSES section above or submitted electronically through the BLM 
ePlanning project website as described above. Protests submitted 
electronically by any means other than the ePlanning project website 
protest section will be invalid unless a protest is also submitted in 
hard copy. Protests submitted by fax will also be invalid unless also 
submitted either through ePlanning project website protest section or 
in hard copy.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your protest, please 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 comment 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.

Brian C. Amme,
BLM Nevada Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-26703 Filed 12-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-33-P