Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 92 / Friday, May 10, 1996 / Notices 21483

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The New

Mexico State Director is establishing

these supplementary rules for the

Albuquerque District, which are needed

to protect persons, property and public

lands and resources currently under the

BLM’s administration. These rules also

apply to those lands acquired for

inclusion within the administrative

jurisdiction of the BLM, as provided for

in 43 CFR 8365.1–6. These

supplementary rules apply to all

persons using public lands. Violations

of these rules are punishable by a fine

not to exceed $1,000 and/or

imprisonment not to exceed 12 months.

Exceptions to these supplementary

rules may be allowed by the Authorized

Officer under the limits and restrictions

of applicable federal and state laws.

People granted use exemptions must

possess written authorization from the

BLM office that has jurisdiction over the

area. Users must further comply with

the zoning and permitting rules or

regulatory requirements of other

agencies, where these apply.

So the BLM Albuquerque District can

implement these final rules before the

beginning of the 1996 summer use

season, which starts on Memorial Day

weekend, they must be effective on the

date of publication. In accordance with

the Administrative Procedure Act (5

U.S.C. 531 et seq.), the BLM has

determined that delaying

implementation of these rules for 30

days could impair the protection of

persons, property and public lands and

resources under the agency’s

administration. The 30-day delay would

be contrary to the public interest and

the intended purpose of the rules. The

BLM has given interested parties an

opportunity to participate in the

rulemaking, and has considered public

comments in preparing the final rules.

Therefore, under the ‘‘good cause’’

exception of the Administrative

Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3)) and

as discussed above, the BLM has

determined that these final rules are

excepted from the 30-day delay of their

effective date, and are effective on May

10, 1996.

Dated: April 24, 1996.

Lynn Engdahl,

Acting State Director, New Mexico.

[FR Doc. 96–10984 Filed 5–9–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210–29–P

[CA–019–96–1220–24–1A]

Availability of Final Clear Creek

Management Area Resource

Management Plan Amendment and

Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to 40 CFR 1501.7

and 43 CFR 1610.2(c), a final Resource

Management Plan Amendment/

Environmental Impact Statement (RMP

Amendment/EIS) has been prepared by

the Hollister Resource Area. The final

RMP Amendment/EIS describes and

analyzes alternative management

scenarios for about 50,000 acres of

public lands in the Clear Creek

Management Area. These lands are

located in south San Benito County in

central California.

Decisions relating to the management

of the Clear Creek Management Area

generated by this planning process will

supersede those currently in the

Hollister RMP. Copies of the final RMP

Amendment/EIS can be obtained or

reviewed at the Hollister Resource Area

Office, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA

95023. Since the number of copies

available is limited, the Hollister Office

has also mailed copies to 27 public

libraries in the following locations:

Antioch, Fresno, Davis, Gilroy,

Fairfield, Hanford, Hayward, Livermore,

Madera, Menlo Park, Modesto,

Monterey, Oroville, Sacramento, San

Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo, San

Rafael, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Seaside,

Sunnyvale, Tracy, Vallejo, Visalia and

Yuba City. Public review copies are also

available at:

(1) California State Office, 2800 Cottage

Way, Sacramento, CA 95825

(2) Bakersfield District Office, 3801

Pegasus Avenue, Bakersfield, CA

93308

Background information and maps

used in developing the final RMP

Amendment and EIS can be reviewed at

the Hollister Resource Area Office.

DATES: The public protest period will

run for 30 days after the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its

notice of availability of this EIS. The

publishing date will most likely be May

3, 1996. The public should confirm this

date and the end of the protest period

by reviewing the EPA Federal Register

notice. Protests must be postmarked

within 30 days after the EPA has

published its notice of availability.

Protests must minimally contain the

following information: (1) the name,

mailing address, telephone number, and

interest of the person filing the protest;

(2) a statement of the issue or issues

being protested; (3) a statement of the

part or parts being protested, citing

pages, paragraphs, maps, etc. of the

RMP Amendment where practical; (4) a

copy of all documents addressing the

issue(s) for the record; (5) a concise

statement of why you believe the BLM

State Director’s decision is incorrect.

