2410 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 10 / Thursday, January 15, 1998 / Notices

SUMMARY: This notice is to advise the

public that the Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) plans to adopt the

Final Environmental Impact Statement

(FEIS) addressing oil and gas leasing for

lands within Duchesne and Wasatch

Counties, Utah, upon the Ashley and

Uinta National Forests and of the

availability of the BLM’s Record of

Decision (ROD).

DATES: The public has 30 days from the

date of this notice to appeal this

decision in accordance with the

instructions provided in this Notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

accordance with section 102 of the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (NEPA), a Final Environmental

Impact Statement (FEIS) addressing oil

and gas leasing for lands within

Duchesne and Wasatch Counties upon

the Ashley and Uinta National Forests

has been prepared by the U.S. Forest

Service (USFS) and BLM. National and

local agreements between the two

agencies identified the USFS as the lead

agency for preparing the analysis with

BLM participating as a cooperating

agency as described in 40 CFR 1501.6.

The FEIS addresses the potential

impacts of leasing on lands within the

Ashley and Uinta National Forests and

identifies which areas are available for

leasing and any stipulations that will be

attached to leases. The two Forest

Service Plans have been amended to be

consistent with the decisions reached in

the ROD. The Mineral Leasing Act on

1920, as amended, provides the

Secretary of the Interior the authority to

issue oil and gas leases on lands where

the oil and gas rights are held by the

Federal Government. This authority has

been delegated to the BLM. The Federal

Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform

Act of 1987 requires BLM to obtain the

consent of the Secretary of Agriculture

before issuing oil and gas leases on

National Forest System lands. Authority

to consent has been delegated to Forest

Supervisors.

In accordance with 40 CFR 1506.3(c).

BLM is adopting the FEIS for the

purpose of issuing oil and gas leases

within Duchesne and Wasatch Counties

of the Ashley and Uinta National

Forests. BLM actively participated in

the preparation of the Draft and Final

EIS’s and independently reviewed each

document. Department of the Interior, as

well as public comments and concerns,

have been satisfactorily addressed in the

FEIS. The FEIS complies with NEPA

and meets the requirements of the

regulations for implementing the

Federal Land Policy and Management

Act of 1976 (43 CFR part 1600). BLM’s

preferred alternative is Alternative 3 as

described in the FEIS (the USFS

preferred alternative).

Copies of the FEIS are available from

the Ashley National Forest, 355 North

Vernal Avenue, Vernal, Utah, 84078,

and Uinta National Forest, 100 West 88

North, Provo, Utah, 84601. Public

reading copies are available at the

following BLM locations: Utah State

Office, 324 South State Street, Salt Lake

City, Utah 84111, and Vernal District

Office, 170 South 500 East, Vernal,

Utah, 84078.

This decision may be appealed to the

Interior Board of Land Appeals, Office

of the Secretary, in accordance with the

regulations in 43 CFR part 4. The

Appellant has the burden of showing

the decision appealed from is in error.

If you wish to file a petition for a stay

of the effectiveness of this decision

during the time your appeal is being

reviewed by the Board, the petition for

stay must accompany your notice of

appeal. If you request a stay, you have

the burden of proof to demonstrate that

a stay should be granted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim

Fouts, Bureau of Land Management,

Utah State Office, P.O. Box 45155, Salt

Lake City, Utah, 84145–0155, phone

number 801–539–4044 or Jerry Kenczka,

Bureau of Land Management, Vernal

District Office, 170 South 500 East,

Vernal, Utah, 84078, phone number

435–781–4494.

Dated: January 8, 1998.

G. William Lamb,

State Director.

[FR Doc. 98–1014 Filed 1–14–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM–910–08–1020–00]

New Mexico Resource Advisory

Council Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of council meeting.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Federal Land Policy and Management

Act and the Federal Advisory

Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), 5 U.S.C.

Appendix 1, The Department of the

Interior, Bureau of Land Management

(BLM), announces a meeting of the New

Mexico Resource Advisory Council

(RAC). The meeting will be held on

February 20, 1998 at the Bureau of Land

Management, New Mexico State Office,

1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, New

Mexico.

The agenda for the RAC meeting will

include a video conference in the

morning with the Secretary of the

Interior and the Director of the Bureau

of Land Management on Standards for

Rangeland Health and Guidelines for

Livestock Grazing and RAC success

stories. (Other RACs in other States will

also be included in the video

conference). Additional agenda item in

the afternoon include a briefing on (1)

Implementation of the Standards for

Rangeland Health and Guidelines for

Livestock Grazing, (2) the Southwest

Strategy and (3) the Automated Lands

Minerals Records System (ALMRS).

The meeting will begin on February

20, 1998 at 8:30 a.m. The meeting is

open to the public. The time for the

public to address the RAC is on the

Friday, February 20, 1998, from 3:00

p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The RAC may reduce

or extend the end time of 4:00 p.m.

depending on the number of people

wishing to address the RAC. The length

of time available for each person to

address the RAC will be established at

the start of the public comment period

and will depend on how many people

there are that wish to address the RAC.

At the completion of the public

comments the RAC may continue

discussion on its Agenda items. The

meeting on February 20, 1998, will be

from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The end

time of 4:00 p.m. for the meeting may

be changed depending on the work

remaining for the RAC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bob Armstrong, New Mexico State

Office, Planning and Policy Team,

Bureau of Land Management, 1474

Rodeo Road, P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe,

New Mexico 87502–0115, telephone

(505) 438–7436.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of the Resource Advisory

council is to advise the Secretary of the

Interior, through the BLM, on a variety

of planning and management issues

associated with the management of

public lands. The Council’s

responsibilities include providing

advice on long-range planning,

establishing resource management

priorities and assisting the BLM to

identify State and regional standards for

rangeland health and guidelines for

grazing management.

Dated: January 9, 1998

Richard A. Whitley,

Deputy State Director.

[FR Doc. 98–1015 Filed 1–14–98; 8:45 am]

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