Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Notices 90309 

limited due to room capacity. Webinar/ 

conference line instructions will be 

provided to registered attendees prior to 

the meeting. 

Public Disclosure of Comments: There 

will be an opportunity for public 

comment during each day of the 

meeting. Depending on the number of 

people who wish to speak and the time 

available, the time for individual 

comments may be limited. Written 

comments may also be sent to the NGAC 

for consideration. To allow for full 

consideration of information by NGAC 

members, written comments must be 

provided to Josh Delmonico (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 

three (3) business days prior to the 

meeting. Any written comments 

received will be provided to NGAC 

members before the meeting. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personally identifiable information (PII) 

in your comment, you should be aware 

that your entire comment—including 

your PII—may be made publicly 

available at any time. While you may 

ask us in your comment to withhold 

your PII from public review, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. ch. 10. 

Kenneth Shaffer, 

Deputy Executive Director, Federal 

Geographic Data Committee. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26651 Filed 11–14–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4338–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[BLM_WY_FRN_MO4500182754] 

Notice of Availability of the Draft 

Resource Management Plan and 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Newcastle Field Office, Wyoming, 

and Nebraska Planning Area 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (NEPA), and the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976, as amended (FLMPA), the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 

prepared a Draft Resource Management 

Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) for the 

Newcastle Field Office and Nebraska 

Resource Management Plans (Newcastle 

and Nebraska RMPs) and by this notice 

is announcing the opening of the 

comment period on the Draft RMP/EIS 

and the BLM’s proposed areas of critical 

environmental concern (ACECs). 

DATES: This notice announces the 

opening of a 90-day comment period for 

the Draft RMP/EIS beginning with the 

date following the Environmental 

Protection Agency’s (EPA) publication 

of its Notice of Availability (NOA) of the 

Draft RMP/EIS in the Federal Register. 

The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on 

Fridays. 

To afford the BLM the opportunity to 

consider comments in the Proposed 

RMP/Final EIS, please ensure that the 

BLM receives your comments prior to 

the close of the 90-day public comment 

period or 15 days after the last public 

meeting, whichever is later. 

In addition, this notice also 

announces the opening of a 90-day 

comment period for ACECs. The BLM 

must receive your ACEC-related 

comments by February 13, 2025. 

The BLM will be holding multiple 

public meetings during the public 

comment period and the dates, times, 

and locations of these public meetings 

will be announced through public 

notices, news releases, social media, 

and mailings at least 15 days prior to the 

meetings. 

ADDRESSES: The Draft RMP/EIS is 

available for review on the BLM 

ePlanning project website at https://

eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/ 

project/2013064/510. 

Written comments related to the 

Newcastle and Nebraska RMPs may be 

submitted by any of the following 

methods: 

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

eplanning-ui/project/2013064/510. 

• Email: BLM_WY_Newcastle_

Nebraska_RMP@blm.gov. 

• Mail: BLM, High Plains District 

Office, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, 

WY 82604, OR BLM, Newcastle Field 

Office, 1101 Washington Boulevard, WY 

82701. 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined online at blm.gov/ 

eplanning-ui/project/2013064/510 and 

at the Newcastle Field Office. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kathleen T. Lacko, Project Manager, 

telephone (307) 261–7536; address BLM 

High Plains District Office, 2987 

Prospector Drive, Casper, WY 82604; 

email blm_wy_newcastle_nebraska_

rmp@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 Ms. Lacko. 

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: This 

document provides notice that the BLM 

Wyoming State Director has prepared a 

Draft RMP/EIS and announces the 

comment period on the Draft RMP/EIS 

and the BLM’s proposed ACECs. The 

planning area includes Crook, Weston, 

and Niobrara Counties in Wyoming and 

all counties in Nebraska, and 

encompasses approximately 287,900 

acres of surface public lands and 

1,738,900 acres of Federal mineral estate 

in Wyoming, and approximately 5,100 

acres of surface public lands and 

223,900 acres of Federal mineral estate 

in Nebraska. In addition to BLMmanaged surface lands, the planning 

area includes the mineral estate beneath 

the following: 

Newcastle Field Office, Wyoming: One 

National Monument, administered by 

the National Park Service; one National 

Forest and one National Grassland 

administered by the US Forest Service; 

one State Park, administered by 

Wyoming State Parks and Cultural 

Resources; and historic and indigenous 

trails. 

Nebraska: Seven National Wildlife 

Refuges administered by the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service; five National 

Historic Trails, two National 

Monuments, one National Recreational 

River, and one National Scenic River 

administered by the National Park 

Service; two designated wilderness 

areas and two proposed wilderness 

areas; three Indian Reservations and 

three American Indian Trust Lands; two 

National Forests and three National 

Grasslands administered by US Forest 

Service; and seventy-three State Parks, 

State Historic Parks, or State Recreation 

Areas administered by the Nebraska 

Game and Parks Commission. 

Purpose and Need for the Planning 

Effort 

The purpose of the Newcastle and 

Nebraska RMPs/EIS is to provide a 

comprehensive framework to guide 

management of BLM-administered 

surface land in the planning area. The 

RMPs/EIS will incorporate new data, 

address land use issues and conflicts, 

and specify where and under what 

circumstances activities will be allowed 

on BLM-administered surface lands. 

