[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 198 (Friday, October 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60103-60105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-20617]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan
and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Sloan Canyon National
Conservation Area (SCNCA)
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
COOPERATING AGENCIES: Nevada Department of Wildlife, Nevada State
Historic Preservation Office, Clark County Department of Comprehensive
Planning, City of Henderson, City of Boulder City, Las Vegas Paiute
Tribe,
[[Page 60104]]
Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: The Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental
Impact Statement (RMP/FEIS) for the Sloan Canyon National Conservation
Area is available to the public for a 30-day protest period. The
proposed plan and associated FEIS were developed in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, and the Clark County
Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 (Clark
County Act) (Pub. L. 107-282).
DATES: BLM will accept written protests on the FEIS if postmarked
within 30 calendar days of the date that a Notice of Availability is
published in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection
Agency. Instructions for filing a protest are described in the Dear
Reader letter in the PRMP and are also included in the Supplementary
Information section of this notice.
ADDRESSES: The PRMP/FEIS and other associated documents or background
information may be viewed and downloaded in PDF format at the project
Web site at http://wwwblm.gov/nhp/spotlight/state_info/planning.htm.
Copies of the PRMP/FEIS are available at the BLM Las Vegas Field
Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130-2301.
Reference copies are available for review during regular business hours
at the following locations:
BLM Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno, NV 89502.
Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Pkwy, Henderson, NV 89012.
Boulder City Library, 701 Adams Blvd., Boulder City, NV 89005.
North Las Vegas Library, 2300 Civic Center Dr., North Las Vegas.
Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89134.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information visit the Web
site (http://www.blm.gov/nhp/spotlight/state_info/planning.htm), E-
mail: [email protected], or contact: Charles Carroll, BLM Las
Vegas Field Office, Attn: Sloan Canyon NCA, 4701 North Torrey Pines
Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130-2301, Telephone (702) 515-5000.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SCNCA was officially designated in
November, 2002 when the President signed into law the Clark County Act
[Pub. L. 107-282] to preserve and protect a portion of southern
Nevada's Mojave Desert for the benefit and enjoyment of present and
future generations. The Clark County Act requires the BLM to develop a
plan for the appropriate use and management of the Sloan Canyon NCA and
North McCullough Wilderness within three years of enactment.
The Draft Resource Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DRMP/DEIS) for the Sloan Canyon NCA was released for public
review on March 25, 2005. Comments that were received on the DRMP/DEIS
during the 90-day review period from the public, cooperating agencies,
and internal BLM review were considered in developing the PRMP.
The PRMP provides a framework for the future management direction
and appropriate use of the Sloan Canyon NCA and North McCullough
Wilderness. The Sloan Canyon NCA is comprised of approximately 48,400
acres of Mojave Desert terrain immediately south of Henderson, NV. The
North McCullough Wilderness is entirely contained within the NCA and
consists of approximately 14,800 acres.
The PRMP contains the proposed plan and summary of the changes made
between the Draft RMP/EIS and PRMP. The agency preferred alternative,
Alternative C, was developed to allow moderate development of
facilities and uses while conserving and protecting the resources of
the SCNCA. Some elements of the draft Alternative C were modified in
consideration of comments received on the Draft RMP/EIS and further
review by BLM and the cooperating agencies listed above. The PRMP/FEIS
describes the predictable impacts of the proposed plan and contains a
summary of written and verbal comments received during the public
review period, and responses to the comments received. The PRMP focuses
on the comprehensive management of resources in the Sloan Canyon NCA
including managing recreational uses and the protection of the Sloan
Canyon Petroglyph Site.
The resource management planning process includes an opportunity
for public administrative review of the proposed land use planning
decisions during a 30-day protest period following the publication of
the PRMP. Any person who participated in the planning process for this
PRMP, and has an interest which is or may be adversely affected, may
protest approval of this PRMP and land use planning decisions contained
within it (see 43 CFR 1610.5-2) during this 30-day period. Only those
persons or organizations who participated in the planning process
leading to the PRMP may protest. The protesting party may raise only
those issues submitted for the record during the planning process
leading up to the publication of this PRMP. These issues may have been
raised by the protesting party or others. New issues may not be brought
into the record at the protest stage. The 30-day period for filing a
plan protest begins when the EPA publishes in the Federal Register its
Notice of Availability of the final environmental impact statement
containing the PRMP. There is no provision for any extension of time.
To be considered ``timely'' the protest, along with all attachments,
must be filed and postmarked no later than the last day of the protest
period. A letter of protest must be filed in accordance with the
planning regulations, 43 CFR 1610.5-2(a)(1). Protests must be in
writing. E-mail or faxed protests will not be accepted as valid
protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter
by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the
protest period. Under these conditions, BLM will consider the E-mail or
faxed protests as an advance copy and it will receive full
consideration. If you wish to provide BLM with such advance
notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM
protest coordinator at 202-452-5112, and e-mails to [email protected]. If sent by regular mail, send to: Director (210),
Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box 66538, Washington, DC 20035. For
overnight mailing, send to: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams,
1620 L Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036. In order to be
considered complete, the protest must contain, at minimum, the
following information:
1. The name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest of the
person filing the protest.
2. A statement of the part or parts of the PRMP and the issue or
issues being protested. To the extent possible, this should be done by
reference to specific pages, paragraphs, sections, tables, maps, etc.,
included in the document.
3. A copy of all documents addressing the issue(s) that the
protesting party submitted during the planning process or a statement
of the date they were discussed for the record.
4. A concise statement explaining why the protestor believes the
Nevada BLM State Director's proposed decision is believed to be
incorrect. This is a critical part of your protest, therefore document
all relevant facts. As much as possible, reference or cite the planning
documents, or available planning records (e.g. meeting minutes or
summaries, correspondence, etc.).
[[Page 60105]]
Upon resolution of any protests, an Approved Plan and Record of
Decision will be issued. The Approved Plan will be mailed to all who
participated in the planning process and will be available to all
interested parties through the above Web site, or by mail upon request.
Juan Palma,
Field Manager, Las Vegas.
[FR Doc. 05-20617 Filed 10-13-05; 8:45 am]
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