[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 151 (Monday, August 5, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40655-40656]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-19740]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[CA-930-06-1020-00, 4000/1790]
Reopening of Scoping Period for an Environmental Impact Statement
and Land Use Plan Amendment Involving the Development of Standards for
Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Grazing Management on Public Lands
in California and Northwestern Nevada
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in California is reopening
the scoping period for a statewide Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
and land use plan amendment involving the development of Standards for
Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Grazing Management as provided in
the BLM's new grazing regulations (43 CFR Part 4100). The EIS is being
prepared in compliance with section 102(2)(C) of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This notice invites public input on
the development of the Standards and Guidelines, issues to be
addressed, planning criteria, and the alternatives to be considered in
the EIS.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the EIS and Plan Amendment must
be received by September 4, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Any scoping comments or requests to be placed on the mailing
list should be sent to Rangeland Health Coordinator, Bureau of Land
Management, 2135 Butano Drive, Sacramento, CA 95825-0451.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jim Morrison at (916) 979-2830.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The initial scoping period closed April 24,
1996. BLM is reopening the scoping period to provide the public an
opportunity to focus on the efforts of the Resource Advisory Councils
(RACs) or to submit additional comments on the scope of the EIS.
As indicated in the March 25, 1996 Notice of Intent, BLM's new
grazing administration regulations (43 CFR Part 4100), which became
effective August 21, 1995, provide for the development of state
Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Grazing Management. A
national programmatic EIS was completed by BLM in 1993 in support of
the new regulations. This EIS for California and northwestern Nevada
will be tiered to the national EIS, and will incorporate applicable
information from previously prepared BLM grazing EISs.
The four RACs in California have been working with BLM in
developing proposed S&Gs and alternatives. The proposed S&Gs and
alternatives must address the following elements: (1) Watershed
function; (2) nutrient cycling and energy flow; (3) water quality; (4)
habitat for threatened and endangered species and proposed Candidate 1
or 2, or special status species; and (5) habitat quality for native
plant and animal populations and communities.
BLM has preliminarily identified, with RACs involvement, three
alternatives for analysis in the EIS: (1) RAC S&G Proposals: This
alternative would include the recommended S&Gs of each RAC for their
respective area in Bakersfield district and northern California. The
California Desert District will operate under existing land use plan
direction or the fall-back S&Gs, whichever is the more restrictive,
until S&Gs can be developed in conjunction with bioregional plans for
the West Mojave, Northern and Eastern Colorado, and Northern and
Eastern Mojave Deserts, or other specific plan amendments. (2) No
Action: This alternative would incorporate the fall-back S&Gs directly
from the regulations; (3) Consistency: This alternative would draw from
the individual RAC recommended S&Gs to formulate a consolidated set of
S&Gs. It may alter some RAC recommendations or add additional S&Gs to
improve consistency among the individual RACs and neighboring states of
Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon. In addition to analyzing the three
alternative described above, the EIS will describe existing land use
plan direction.
[[Page 40656]]
The public is invited to comment on these alternatives, suggest
other possible alternatives to be addressed in the EIS, or to provide
additional scoping comments.
Dated: July 26, 1996.
Ed Hastey,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 96-19740 Filed 8-2-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-M
