Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 43 / Monday, March 5, 2012 / Notices 13141 

greater floodplain connectivity, and 

improved extent and quality of riparian 

habitat. A detailed assessment of the 

geomorphology, ecology, hydrology, and 

management function of the Blitzen 

River would occur for the first 7 years. 

The next 5 years would be used for 

implementing and monitoring pilot 

projects to gain a better understanding 

of system response to enhancement 

activities. Using results from the pilot 

projects, a comprehensive plan would 

be crafted to guide river rehabilitation 

efforts. Because the river effort would 

proceed slowly and would likely not be 

fully implemented until the end of the 

15-year timeframe, no discernible 

difference would exist between 

Alternatives 2 and 3 with regard to the 

management of other wetland and 

terrestrial habitats within the Blitzen 

Valley and Double-O Units. 

Public Uses: Management under 

Alternative 3 for compatible wildlife 

viewing, photography, and welcome 

and orientation would be similar to 

Alternative 2, but there would be less 

emphasis on developed facilities and 

more emphasis on self-guided and offtrail experiences. 

The Blitzen Valley auto tour route 

(Center Patrol Road) would be 

seasonally closed to vehicle access 

(August 15 to the fourth Friday of 

October in the Buena Vista unit, and 

August 15 to March 1 in the P Ranch 

unit) and would be redesigned into two 

or three year-round shorter auto tour 

routes. Walk-in free-roam access along 

the closed portions of the Center Patrol 

Road and dike tops in both units would 

be allowed during the periods listed 

above to provide opportunities for selfguided and off-trail experiences. Vehicle 

access to Krumbo Reservoir would be 

seasonal; walk-in access would be 

allowed November 1 to the fourth 

Friday of April. Year-round vehicle 

access would be allowed on the Boat 

Landing Road near Refuge Headquarters 

to the Malheur Lake elevated viewing 

platform. Spur and loop trails of one 

mile or more and a number of specific 

viewing facilities such as overlooks and 

platforms would be added with limited 

investment. Existing trails would be 

upgraded to promote accessibility. 

The historic Audubon photography 

blind at Refuge Headquarters Display 

Pond would be restored. In free-roam 

areas, temporary photography blinds 

would be permitted. The refuge would 

maintain and replant trees and shrubs at 

four historic sites to provide habitat 

used by rare and incidental passerines. 

The upland game and the waterfowl 

hunts would be managed as under 

Alternative 2, except a Buena Vista 

waterfowl hunt would not be permitted. 

However, a youth hunt opportunity on 

the State-designated weekend would be 

explored for the Double-O unit. 

Fishing opportunities and 

management would be the same as 

Alternative 2, but less vehicle access to 

fishing areas compared to Alternative 2 

may limit the number of people 

engaging in this use. 

Environmental education, 

interpretation (including docent-led 

tours), volunteer programs, potential 

land exchange with BLM, cultural and 

paleontological management, energy 

independence, and inventory and 

monitoring would be managed the same 

as under Alternative 2. 

Public Availability of Documents 

In addition to the information in 

ADDRESSES, printed copies of the 

document will be available for review at 

the following libraries: 

• Harney County Library, 80 West 

‘‘D’’ Street, Burns, OR 97720. 

• Bend Public Library, 601 NW Wall 

Street, Bend, OR 97701. 

Next Steps 

After this comment period ends, we 

will analyze the comments and address 

them in the final CCP/EIS. A record of 

decision will follow the final CCP/EIS. 

Public Availability of Comments 

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 

become publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Dated: Nov 8, 2011. 

