Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2024 / Notices 807 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[BLM_CO_FRN_MO4500175963] 

Notice of Intent To Amend the 

Resource Management Plan for the 

Uncompahgre Field Office and Prepare 

an Associated Environmental Impact 

Statement, Colorado 

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, the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) Colorado State 

Director intends to prepare a Resource 

Management Plan (RMP) amendment 

with an associated Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) for the 

Uncompahgre Field Office and by this 

notice is announcing the beginning of 

the scoping period to solicit public 

comments and identify issues and is 

providing the planning criteria for 

public review. 

DATES: The BLM requests the public 

submit comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis, potential alternatives, 

and identification of relevant 

information and studies by February 20, 

2024. To afford the BLM the 

opportunity to consider issues raised by 

commenters in the draft RMP 

amendment/EIS, please ensure your 

comments are received prior to the close 

of the 45-day scoping period or 15 days 

after the last public meeting, whichever 

is later. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on issues and planning criteria related 

to the Uncompahgre Field Office RMP 

Amendment by any of the following 

methods: 

• Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/ 

eplanning-ui/project/2026528/510. 

• Mail: Uncompahgre Field Office 

RMP amendment/EIS, BLM 

Uncompahgre Field Office, 2465 South 

Townsend Avenue, Montrose, CO 

81401. 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined online at: https://

eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/ 

project/2026528/510 and at the 

Uncompahgre Field Office. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Angela LoSasso, Project Manager; 

telephone: 970–210–5579; address: BLM 

Uncomphagre Field Office, 2465 South 

Townsend Avenue, Montrose, CO 

81401; email: alosasso@blm.gov. 

Contact Ms. LoSasso to have your name 

added to our mailing list. 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 Ms. LoSasso. Individuals 

outside the United States should use the 

relay services offered within their 

country to make international calls to 

the point-of-contact in the United 

States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

document provides notice that the BLM 

Colorado State Director intends to 

prepare an RMP amendment with an 

associated EIS, announces the beginning 

of the scoping process, and seeks public 

input on issues and planning criteria. 

The RMP amendment would change the 

existing 2020 Uncompahgre Field Office 

RMP. The RMP amendment is being 

considered to allow the BLM to evaluate 

oil and gas leasing decisions, previously 

proposed Areas of Critical 

Environmental Concern (ACECs), and 

management of lands with wilderness 

characteristics, which would require 

amending the existing Uncompahgre 

Field Office RMP. 

The planning area is located in Delta, 

Gunnison, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, and 

San Miguel counties, Colorado, and 

encompasses approximately 678,400 

acres of public land. The BLM will reevaluate ACECs previously nominated 

during scoping for the 2019 

Uncompahgre Field Office RMP revision 

in the RMP amendment and EIS. 

Purpose and Need 

The Uncompahgre Field Office 

approved RMP and Record of Decision 

was signed in April 2020. The BLM 

received and settled three lawsuits on 

the approved RMP. Under one 

settlement agreement, the BLM initiated 

two planning efforts in 2022: one 

statewide amendment for big game 

priority habitat and one range wide 

amendment for Gunnison Sage-Grouse 

habitat. Those planning efforts are 

currently underway. In the remaining 

two settlement agreements, the BLM 

agreed to complete an RMP amendment 

process with a specific scope and within 

a specific timeline for the Uncompahgre 

Field Office decision area. 

The BLM needs to undertake this 

planning process to fulfill its 

responsibilities under the settlement 

agreements that resolved litigation 

challenging the 2020 Uncompahgre 

Field Office approved RMP. The 

purpose of this effort is to consider 

different management of oil and gas 

resources, lands with wilderness 

characteristics, and previously proposed 

and analyzed ACECs within the specific 

scope described in settlement 

agreements. 

Consistent with settlement 

agreements, the scope of this land use 

planning process includes considering 

ACECs previously analyzed under 

Alternative B of the 2019 Uncompahgre 

Field Office proposed RMP/final EIS. 

Preliminary Alternatives 

Consistent with the settlement 

agreements, the BLM will consider: 

closing to new oil and gas leasing all 

areas within the Federal mineral estate 

that were analyzed under Alternative B/ 

B.1 of the 2019 proposed RMP/final EIS 

as either closed to leasing or open to 

leasing subject to no surface occupancy; 

a minimum of 350,000 acres previously 

analyzed as controlled surface use 

under Alternative B/B.1 of the 2019 

proposed RMP/final EIS as subject to no 

surface occupancy; and protections for 

lands with wilderness characteristics 

and ACEC designations that are the 

same as those analyzed under 

Alternative B of the 2019 proposed 

RMP/final EIS. The BLM may also 

consider alternatives specifically for oil 

and gas leasing decisions only (areas 

open and closed to leasing, open subject 

to no surface occupancy, and open 

subject to controlled surface use) that 

are consistent with the BLM Colorado 

planning efforts for range-wide 

Gunnison Sage-Grouse conservation and 

statewide big game habitat conservation. 

