[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 231 (Monday, December 2, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 65999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26024]
[[Page 65999]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[L13200000 DS0000 LXSSK1700000 20X LLWYP07000]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision and Approved
Amendment to the Resource Management Plan for the Buffalo Field Office,
Wyoming
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, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Buffalo Field
Office prepared a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Resource Management Plan (RMP)
Amendment for the 2015 Buffalo Field Office RMP. This effort was in
response to a United States District Court of Montana opinion and order
(Western Organization of Resource Councils, et al. v. BLM; 3/26/2018
and 7/31/2018). The Wyoming State Director signed the ROD, which
constitutes the final plan amendment decision of the BLM, on November
22, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are available at the Buffalo Field Office
at 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 82834, and online at http://go.usa.gov/ xP6S3.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Thomas (Tom) Bills, RMP
Supplemental EIS Project Manager; telephone: 307-684-1133; email:
[email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the
deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to
contact Mr. Bills during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24
hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question. You
will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 2015 Buffalo Field Office Approved RMP
provided a single, comprehensive land use plan to guide management of
BLM-administered lands and minerals in the Buffalo Field Office, which
includes approximately 800,000 acres of BLM surface land and 4.7
million acres of BLM mineral estate in Campbell, Johnson and Sheridan
counties in north-central Wyoming.
Based on the above-referenced court decision, feedback from
cooperating agencies and stakeholders, and public scoping, the BLM
developed the supplemental EIS and analyzed a No Action Alternative and
an Action Alternative. The alternatives focused on the allocation of
lands open for leasing federal coal, in response to the court order.
The No Action Alternative represented the decision area from the
2015 RMP and brought forward all management decisions that precluded
coal development in the 2015 RMP. It relied on decisions from the 2001
coal screening process that informed the 2015 RMP, but used an updated
2018 coal production baseline. The BLM also used the 2019 U.S. Energy
Information Administration development forecast to project development
in the Buffalo Field Office over the 20-year planning period. The No
Action Alternative analyzed 686,896 acres for consideration of coal
leasing, which included approximately 73.66 billion tons of BLM-
administered coal reserves.
The Action Alternative also used the 2018 coal production baseline
and the 2019 U.S. Energy Information Administration development
forecast. In addition, the Action Alternative applied new coal screens
(as described in 43 CFR 3420.1-4(e)), considered new scientific and
geospatial data, and evaluated issues identified through internal and
public scoping. Based on these factors, the Action Alternative area
analyzed 455,467 acres for consideration of coal leasing, which
included approximately 52.24 billion tons of BLM-administered coal
reserves.
The Final Supplemental EIS was published on October 4, 2019 (84 FR
53170). During the 30-day protest period, the BLM Director received
four protest letters. All protests were resolved prior to the issuance
of the ROD. Simultaneously with the protest period, the Governor of
Wyoming conducted a 60-day consistency review of the Final Supplemental
EIS and Proposed Plan Amendment and found no inconsistencies.
The approved RMP amendment is a modification of the Supplemental
EIS's Action Alternative that makes 495,251 acres of federal coal
available for consideration for leasing. This area includes all the
acreage identified as available under the Action Alternative, as well
as 40,847 additional acres that were included under the No Action
Alternative. The BLM made this decision as a result of public,
stakeholder, and cooperating agency input on the Supplemental EIS as
well as updated best available information and special expertise
provided by cooperating agencies and the public.
The ROD summarizes the decisions, clarifications, and modifications
included in the Approved RMP Amendment.
Authority: 43 CFR 1610.2(c), 40 CFR 1506.6.
Valori Armstrong,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-26024 Filed 11-29-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P