Robyn Thorson, 

Regional Director, Pacific Region, Portland, 

Oregon. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5297 Filed 3–2–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLUTY01000.L16100000.DP0000] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Master 

Leasing Plan, Amendments to the 

Resource Management Plans for the 

Moab and Monticello Field Offices, and 

an Associated Environmental Impact 

Statement 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended, and the Federal Land 

Policy and Management Act of 1976 

(FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM), Moab and 

Monticello Field Offices, Utah, intend to 

prepare a Master Leasing Plan (MLP), 

amendments to the 2008 Moab and 

Monticello Resource Management Plans 

(RMPs), and a single environmental 

impact statement (EIS) to consider 

leasing for oil and gas and potash on 

about 783,000 acres of public lands. By 

this notice, the BLM 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 MLP/plan 

amendments and associated EIS. 

Comments on issues may be submitted 

in writing prior to the end of the 

scoping period which is 60 days after 

the date of publication of this notice in 

the Federal Register. During the scoping 

period, it is anticipated that scoping 

meetings will be held in Moab, 

Monticello, and Salt Lake City, Utah. 

The date(s) and locations(s) of the 

scoping meetings will be announced at 

least 15 days in advance through local 

media, newspapers, and the BLM Web 

site at: http://www.blm.gov/21jd. 

Additional opportunities for public 

participation will be provided upon 

publication of the Draft EIS. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

related to the Master Leasing Plan and 

plan amendments by any of the 

following methods: 

• Email: 

BLM_UT_Comments_2@blm.gov 

• Mail: BLM, Moab Field Office, 82 

East Dogwood, Moab, Utah 84532, 

Attention: Brent Northrup 

• Fax: (435) 259–2106 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information and/or to have your 

name added to our mailing list, contact 

Brent Northrup, Project Manager, BLM 

Moab Field Office, 82 East Dogwood, 

Moab, UT 84532, telephone (435) 259– 

2151 or email Brent_Northrup@blm.gov. 

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 for the above 

individual. You will receive a reply 

during normal business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM 

will prepare a MLP in accordance with 


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13142 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 43 / Monday, March 5, 2012 / Notices 

the BLM’s Washington Office 

Instruction Memorandum No. 2010– 

117. The MLP process will provide 

additional planning and analysis for 

areas prior to new leasing of oil, gas, 

and potash. The MLP will enable the 

Moab and Monticello Field Offices to (1) 

evaluate in-field considerations, such as 

optimal parcel configurations and 

potential development scenarios; (2) 

identify and address potential resource 

conflicts and environmental impacts 

from development; (3) develop 

mitigation strategies; and (4) consider a 

range of new constraints, including 

prohibiting surface occupancy or 

closing certain areas to leasing. The 

MLP process could result in new leasing 

stipulations and development 

constraints which would require 

amendments to the Moab and 

Monticello RMPs completed in 2008. 

The EIS will analyze likely mineral 

development scenarios and land use 

plan alternatives with varying 

mitigation levels for leasing. 

The planning area covers about 

783,000 acres in east-central Utah, 

encompassing west-central Grand 

County south of Interstate 70 and a 

portion of northern San Juan County. 

The western boundary is along the 

Green River and the northeastern edge 

of Canyonlands National Park. To the 

south of Moab, the boundary includes 

the area between Canyonlands National 

Park and U.S. Highway 191. The 

planning area encompasses a mix of 

land uses including a variety of 

recreation uses, livestock grazing, 

potash production, and oil and gas 

development. Interest in oil, gas, and 

potash exploration and development is 

high in the area, as evidenced by the 

recent submission of over 170 potash 

prospecting permit applications 

encompassing over 350,000 acres and 

expressions of interest to lease oil and 

gas encompassing over 120,000 acres 

within the planning area. 

Planning issues can generally be 

stated as resource management issues 

and opportunities that the BLM needs to 

address to ensure it is fulfilling its 

multiple use resource management 

mission. The potential decisions in any 

proposed land use plan amendments 

could affect numerous other resources. 

