News Release

For Release:  August 22, 2008             
Contact:  Sky Murphy, (831) 630-5039
 CA CC-08-87

BLM Releases Scoping Report for Clear Creek Management Area

The Bureau of Land Management’s Hollister Field Office has released the Scoping Report for Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA) Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/ EIS).

"The scoping report summarizes public comments and identifies land use planning issues to be addressed in a draft RMP/EIS, which will affect approximately 75,000 acres of public lands in San Benito County and a portion of western Fresno county," said Rick Cooper, BLM Hollister Field Office manager.

The draft RMP/EIS will provide management guidance to minimize and reduce risks to public health and safety from exposure to naturally occurring asbestos, and to protect the natural and cultural resources on BLM-administered lands in CCMA. The scoping report was developed through a collaborative planning process with other federal, state and local agencies and the public. More than 1,000 people either submitted written comments or attended public meetings hosted by BLM during the scoping period which ran from September 6, 2007, to June 21, 2008, and included public meetings in Hollister, Coalinga, San Jose, and Santa Clara.

The primary scoping issues received by the Hollister Field Office include concerns regarding the health risk of asbestos in CCMA, providing opportunities for motorized and non-motorized recreation, protection of sensitive natural and cultural resources, land tenure adjustments, and other emerging issues such as renewable energy sources, global warming, and invasive species management.

The scoping report for the CCMA RMP/EIS is available on the Hollister Field Office website (http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/hollister.html) or by request. Additional opportunities for public involvement will be announced at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media news releases, and mailings. Under the current schedule, BLM expects to publish a notice in the Federal Register in January 2009 announcing the availability of the CCMA draft RMP/EIS, followed by a ninety (90) day public comment period and additional public meetings in the Santa Clara Valley and the Central Valley.

For additional information contact Sky Murphy, Environmental Planning Specialist, at the Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister CA 95023; telephone: 831-630-5000, e-mail: Sky_Murphy@blm.gov.

-BLM-

Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023