[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 229 (Monday, November 30, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65809-65810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-31760]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[AZ030-1010-00; AZA-29861]
Notice of Availability of Final Hualapai Mountains Land Exchange
Environmental Impact Statement/Plan Amendment and; Notice of Realty
Action
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.
ACTION: Notice of Availability and Notice of Realty Action.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 206 of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716), as amended and section
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Bureau of Land
Management, Kingman Field Office, Arizona, has prepared an EIS/Plan
amendment to analyze the effect of a proposed land exchange and a
proposed plan amendment to the Kingman Resource Management Plan. The
EIS addresses the effects of a proposal to exchange approximately
70,000 acres of public land for approximately 70,000 acres of private
land. The Equal Appraised Value Alternative, the BLM preferred, would
result in approximately 70,000 acres coming into public ownership while
transferring approximately 60,000 acres to private ownership. The
proposed land exchange is entirely within Mohave County, Arizona. The
amendment is needed because the Proponent selected public lands that
were not identified for disposal in the Kingman Resource Management
Plan by Township, Range, and Section. The plan amendment will assess
impacts of proposed changes to land tenure classification decisions and
resource management.
The Realty Action is in accordance with sections 1 and 7 of the
Taylor Grazing Act, 43 U.S.C. 315 and 315f, the selected public lands
described in the FEIS are hereby classified for disposal by exchange.
This disposal classification is pursuant to the Taylor Grazing Act and
the decision to amend the Kingman Resource Management Plan to re-
categorize approximately 10,000 acres for disposal will follow the 30
day protest period.
DATES: Written comments will be accepted until 30 days following
Environmental Protection Agency's Federal Register Notice of Filing.
The Notice of Filing is expected to occur on December 4, 1998. The EPA
Notice of Filing date also begins a 30-day protest
[[Page 65810]]
period for the proposed plan amendment.
Comments
Comments should be sent to the Team Leader, Hualapai Mountain
Project, Bureau of Land Management, Kingman Field Office, 2475 Beverly
Ave., Kingman, Arizona, 86401-3629. Comments should pertain to the
overall land exchange as plan protest procedures are explained below.
Plan Protest Procedures
The BLM's planning process includes an opportunity for
administrative review via a plan protest to the BLM Director. This plan
protest procedure is only applicable to the proposed plan amendment.
The protest must specifically address the proposal to categorize
certain parcels as available for disposal (Appendix A, Part 2 of the
final EIS). These parcels were not determined to be disposal lands when
the Kingman Resource Management Plan (RMP) was approved in March 1995.
Currently, no decision has been made on the overall exchange, so the
exchange itself cannot be protested. Only the proposal to amend the
Kingman RMP to place parcels (Appendix A, Part 2 of the final EIS) into
the disposal category can be protested.
To protest the proposed plan amendment, file a letter of protest
with: Director, Bureau of Land Management, Attention: Ms. Brenda
Williams, Protests Coordinator, WO-210/LS-1075, Department of the
Interior, Washington, DC 20240.
The overnight mail address is: Director, Bureau of Land Management,
Attention: Ms. Brenda Williams, Protests Coordinator (WO-210), 1620 L
Street NW, Room 1075, Washington, DC 20036.
To expedite consideration, in addition to the original sent by mail
or overnight mail, a copy of the protest may be sent by fax to (202)
452-5112 or e-mail to bhudgens@wo.blm.gov.
WO-210 will immediately acknowledge receipt of the protest and fax/
e-mail a copy to the appropriate BLM State Director and the assigned
field support staff. Protests filed late or filed with the BLM State
Director or district, field or area manager shall be rejected by the
BLM Washington Office (WO-210).
At minimum, the letter of protest must contain the following
information.
1. The name, mailing address, telephone number and interest of the
person filing the protest.
2. A statement of which parcel or parcels (by township, range and
section) are being protested.
3. A copy of each document addressing the parcels proposed to be
categorized as disposal lands, such as letters sent during the plan
amendment process that addresses parcels within the proposed plan
amendment.
4. A statement of reasons why the BLM State Director's proposed
decision to place the lands in the disposal category is believed to be
incorrect. All relevant facts need to be included in the statement of
reasons. These facts, reasons and documentation are very important to
understand the protest rather than merely expressing disagreement with
the proposed decision.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the document are available at the following
locations: Bureau of Land Management, Kingman Field Office, 2475
Beverly Ave., Kingman, Arizona, 86401-3629 and Bureau of Land
Management, Arizona State Office, 222 North Central Avenue, Phoenix,
Arizona 85004-2203.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL: Don McClure, phone: (520) 692-4400.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The land exchange includes both public and
non-public land in Mohave County in northwestern Arizona, encompassing
approximately 140,000 acres. Issues that have been addressed are
ranching, biological resources, socioeconomics, recreation/access, soil
erosion, cultural resources, realty, riparian areas, mineral resources,
and areas of critical environmental concern. Proposed modifications to
the Kingman Resource Management Plan have been integrated with the
proposed Hualapai Mountains Land Exchange, and the impacts thereof will
be presented in a single EIS-level analysis.
Dated: November 23, 1998.
John R. Christensen,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 98-31760 Filed 11-27-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-32-P
