Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 72 / Thursday, April 14, 2011 / Notices 21003 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[WO–300–1310–PP–OSHL] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) and Possible Land Use 

Plan Amendments for Allocation of Oil 

Shale and Tar Sands Resources on 

Lands Administered by the Bureau of 

Land Management in Colorado, Utah, 

and Wyoming 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 as amended (NEPA), and the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

intends to prepare a Programmatic EIS 

for Allocation of Oil Shale and Tar 

Sands Resources on Lands 

Administered by the BLM in Colorado, 

Utah, and Wyoming, and by this notice 

is announcing the beginning of the 

scoping process to solicit public 

comments and identify issues. 

DATES: This notice initiates the public 

scoping process for the EIS and possible 

plan amendments. Comments on issues 

may be submitted in writing until May 

16, 2011. The BLM invites comments on 

potential resource issues that should be 

discussed in the NEPA analysis, 

including input on issues pertaining to 

historic and cultural resources within 

the areas proposed for land use plan 

amendment. Such information will 

inform consultation activities the BLM 

will conduct in furtherance of the 

United States’ government-togovernment relationship with Indian 

Tribes. The BLM will hold public 

scoping meetings at the following 

locations: Salt Lake City, Utah; Price, 

Utah; Vernal, Utah; Rock Springs, 

Wyoming; Rifle, Colorado; Denver, 

Colorado; and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The 

BLM will announce exact times and 

locations for all public meetings at least 

15 days in advance through local media, 

newsletters, and the project Web site at: 

http://blm.gov/st5c. The minutes and 

list of attendees for each scoping 

meeting will be available to the public 

and may be supplemented after the 

meeting should participants wish to 

clarify their views. We will provide 

additional opportunities for public 

participation upon publication of the 

Draft Programmatic EIS. The first public 

meeting will be held in Salt Lake City, 

Utah on April 26, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by the following methods: 

• Web site: http://blm.gov/st5c. 

• Mail: BLM Oil Shale and Tar Sands 

Resources Leasing Programmatic EIS 

Scoping, Argonne National Laboratory, 

EVS, 240, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, 

Argonne, Illinois 60439. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information and/or to have your 

name added to our mailing list, contact 

Sherri Thompson, Project Manager, 

Bureau of Land Management, Colorado 

State Office, telephone: (303) 239–3758, 

address: 2850 Youngfield Street, 

Lakewood, Colorado 80215, or Dan 

Haas, (for cultural issues), Cultural 

Resources Lead, Bureau of Land 

Management, Colorado State Office, 

telephone (303) 239–3647, or visit the 

Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources 

Programmatic EIS Web site at: http:// 

blm.gov/st5c. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

to contact the above individual during 

normal business hours. The FIRS 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: In 2008, 

the BLM amended eight land use plans 

in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming to 

make public lands available for 

potential leasing and development of oil 

shale resources, and two other land use 

plans to expand the acreage available for 

potential tar sands leasing in Utah, 

where these resources are located. These 

2008 amendments, supported by the 

preparation of a Programmatic EIS 

required under Section 369(d)(1) of the 

Energy Policy Act of 2005, made 

approximately 2,000,000 acres available 

for potential development of oil shale. 

The 2008 Programmatic EIS and Record 

of Decision (ROD) amending the land 

use plans are available at http:// 

ostseis.anl.gov, and include maps and 

more specific information about the 

geographic area studied in 2008. 

Information specific to the individual 

RMPs amended in 2008 can be found at 

the individual BLM Field Office Web 

site, which can be accessed through 

http://www.blm.gov. 

The BLM has decided to take a fresh 

look at the land use plan allocation 

decisions made in the 2008 ROD 

associated with the Programmatic EIS, 

in order to consider which lands should 

be open to future leasing of oil shale and 

tar sands resources. The planning area 

for the oil shale resource is the Piceance 

and Washakie Basins in Colorado, the 

Uintah Basin in Utah, and the Green 

River and Washakie Basins in Wyoming. 

For the tar sands resources, the planning 

area is certain sedimentary provinces in 

the Colorado Plateau in Utah. As there 

are no economically viable ways yet 

known to extract and process oil shale 

for commercial purposes, and Utah tar 

sands deposits are not at present a 

proven commercially-viable energy 

source, the BLM, through its planning 

process, intends to take a hard look at 

whether it is appropriate for 

approximately 2,000,000 acres to remain 

available for potential development of 

oil shale, and approximately 431,224 

acres of public land to remain available 

for potential development of tar sands. 

