Moab Field Office Releases Proposed Resource Management Plan

Contact:  Shelley Smith, 435-259-2100
Moab RMP Site

Moab, Utah—August 1, 2008—The Bureau of Land Management is pleased to announce the availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan (PRMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Moab Field Office. The release of the PRMP/FEIS initiates a 30-day protest period. The BLM prepared these documents considering public comments received during the comment period for the Draft RMP/EIS, and in consultation with its cooperating agencies, the State of Utah, and Grand and San Juan Counties.

The Moab BLM received nearly 33,000 comment submissions on the Draft RMP/EIS.  “We read and took into account each and every comment we received.  The comment process really helped refine the Proposed Plan and our analyses of management alternatives,”   stated Shelley Smith, BLM Canyon County District Manager.  All comments and BLM’s responses to them are included with the document, which also highlights the changes made between the Draft RMP/EIS and the Proposed RMP/FEIS.

The RMP will provide a framework for the future management direction and appropriate use of BLM-administered lands and resources in Grand County and northern San Juan County, Utah.
This PRMP/FEIS has been developed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.

The protest period begins August 1, 2008, the date the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published the Notice of Availability of the PRMP/FEIS in the Federal Register, and concludes September 2, 2008.  After any protests are addressed, the BLM will issue a Record of Decision which will authorize the management decisions in the RMP.

Information on the protest procedure can be found in the Proposed RMP/FEIS and on the Moab RMP website:  http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/moab/planning.html.  The website contains the entire Proposed RMP/Final EIS, along with the Draft RMP/EIS and supporting documents.  CDs and hard copies are available by contacting the Moab Field Office at 82 East Dogwood Avenue, Moab, Utah 84532, or by calling 435-259-2100.