The objectives, land use allocations, and 

management decisions will be based on 

the principals of multiple use and 

sustained yield, except where a tract of 

such public land has been dedicated to 

specific uses according to another 

provision of law. All management 

direction must meet the objectives of the 

BLM’s multiple use management 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
90310 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Notices 

mandate and responsibilities under 

FLPMA Section 202(c) and (e) and is 

subject to valid existing rights. These 

include all valid leases, permits, 

patents, rights-of-way (ROWs), or other 

land use rights or authorizations in 

place at the time the RMP decision is 

approved. 

The Newcastle Field Office (NFO) has 

determined the need to update the two 

RMPs it relies on to manage the public 

land and Federal mineral estate in the 

planning areas. Assessments of these 

plans showed they require updating to 

address new information and changes to 

resources and resource uses within the 

planning area since the BLM completed 

the NFO RMP/EIS in 2000 and the 

Nebraska RMP in 1992. The revised 

RMPs will replace the existing 

Newcastle RMP/Record of Decision 

(ROD) and Nebraska RMP/ROD. 

Alternatives Including the Preferred 

Alternative 

The BLM has analyzed four 

alternatives in detail, including the no 

action alternative. 

Alternative A—No Action Alternative 

• Continue existing management under 

Newcastle (2000) and Nebraska (1992) 

RMPs 

• Approximately 286,500 acres are 

identified as available for disposal 

(Newcastle) 

Alternative B—Emphasize Resource 

Protection 

• Conservation emphasis 

• Emphasis on ACEC designations 

(Newcastle: 1 existing with 

expansion, 1 BLM proposed) 

• Approximately 3,300 acres are 

identified as available for disposal 

(Newcastle) 

• Most protected areas and use 

restrictions 

Alternative C—Maximize Resource Use 

• Resource use emphasis 

• Fewest protected areas and 

restrictions to resource uses 

• One ACEC brought forward from 

existing management without 

expansion (Same as Alternative A) 

• Approximately 30,300 acres are 

identified as available for disposal 

(Newcastle) 

Alternative D—Balance Resource 

Protection and Use (Preferred 

Alternative) 

• Balance of conservation and resource 

use 

• Two ACECs in Special Designations 

(Newcastle: refined boundary of 

proposed ACEC) 

• One proposed Backcountry 

Conservation Area (Newcastle) 

• Approximately 9,700 acres are 

identified as available for disposal 

(Newcastle) 

• Multiple use focus with prescriptive 

actions to allow protections with 

more flexibility 

The State Director has identified 

Alternative D as the preferred 

alternative, as it. best meets the State 

Director’s planning guidance and the 

purpose and need. This alternative 

balances components (objectives and 

management directions) of the other 

alternatives considered (Alternatives A, 

B, and C) and allows for multiple use 

with a variety of prescriptive actions to 

allow protections with flexibility. 

Mitigation 

Appendix C in Volume 2 of the Draft 

EIS is the Wyoming BLM Mitigation 

Guidelines for Surface Disturbing and 

Disruptive Activities. Mitigation in 

Nebraska will be in accordance with 

BLM policy. 

ACECs 

Consistent with land use planning 

regulations at 43 CFR 1610.7–2(b), the 

BLM is announcing the opening of a 90- 

day comment period on the ACECs 

proposed for designation in the 

preferred alternative. Comments may be 

submitted using any of the methods 

listed in the ADDRESSES section earlier. 

The proposed ACECs included in the 

preferred alternative for the Newcastle 

RMP are: 

• Whoopup Canyon ACEC is an 

existing ACEC that has approximately 

1,400 acres and contains rock art 

ranging from 2,400–11,500 years old. 

The preferred alternative would expand 

the current ACEC by approximately 200 

acres, making it a total of approximately 

1,600 acres. 

• The Little Missouri Antelope Trap 

ACEC is a Native American antelope 

trap complex containing trap structures 

and drive lines, occupation sites, and 

ceremonial significance, located in 

Crook County. Proposed for its rare and 

sensitive cultural resources, the 

boundary of the Little Missouri 

Antelope Trap ACEC in Alternative B 

(9,500 acres) encompasses adjacent noncontributing cultural sites and includes 

an expanded boundary that would 

provide increased protection of the 

cultural setting of the trap site. In 

Alternative D, the Preferred Alternative, 

the ACEC would cover approximately 

5,300 acres, with the boundary of the 

ACEC refined based on information 

received from Tribal field visits, 

academic studies, and public and 

cooperating agency input. This 

information indicated the importance of 

not only the physical trap features, but 

also the landscape, setting, and 

ceremonial features directly 

contributing to the significance of the 

Little Missouri Antelope Trap. 

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 30-day 

public protest period and a 60-day 

Governor’s consistency review on the 

Proposed RMP. The Proposed RMP/ 

Final EIS is anticipated to be available 

for public protest July 2025 with an 

Approved RMP and ROD October 2025. 

The BLM will be holding five public 

meetings in the following locations: inperson meetings will be held in 

Sundance, Newcastle, and Lusk, 

Wyoming, and Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 

and one meeting will be held virtually. 

The specific date(s) and location(s) of 

these meetings will be announced at 

least 15 days in advance through local 

media, newspapers, and the ePlanning 

project page: https://eplanning.blm.gov/ 

eplanning-ui/project/2013064/510. 

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. 

Government-to-government meetings 

will continue, and field visits are 

planned for interested Tribes. 

During public review of this Draft 

RMPs/EIS, the BLM is seeking 

constructive input regarding the 

proposals for managing resources and 

resource uses. 

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, 43 CFR 1610.7–2) 

Andrew S. Archuleta, 

State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26665 Filed 11–14–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4331–26–P 


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