The Programmatic EIS will analyze 

amending the following Resource 

Management Plans (RMP): The White 

River RMP, the Grand Junction RMP, 

the Glenwood Springs RMP, the Vernal 

RMP, the Price RMP, the Richfield RMP, 

the Monticello RMP, the Kemmerer 

RMP, the Rawlins RMP, and the Green 

River RMP to identify areas that may be 

excluded from any future oil shale and 

tar sands resources leasing in these 

three states. The BLM will use the 

NEPA scoping process in part to meet 

the public participation requirements of 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA), and 

information gathered about historic and 

cultural resources will assist the BLM in 

meeting the requirements of NHPA 

Section 106. 

This new planning initiative will also 

provide the BLM an opportunity to 

consider what public lands might be 

best suited for this kind of development 

in light of information not available in 

2008. For example, the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) has recently completed 

an in-place assessment of the oil shale 

and nahcolite resources of the Green 

River Formation in the Piceance Basin 

of western Colorado (August 2010) and 

an assessment of in-place oil in oil 

shales of the Eocene Green River 

Formation of the Uinta Basin of eastern 

Utah and western Colorado (August 

2010). The USGS also anticipates 

release of an assessment of the Green 

River Formation in Wyoming later this 

year. On March 23, 2010, the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service published a Notice 

of Petition Findings Endangered 

Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12- 

Month Findings to List the Greater SageGrouse as Threatened or Endangered in 

the Federal Register (75 FR 13910). Sage 

grouse (which occurs on some lands 

allocated as open to oil shale and tar 

sands leasing in the 2008 land use plan 

decisions) range-wide was warranted for 

listing under the applicable provisions 

of the Endangered Species Act, but that 

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21004 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 72 / Thursday, April 14, 2011 / Notices 

such listing was precluded by higher 

priority listing actions. 

The BLM has developed a preliminary 

purpose and need for the proposed 

planning action. It is presented here to 

inform the public scoping process and 

to facilitate collaboration with 

interested parties to identify the 

planning issues important to local, 

regional, and National needs and 

concerns that will assist the BLM in 

formulating alternatives analyzed in the 

Programmatic EIS. The preliminary 

purpose and need statement for this 

proposed planning action is to reassess 

the appropriate mix of allowable uses 

with respect to oil shale and tar sands 

leasing and potential development. 

The BLM will decide whether any 

changes should be made to the existing 

land use allocation decisions, in light of 

the nascent character of technology for 

developing oil shale and tar sands 

resources, and any relevant new 

information. Specifically, the BLM will 

consider amending the applicable 

resource management plans to specify 

whether any areas in Colorado, Utah, 

and Wyoming currently open for future 

leasing and development of oil shale or 

tar sands should not be made available 

for such leasing and development. 

The Programmatic EIS will analyze 

the no action alternative, which would 

leave the current allocation decisions 

from the 2008 ROD in place. It will also 

analyze an alternative that would 

remove all of the following kinds of 

areas from oil shale and tar sands 

leasing, and one or more alternatives 

that would remove some of the 

following kinds of areas from oil shale 

and tar sands leasing: 

(1) All areas that the BLM has 

identified or may identify as a result of 

inventories conducted during this 

planning process, as lands containing 

wilderness characteristics (preliminary 

information may be found in chapters 2 

and 3 of the 2008 Programmatic EIS, at 

http://ostseis.anl.gov); 

(2) The whole of the Adobe Town 

‘‘Very Rare or Uncommon’’ area, as 

designated by the Wyoming 

Environment Quality Council on April 

10, 2008 (http://deq.state.wy.us/eqc/

orders/Rare%20or%20Closed%20

Cases/UandI_Final_for_DEQ.pdf); 

(3) Core or priority sage grouse 

habitat, as defined by such guidance as 

the BLM or the Department of the 

Interior may issue; 

(4) All areas of critical environmental 

concern (ACEC) located within the areas 

analyzed in the September 2008 Oil 

Shale and Tar Sands Resources Leasing 

Final EIS (2008 OSTS Programmatic 

EIS, chapter 2, with further discussion 

in chapters 3 and 4, at http:// 

ostseis.anl.gov); and 

(5) All areas identified as excluded 

from commercial oil shale and tar sands 

leasing in Alternative C of the 

September 2008 OSTS Programmatic 

EIS (see http://ostseis.anl.gov). 

Lands that the BLM identifies as 

having wilderness characteristics will 

be considered during this planning 

initiative, as described above, and 

consistent with Secretarial Order No. 

