Bureau of Land Management Vernal Field Office Announces Record of Decision for Approved Resource Management Plan

Contact:  Bill Stringer, 435-781-4400

Vernal, Utah—October 31, 2008—Vernal, Utah---Bureau of Land Management Green River District Manager Bill Stringer, announces the release of the Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan for the Vernal Field Office.  The Record of Decision was signed by Department of the Interior, Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management,
C. Stephen Allred on Oct. 31, 2008.  Signature of this document constitutes the final decision by the BLM and makes the Approved Resource Management Plan effective immediately.

Bill Stringer, Green River District Manager, states, “Scoping meetings for the Vernal Field Office Resource Management Plan started the process of gathering public input for this document in the latter part of 2001.  The BLM is aware these documents can greatly impact the culture of western communities as well as the natural resources.  During the planning process, the BLM worked side-by-side with local communities to encourage their participation and benefit from their knowledge and experience.  I want to thank our cooperating agencies – especially Uintah, Daggett and Duchesne Counties and the Northern Ute Indian Tribe – for their efforts in developing this RMP.  This completes the planning process, which has been supported by so many organizations and individuals inside and outside of the Uintah Basin.”

This new plan represents important shifts in how BLM manages the public lands.  It took approximately seven years to complete because BLM wanted to ensure that the commitments these plans represent were followed through.  Following are some of the major issues that were addressed and the key decisions that were made in the plans.

The BLM was committed during the planning process to balance protecting environmentally sensitive areas while supporting energy resources in Utah.  In the new plan, 50 percent of the acres open to oil and gas leasing are subject to stricter environmental controls, with 10 percent of the lands within the planning area unavailable for leasing under any circumstance. 

In addition to strictly controlling how and where energy development will take place, BLM has committed in each of the plans to find innovative ways to minimize the footprint on public lands.  This is done through best management practices, including directional drilling, well placement and sound muffling.

Travel management is considered to be one of the hottest issues on public lands today, and this is particularly true for the Vernal Field Office.  BLM Utah is shifting from allowing open, cross-country travel on nearly all public lands to allowing travel only on specifically identified routes.  The Approved Plan designates off-highway vehicle routes on more than 1.6 million acres (95 percent) of the Field Office, and closes 75,845 acres (4 percent) to off-highway vehicle use. 

The plan will also manage 15 areas for wilderness characteristics, create seven new special recreation management areas and designate seven Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.

The protest letters received on the plan were reviewed by the BLM Director in Washington, D.C. over the last couple of months.  After careful consideration of all points raised in these protests, the National BLM Director’s analysis shows that BLM Utah followed all laws, policies, and pertinent resource considerations in developing the plan. Minor clarifications resulting from this review are incorporated into the Approved Resource Management Plan and discussed in the Record of Decision.
 
Finally, the State of Utah Governor’s office exercised its right to review the plans and sent a letter concluding that the plan was consistent with State or local plans.  BLM is pleased with this outcome, because working with the State of Utah was of particular importance to Selma Sierra, the BLM Utah State Director.

Electronic copies of the Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan will be available beginning the week of November 3 on the Vernal Field Office web site at:  http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/planning.html