[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 173 (Friday, September 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51840-51842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-20670]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[UT-090-1610-017J]
Notice of Availability of Monticello Field Office Proposed
Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement
(PRMP/FEIS)
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 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Proposed Resource Management
Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/FEIS) for the
Monticello Field Office.
DATES: The BLM planning regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any
person who meets the conditions as described in the regulations may
protest the BLM's PRMP/FEIS. 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 this notice in the
Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Monticello Field Office PRMP/FEIS were sent to
affected Federal, State, and local government agencies and to
interested parties. Copies of the PRMP/FEIS are available for public
inspection at:
Monticello Field Office, 365 N. Main, Monticello, UT 84535.
Utah State Office, 440 West 200 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84145.
Interested persons may also review the PRMP/FEIS on the Internet at
http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/monticello/planning.html. All protests
must be in writing and mailed to the following addresses:
Regular Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box
66538, Washington, DC 20035.
Overnight Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 1620 L
Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nick Sandberg, Monticello Field
Office, 365 N. Main, Monticello, UT 84535; phone: (435) 587-1500; or e-
mail at: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Monticello RMP planning area is located
in southeast Utah. The BLM administers approximately 1.8 million acres
of surface estate and 2.5 million
[[Page 51841]]
acres of Federal mineral estate within the planning area.
The Monticello RMP will provide future broad-scale management
direction for land use allocations and allowable uses on public lands
within the planning area. Implementation of the decisions of the PRMP
would apply only to BLM-administered public lands and Federal mineral
estate. In the Monticello Field Office Draft RMP/EIS (DRMP/DEIS), which
was released for a 90-day public review and comment period in November
2007, five alternatives were analyzed, including a No Action
alternative. These alternatives were developed through issue
identification during the scoping process. Such issues included:
Recreation use and off-highway vehicles (OHVs), mineral development,
special designations (ACECs and WSRs), cultural resource management,
and non-WSA lands with Wilderness Characteristics.
The PRMP/FEIS would designate two new Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern (ACECs), and the continuation of five existing
ACECs, totaling 74,430 acres. Resource use limitations that apply to
the proposed ACECs include a range of different prescriptions as
described in Table 1 below.
Table 1--Evaluation of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern
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ACEC Values of concern Resource use limitations Acres
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Alkali Ridge....................... Cultural............. All cultural properties eligible for 39,196
the NRHP would be surrounded by an
avoidance area sufficient to allow
permanent protection; where
avoidance is not possible and
adverse impacts may occur, BLM
would develop appropriate
mitigation measures; available for
mineral leasing under controlled
surface use except the National
Historic Landmark which would be
available under No Surface
Occupancy; confine woodland harvest
to specific areas if cultural
resources are being impacted; OHV
use limited to designated routes.
Hovenweep.......................... Cultural............. Visual Protection Zone: Available 2,439
for mineral leasing with No Surface
Occupancy; managed as VRM II.
..................... Cajon Pond: Available for mineral
leasing and other surface uses with
stipulations to prevent surface
occupancy or surface disturbance
during March 1-June 30 and excluded
from livestock use yearlong within
the fenced portion.
..................... General Area: All cultural
properties eligible for the NRHP
would be surrounded by an avoidance
area sufficient to allow permanent
protection; where avoidance is not
possible and adverse impacts may
occur, BLM would develop
appropriate mitigation measures;
available for mineral leasing under
controlled surface use; OHV use
limited to designated roads and
trails; unavailable for disposal of
mineral materials, and excluded
from private or commercial use of
woodland products, except for
limited on-site collection of dead
wood for campfires.
Indian Creek....................... Scenic............... Available for mineral leasing 3,908
subject to No Surface Occupancy;
unavailable for mineral material
disposal; and unavailable for
private or commercial use of
woodland products including on-site
collection of dead wood for
campfires; managed as VRM I and
closed to OHV use.
Lavender Mesa...................... Relict Vegetation.... Excluded from land treatments or 649
other improvements, except for test
plots and facilities necessary for
study of the plant communities, and
restoration/reclamation activities;
available for mineral leasing
subject to No Surface Occupancy;
campfires are not allowed; limit
recreation use if vegetation
communities are being adversely
impacted; unavailable for mineral
material disposal; unavailable for
private or commercial use of
woodland products including limited
on-site collection of dead wood for
campfires; unavailable for
livestock grazing, including saddle
stock and pack animals allowed for
access; excluded from wildlife
habitat improvements and watershed
control structures; managed as VRM
II; closed to OHV use; and excluded
from surface disturbance by
mechanized or motorized equipment,
except helicopter access for
scientific study and heliportable
equipment insofar as possible.
Shay Canyon........................ Cultural............. OHV and mechanized travel limited to 119
designated routes; no surface
disturbance for vegetation,
watershed, or wildlife treatments/
improvements; manage as NSO for oil
and gas; open to geophysical
exploration as long as it is
consistent with the objectives of
the ACEC; grazing restricted to
trailing only; with the exception
of side canyons, hiking limited to
designated trails; open to mineral
entry with an approved plan of
operations to avoid impacts to
cultural and paleontological
resources; unavailable for disposal
of mineral materials; closed to
campfires; unavailable for private
or commercial use of woodland
products including on-site
collection of dead wood for
campfires; recreation use may be
limited if cultural and
paleontological resources are
impacted; and closed to camping.
[[Page 51842]]
San Juan River..................... Scenic, Cultural, Vehicle access, including OHVs/ 5,258
Wildlife, Natural mechanized, limited to designated
Systems. routes; unavailable for private/
commercial use of woodland products
except for limited on-site
collection of dead wood for
campfires, driftwood collection
only would be allowed within
floodplains; available for
livestock use October 1-May 31 and
must incorporate rest-rotation and/
or deferred management systems;
available for oil and gas leasing
subject to No Surface Occupancy;
unavailable for mineral material
disposal; recommended for
withdrawal from locatable mineral
entry; limit recreation use if
wildlife values are being adversely
impacted; closed to camping in
areas as necessary to protect
cultural, wildlife and natural
processes; managed as VRM I (parts)
and VRM II (parts) and VRM III
(parts); designated access trails
to cultural sites as necessary to
protect cultural resources; no
camping in cultural sites; and
ropes and other climbing aids not
allowed for access to ruins,
cultural sites, and nesting raptors.
Valley of the Gods................. Scenic............... Unavailable for mineral leasing; 22,863
unavailable for mineral material
disposal; OHV use limited to
designated roads and trails;
managed as VRM I and unavailable
for private/commercial use of
woodland products.
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Comments on the Monticello Field Office DRMP/DEIS received from the
public and internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as
appropriate into the PRMP/FEIS. Public comments resulted in the
addition of clarifying text, but did not significantly change proposed
land use plan decisions.
Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM
regarding the PRMP/FEIS may be found in the Dear Reader Letter of the
PRMP/FEIS and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. E-mailed and faxed 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 e-mailed or faxed protest as an advance copy and it will
receive full consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such
advance notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of
the BLM protest coordinator at 202-452-5112, and e-mails to [email protected]. All protests, including the follow-up letter
(if e-mailing or faxing) must be in writing and mailed to the
appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES section above.
Before including your phone number, e-mail 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, 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 1610.5-1
Selma Sierra,
Utah State Director.
[FR Doc. E8-20670 Filed 9-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P