Notice of Intent for Potential Amendment to the Resource Management Plan for the Bakersfield Field Office, California, and To Prepare an Associated Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

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) Bakersfield Field Office, Bakersfield, California, intends to prepare a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and a potential Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment for the Bakersfield Field Office Resource Management Plan. The supplemental EIS will analyze the impacts of hydraulic fracturing technology on BLM-administered public land and mineral estate in the Bakersfield Field Office Planning Area exclusive of the California Coastal National Monument and the Carrizo Plain National Monument. This effort is in response to a settlement agreement in case No. 2:15-cv-04378-MWF/JEM, filed with, and approved by, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on May 3, 2017. This notice announces the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.