The BLM welcomes comments on all 

preliminary alternatives as well as 

suggestions for additional alternatives. 

Planning Criteria 

The planning criteria guide the 

planning effort and lay the groundwork 

for effects analysis by identifying the 

preliminary issues and their analytical 

frameworks. Preliminary issues for the 

planning area have been identified by 

BLM personnel and from early 

engagement conducted for this planning 

effort with Federal, State, and local 

agencies; Tribes; and stakeholders. The 

BLM has identified 18 preliminary 

issues for this planning effort’s analysis. 

The planning criteria are available for 

public review and comment at the 

ePlanning website (see ADDRESSES). 

Summary of Expected Impacts 

The BLM expects impacts from 

alternatives to include beneficial or 

adverse changes to air quality; climate; 

oil and gas development opportunity; 

paleontological resources; soils 

including highly erodible salt and 

selenium soils; water including surface, 

ground, and municipal drinking water; 

wildlife including big game, threatened, 


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808 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2024 / Notices 

and endangered species, BLM special 

status terrestrial and aquatic species, 

and migratory birds; vegetation 

including native plant communities, 

riparian vegetation, noxious and 

invasive species, and BLM special 

status, threatened, and endangered plant 

species; cultural resources; Native 

American religious concerns; 

socioeconomics; environmental justice; 

recreational opportunity; visual 

resources; travel and transportation; 

lands and reality authorizations; 

livestock grazing authorizations; ACECs; 

and lands managed for wilderness 

characteristics. 

Schedule for the Decision-Making 

Process 

The BLM will provide additional 

opportunities for public participation 

consistent with the NEPA and land use 

planning processes, including a 90-day 

public comment period on the draft 

RMP amendment/EIS and concurrent 

30-day public protest period and 60-day 

Governor’s consistency review on the 

proposed RMP amendment. The draft 

RMP amendment/EIS is anticipated to 

be available for public review in winter 

2024/2025 and the proposed RMP 

amendment/final EIS is anticipated to 

be available for public protest of the 

proposed RMP Amendment in fall 2025 

with an approved RMP amendment and 

Record of Decision in winter 2025/2026. 

Public Scoping Process 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping period and public review of the 

planning criteria, which guide the 

development and analysis of the draft 

RMP amendment/EIS. The BLM will be 

holding three scoping meetings in the 

following locations: two scoping 

meetings will be held virtually, and one 

scoping meeting will be held in 

Montrose, Colorado, at the BLM Public 

Lands Center. The specific date(s) and 

location(s) of these scoping meetings 

will be announced at least 15 days in 

advance through local media and 

newspapers, and the BLM ePlanning 

website (see ADDRESSES). 

ACECs 

The following ACECs are currently 

designated in the planning area: Adobe 

Badlands ACEC/Outstanding Natural 

Area (ONA)/Instant Study Area (ISA) 

(6,370 acres), Biological Soil Crust 

ACEC (390 acres), Fairview South BLM 

Expansion ACEC (610 acres), Needle 

Rock ACEC/ONA (80 acres), Paradox 

Rock Art ACEC (1,080 acres), and San 

Miguel River ACEC (21,660) acres. 

Information about each existing ACEC, 

including the size, relevant and 

important values, and other helpful 

information is available in the 

Uncompahgre Field Office ACEC Fact 

Sheet online on the project’s website in 

ADDRESSES. The BLM will reevaluate 

these designated ACECs for 

consideration in the draft RMP 

amendment/EIS. 

During the Uncompahgre Field Office 

RMP Revision planning process in 2010 

the BLM solicited nominations for new 

ACECs. A total of 21 nominated ACECs 

covering a third of the field office met 

relevance and importance criteria, and 

all were analyzed in the 2019 proposed 

RMP/final EIS. Consistent with 

settlement agreements, the following 15 

areas which were nominated and 

previously analyzed under Alternative B 

of the 2019 proposed RMP/final EIS will 

be reconsidered for ACEC designation in 

this planning effort: 

