Notice2025-19198
Notice of Intent To Amend the Resource Management Plan for the Rock Springs Field Office, Wyoming and Prepare an Associated Environmental Assessment
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Published
October 2, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming State Director intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment with an associated Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Rock Springs Field Office and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping period to solicit public comments and identify issues, is providing the planning criteria for public review, and is issuing a call for nominations for areas of critical environmental concern (ACECs).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 189 (Thursday, October 2, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 189 (Thursday, October 2, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47815-47816]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-19198]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[PO #4820000251; Order #02412-014-004-047181.0]
Notice of Intent To Amend the Resource Management Plan for the
Rock Springs Field Office, Wyoming and Prepare an Associated
Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming State
Director intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment
with an associated Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Rock Springs
Field Office and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the
scoping period to solicit public comments and identify issues, is
providing the planning criteria for public review, and is issuing a
call for nominations for areas of critical environmental concern
(ACECs).
DATES: The BLM requests that the public submit comments concerning the
scope of the analysis, potential alternatives, and identification of
relevant information and studies, and ACEC nominations by November 3,
2025. To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider issues and ACEC
nominations raised by commenters in the Draft RMP/EA, please ensure
your comments are received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping
period or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever is later.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to Rock Springs RMP Amendment and nominations of new ACECs by
any of the following methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/13853/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/13853/510</a>.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#51333d3c0e26280e233e323a222123383f3622233c2111333d3c7f363e27"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a3c1cfcefcd4dafcd1ccc0c8d0d3d1cacdc4d0d1ced3e3c1cfce8dc4ccd5">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail: Rock Springs Field Office 280 Highway 191 N, Rock
Springs, WY 82901.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at
<a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/13853/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/13853/510</a> and at the
Rock Springs Field Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kimberlee Foster, Field Manager,
telephone 307-352-0201 address 280 Highway 191 N, Rock Springs, WY
82901; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2348454c5057465163414f4e0d444c55"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="aec5c8c1dddacbdceeccc2c380c9c1d8">[email protected]</span></a>. Contact Ms. Foster to have your name
added to our mailing list. 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 for contacting Ms. Foster. 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: This document provides notice that the BLM
Wyoming State Director intends to prepare an RMP amendment with an
associated EA for the Rock Springs RMP Amendment, announces the
beginning of the scoping process, seeks public input on issues and
planning criteria, and invites the public to nominate ACECs. The RMP
amendment would change the existing Rock Springs RMP for actions
related to special management and their associated mineral
restrictions.
The planning area is located in Sweetwater, Sublette, Lincoln,
Fremont, and Uinta Counties in Wyoming and encompasses approximately
3.6 million acres of public land.
Purpose and Need
The purpose of the Amendment is to review and revise the Rock
Springs RMP consistent with Executive Order 14154, Executive Order
14241, Executive Order 14261, and Secretary's Order 3418. The BLM has
determined that the special management designations and their
associated mineral restrictions within the field office are
inconsistent with recent Executive Orders and need to be reviewed.
Preliminary Alternatives
The BLM Rock Springs Field Office has identified the following
preliminary considerations for the development of alternatives:
reasonably foreseeable development scenario; habitat, scenic, historic,
paleontological, and unique features within the area; and Tribal and
cultural values. Within the field office, the BLM currently manages 12
ACECs, 5 Special Recreation Management Areas (SRMAs), a National
Historic Trails (NHT) Corridor, and 13 Wilderness Study Areas.
Potential for fluid mineral development was previously determined to be
low for much of the special management designated areas; however, new
technologies and industry interest have changed over recent years and
the reasonably foreseeable development needs to be reevaluated.
Additionally, locatable, coal, solid leasables and saleable mineral
availability needs to be reviewed in consideration of recent Executive
Orders. The BLM will re-evaluate the existing designations for ACECs,
SRMAs, and the NHT corridor to assess whether special management is
needed to protect sensitive resource values and whether mineral
development can be allowed in certain circumstances. New nominations
for ACECs will be accepted for further consideration within the
planning area.
The BLM welcomes comments on all preliminary alternatives as well
as suggestions for additional alternatives.