ADDRESSES: Protests should be

addressed to: Bureau of Land

Management, Division of Planning and

Environmental Coordination, 1849 ‘‘C’’

Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

following issues were analyzed and

addressed during this planning process:

Airborne asbestos emissions, public

health risks to environmental asbestos

exposure; watershed and riparian

resources, endangered and other special

status plants and animals, and

recreational use. A draft EIS was issued

in November of 1993. Six alternatives

for management were reviewed in the

draft. Alternative 4 of the Draft EIS,

which proposed limiting motorcycle use

to the Clear Creek watershed while

allowing dispersed 4-wheel drive

vehicle use in the backcountry, was the

BLM proposed alternative. The San

Benito Mountain Natural Area was to be

expanded to 4,082 acres. Camping

would have been eliminated inside the

asbestos zone, with the exception of the

staging areas. A public wash rack would

be constructed, and dust-suppression

would be implemented over about 30

miles of main routes. Approximately

fifty San Benito evening primrose

habitat areas would be protected.

Over 600 comment letters were

received from the public and affected

agencies. During review of these

comments and after reanalysis of

Alternative #4, the BLM made several

revisions which are published in the

Final EIS. Additional impact analysis

was incorporated in the biological

resource sections. Text in the watershed

and soils, human health and recreation

sections was modified, expanded and

clarified. Additional measures common

to all alternatives were drafted, covering

education, research, and adherence to

best management guidelines for projects

affecting watershed stability. Under all

alternatives, the 16 known populations

of San Benito evening primrose on

public land would be protected.

Five of the six alternatives remained

unchanged, and one was changed.

Alternative 1 remained the ‘‘No Action’’

alternative, whereby management

would remain at current levels. Fifteen

San Benito evening primrose habitat

areas would be protected. Alternative 2

(entitled ‘‘Continued Implementation of
21484 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 92 / Friday, May 10, 1996 / Notices

the Existing Management Plan’’)

remained that of implementing the

existing (1986) management plan but

accelerating completion to a five-year

schedule. Approximately fifty San

Benito evening primrose habitat areas

would be protected.

Alternative 3 was modified and is

now the BLM-preferred alternative.

Under this alternative (entitled

‘‘Dispersed OHV Use’’), most of the

Clear Creek Management Area would be

managed under a ‘‘Limited Use’’

designation for off-highway vehicles

(OHVs). BLM would, over the next five

years, implement a designated route

system of about 270 miles. The final

mileage available would be dependent

on a variety of factors, including

protection of T&E plants, maintenance

costs, recreation and administrative

access requirements, and compliance.

Additionally, alternative 3 would limit

unrestricted OHV play on ‘‘barren’’

hillslopes to a number of designated

play areas. In the transition period,

about 207 acres of unrestricted play

areas on ‘‘barren’’ hillslopes would be

available, (down from about 2,800

available now). This acreage could be

adjusted up or down depending on

resource inventories. Camping would

continue to be allowed at the six Staging

Areas and at Oak Flat Campground.

Backcountry camping would be allowed

in designated areas. The San Benito

Mountain Natural Area would be

expanded to approximately 4,082 acres

(this proposal was unchanged from the

draft alternative 3), to include a crosssection of unique ecotones associated

with the San Benito Mountain forest. A

public wash rack would be constructed

and about 30 miles of main routes could

be dust-suppressed. Approximately fifty

San Benito evening primrose habitat

areas would be protected.

Alternative 4, entitled ‘‘Restricted

OHV use’’ remains the same as the draft,

and is described above in the discussion

of the draft EIS. Alternative 5 (‘‘OHV

Closure’’), closed the CCMA to

motorcycles and restricted 4-wheeled

vehicles to the main County road system

(about 30 miles). Camping would be

limited to Oak Flat Campground only.

The San Benito Mountain Natural Area

would be expanded to 4,082 acres.

Approximately fifty-eight San Benito

evening primrose habitat areas would be

protected. Alternative 6, (‘‘Enhancement

of Natural Values’’) would allow vehicle

use as under Alternative 5, but would

expand the San Benito Mountain

Natural Area to include the entire

serpentine outcropping (about 30,000

acres). Approximately fifty-eight San

Benito evening primrose habitat areas

would be protected.

Public participation has occurred

throughout the planning process and is

encouraged. Anyone wishing additional

information may contact the Hollister

Resource Area Office, located at 20

Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023

(phone: 408–637–8183).

