Notice2022-19018
Notice of Availability of the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Navajo Nation Integrated Weed Management Plan; Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 2, 2022
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentIndian Affairs Bureau
Abstract
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as the lead Federal agency, with the Navajo Nation as a cooperating agency, has prepared a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS) for the proposed Navajo Nation Integrated Weed Management Plan (NNIWMP) and by this notice is announcing its availability.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 170 (Friday, September 2, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 170 (Friday, September 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54241-54242]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19018]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[2231A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900]
Notice of Availability of the Final Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement for the Navajo Nation Integrated Weed Management Plan;
Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah
AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as the lead
Federal agency, with the Navajo Nation as a cooperating agency, has
prepared a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS)
for the proposed Navajo Nation Integrated Weed Management Plan (NNIWMP)
and by this notice is announcing its availability.
DATES: The BIA will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a
minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal
Register.
ADDRESSES: The FPEIS and associated documents are available for review
online at <a href="https://www.bia.gov/regional-offices/navajo/navajo-nation-integrated-weed-management-plan">https://www.bia.gov/regional-offices/navajo/navajo-nation-integrated-weed-management-plan</a> and by request at the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Navajo Regional Office, 301 West Hill Street, Gallup, NM
87301.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leonard Notah, NEPA Coordinator,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Regional Office, Branch of
Environmental Quality Compliance and Review, P.O. Box 1060, Gallup, New
Mexico 87301, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#721e171d1c1300165c1c1d06131a32101b135c151d04"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d8b4bdb7b6b9aabcf6b6b7acb9b098bab1b9f6bfb7ae">[email protected]</span></a>, (505) 863-8256. Individuals in the
United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 54242]]
Background
The proposed action is the implementation of the NNIWMP. The BIA
Navajo Regional Office prepared the NNIWMP to determine the most
effective and appropriate methods to treat noxious and invasive weeds.
The FPEIS discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental
impacts of weed treatment techniques that would result from the
proposed action and alternatives. The weed treatment techniques provide
the BIA with the tools to implement an integrated approach to treating
weeds on the Navajo Nation (Navajo Tribal Trust Lands and Navajo Indian
Allotments).
Purpose
The purpose of the NNIWMP is to prevent, eradicate, contain, and/or
monitor 45 noxious weed species on the Navajo Nation including Navajo
Tribal Trust Lands and Navajo Indian Allotments. The NNIWMP focuses on
managing non-native invasive plant species using mechanical, manual,
cultural, biological, and chemical weed treatment methods. The
following objectives were developed for the NNIWMP:
<bullet> Develop the best control techniques described for the
target weed species in a planned, coordinated, and economically
feasible program to limit the impact and spread of noxious and invasive
weeds;
<bullet> Incorporate project successes and lessons learned from
completed weed projects on the Navajo Nation when developing weed
removal project proposals through adaptive management;
<bullet> Identify and prevent the expansion of existing
infestations of target weed species, and quickly prevent the spread of
new high priority weed species in the project area;
<bullet> Coordinate weed removal efforts with adjacent landowners,
land managers, and/or Federal agencies to prevent the further spread of
weed populations (e.g., State roads and Bureau of Land Management);
<bullet> Provide and promote economic opportunities to the Navajo
people by improving rangeland productivity and potentially providing
economic opportunities to remove noxious plant species; and
<bullet> Develop a public education program focusing on weed
identification, prevention, and removal techniques for local
communities and non-profit organizations.
Duration
The NNIWMP encompasses a ten (10) year period but will incorporate
a plan review after five (5) years. Repeated treatments will be
necessary for most species since seeds can be viable in soil for ten
(10) or more years. Therefore, reoccurring weed treatments will be
implemented until the desired management goal is reached.
Stakeholders
Cooperating agencies for this NEPA process include: the Navajo
Nation, Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), Utah Department of
Transportation (UDOT), Navajo Nation Soil and Water Conservation
Districts (SWCD), San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service
(NRCS), the Bureau of Land Management, USDA Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) and the National Park Service. The BIA will
seek to coordinate weed removal projects on adjacent lands managed by
the above-mentioned agencies and neighboring areas managed by the
Coconino National Forest and the Hopi Tribe.
Next Steps
The BIA issued a Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement on October 29, 2021 (86 FR 60065). The
BIA responded to public comments during the Draft Programmatic EIS
public review period. In accordance with NEPA, an agency must prepare a
concise public Record of Decision (ROD) at the time the agency makes a
decision in cases involving an EIS (40 CFR 1505.2). The BIA will issue
the ROD no earlier than 30 days after the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes a notice in the Federal Register announcing the
availability (40 CFR 1506.10).
Authority
This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 of the
Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500 et seq.) and
the Department of the Interior Regulations (43 CFR part 46)
implementing the procedural requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and in accordance with the
exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian
Affairs by part 209 of the Department Manual.
Bryan Newland,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022-19018 Filed 9-1-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P
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