• Coyote Wash ACEC—2,100 acres 

• Dolores Slickrock ACEC—10,670 

acres 

• East Paradox ACEC—7,630 acres 

• Fairview South CNHP Expansion 

ACEC—4,250 acres 

• La Sal Creek ACEC—10,490 acres 

• Lower Uncompahgre Plateau ACEC— 

31,810 acres 

• Needle Rock ACEC—80 acres 

• Paradox Rock Art ACEC—1,080 acres 

• Roubideau-Potter-Monitor ACEC— 

20,430 acres 

• Salt Desert Shrub Ecosystem ACEC— 

34,510 acres (includes the existing 

Adobe Badlands ACEC) 

• San Miguel Gunnison Sage-Grouse 

ACEC—470 acres) 

• San Miguel River Expansion ACEC— 

35,480 acres 

• Sims-Cerro Gunnison Sage-Grouse 

ACEC—25,620 acres 

• Tabeguache Pueblo and Tabeguache 

Caves ACEC—26,400 acres 

• West Paradox ACEC—5,190 acres 

Additional information on these 

proposed ACECs can be found in the 

2013 final ACEC report on the project 

website (see ADDRESSES). The BLM has 

identified the anticipated issues related 

to the consideration of ACECs in the 

planning criteria. 

Cooperating Agencies 

The BLM is the lead agency. The BLM 

has invited Federal, State, and local 

agencies that are eligible to participate 

in the development of the 

environmental analysis as a cooperating 

agency. These include the Bureau of 

Reclamation; National Park Service; 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. 

Geological Survey; USDA Forest Service 

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and 

Gunnison National Forests; Natural 

Resource Conservation Service; 

Department of Energy Office of Legacy 

Management; Western Area Power 

Administration; Colorado Department of 

Natural Resources; Colorado Division of 

Reclamation, Mining, and Safety; 

Colorado Energy and Carbon 

Management Commission; Colorado 

State Forest Service; Colorado 

Department of Agriculture; Colorado 

Parks and Wildlife; Colorado River 

Water Conservation District; Denver 

Water Board; Delta, Gunnison, Mesa, 

Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel 

Counties; and the Town of Paonia. 

Responsible Official 

The Colorado State Director is the 

deciding official for this planning effort. 

Other responsible officials include the 

BLM Colorado Southwest District 

Manager and the BLM Colorado 

Uncompahgre Field Manager. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The nature of the decision to be made 

will be the State Director’s selection of 

land use planning decisions pursuant to 

this RMP amendment for managing 

BLM-administered lands under the 

principles of multiple use and sustained 

yield in a manner that best addresses 

the purpose and need. 

Interdisciplinary Team 

The BLM will use an interdisciplinary 

approach to develop the plan 

amendment in order to consider the 

variety of resource issues and concerns 

identified. Specialists with expertise in 

the following disciplines will be 

involved in this planning effort: air 

quality, climate, wildlife, threatened 

and endangered species, vegetation, 

hydrology, soils, energy and minerals, 

lands and reality, outdoor recreation 

management, geologic resources, 

archaeology, environmental justice, and 

socioeconomics. 

Additional Information 

The BLM will identify, analyze, and 

consider mitigation to address the 

reasonably foreseeable impacts to 

resources from the proposed plan 

amendment and all analyzed reasonable 

alternatives and, in accordance with 40 

CFR 1502.14(e), include appropriate 

mitigation measures not already 

included in the proposed plan 

amendment or alternatives. Mitigation 

may include avoidance, minimization, 

rectification, reduction or elimination 

over time, and compensation; and may 

be considered at multiple scales, 

including the landscape scale. 

The BLM will utilize and coordinate 

the NEPA and land use planning 

processes for this planning effort to help 

support compliance with applicable 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2024 / Notices 809 

procedural requirements under the 

Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 

1536) and Section 106 of the National 

Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 

306108) as provided in 36 CFR 

800.2(d)(3), including public 

involvement requirements of Section 

106. The information about historic and 

cultural resources and threatened and 

endangered species within the area 

potentially affected by the proposed 

plan amendment will assist the BLM in 

identifying and evaluating impacts to 

such resources. 

The BLM will consult with Indian 

Tribal Nations on a government-togovernment 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. Federal, State, and local 

agencies, along with Indian Tribal 

Nations and other stakeholders that may 

be interested in or affected by the 

proposed Uncompahgre Field Office 

RMP Amendment that the BLM is 

evaluating, are invited to participate in 

the scoping process and, if eligible, may 

request or be requested by the BLM to 

participate in the development of the 

environmental analysis as a cooperating 

agency. 