Dated: May 3, 1996.

Robert E. Beehler,

Hollister Area Manager.

[FR Doc. 96–11659 Filed 5–9–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P

[CA–019–96–1220–24–1A]

Availability of Proposal To Expand

Boundaries of an Existing Area of

Critical Environmental Concern

(ACEC) in the Clear Creek Management

Area, To Rename the San Benito

Mountain Outstanding Natural Area To

the San Benito Mountain Research

Natural Area; Availability of

Completion of Previous Planning

Decision To Reincorporate 380-Acre

San Benito Mountain Natural Area

Extension

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610. 2 (c)

and 43 CFR 1610.7(1)(b), a final

Resource Management Plan

Amendment/Environmental Impact

Statement (RMP Amendment/EIS) has

been prepared by the Hollister Resource

Area. The final RMP Amendment/EIS

describes and analyzes alternative

management scenarios for about 50,000

acres of public lands in the Clear Creek

Management Area. These lands are

located in south San Benito and Fresno

Counties in central California. This

Federal Register notice provides notice

about decisions and/or proposed actions

regarding two existing designations

within the Clear Creek Management

Area. The first notice is with regard to

the Serpentine Area of Critical

Environmental Concern (ACEC), and the

second is with regard to the San Benito

Mountain Outstanding Natural Area.

(1) Serpentine Area of Critical

Environmental Concern. One of the

decisions proposed in the Final EIS and

RMP Amendment is to expand the

existing Serpentine ACEC. The 23,834-

acre ACEC was originally designated in

1984 through the public planning

process. The Serpentine ACEC was

designated because soils in the area

contain natural asbestos and there are

health issues associated with recreating

in the area. It was also designated an

ACEC because the vegetative

communities associated with serpentine

soils are quite unusual.

The Serpentine ACEC boundary was

reviewed in 1992 during the EIS

process, and adjustments were made

based upon soil surveys. The map

provided with the final EIS reflects the

new known boundaries of the

serpentine mass on public land. The

adjustments result in a proposed

addition of about 10%, or about 2,500

acres, to the geologic boundary line. The

changes can be viewed in the ‘‘Errata

Sheet’’ map included in the Final EIS,

or can be reviewed at the locations

listed below. The legal description will

be published with the Record of

Decision for the Final EIS.

(2) San Benito Mountain Natural

Area: Given the heavy emphasis of

research suggested for this area, the

BLM is proposing to change the name of

the Natural Area to the ‘‘San Benito

Mountain Research Natural Area’’.

Management of the Natural Area would

remain as described in the Final EIS,

and the name change would be

consistent with the proposed primary

use of the area. Finally, to formalize and

complete the designation process for

this Natural Area, the public is hereby

notified that a 380-acre extension

approved for re-incorporation under

previous planning efforts is now

formally re-incorporated into the San

Benito Mountain Natural Area. The

legal description of this extension is:

Mount Diablo Meridian, California

T. 18S R. 12E

Sec. 14, N1⁄2SW1⁄4, SW1⁄4SW1⁄4, N1⁄2SE1⁄4

SW1⁄4, and NW1⁄4SE1⁄4;

T. 18S R. 12E

Sec. 15, NW1⁄4NE1⁄4, and E1⁄2E1⁄2;

In the original 1971 Federal Register

notices, the legal description had a

typographical error and one omission;

both of these have been corrected.

Additional copies of maps of both areas

and background information can be

obtained or reviewed at the Hollister

Resource Area Office, 20 Hamilton

Court, Hollister, CA 95023. Copies of

the Final EIS and maps are available at

27 public libraries in the following

locations: Antioch, Fresno, Davis,

Gilroy, Fairfield, Hanford, Hayward,

Livermore, Madera, Menlo Park,

Modesto, Monterey, Oroville,

Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose,

San Mateo, San Rafael, Santa Clara,

Santa Cruz, Seaside, Sunnyvale, Tracy,

Vallejo, Visalia and Yuba City. Public

review copies are also available at:

(1) California State Office, 2800 Cottage

Way, Sacramento, CA 95825.

(2) Bakersfield District Office, 3801

Pegasus Avenue, Bakersfield, CA

93308