3310, dated Dec. 22, 2010, and BLM 

Manuals 6301 and 6302. Because this is 

a targeted plan amendment addressing 

only the management of oil shale and 

tar sands resources, this planning 

initiative will not consider designating 

Wild Lands. Future leasing of lands 

determined by the BLM to have 

wilderness characteristics, if compatible 

with the allocation decisions stemming 

from this initiative, will subsequently be 

assessed in accordance with BLM 

Manual 6303, as appropriate (i.e., where 

the BLM has not determined, consistent 

with BLM Manual 6302, whether the 

lands with wilderness characteristics at 

issue should be receive a wild lands 

designation, BLM Manual 6303 will 

apply). 

This planning initiative addresses the 

allocation of BLM-administered lands as 

closed or open to the potential leasing 

and development of oil shale and tar 

sands resources, but, as in the oil shale 

and tar sands planning process 

completed in 2008, will not disturb 

other management decisions contained 

in the RMPs governing the areas to be 

included in the study area. Preliminary 

issues and management concerns have 

been identified by BLM personnel, other 

agencies, and in meetings with 

individuals and user groups. They 

represent the BLM’s knowledge to date 

regarding the issues and concerns with 

current land management. The public is 

encouraged to help refine these issues 

during the scoping phase, as well as 

identify additional issues relevant to the 

management of oil shale and tar sands 

resources in these areas that should be 

considered in the alternatives 

referenced, or any other alternative(s) 

the BLM may develop for consideration 

in this planning process. 

In addition, the BLM anticipates 

including the mitigation measures 

developed during the previous oil shale 

and tar sands planning initiative 

completed in 2008, and may develop 

additional mitigation measures. These 

measures may be applied, if 

appropriate, at the discretion of the 

decision maker, at the time these 

resources are leased and/or developed. 

This Notice also serves as notification 

of the planning criteria that the BLM is 

preliminarily considering as part of this 

planning initiative. Planning criteria are 

the standards, rules, and other factors 

used in formulating judgments about 

data collection, analysis, and decision 

making associated with development of 

the planning process and preparation of 

the Programmatic EIS. These criteria 

establish parameters and help focus the 

planning process and preparation of the 

Programmatic EIS. We welcome public 

comment on the following preliminary 

planning criteria: 

(1) The Programmatic EIS and plan 

amendments will be completed in 

compliance with the FLPMA and all 

other applicable laws; 

(2) The BLM will work collaboratively 

with the States of Colorado, Utah, and 

Wyoming, Indian Tribal governments, 

county and municipal governments, 

Federal agencies, and all other 

interested groups, agencies and 

individuals. Public participation will be 

encouraged throughout the process; 

(3) The proposed plan amendments 

analyzed in the Programmatic EIS 

would amend the appropriate 

individual land use plans specifically to 

address allocation of BLM-administered 

lands as open or closed to leasing and 

development of oil shale and tar sands 

resources; 

(4) Preparation of the Programmatic 

EIS and plan amendments will involve 

coordination with Indian Tribal 

governments and will provide strategies 

for the protection of recognized 

traditional uses; 

(5) The BLM will coordinate with 

local, State, and Federal agencies in the 

planning process and development of 

the Programmatic EIS to strive for 

consistency with their existing plans 

and policies, to the extent practicable; 

and 

(6) Any decisions made on the basis 

of the planning process and 

development of the Programmatic EIS 

will take into account valid existing 

rights. 

The BLM will use an interdisciplinary 

approach to develop the Programmatic 

EIS in order to consider the variety of 

resource issues and concerns identified. 

Specialists with expertise in the 

following disciplines will be involved 

in the planning process: Minerals and 

geology, wildlife and fisheries, air 

quality, outdoor recreation, archeology, 

paleontology, hydrology, soils, 

sociology, and economics. 

As noted above, the BLM will use and 

coordinate public participation 

opportunities offered consistent with 

the NEPA and land use planning 

processes to assist the agency in 

satisfying any public involvement 

requirements under Section 106 of the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 72 / Thursday, April 14, 2011 / Notices 21005 

NHPA and 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Further, 

the BLM seeks information about 

historic and cultural resources within 

the area potentially affected by the 

proposed land use amendments to assist 

in analyzing the potential impacts in the 

context of both NEPA and Section 106 

of the NHPA. In addition, consistent 

with 36 CFR 800.8, the BLM anticipates 

coordinating its compliance with NHPA 

with fulfilling its obligations under 

NEPA to the extent possible. The BLM 

also may develop a Programmatic 

Agreement that addresses how the 

agency will fulfill its obligations under 

Section 106 of the NHPA with respect 

to the development of oil shale and tar 

sands. To the extent possible, the BLM 

intends to publish a draft of such 

Programmatic Agreement, if developed, 

concurrently with publication of any 

Draft EIS. 

