[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 193 (Friday, October 4, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80916-80917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-22760]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

[BLM_UT_FRN_MO 4500181748]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan 
and Final Environmental Impact Statement for Bears Ears National 
Monument in Utah

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior; Forest Service, 
Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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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) and 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USDA Forest Service), 
collectively ``the Agencies,'' have prepared a Proposed Resource 
Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the Bears Ears National Monument (BENM or monument) and by this 
notice are announcing the start of a 30-day protest period of the 
Proposed RMP.

DATES: This notice announces a 30-day protest period to the BLM on the 
Proposed RMP beginning on the date of the Environmental Protection 
Agency's (EPA) publication of its Notice of Availability (NOA) of the 
Proposed RMP/Final EIS in the Federal Register. The EPA usually 
publishes its NOAs on Fridays. Protests must be postmarked or 
electronically submitted on the BLM's ePlanning site during the 30-day 
protest period.

ADDRESSES: The Proposed RMP, Final EIS and associated documents are 
available on the BLM ePlanning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020347/510. Pertinent documents 
may also be examined at the BLM Monticello Field Office, 365 North 
Main, Monticello, Utah 84535.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM for the BENM 
Proposed RMP/Final EIS can be found at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43 
CFR 1610.5-2.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill Stephenson, Project Manager, 
telephone: 435-259-2100; address: Bureau of Land Management Canyon 
Country District, 82 E Dogwood, Moab, Utah 84532; email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#cba1b8bfaebba3aea5b8a4a58ba9a7a6e5aca4bd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="345e474051445c515a475b5a745658591a535b42">[email protected]</span></a>. 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. Stephenson. 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: The planning area is located in San Juan 
County, Utah, and encompasses approximately 1.36 million acres of 
federal land administered by the BLM and USDA Forest Service.
    The USDA Forest Service will adopt the BLM's administrative review 
protest procedures, as provided by the Forest Service Planning Rule at 
36 CFR 219.59(a).

Purpose and Need for the Planning Effort

    Presidential Proclamation 10285 directs the Agencies to ``prepare 
and maintain a new management plan for the entire monument'' for the 
specific purposes of ``protecting and restoring the objects identified 
[in Proclamation 10285] and in Proclamation 9558.''
    The RMP's underlying purpose (40 CFR 1502.13) is to provide a 
management framework, including goals, objectives, and management 
direction, to guide BENM management consistent with the protection of 
BENM objects and the management direction provided in Proclamation 
10285.
    The purpose and need for the BENM RMP is aligned with the purpose 
and need to amend the plan direction and management allocation for BENM 
in the Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 
(LRMP). The proposed programmatic amendment incorporates the proposed 
BENM RMP and updated land management allocation of the BENM boundary 
area into the Manti-La Sal LRMP. The scope of the USDA Forest Service 
amendment is based on the objects identified in Proclamation 10285, and 
the scale applies to National Forest System (NFS) lands within the BENM 
boundary area.

Alternatives Considered

    The Final EIS evaluates six alternatives in detail, including the 
no action alternative. Alternative A (the no action alternative) 
represents current management from the 2020 BENM Approved Monument 
Management Plans, which apply to lands that remained in BENM under 
Proclamation 9681, and the 2008 Monticello Approved RMP, 2008 Moab 
Approved

[[Page 80917]]

RMP, and 1986 Manti-La Sal National Forest LRMP, as amended, which 
apply to the lands that were excluded from BENM under Proclamation 
9681, to the extent that those management actions are consistent with 
Proclamation 10285. In some cases, decisions in the 2008 Monticello 
Approved RMP, 2008 Moab Approved RMP, and 1986 Manti-La Sal National 
Forest LRMP are inconsistent with Proclamation 10285; in those 
instances, Alternative A has been modified to be consistent with 
Proclamation 10285. Alternative B would provide the most permissive 
management for discretionary actions that are compatible with the 
protection of BENM objects. This alternative would focus on on-site 
education and interpretation and allow for the development of 
facilities to protect BENM objects. Alternative C would allow 
discretionary actions if they are necessary to protect BENM objects. 
This alternative would focus on off-site education and interpretation 
and allow for limited development of facilities to protect BENM 
objects. Alternative D would allow for the continuation of natural 
processes by limiting or discontinuing discretionary uses. This 
alternative would minimize human-created facilities and management and 
would emphasize natural conditions. Alternative E would emphasize 
resource protection and maximize the consideration and use of Tribal 
perspectives on managing the BENM landscape. This alternative includes 
consideration of natural processes and seasonal cycles in the 
management of BENM, and extensive collaboration with Tribal Nations to 
incorporate those considerations into the day-to-day management of the 
monument. The BLM and USDA Forest Service have also developed the 
Proposed RMP as presented in the Final EIS. The Proposed RMP is based 
on Alternative E, with a combination of components from the various 
action alternatives. Like Alternative E, the Proposed RMP emphasizes 
resource protection and maximizing the consideration and use of Tribal 
perspectives.

