[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 150 (Tuesday, August 4, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 47239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16925]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLMTL060-L16100000-DR0000]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision and Approved
Resource Management Plan for the Lewistown Field Office, Montana
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 (FLPMA), as amended, the Department of the Interior, Montana/
Dakotas Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Record of
Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) with an
associated Final Environmental Impact Statement for BLM public lands
and resources managed by the Lewistown Field Office, and a portion of
the Butte Field Office in northern Lewis and Clark County, Montana. By
this notice, the BLM is announcing the availability of the ROD and
Approved RMP.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD and Approved RMP are available at the
Lewistown Field Office, 920 NE Main Street, Lewistown, MT 59457, or may
be viewed online at: https://eplanning.blm.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Brunkhorst, RMP Project Manager,
Lewistown Field Office, at telephone: (406) 538-1981, and at the
mailing address and website listed earlier. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Mr. Brunkhorst during normal
business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to
leave a message or question. You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Lewistown Approved RMP replaces both the
1994 Judith RMP and the 1984 Headwaters RMP. The Lewistown Approved RMP
provides a single, comprehensive land use plan that guides management
on approximately 651,200 acres of BLM-managed public lands and
1,196,800 acres of Federal mineral estate in central Montana in
Cascade, Fergus, Judith Basin, Meagher, Petroleum, Pondera, Teton,
Chouteau, and Lewis and Clark counties. These lands and minerals are
managed by two BLM offices located in Lewistown and Butte, Montana. The
BLM developed the Lewistown RMP in collaboration with nine cooperating
agencies.
The alternative selected as the Approved RMP is a slightly modified
version of Alternative C2, as described in the Proposed RMP. It
provides for a balanced combination of goals, objectives, allowable
uses, and management actions. The Notice of Availability for the
Lewistown Proposed RMP was published in the Federal Register on
February 14, 2020, which initiated a 30-day protest period and a 60-day
Governor's consistency review period (85 FR 8607). The BLM received 150
timely protest submissions. All protests have been resolved and/or
dismissed by the BLM Director. For a full description of the issues
raised during the protest period and how they were addressed, please
refer to the Director's Protest Resolution Report, which is available
at the website listed earlier (see ADDRESSES).
The Montana Governor submitted a letter identifying certain
concerns related to the consistency of the Proposed RMP with State
plans. After a thorough review, the BLM determined that the Approved
RMP is consistent with existing State plans; however, as a result of
the Governor's consistency review comments, the BLM clarified in the
glossary that administrative use applies to State access needs, and
provided additional wording in the Judith Mountains Special Recreation
Management Area for the protection of westslope cutthroat trout
habitat.
The Approved RMP identifies comprehensive long-range decisions for
the management and use of resources on BLM-administered public lands,
focusing on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield set
forth in FLPMA.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 43 CFR 1610.2.
John Mehlhoff,
State Director, Montana/Dakotas BLM.
[FR Doc. 2020-16925 Filed 8-3-20; 8:45 am]
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