Notice2024-27678
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment for the Miles City Field Office, Montana
Primary source
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Published
November 27, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment for the Miles City Field Office located in Miles City, Montana. The BLM Director signed the ROD on November 20, 2024, which constitutes the decision of the BLM and makes the Approved RMP Amendment effective immediately.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 229 (Wednesday, November 27, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 27, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 93650-93651]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27678]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_MT_FRN_MO4500182720]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision and Approved
Resource Management Plan Amendment for the Miles City Field Office,
Montana
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
[[Page 93651]]
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability
of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Approved Resource Management
Plan (RMP) Amendment for the Miles City Field Office located in Miles
City, Montana. The BLM Director signed the ROD on November 20, 2024,
which constitutes the decision of the BLM and makes the Approved RMP
Amendment effective immediately.
DATES: The BLM Director signed the ROD/Approved RMP Amendment on
November 20, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The ROD/Approved RMP Amendment is available online <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2021155/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2021155/510</a>. Printed copies of
the ROD/Approved RMP Amendment are available for public inspection at
the Miles City Field Office or can be provided upon request by
contacting Irma Nansel, Project Manager, telephone (406) 233-3653; or
at the address BLM Miles City Field Office, 111 Garryowen Road, Miles
City, MT 59301; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d3babdb2bda0b6bf93b1bfbefdb4bca5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="71181f101f02141d31131d1c5f161e07">[email protected]</span></a>.
A copy of the Protest Resolution Report is available at: <a href="https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports">https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irma Nansel, Project Manager,
telephone (406) 233-3653; or at the address BLM Miles City Field
Office, 111 Garryowen Road, Miles City, MT 59301; email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#224b4c434c51474e62404e4f0c454d54"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="78111619160b1d14381a1415561f170e">[email protected]</span></a>. 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.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Approved RMP Amendment addresses a
United States District Court for the District of Montana order (Western
Organization of Resource Councils, et al. v. BLM; CV 00076-GF-BMM; 8/3/
2022). The Approved RMP Amendment changes the existing 2015 Miles City
Approved RMP.
The RMP Amendment approved by the ROD includes land use allocations
of areas acceptable for further consideration for coal leasing and
those that are not. The Approved RMP Amendment is Alternative D from
the Final Supplemental EIS, which allocates zero acres of BLM
administered coal as available, and 1,745,040 acres unavailable for
further consideration for coal leasing within the Miles City Field
Office planning area. The Approved RMP Amendment does not affect the
area with coal development potential or the area determined to be
suitable for surface coal mining.
The Approved RMP Amendment includes the updated coal screens (43
CFR 3420.1-4(e)) using current data and evaluated the issues identified
through internal and public scoping. Application of coal screen 1
(development potential) identified approximately 1,745,000 acres of
BLM-administered coal as having development potential. The Approved RMP
Amendment also addresses the NEPA deficiencies identified by the court
order associated with the application of the multiple-use screen.
Specifically, the application of a multiple-use climate change
criterion that uses greenhouse gas emissions as a proxy for climate
change. Reducing availability of BLM-administered coal for leasing
consideration reduces the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions from
the development and combustion of BLM-administered coal from the
planning area.
The BLM determined that additional leasing of BLM-administered coal
is not necessary based on the current analysis in the Final
Supplemental EIS. The analysis indicates that operating mines in the
planning area have existing leases with sufficient coal reserves to
maintain existing mine production levels until 2035 for Spring Creek
Mine and 2060 for Rosebud Mine.
The BLM published a notice of availability for the Draft
Supplemental EIS and Potential RMP Amendment in the Federal Register on
May 8, 2023, which initiated a 90-day comment period (88 FR 29689). On
June 6th, the BLM hosted a public meeting at the BLM Miles City Field
Office in Miles City, Montana, to present the Draft Supplemental EIS
and RMP Amendment to the public and solicit comments. The BLM also
hosted an on-line public meeting on June 7, 2023. Eight members of the
public attended the on-line meeting. During the public comment period,
the BLM received 14 unique written submissions containing 167
substantive comments. The Draft Supplemental EIS comments helped the
BLM refine the Final Supplemental EIS and guided the development of the
Proposed RMP Amendment.
The BLM provided the Proposed RMP Amendment for public protest on
May 17, 2024 (89 FR 43432), for a 30-day protest period, and received
seven valid protests. The BLM Assistant Director for Planning and
Resources resolved all protests. Responses to protest issues were
compiled and documented in a Protest Resolution Report (see ADDRESSES).
No changes were made to the Approved RMP Amendment as a result of
protest resolution.
The BLM provided the Proposed RMP Amendment to the Governor of
Montana for a 60-day Governor's consistency review. There were no
inconsistencies with State or local plans, policies, or programs
identified during the Governor's consistency review of the Proposed RMP
Amendment. The State Director made no changes to the Proposed RMP
Amendment as a result of the Governor's review. On September 18, 2024,
the Governor submitted an appeal to the BLM Director on the State
Director's response to the Governor's consistency review. In accordance
with planning regulations (1610.3-2), the Director notified the
Governor on November 6, 2024, of the reasons for the determination to
reject the Governor's recommendations.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR 1610.5-1)
Tracy Stone-Manning,
BLM Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-27678 Filed 11-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-20-P
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