BLM Utah News Releases

BLM Announces Public Comment Period for Emery Telcom Ford Ridge Fiber Optic Line EA

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 11:10:30 -0600

Price, Utah—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Price Field Office announces that the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed Emery Telcom Fiber Optic Line is available for public comment. The 15-day public comment period begins on September 25 and ends on October 9, 2012. This EA analyzes the potential impacts of Emery Telcom’s proposal to install a fiber optic line across Federal lands in Carbon and Utah County, Utah.

Emery Telcom has submitted an application for a right-of-way (ROW) in order to install a fiber optic communication line for the purpose of providing services to the communication sites located on Ford Ridge in Carbon County, Utah. Under the proposed action, Emery Telcom would construct and maintain a partially buried/partially aerial fiber optic communication line. The total project would include the installation of 18.38 miles of fiber optic cable line, with 2.8 miles crossing federally managed lands. All activities associated with construction, operation, and maintenance of the line would be within the authorized limits of the ROW.

Additional information about this project is included in the EA available for public review and comment. An electronic copy of the EA can be found on the BLM’s Environmental Notification Bulletin Board (ENBB) at https://www.blm.gov/ut/enbb/index.php or a hard copy can be obtained from the Price Field Office upon request. Comments which contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response. However, they will be considered in the BLM decision-making process. The most useful comments are those that identify alternatives, identify issues relevant to the proposal, or contain new technical or scientific information.

Please reference the Emery Telcom Ford Ridge Fiber Optic Line EA when submitting comments. Before including your address, phone number, email 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. BLM will not consider anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.

Please submit written comments to:

Bureau of Land Management

Price Field Office

Attn: Amanda Harrington

125 South 600 West

Price, UT 84501

Phone: (435) 636-3630

Fax: (435) 636-3657

Email: UT_PR_Comments@blm.gov

For further information, please contact Amanda Harrington, Realty Specialist, at (435) 636-3630.

BLM Seeks Public Comment on Environmental Assessment for Oil and Gas Lease Sale

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:35:10 -0600

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Monticello Field Office (MFO) is offering a 30-day public comment period for the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) prepared for the February 2013 Oil and Gas Lease Sale. The draft EA can be accessed on the Environmental Notification Bulletin Board at https://www.blm.gov/ut/enbb/index.php. The document name is “February 2013 Oil and Gas Lease Sale”, document # DOI-BLM-UT-Y020-2012-0038 – EA.

Written comments may be mailed to the Bureau of Land Management, Monticello Field Office, P.O. Box 7, Monticello, UT 84535 (Attn: Cliff Giffen), or by fax to 435-587-1518. Electronic comments may be submitted to: BLM_UT_MT_O&G_Leasing_Comments@blm.gov. Comments must be received by October 19, 2012.

Cameron to Milford Onsite Tour October 3, 2012 of Proposed Transmission Line Project

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:00:20 -0600

Cedar City - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Cedar City Field Office is conducting an onsite tour for interested members of the public of possible routes for the proposed Cameron to Milford – 138 kV Transmission Line Project. The tour will convene at 9:00 AM on October 3, 2012 at the intersection of The Pass Road and SR 21 just south of Milford, Utah. The tour route will follow The Pass Road and end in Beaver, Utah. Representatives from the BLM and Rocky Mountain Power will be available to answer questions regarding the proposal and the routes being analyzed in the Environmental Assessment (EA) currently being prepared for the project.

PacifiCorp, doing business as Rocky Mountain Power, proposes to construct, operate, and maintain a single-circuit, alternating current, 138 kV overhead transmission line. The transmission line would be located between the existing Cameron Substation near Beaver in Beaver County, and the existing Milford Substation near the community of Milford in Beaver County, Utah; a distance of approximately 19 miles, about 12 of which would be on public land, depending on the route selected. The requested right-of-way width on public lands for construction and operation of the project is 60 feet except for a portion of one alternative route where it is proposed to be 100 feet over steep terrain. The project also includes expansion of the existing Cameron Substation on private land to accommodate new substation equipment for interconnecting the proposed transmission line with the existing system.

