Update on progress towards completion of the TriCounty RMPs/EIS
It has been awhile since we’ve update this webpage and we appreciate your patience as we move through this process. We have had several changes to our Team Leader role, due to job reassignments and retirements. Tom Phillips has returned to the role and will fill in until a new Team Leader is hired, hopefully by January 2008. He can be reached at the contact information below.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces District Office (LCDO) is preparing a resource management plan revision (RMPR) for Sierra and Otero Counties and a resource management plan amendment (RMPA) for Dona Ana County as well as an associated environmental impact statement (EIS) to address the BLM’s management of public land in Sierra, Otero, and Dona Ana Counties, New Mexico. Combined, these RMP efforts are being called the “TriCounty RMPs and EIS.”
The BLM has determined that some of the management decisions in the existing plans are not up to date with changing circumstances, resource conditions, and policies. Population growth in the Southwest and southern New Mexico has resulted in increased urban-rural interface. As a consequence of increased use of public land and surrounding areas, changes and updating of BLM management plans are necessary. In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the BLM will prepare an EIS to assess the effects of implementing the new plans.
The planning process for developing the RMPs/EIS for the TriCounty Planning Area is well underway. To date BLM has developed the planning criteria (guidelines to follow during the planning process), identified issues through public scoping, completed the Scoping Report, collected baseline data to understand the existing condition of the environment, developed preliminary alternatives based on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield, conducted Public Workshops to gain more insight from the public on the preliminary alternatives, and is now working on analyzing the potential impacts of each of the alternatives and developing the Draft RMPs/EIS.
After the alternatives are analyzed and the Draft RMPs/EIS is published, BLM will announce the availability of the Draft RMPs/EIS for public review and comment. The BLM anticipates this to occur in the first half of 2008. During the 90-day review period, BLM will accept written comments and will conduct public meetings to accept your comments on the adequacy of the Draft RMPs/EIS.
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