Consistent with the Federal 

government’s government-togovernment relationship with Indian 

Tribes, BLM consultation with these 

Tribes will be conducted in accordance 

with Executive Order 13575, and Tribal 

concerns, including impacts on Indian 

trust assets, will be given due 

consideration. The BLM invites Federal, 

State, and local agencies, along with 

Tribes and other stakeholders that may 

be interested or affected by the BLM’s 

decision on this project, to participate in 

the scoping process. These entities, if 

eligible, may request or be requested by 

the BLM to participate as a cooperating 

agency in the NEPA process or 

consulting party in the NHPA process. 

You may submit comments on issues 

and planning criteria in writing to the 

BLM at any public scoping meeting, or 

by using one of the methods listed in 

the ADDRESSES section above. After BLM 

has gathered public input on issues the 

planning and NEPA process should 

address, we will categorize comments 

received as follows: 

(1) Issues to be resolved in the plan; 

(2) Issues to be resolved through 

policy, regulation, or administrative 

action; or 

(3) Issues beyond the scope of this 

plan amendment process. 

The BLM will provide an explanation 

in the Programmatic EIS as to why we 

placed an issue in category two or three. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail 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 1501.7, 43 CFR 1610.2. 

Mike Nedd, 

Assistant Director, Minerals, Realty, and 

Resource Protection. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9120 Filed 4–13–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–WASO–NRNHL–0311–7056; 2280– 

665] 

National Register of Historic Places; 

Notification of Pending Nominations 

and Related Actions 

Nominations for the following 

properties being considered for listing 

or related actions in the National 

Register were received by the National 

Park Service before March 26, 2011. 

Pursuant to section 60.13 of 36 CFR Part 

60, written comments are being 

accepted concerning the significance of 

the nominated properties under the 

National Register criteria for evaluation. 

Comments may be forwarded by United 

States Postal Service, to the National 

Register of Historic Places, National 

Park Service, 1849 C St., NW., MS 2280, 

Washington, DC 20240; by all other 

carriers, National Register of Historic 

Places, National Park Service,1201 Eye 

St., NW., 8th Floor, Washington, DC 

20005; or by fax, 202–371–6447. Written 

or faxed comments should be submitted 

by April 29, 2011. Before including your 

address, phone number, e-mail 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. 

J. Paul Loether, 

Chief, National Register of Historic Places/ 

National Historic Landmarks Program. 

ALABAMA 

Baldwin County 

Malbis Plantation, 10145 US 90, Daphne, 

11000238 

COLORADO 

Denver County 

Saint Philomena Catholic Parish School, 940 

Fillmore St., Denver, 11000239 

Weld County 

Von Gohren—Thompson Homestead—Gerry 

Farm Rural Historic Landscape, (Historic 

Farms and Ranches of Weld County MPS) 

Address Restricted, Greeley, 11000240 

FLORIDA 

Sarasota County 

Chidsey Library, 701 N. Tamiami Trail, 

Sarasota, 11000241 

ILLINOIS 

Adams County 

Quincy National Cemetery, (Civil War Era 

National Cemeteries MPS) 36th & Main 

Sts., Quincy, 11000242 

Cook County 

Sutherland Hotel, 4659 S. Drexel Blvd., 

Chicago, 11000243 

Kane County 

Hubbard, Joel H., House, 304 N. 2nd Ave., St. 

Charles, 11000244 

Madison County 

Alton National Cemetery, (Civil War Era 

National Cemeteries MPS) 600 Pearl St., 

Alton, 11000245 

Winnebago County 

Ziock Building, 416 S. Main St., Rockford, 

11000246 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Norfolk County 

Oak Grove Farm, 410 Exchange St., Millis, 

11000247 

MISSOURI 

Jackson County 

Locust Street Apartments, (Working-Class 

and Middle-Income Apartment Buildings 

in Kansas City, Missouri MPS) 3421 & 3425 

Locust St., Kansas City, 11000249 

St. Louis Independent City Hamilton Hotel, 

956 Hamilton Ave., St. Louis (Independent 

City), 11000248 

NEVADA 

Storey County 

Piper, Henry, House, 58 N. B St., Virginia 

City, 11000254 

Washoe County 

Galena Creek Schoolhouse, (School Buildings 

in Nevada MPS) 16000 Callahan Rd., Reno, 

11000255 

NEW JERSEY 

Atlantic County 

Risley School, 134 Cape May Ave., Ester 

Manor City, 11000256 

NEW YORK 

Clinton County 

Heyworth—Mason Industrial Building, 

Mason Hill Rd., Peru, 11000250 

Essex County 

Crandall Marine Railway, 11 Dry Dock Ln., 

Ticonderoga, 11000251 

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