[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 61 (Thursday, March 28, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13870-13871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7510]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[OR-015-96-1610-00: G6-0088]
Management Framework Plans; Oregon
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: High Desert Management Framework Proposed Plan Amendment and
Final Environmental Impact Statement for Lake Abert Area of Critical
Environmental Concern, Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act, section 202(f) of the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act, and 43 CFR Part 1610, the Lakeview District has completed a
proposed plan amendment and final environmental impact statement (PA/
FEIS) covering a proposal to designate the Lake Abert and the
surrounding vicinity as an area of critical environmental concern
(ACEC).
The proposed PA/FEIS addresses the management of resources within
approximately 123,000 acres of public land and 101,700 acres of
reserved mineral estate administered by the BLM located approximately
30 miles north of the town of Lakeview in central Lake County, Oregon.
The proposed ACEC includes approximately 49,900 acres of public lands
administered by the BLM.
DATES: The public review/protest period for the proposed PA/FEIS will
officially begin when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its Notice of Availability of the proposed PA/FEIS in the
Federal Register, which is expected on or about March 29, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Whitman, BLM, Lakeview District
Office, P.O. Box 151, Lakeview, Oregon 97630 (Telephone: 541-947-6110).
Those wishing to provide comments should submit them in writing to
Scott Florence at the above address.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The document presents management goals,
objectives, and seven management alternatives for BLM-administered
lands within the planning area. The alternatives range from no action
(no change in present management), to designating portions of the
planning area as an ACEC with somewhat restrictive management, to
designating the entire planning area as an ACEC with very restrictive
management. Alternative 7 is the agency preferred plan and involves
designating about 49,900 acres of public lands as an ACEC. The area was
evaluated and found to meet the ACEC designation criteria and require
special management for four resource values: wildlife, visual,
cultural, and ecological processes. Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use,
mining location, and rights-of-way location would be restricted within
the ACEC. Livestock grazing would be restricted within that portion of
Abert Rim wilderness study area (WSA) falling within the ACEC, as well
as within most riparian zones, and ecologically sensitive areas.
Mineral leasing would be closed within approximately 18,000 acres of
the ACEC with the remainder of the area being restricted.
A draft plan amendment and environmental impact statement was
issued for a 90-day review period in May 1995. The review period ended
on August 16, 1995. A total of 37 comment letters were received during
the review period. An interdisciplinary planning team assessed these
comments and utilized them in making changes in the proposed PA/FEIS.
The final document has been prepared in an abbreviated format. Major
sections of the draft are not repeated in the final. Copies of the
draft are available for reference by contacting the point of contact
listed above.
Those individuals, organizations, native American tribes, and
agencies with a known interest in the plan have been sent a copy of the
proposed PA/FEIS. Persons desiring a copy of the document should
contact the point of contact listed above. Reading copies of the
document are available at the Lake, Klamath, and Harney County, Oregon,
libraries and at the following BLM locations: Office of External
Affairs, Main Interior Building, Room 5600, 18th and C Streets, NW,
Washington DC 20240, and Public Room, Oregon State Office, 1515 SW 5th,
Portland, Oregon 97201.
[[Page 13871]]
Administrative Remedies
Approval of this plan amendment constitutes official ACEC
designation and will be documented in a public Record of Decision (ROD)
which will be made available to all parties who received a copy of the
proposed PA/FEIS. The BLM planning process provides an opportunity for
an administrative review via a plan protest to the BLM Director, if you
believe the approval of the proposed plan amendment would be in error
under 43 CFR 1610.5-2. Careful adherence to the following guidelines
will assist in preparing such a protest that will assure the greatest
consideration to your point of view:
(1) A protesting party may raise only those issues which he/she
submitted for the record during the planning process.
(2) There is no provision within BLM's regulations allowing for an
extension of time to file a protest, nor will one be granted. To be
considered timely, a protest must be postmarked no later than the
closing date of the comment/protest period. It is recommended that your
protest be sent certified mail, return receipt requested.
(3) Protests must be submitted in writing to: Director (480),
Bureau of Land Management, Resource Planning Team, 1849 C Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20240.
(4) To be considered complete, a protest must contain, at a
minimum, the following information:
(a) The name, address, telephone number, and interest of the person
filing the protest.
(b) A statement of the issue(s) being protested.
(c) A statement of the part(s) of the proposed plan amendment being
protested, referencing specific pages, paragraphs, sections, tables,
maps, etc. * * * within the document.
(d) A copy of all documents addressing the issue(s) that you
submitted during the planning process or a reference to the date the
issue(s) were discussed by you for the record.
(e) A concise statement explaining why the BLM State Director's
decision is believed to be incorrect. A protest which merely expresses
disagreement with the State Director's decision, without presenting
support data/information, will be dismissed.
Dated: March 15, 1996.
Edwin J. Singleton,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 96-7510 Filed 3-27-96; 8:45 am]
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