Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Notices 3689 

approximately 22 million acres; 

Alternative 4 would make available 

approximately 11 million acres; and 

Alternative 5 would make available 

approximately 8 million acres. The BLM 

considered six additional alternatives 

but did not carry those alternatives 

forward for detailed analysis for the 

reasons discussed in the Draft 

Programmatic EIS. 

A reasonably foreseeable development 

scenario (RFDS) was developed as part 

of the Draft Programmatic EIS to help 

define the potential magnitude of solar 

energy development that could occur 

within the 11-State study area by 2045. 

Based on the RFDS, the estimated 

demand for solar energy generation on 

public lands by 2045 will be 

approximately 93,000 megawatts, which 

would require making approximately 

700,000 acres of public land available 

for utility-scale solar development. 

The BLM has identified Alternative 3 

as the preferred alternative in the Draft 

Programmatic EIS. Alternative 3 would 

make public lands within 10 miles of 

existing and planned transmission lines 

over 100 kilovolts available for solar 

applications unless otherwise excluded 

based on the resource-based exclusion 

criteria identified in the EIS. Alternative 

3 would improve the solar development 

application process by excluding solar 

energy development applications from 

areas where protection is warranted and 

providing development siting 

opportunities in specified ‘‘solar 

application areas’’ while maintaining 

sufficient siting flexibility to account for 

site-specific resource considerations on 

a case-by-case basis under subsequent 

project-specific decisions. 

Mitigation 

Mitigation under the Programmatic 

EIS would generally take the form of 

avoidance and minimization. Avoidance 

would be achieved by excluding certain 

areas of public lands from solar energy 

development applications, depending 

on the alternative, based on defined 

criteria. Minimization would be 

achieved by requiring that various 

programmatic design features be 

incorporated into solar development 

proposals. Additional mitigation, 

including further avoidance, 

minimization, and compensation, may 

be required and incorporated into a 

solar development proposal at the 

project approval stage. 

Schedule for the Decision-Making 

Process 

The BLM will provide this and 

additional opportunities for public 

participation consistent with NEPA and 

land use planning processes, including 

a 30-day public protest period and a 60- 

day Governor’s consistency review on 

the Final Programmatic EIS and 

Proposed RMP Amendments. The 

Proposed RMP Amendments/Final 

Programmatic EIS is anticipated to be 

available for public protest in August 

2024. 

The BLM will continue to consult 

with Indian Tribal Nations on a 

government-to-government basis in 

accordance with Executive Order 13175, 

BLM MS 1780, and other Departmental 

policies. Tribal concerns, including 

impacts on Indian trust assets and 

potential impacts to cultural resources, 

will be given due consideration. 

Consultation will continue on an 

individual basis with interested Tribes. 

Comments on the Draft Programmatic 

EIS would be most helpful if provided 

at a level similar to that of master 

planning and zoning and with a focus 

on where solar development on public 

lands is most appropriate and where it 

should be disallowed and precluded 

from consideration. Comments about 

suggested design features that may be 

appropriate for the BLM to require are 

also encouraged. 

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, 

43 CFR 1610.2) 

Benjamin E. Gruber, 

Acting Assistant Director, Energy, Minerals, 

and Realty Management. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00730 Filed 1–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4331–29–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[BLM_CO_FRN_MO4500176823] 

Notice of Availability of the Record of 

Decision for the Approved Eastern 

Colorado Resource Management Plan 

for the Royal Gorge Field Office, 

Colorado 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) announces the 

availability of the Record of Decision 

(ROD) for the approved Resource 

Management Plan (RMP) for the Royal 

Gorge Field Office located in eastern 

Colorado. The Colorado State Director 

signed the ROD on January 9, 2024, 

which constitutes the final decision of 

the BLM and makes the approved RMP 

effective immediately. 

DATES: The Colorado State Director 

signed the ROD on January 9, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: The ROD/approved RMP is 

available online at https://

eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/ 

project/39877/510. Printed copies of the 

ROD/approved RMP are available for 

public inspection at Royal Gorge Field 

Office, Bureau of Land Management, 

3028 E. Main, Can ̃ on City, CO 81212 or 

can be provided upon request by 

contacting BLM Project Manager John 

Smeins at jsmeins@blm.gov or 719–252– 

8212. 

A copy of the Protest Resolution 

Report is available at: https://

www.blm.gov/programs/planning-andnepa/public-participation/protestresolution-reports. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Smeins, Project Manager, telephone 

719–252–8212; address 3028 E Main St., 

Can ̃on City, CO 81212; email jsmeins@

blm.gov. Individuals in the United 

States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 

hearing, or have a speech disability may 

dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to 

access telecommunications relay 

services for contacting Mr. Smeins. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM 

prepared the Eastern Colorado proposed 

RMP/final environmental impact 

statement (EIS) to evaluate and revise 

the management strategy for resources, 

resource uses, and special designations 

on public lands managed by the Royal 

Gorge Field Office, which is the 

planning area for the RMP. Existing 

management decisions for public lands 

and resources in the Royal Gorge Field 

Office are currently described in two 

documents: the 1986 Northeast RMP, as 

amended; and the 1996 Royal Gorge 

RMP, as amended. 