The preliminary resource issues 

currently identified by a BLM 

interdisciplinary team include the 

following: air quality and climate 

change, cultural resources, lands and 

realty, paleontological resources, 

recreation, riparian resources, 

socioeconomics, soil and water, special 

status species, special designations 

(National Scenic and Historic Trails), 

vegetation, visual resources, wildlife 

and fisheries, and wilderness 

characteristics. Planning criteria are the 

constraints or ground rules that guide 

and direct the development of the land 

use plan amendments and determine 

how the planning team approaches 

development of alternatives and 

ultimately, selection of a Preferred 

Alternative. Planning criteria ensure 

that plans are tailored to the identified 

issues and ensure that unnecessary data 

collection and analyses are avoided. 

Preliminary planning criteria include: 

(1) Any plan amendments will focus on 

mineral leasing decisions only, (2) any 

plan amendments will recognize valid 

existing rights, (3) lands addressed in 

plan amendments will be public lands 

(including split estate lands) managed 

by the BLM, (4) the BLM will use a 

collaborative and multi-jurisdictional 

approach, where possible, to jointly 

determine how mineral leasing will be 

managed, (5) as described by law and 

policy, the BLM will strive to ensure 

that its management decisions are as 

consistent as possible with other 

planning jurisdictions within the 

planning area boundaries, (6) 

development scenarios will be prepared 

for oil and gas and potash based on 

historical, existing and projected levels, 

(7) management decisions will consider 

a range of alternatives that focus on 

development scenarios and varying 

mitigation levels based on the relative 

values of resources, (8) the 

socioeconomic impacts of the 

alternatives will be addressed, (9) the 

BLM will use current scientific 

information, research, technologies, and 

results of inventory, monitoring, and 

coordination to determine appropriate 

decisions for mineral leasing, and (10) 

the BLM will coordinate with Native 

American Tribal Governments to 

identify sites, areas, and objects 

important to their cultural and religious 

heritage within the planning area. 

Note: Planning issues and criteria outlined 

above are preliminary at this stage and will 

likely be modified as the public becomes 

more fully involved. 

Federal, state, local, and tribal 

agencies, along with other stakeholders 

that may be interested in or affected by 

the BLM’s decision on this project are 

invited to participate in the scoping 

process and, if eligible, may request or 

be requested by the BLM to participate 

as a cooperating agency. 

You may submit comments in writing 

on issues and planning criteria to the 

BLM at any public scoping meeting, or 

you may submit them to the BLM using 

one of the methods listed in the 

ADDRESSES section above. To be most 

helpful, you should submit comments 

before the end of the scoping period. 

The BLM will provide the public with 

the results of scoping through our Web 

site and by newsletter. 

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 1501.7 and 43 CFR 

1610.2(c). 

Shelley J. Smith, 

Actg. Associate State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5177 Filed 3–2–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNVSO3000.L71220000.EU0000.

LVTFF1101700; N–86294; 11–08807; 

MO#4500020396; TAS: 14X5232] 

Notice of Realty Action: ModifiedCompetitive Sale of Public Land in 

Pahrump, Nye County, NV 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Realty Action. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) proposes to offer 

one parcel of public land totaling 

approximately 120 acres in Pahrump, 

Nye County, Nevada, by modifiedcompetitive, sealed-bid sale at not less 

than the appraised fair market value 

(FMV) of $645,000. The sale will be 

subject to the applicable provisions of 

Sections 203 and 209 of the Federal 

Land Policy and Management Act of 

1976 (FLPMA) and other BLM land sale 

and mineral conveyance regulations. 

DATES: Interested parties may submit 

written comments regarding the 

proposed sale and the environmental 

assessment (EA) until April 19, 2012. 

Sealed bids may be mailed or 

delivered to the BLM Pahrump Field 

Office, at the address below, beginning 

April 19, 2012. Sealed bids must be 

received no later than 4:30 p.m. Pacific 

Time, May 4, 2012 in accordance with 

the sale procedures. The BLM will open 

the sealed bids on May 7, 2012 at the 

BLM Pahrump Field Office. 

ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to 

the BLM Pahrump Field Manager, 


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