[Federal Register: June 29, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 125)]
[Notices]
[Page 35718-35719]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29jn07-72]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WO-220-07-1020-JA-VEIS]
Notice of Availability of Final Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement and Environmental Report for Vegetation Treatments on Public
Lands Administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the Western
United States, Including Alaska
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hereby
gives notice that the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
and Final Environmental Report on vegetation treatments involving the
use of chemical herbicides and other methods on the public lands
administered by 11 BLM State offices in 17 western States, including
Alaska, is available for public review and comment. The BLM is the lead
Federal agency for the preparation of this Final Programmatic EIS in
compliance with the requirements of NEPA. If it is approved, the BLM
would:
1. Approve the use of four new herbicide formulations on public
lands.
2. Decide which of 20 currently approved herbicides will continue
to be used on public lands.
3. Decide on a protocol to follow that adds new EPA-registered
chemical formulations to the BLM list of approved herbicides.
4. Identify which best management practices should be used with all
[[Page 35719]]
applications of herbicide and other types of vegetation treatment
methods (mechanical, fire, biological, etc).
DATES: The document will be available for July 30, 2007.
ADDRESSES: The Final Programmatic EIS and associated documents will be
available for review in either hard copy or on compact disks (CDs) at
all BLM State, District, and Field Office public rooms. The entire
document can also be reviewed or downloaded at the BLM National Web
site http://www.blm.gov. Written comments should be sent to Project
Manager, National Vegetation EIS, BLM Nevada State Office, P.O. Box
12000, Reno, NV 89520-0006. Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Amme, Project Manager at (775)
861-6645 or e-mail: brian_amme@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Final Programmatic EIS provides a
comprehensive analysis of the BLM's use of chemical herbicides in its
various vegetation treatment programs related to hazardous fuels
reduction, invasive terrestrial and aquatic plant species management,
noxious weeds, and resource rehabilitation following catastrophic
fires, and other disturbances.
In addition, an accompanying environmental report for vegetation
provides an assessment of the expected effects of the use of
herbicides, in addition to other vegetation treatment methods (fire,
mechanical, manual, and biological) on up to approximately 5,030,000
acres of public lands per year. Together, these documents:
Consider reasonably foreseeable activities, particularly
hazardous fuels reduction treatments, emergency stabilization and
rehabilitation efforts, noxious weeds, and invasive terrestrial plant
species management.
Address human health and ecological risk for proposed use
of chemical herbicides on public lands.
Provide a cumulative impact analysis for the use of
chemical herbicides in conjunction with other treatment methods.
The Final Programmatic EIS is neither a land-use plan nor a land-
use plan amendment. The Final Programmatic EIS and Environmental Report
will provide a comprehensive, programmatic NEPA document and
environmental report that allows effective tiering and incorporation by
reference, environmental effects and baseline cumulative impact
assessments for other new, revised, or existing land use and activity
level plans and implementation projects that involve vegetation
modification or maintenance. This Final Programmatic EIS does not
affect the status of the herbicide court injunction in Oregon. The
analysis area includes only surface estate public lands administered by
11 BLM State offices: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Montana (North Dakota/South Dakota), New Mexico (Oklahoma/Texas/
Nebraska), Nevada, Oregon (Washington), Utah, and Wyoming.
The BLM issued a Notice of Availability of the Draft Vegetation
Treatments Using Herbicides Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
and Draft Programmatic Environmental Report on November 10, 2005. The
BLM held ten public hearings in late 2005, and extended the public
comment period an additional 30 days to February 10, 2006.
The BLM responded to over 3,000 individual public comments during
the Draft Programmatic EIS public review period. Comment responses and
resultant changes in the impact analysis are documented in this Final
Programmatic EIS and Environmental Report per requirements under 40 CFR
1503.4. Additional information and analysis is included in the Final
Programmatic EIS addressing comments related to chemical degradates,
use of surfactants and risks associated with endocrine disrupting
chemicals. In addition, the Final Programmatic EIS contains subsistence
analysis required under Section 801(a) of the Alaska National Interest
Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). The BLM will prepare a Record of
Decision (ROD) for the EIS after July 30, 2007.
Bud Cribley,
Deputy Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning.
[FR Doc. E7-12533 Filed 6-28-07; 8:45 am]
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