[[Page 47816]]
Planning Criteria
The planning criteria guide the planning effort and lay the
groundwork for effects analysis by identifying the preliminary issues
and their analytical frameworks. Preliminary issues for the planning
area have been identified by BLM personnel and from early engagement
conducted for this planning effort with Federal, State, and local
agencies; Tribes; and other stakeholders. The BLM has identified the
following special management designations for review: twelve existing
ACECs, five SRMAs, and an NHT corridor. In addition to determining if
special management is needed, the BLM will analyze the mineral (fluid,
locatable, saleable, solid leasable, and coal) development and rights-
of way restrictions within the existing designations. The planning
criteria are available for public review and comment at the ePlanning
website (see ADDRESSES).
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping period and public
review of the planning criteria, which guide the development and
analysis of the RMP Amendment and EA.
The BLM will be holding one scoping meeting in the following
location: Rock Springs, WY. The specific date and location of this
scoping meeting will be announced at least 15 days in advance through
local media, newspapers, the ePlanning project page and social media.
Scoping comments that relate to the special management
designations, mineral potential, and management of the resource values
will be accepted. The 2024 Rock Springs RMP Record of Decision
describes the current management of this area and the existing ACEC,
SRMA, and NHT corridor designations, along with the current management
actions related to mineral and rights-of-way restrictions.
ACECs
The following ACECs are currently designated in the planning area:
<bullet> Greater Sand Dunes ACEC: 26,746 acres with significant
historic, cultural, geological, and wildlife values.
<bullet> Oregon Buttes ACEC: 3,441 acres with significant historic,
cultural, wildlife, and scenic values.
<bullet> South Pass Historic Landscape ACEC: 53,772 acres with
significant cultural, scenic, and wildlife values.
<bullet> Steamboat Mountain ACEC: 439,081 acres with significant
historic, cultural, wildlife, and scenic values.
<bullet> White Mountain Petroglyphs ACEC: 22 acres with significant
Native American concerns and scenic values.
<bullet> South Wind River ACEC: 281,104 acres with high value air,
cultural, biodiversity, and visual resources.
<bullet> Big Sandy Openings ACEC: 1,994 acres with scenic,
watershed, and geologic values.
<bullet> Pinnacles ACEC: 1,334 acres with scenic, paleontological,
and wildlife values.
<bullet> Little Mountain ACEC: 115,573 acres with historic,
cultural, paleontological, wildlife, and scenic values.
<bullet> Natural Corrals ACEC: 1,107 acres with cultural,
historical, recreational, wildlife, scenic and geological values.
<bullet> Pine Springs ACEC: 6,483 acres with historical, cultural,
and paleontological values.
<bullet> Special Status Plants ACEC: 4,469 acres with significant
special status plant values.
Information about each existing ACEC, including the size, relevant
and important values, and other helpful information is available in
Appendix C of the 2024 Record of Decision for the Rock Springs RMP
online at on the project's website (see ADDRESSES). The BLM will
reevaluate existing designated ACECs in the Draft RMP Amendment to
determine if relevant and important values still exist and analyze for
consideration of designation. During preplanning and early engagement,
no additional areas were identified for consideration as ACECs. The BLM
will evaluate any nominated ACECs for consideration in the Draft RMP
Amendment. This notice invites the public to nominate additional areas
for ACEC consideration. To assist the BLM in evaluating nominations for
consideration in the Draft RMP Amendment, please provide supporting
descriptive materials, maps, and evidence of the relevance and
importance of resources or hazards by the close of the public comment
period in order to facilitate timely evaluation. The BLM has identified
the anticipated issues related to the consideration of ACECs in the
planning criteria.
Additional Information
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA and land use planning
processes for this planning effort to help support compliance with
applicable procedural requirements under the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1536) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), including public
involvement requirements of Section 106. The information about historic
and cultural resources and threatened and endangered species within the
area potentially affected by the proposed plan will assist the BLM in
identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources.
The BLM will consult with federally recognized Tribes on a
government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order
13175, BLM Manual 1780, and other Departmental policies. Tribal
concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and potential
impacts to cultural resources, will be given due consideration.
Federal, State, and local agencies, along with federally recognized
Tribes and other stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by
the proposed Rock Springs RMP Amendment that the BLM is evaluating, are
invited to participate in the scoping process and, if eligible, may
request or be requested by the BLM to participate in the development of
the environmental assessment as a cooperating agency.
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.
(Authority: 43 CFR 1610.2)
Kristina Kirby,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2025-19198 Filed 10-1-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-26-P
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