Under Federal law, the BLM is responsible for responding to applications for rights-of-way on BLM-administered lands. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the BLM is preparing an EA for the right-of-way application and a possible amendment to the Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony Resource Management Plan. The EA will evaluate, analyze, and disclose to the public the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of implementing the proposed project and amending the existing land use plan. For more details about the tour contact Karen McAdams-Kunze, BLM Realty Specialist, at (435) 285.3825 or via email at kkunze@blm.gov.

Oil and Gas Lease Sale EA Available for Comment

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:50:40 -0600

The Moab Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management has released an Environmental Assessment (EA) disclosing the impacts of conducting an oil and gas lease sale of 28 parcels in the Moab Field Office. The lease sale covers 51,693 acres and would occur in February of 2013.

A public comment period is being conducted on the Environmental Assessment. The comment period ends on October 19, 2012. The Environmental Assessment is available online at http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/moab.html; it is also available on the Environmental Notification Bulletin Board at https://www.blm.gov/ut/enbb/index.php. Hard copies are also available at the Moab BLM Field Office, 82 E. Dogwood, Moab, UT 84532. Comments on the EA may be mailed to that address, or emailed to BLM_UT_Mb_Comments@blm.gov (include “Lease Sale” in the subject line).

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 more information, call the Moab Field Office at 435-259-2100.

Plan Now to Attend National Public Lands Day in Cedar City

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:10:40 -0600

Cedar City, UT- The Bureau of Land Management Cedar City Field Office will host National Public Lands Day at the “C” Trail in Cedar City on September 29, 2012 from 9 am to noon. Get involved in your public lands with improvement projects on the C-Trail base, C-Trail Overlook, and trails throughout the area.

Bring your family and friends to Bi-Centennial Park (660 W. 1045 N.) at 9 am on September 29 for workgroup assignments. From there volunteers will disperse to designated areas to perform trail work, sign installation, bench refurbishing, weed control, trash clean up and more. Be prepared with water, snacks, work clothes and hiking boots.

Parashant National Monument Begins Fall Prescribed Burning Operations

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:40:30 -0600

XTO's Riverbend Environmental Assessment

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:30:50 -0600

Vernal, Utah—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Vernal Field Office (VFO) announces that the XTO Riverbend Environmental Assessment (EA) is available for a 30-day public comment period. The EA is available for review on the internet at the following website: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/planning/nepa_.html. Please submit written comments by close of business October 10, 2012 to BLM_UT_Vernal_Comments@blm.gov or 170 S 500 E, Vernal, Utah, 84078. The most helpful comments are those that are as specific as possible regarding the adequacy of the EA and alternatives, or those that identify any data gaps or errors in the analysis.

Fire Restrictions to Be Lifted on BLM, State and Unincorporated Private Lands Statewide

Thu, 6 Sep 2012 16:30:20 -0600

Effective at midnight tonight, state fire managers have rescinded all 2012 fire closures on all BLM, state and unincorporated private lands. Campfires and other normally permitted activities are now permitted. National Forest restrictions put in place in 2012 for Utah were lifted on August 2nd. Cities and towns still have varying fire restrictions, so the public is advised to check with local authorities.

BLM Extends Deadline for Private Land Wild Horse Ecosanctuary Proposals

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:55:20 -0600

The Bureau of Land Management announced today that it is extending its deadline for private land wild horse ecosanctuary proposals from yesterday (August 29) to September 19.

Obama Administration Announces New Design, Expanded Content for Recreation.Gov as Part of Initiative to Boost Tourism, Strengthen Economy

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:15:50 -0600

New Features Make it Easier for Visitors to Discover and Explore Parks, Recreation Area, and Other Public Lands

WASHINGTON -- As part of President Obama’s initiative to fuel the economy and create jobs by promoting travel and tourism, the administration today announced a new design, improved navigation tools and expanded content for Recreation.Gov, the interagency website that guides visitors to 90,000 sites on federal lands such as national parks, wildlife refuges, waterways, forests and recreation areas.