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) 

Douglas J. Vilsack, 

BLM Colorado State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2023–28889 Filed 1–4–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4331–16–P 

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 

COMMISSION 

[Investigation Nos. 701–TA–703 and 731– 

TA–1661–1663 (Preliminary)] 

Glass Wine Bottles From Chile, China, 

and Mexico; Institution of Antidumping 

and Countervailing Duty Investigations 

and Scheduling of Preliminary Phase 

Investigations 

AGENCY: United States International 

Trade Commission. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives 

notice of the institution of investigations 

and commencement of preliminary 

phase antidumping and countervailing 

duty investigation Nos. 701–TA–703 

and 731–TA–1661–1663 (Preliminary) 

pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930 (‘‘the 

Act’’) to determine whether there is a 

reasonable indication that an industry 

in the United States is materially 

injured or threatened with material 

injury, or the establishment of an 

industry in the United States is 

materially retarded, by reason of 

imports of glass wine bottles from Chile, 

China, and Mexico, provided for in 

subheading 7010.90.50 of the 

Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 

United States, that are alleged to be sold 

in the United States at less than fair 

value and alleged to be subsidized by 

the Government of China. Unless the 

Department of Commerce (‘‘Commerce’’) 

extends the time for initiation, the 

Commission must reach a preliminary 

determination in antidumping and 

countervailing duty investigations in 45 

days, or in this case by February 12, 

2024. The Commission’s views must be 

transmitted to Commerce within five 

business days thereafter, or by February 

20, 2024. 

DATES: December 29, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stamen Borisson ((202) 205–3125), 

Office of Investigations, U.S. 

International Trade Commission, 500 E 

Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. 

Hearing-impaired persons can obtain 

information on this matter by contacting 

the Commission’s TDD terminal on 202– 

205–1810. Persons with mobility 

impairments who will need special 

assistance in gaining access to the 

Commission should contact the Office 

of the Secretary at 202–205–2000. 

General information concerning the 

Commission may also be obtained by 

accessing its internet server (https://

www.usitc.gov). The public record for 

these investigations may be viewed on 

the Commission’s electronic docket 

(EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background.—These investigations 

are being instituted, pursuant to 

sections 703(a) and 733(a) of the Tariff 

Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1671b(a) and 

1673b(a)), in response to petitions filed 

on December 29, 2023, by the U.S. Glass 

Producers Coalition, which is 

comprised of Ardagh Glass Inc., 

Indianapolis, Indiana and the United 

Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, 

Manufacturing, Energy, Allied 

Industrial and Service Workers 

International Union, Pittsburgh, 

Pennsylvania. 

For further information concerning 

the conduct of these investigations and 

rules of general application, consult the 

Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedure, part 201, subparts A and B 

(19 CFR part 201), and part 207, 

subparts A and B (19 CFR part 207). 

Participation in the investigations and 

public service list.—Persons (other than 

petitioners) wishing to participate in the 

investigations as parties must file an 

entry of appearance with the Secretary 

to the Commission, as provided in 

§§ 201.11 and 207.10 of the 

Commission’s rules, not later than seven 

days after publication of this notice in 

the Federal Register. Industrial users 

and (if the merchandise under 

investigation is sold at the retail level) 

representative consumer organizations 

have the right to appear as parties in 

Commission antidumping duty and 

countervailing duty investigations. The 

Secretary will prepare a public service 

list containing the names and addresses 

of all persons, or their representatives, 

who are parties to these investigations 

upon the expiration of the period for 

filing entries of appearance. 

Limited disclosure of business 

proprietary information (BPI) under an 

administrative protective order (APO) 

and BPI service list.—Pursuant to 

§ 207.7(a) of the Commission’s rules, the 

Secretary will make BPI gathered in 

these investigations available to 

authorized applicants representing 

interested parties (as defined in 19 

U.S.C. 1677(9)) who are parties to the 

investigations under the APO issued in 

the investigations, provided that the 

application is made not later than seven 

days after the publication of this notice 

in the Federal Register. A separate 

service list will be maintained by the 

Secretary for those parties authorized to 

receive BPI under the APO. 

Conference.—The Office of 

Investigations will hold a staff 

conference in connection with the 

preliminary phase of these 

investigations beginning at 9:30 a.m. on 

January 19, 2024. Requests to appear at 

the conference should be emailed to 

preliminaryconferences@usitc.gov (DO 

NOT FILE ON EDIS) on or before 

January 17, 2024. Please provide an 

email address for each conference 

participant in the email. Information on 

conference procedures, format, and 

participation, including guidance for 

requests to appear as a witness via 

videoconference, will be available on 

the Commission’s Public Calendar. A 

nonparty who has testimony that may 

aid the Commission’s deliberations may 


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