Numbering convention for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) documents developed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
September 16, 2008
In Reply Refer To:
1790 (210) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 10/01/2008
Instruction Memorandum No. 2008-199
Expires: 09/30/2009
To:
All Washington Office and Field Office Officials
From:
Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning
Subject:
Numbering convention for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) documents developed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Program Area: All program areas.
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) transmits new guidance regarding the numbering convention to be used for BLM documents developed to comply with the NEPA.
Policy/Action: As the BLM moves toward total integration of the E-Gov for Planning and NEPA (hereby referred to as ePlanning) platform for Land Use Plans (LUP) and NEPA documents, a standard method of numbering and tracking documents is necessary. Upon implementation of the ePlanning platform, these numbers will be generated by the program. However, beginning with the next Fiscal_Year, it is the policy of the BLM that the numbering convention of any new document developed to comply with the NEPA will use the format described in the attachment. This guidance also modifies the NEPA Handbook and the Land Use Planning Handbook if and where necessary.
Time frame: This IM is effective October 1, 2008. All new documents developed to comply with the NEPA beginning on October 1, 2008, must comply with the new numbering convention, even if the document is created outside of the ePlanning platform.
Budget Impact: There may be limited impacts to budget as staffs adjust current tracking systems to comply with this IM.
Background: The ePlanning application is an enterprise spatial-relational database approach to creating, managing, sharing, and reviewing information on land management in support of the NEPA process. The ePlanning products include, but are not limited to, environmental assessments, environmental impact statements, LUPs, and resource management plans. The ePlanning system publishes electronic information that enables a dynamic and interactive link between textual data – such as land management decisions, descriptions of alternatives, and desired future conditions – and the geospatial data supporting and describing the text.
The ePlanning effort will both enhance and improve BLM’s business process for conducting LUP and NEPA activities. The BLM is comprised of approximately 170 state, district and field offices and every BLM office is involved in LUP and/or NEPA work. With approximately 13,000 Planning and NEPA documents created annually by the BLM, implementing business practices that require specific software skills is a significant workload.
The DOI has approved and is in the process of implementing the Management Planning and NEPA Blueprint (see Website: http://www.myinterior.doi.net/oepc/mpnblueprint/mbt.htm) for all agencies within the Department. One of the recommendations of the Blueprint is that ePlanning become the Interior Land Management Planning System (ILMPS). The BLM’s goal is to complete ePlanning implementation prior to implementation of ILMPS in 2010. This is a very aggressive implementation target since this affects one the BLM’s core business processes. While helping to make the Planning and NEPA processes more consistent and efficient on an enterprise-wide level, ePlanning is complying with the BLM policy of data standardization. The ePlanning team devised standards for identifying and coding NEPA projects as explained above.
Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: BLM Handbook H-1790-1 NEPA, and Land Use Planning Handbook H-1601-1.
Coordination: This IM has been coordinated between the ePlanning team at the National Operations Center and WO-210.
Contact: Questions may be directed to Peg Sorensen, NEPA Specialist, Division of Decision Support, Planning and NEPA (WO-210), at 202-557-3564; or Deb Rawhouser, Division Chief, Decision Support, Planning and NEPA, at 202-557-3585.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Edwin Roberson Robert M. Williams
Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-560
Renewable Resources and Planning
1 Attachment
1 - NEPA Numbering Convention ( 2 pp)