The planning area encompasses 

approximately 35 million acres of land 

under various jurisdictions, including 

the BLM, U.S. Forest Service, National 

Park Service, State of Colorado, and 

local government, and private lands in 

37 counties across south-central and 

eastern Colorado. The Browns Canyon 

National Monument is not part of the 

planning area for this RMP/EIS, as it is 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
3690 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Notices 

the subject of a separate plan. The 

Eastern Colorado RMP will provide 

management direction for 

approximately 658,200 acres of BLMadministered surface land and 

approximately 3,311,900 acres of BLMadministered mineral estate. The 

decision area includes all BLM public 

lands and approximately 2,673,000 

acres of split-estate Federal minerals on 

private, local government, and State 

lands. It does not include National 

Forest System land and other Federal 

land where the BLM does not make 

planning decisions about oil and gas 

management and other uses. The BLM 

typically adopts the requirements 

determined by those Federal surfacemanaging agencies when leasing the 

associated mineral estate; while such 

lands are within the planning area, they 

are outside the decision area for this 

RMP. 

The approved RMP emphasizes 

balancing resources and resource use 

among competing human interests, land 

uses, and the conservation of natural 

and cultural resource values, while 

sustaining and enhancing ecological 

integrity across the landscape, including 

plant, wildlife, and fish habitat. This 

plan has four geographic landscapes 

with distinct management and 

incorporates a balanced level of 

protection, restoration, and 

enhancement, as well as the use of 

resources and services to meet ongoing 

programs and land uses with an 

emphasis on local community visions 

for the future of public lands. 

Through this collaborative planning 

effort, the approved RMP describes the 

actions to guide future management and 

meet desired resource conditions. The 

preferred alternative for the draft plan 

was carried forward into the final with 

modifications. 

The BLM provided the proposed 

RMP/final EIS on July 7, 2023, for a 30- 

day public protest period and received 

five protest letters. The BLM’s Assistant 

Director for Resources and Planning 

resolved all protests. Responses to 

protest issues have been compiled and 

documented in a Protest Resolution 

Report (see ADDRESSES). No changes to 

the Eastern Colorado proposed RMP/EIS 

were necessary as a result of protests. 

The BLM provided the proposed 

RMP/final EIS to the Governor of 

Colorado for a 60-day Governor’s 

consistency review. No inconsistencies 

with State or local plans, policies, or 

programs were identified during the 

Governor’s consistency review of the 

proposed RMP/final EIS. No changes to 

the Eastern Colorado proposed RMP/EIS 

were necessary as a result of the 

Governor’s consistency review. 

The decisions limiting camping are 

implementation decisions and are 

appealable under 43 CFR part 4. These 

decisions are contained in Tables II–16 

and II–17 of the approved RMP. Any 

party adversely affected by the proposed 

camping limitations may appeal within 

30 days of publication of this Notice of 

Availability pursuant to 43 CFR, part 4, 

subpart E. The appeal must be filed with 

the Royal Gorge Field Manager at the 

above listed address. Please consult the 

appropriate regulations (43 CFR, part 4, 

subpart E) for further appeal 

requirements. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 

43 CFR 1610.2) 

Douglas J. Vilsack, 

BLM Colorado State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00745 Filed 1–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4331–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[BLM_MT_FRN_MO4500177558] 

Notice of Proposed Filing of Plats of 

Survey; South Dakota 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed official 

filing. 

SUMMARY: The plats of surveys for the 

lands described in this notice are 

scheduled to be officially filed 30 

calendar days after the date of this 

publication in the BLM Montana State 

Office, Billings, Montana. The surveys, 

which were executed at the request of 

the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Great 

Plains Region, Aberdeen, South Dakota 

are necessary for the management of 

these lands. 

DATES: A person or party who wishes to 

protest this decision must file a notice 

of protest in time for it to be received 

in the BLM Montana State Office no 

later than February 20, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: A copy of the plats may be 

obtained from the Public Room at the 

BLM Montana State Office, 5001 

Southgate Drive, Billings, Montana 

59101, upon required payment. The 

plats may be viewed at this location at 

no cost. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joshua Alexander, BLM Chief Cadastral 

Surveyor for South Dakota; telephone: 

(406) 896–5123; email: jalexand@

blm.gov. Individuals in the United 

States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 

hearing, or have a speech disability may 

dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to 

access telecommunications relay 

services for contacting Mr. Alexander. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The lands 

surveyed are: 

Fifth Principal Meridian, South Dakota 

T. 124 N., R. 53 W., 

Sec. 21. 

A person or party who wishes to 

protest an official filing of a plat of 

survey identified earlier must file a 

written notice of protest with the BLM 

Chief Cadastral Surveyor for South 

Dakota at the address listed in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice. The 

notice of protest must identify the 

plat(s) of survey that the person or party 

wishes to protest. The notice of protest 

must be received in the BLM Montana 

State Office no later than the date 

described in the DATES section of this 

notice; If received after regular business 

hours, a notice of protest will be 

considered filed the next business day. 

A written statement of reasons in 

support of the protest, if not filed with 

the notice of protest, must be filed with 

the BLM Chief Cadastral Surveyor for 

South Dakota within 30 calendar days 

after the notice of protest is received. 

If a notice of protest of the plat(s) of 

survey is received prior to the 

scheduled date of official filing or 

during the 10 calendar day grace period 

provided in 43 CFR 4.401(a) and the 

delay in filing is waived, the official 

filing of the plat(s) of survey identified 

in the notice of protest will be stayed 

pending consideration of the protest. 

Upon receipt of a timely protest, and 

after a review of the protest, the 

Authorized Officer will issue a decision 

either dismissing or otherwise resolving 

the protest. A plat of survey will then 

be officially filed 30 days after the 

protest decision has been issued in 

accordance with 43 CFR part 4. 

If a notice of protest is received after 

the date described in the DATES section 

of this notice and the 10-calendar-day 

grace period provided in 43 CFR 

4.401(a), the notice of protest will be 

untimely, may not be considered, and 

may be dismissed. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in a 

notice of protest or statement of reasons, 

you should be aware that the documents 

you submit—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available in their entirety at 

any time. While you can ask us to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1