[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 181 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49022-49023]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-24832]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[OR-090-07-6350-00: GP7-0283]


Notice of Intent; Plan Amendment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to amend Resource Management Plan, Oregon.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with 43 CFR 1610.2 and 1610.3, notice is given 
that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the State of Oregon, Eugene 
District, intends to analyze an amendment to the Eugene Resource 
Management Plan (RMP). The purpose of the plan amendment is to: (1) 
make available for exchange one 113.70 acre parcel of land in Douglas 
County, Oregon; (2) make available for disposal three parcels of land 
containing approximately 10 acres in Lane County, Oregon; and (3) add a 
provision to allow the disposal of lands without a plan amendment where 
survey hiatuses and unintentional encroachments on public land are 
discovered in the future which meet legal disposal criteria. The RMP 
amendment would facilitate the completion of one land exchange with 
John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company (Hancock), the resolution of 
two longstanding unauthorized use situations, and the transfer of a 
parcel to Lane County that has been used by the County as a landfill 
and solid waste transfer site.

DATES: The BLM is inviting comments to be considered in the preparation 
of the plan amendment and environmental assessment. Comments may be 
addressed to the District Manager, Bureau of Land Management, at the 
address shown below and should be postmarked by October 20, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Detailed information concerning the plan amendment and the 
proposed land exchange and land disposals it would facilitate is 
available at the Eugene District Office, P.O. Box 10226 (2890 Chad 
Drive), Eugene, Oregon 97440.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Madsen, Realty Specialist, 
Eugene District Office, at (541) 683-6948.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Eugene Resource Management Plan (1995) 
assigns all lands administered by the Eugene District to one of three 
Land Tenure Zones. Those lands in Zone 1 are identified for retention 
and may not be transferred out of Federal ownership by exchange or 
sale, while those in Zone 2 may be considered for exchange and those in 
Zone 3 may be considered for sale or exchange. The regulations at 43 
CFR 2711.1-1(a) require that no parcel of public land may be offered 
for sale until it has been specifically identified in an approved land 
use plan (i.e. assigned to Land Tenure Zone 3).
    The parcel of land proposed for exchange to Hancock (as part of a 
larger transaction) is currently assigned to Land Tenure Zone 1. The 
plan amendment would assign it to Zone 2. The parcel is described as 
Lots 1, 2 and 3 of Section 7, Township 19 South, Range 8 West, 
Willamette Meridian. At

[[Page 49023]]

completion of the exchange, approximately 285 acres acquired from 
Hancock would be added to Land Tenure Zone 1.
    The two parcels proposed for sale to resolve longstanding 
unauthorized use situations would be assigned to Land Tenure Zone 3 and 
are located within Section 11, Township 16 South, Range 7 West and 
Section 2, Township 21 South, Range 3 West, Willamette Meridian.
    The parcel proposed for transfer to Lane County would be assigned 
to Land Tenure Zone 3 and is located within Section 7, Township 16 
South, Range 6 West, Willamette Meridian.
    The proposed RMP provision to allow the disposal of lands without a 
plan amendment where survey hiatuses and unintentional encroachments on 
public land are discovered in the future would provide for such lands 
to be automatically assigned to Land Tenure Zone 3 where legal disposal 
criteria are met. This provision would potentially affect lands located 
in portions of Benton, Douglas, Lane and Linn Counties, Oregon.
    The plan amendment and proposed Hancock exchange will be analyzed 
in an environmental assessment. No individual disposal actions to 
accomplish the other actions described above would be completed until 
the appropriate environmental analyses and public and interagency 
reviews were completed in the future and the action found to be in 
conformance with other provisions of the RMP.
    Major issues involved in the plan amendment include: (1) Impacts to 
management of public forest lands, including scarce mature forest 
habitats and (2) impacts to local government revenues and the local 
economy. Disciplines to be represented on the interdisciplinary team 
preparing the plan amendment and environmental assessment include, but 
are not limited to: archeology, anthropology, lands and minerals, 
recreation, forestry, fisheries, hydrology, botany, soils, wildlife, 
geology and hazardous materials.
    The need for a public meeting will be evaluated based on the level 
of public input as a result of public notification procedures. Any 
public meeting will be announced at least 15 days in advance.
    Detailed information concerning the proposed exchange and plan 
amendment, including the environmental assessment, will be available at 
a later date at the BLM office in Eugene, Oregon. When the draft plan 
amendment and the environmental assessment are completed in the fall of 
1997, another comment period will be provided to allow for additional 
public input to the exchange and plan amendment. This comment period 
will be announced in a Federal Register notice and local media. Any 
final decision will also be published to these same standards and 
applicable appeal or protest period(s) will be provided.

    Dated: September 2, 1997.
Denis Williamson,
Acting District Manager.
[FR Doc. 97-24832 Filed 9-17-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P