[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 35 (Friday, February 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 10183]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03394]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[20X.LLWO200000. L11700000.PH0000.LXSGPL000000]
Notice of Availability of the Northwest Colorado Draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Greater Sage-Grouse
Conservation
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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared this
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and by this
notice is announcing the opening of the comment period. BLM Colorado is
soliciting comments on the Draft Supplemental EIS.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft Supplemental EIS within 45 days following
the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes a notice of
availability of the Draft Supplemental EIS in the Federal Register. The
BLM will announce future meetings or hearings and any other public
participation activities at least 15 days in advance through public
notices, media releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Colorado Draft SEIS
by any of the following methods:
Website: https://goo.gl/kmLtwT.
Mail: BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street,
Lakewood, CO 80215; or the BLM Grand Junction Field Office, 2815 H
Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506.
Copies of the Northwest Colorado Draft Supplemental EIS are
available at the BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street,
Lakewood, CO 80215; the BLM Grand Junction Field Office, 2815 H Road,
Grand Junction, CO 81506; and online at https://goo.gl/kmLtwT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leah Waldner, Colorado Sage-Grouse
Implementation Coordinator, telephone (970) 244-3045; address 2815 H
Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506. Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at
1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during normal business
hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a
message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Greater Sage-Grouse is a State-managed
species that is dependent on sagebrush steppe ecosystems. These
ecosystems are managed in partnership across the range of the Greater
Sage-Grouse by State wildlife agencies, Federal agencies, local
communities, private landowners, and other stakeholders. Since the
1950s these partners have collaborated to conserve Greater Sage-Grouse
and its habitats. The U.S. Department of the Interior and the BLM have
broad responsibilities to manage Federal lands and resources for the
public benefit. Nearly half of Greater Sage-Grouse habitat is managed
by the BLM. The BLM is committed to being a good neighbor and investing
in on-the-ground conservation activities through close collaboration
with State governments, local communities, private landowners, and
other stakeholders.
In 2019 the BLM Colorado State Director signed the Record of
Decision and Approved the Northwest Colorado Greater Sage-Grouse
Resource Plan Amendment (84 FR 10327), building upon the BLM's
commitment to conserve and restore Greater Sage-Grouse habitat while
improving collaboration and alignment with State management strategies
for Greater Sage-Grouse. The BLM sought to improve management alignment
in ways that would increase management flexibility, maintain access to
public resources, and promote conservation outcomes.
The Draft Supplemental EIS will supplement and clarify the analysis
relied on in the 2019 BLM Northwest Colorado Record of Decision,
including with respect to the BLM considering a range of reasonable
alternatives, taking a ``hard look'' at environmental effects, and
evaluating cumulative impacts. Through the Draft Supplemental EIS, the
BLM will also allow for additional public comment on the BLM's approach
to compensatory mitigation and Greater Sage-Grouse habitat
conservation.
The Colorado planning area analyzed in this Supplemental EIS
includes approximately 15 million acres of BLM, National Park Service,
U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, State, local, and
private lands in 10 counties: Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Larimer,
Mesa, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt, and Summit. Also analyzed is the
cumulative effects across the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies' Management Zone and entire Greater Sage-Grouse range. The BLM
administers approximately 8.5 million acres of public lands within this
area, providing approximately 3.7 million acres of Greater Sage-Grouse
habitat.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment 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, 40 CFR 1506.10.
Jamie Connell,
BLM Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-03394 Filed 2-20-20; 8:45 am]
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