Public Comment Period and Development of the Proposed RMP and Final EIS

    The BLM received a total of 18,975 letter submissions during the 
public comment period on the Draft RMP/EIS, including 15,624 letters 
that contained non-unique, preformulated language that appeared 
elsewhere in letter submissions. There were 3,351 unique submissions, 
from which the agencies identified substantive comments. Most 
submissions were focused on suggestions for specific alternatives or 
alternative elements; statements of support for or lack thereof for an 
alternative; and detailed input pertaining to various resource topics 
analyzed in the draft EIS, such as travel and transportation, livestock 
grazing, and recreation and visitor services.
    The agencies were informed in the development of the Proposed RMP 
by public comments; input from the Bears Ears Commission, cooperating 
agencies, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources; government-to-
government consultation with Tribal Nations; consultation under section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; and updates to the best 
available science.
    The primary changes from the Draft RMP/EIS to the Proposed RMP/
Final EIS include: the analysis of the Proposed RMP; the use of updated 
assessment, inventory, and monitoring data; modifications to management 
actions concerning recreation, travel and transportation, livestock 
grazing, visual resources, lands and realty, and lands with wilderness 
characteristics; the designation of Areas of Critical Environmental 
Concern (ACECs); the inclusion of the public comment process summary 
and responses; the development of a monitoring plan; the addition of an 
appendix to address scenery management on the NFS lands; and the review 
of applicable State and local land use plans for plan consistency. The 
agencies also made revisions in the Final EIS for consistency, clarity, 
and accuracy. In Appendix U of the Final EIS, the agencies provide 
responses to substantive comments on the Draft RMP/EIS, including 
proposed target shooting closures and ACECs.

Protest of the Proposed RMP

    The BLM planning regulations state that any person who participated 
in the preparation of the RMP and has an interest that will or might be 
adversely affected by approval of the Proposed RMP may protest its 
approval to the BLM Director. Protest on the Proposed RMP constitutes 
the final opportunity for administrative review of the proposed land 
use planning decisions prior to the BLM adopting an approved RMP and 
the USDA Forest Service approving amendment of the 1986 Manti-La Sal 
National Forest LRMP. Instructions for filing a protest regarding the 
Proposed RMP with the BLM Director may be found online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing 
and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES 
section earlier or submitted electronically through the BLM ePlanning 
project website as described previously. Protests submitted 
electronically by any means other than the ePlanning project website 
will be invalid unless a protest is also submitted as a hard copy. The 
BLM Director will render a written decision on each protest. The BLM 
Reviewing Official is the BLM Assistant Director for Resources and 
Planning, and the USDA Forest Service Reviewing Official is the 
Regional Forester. The BLM and USDA Forest Service will jointly sign a 
memorandum documenting the decisions on the resolutions of all protests 
for both agencies. This shall be the final decision of the Department 
of the Interior and Department of Agriculture. Responses to valid 
protest issues will be compiled and documented in a Protest Resolution 
Report made available following the protest resolution online at: 
https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports. Upon resolution of protests, the BLM will 
issue a Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved RMP, and the USDA Forest 
Service will issue a ROD amending the 1986 Manti-La Sal National Forest 
LRMP to incorporate the Approved RMP for BENM. The responsible official 
for the BLM is the Utah State Director; the responsible official for 
the USDA Forest Service is the Manti-La Sal Forest Supervisor.
    Before including your phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest 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 (2023), 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 
CFR 1610.5, 36 CFR 219.16, 36 CFR 219.59)

Gregory Sheehan,
BLM Utah State Director.
Barbara Van Alstine,
Manti-La Sal Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2024-22760 Filed 10-3-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-25-P


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