BLM Extends Comment Period for St. George Draft Resource Management Plans
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St. George, Utah—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) St. George Field Office today announced an extension of the public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing two National Conservation Area (NCA) Draft Resource Management Plans (RMPs) and a Draft Amendment to the current St. George Field Office RMP.
“The BLM is providing the extension to allow ample time for full public participation in the land use planning process,” said Acting BLM-Utah State Director Jenna Whitlock. The public comment period will now end on Nov. 16, 2015—providing an additional 30 days to review draft documents and submit comments.
The draft plans and amendment lay out a range of alternatives and offer a variety of proposed management objectives and actions. “Providing a reasonable range of alternatives gives reviewers an opportunity to compare and contrast the effects of various alternatives when evaluating the draft documents and submitting comments,” said BLM-Utah Color Country District Manager Heather Whitman.
One of the proposed alternatives offered for public review and comment is the BLM’s agency-preferred alternative; however, the final plans could adopt that alternative or a combination of alternatives. Ultimately, nothing in the draft documents available for review should be considered final. The BLM will carefully consider comments to help develop Proposed RMPs for the two NCAs, a Proposed RMP Amendment, and a Final EIS. Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the draft RMPs/EIS and proposed alternatives are available.
In an effort to provide additional time for citizens to ask questions about the draft plans or learn more about submitting substantive comments, the BLM-Utah St. George Field Office will extend its regular office hours several times before the comment period closes on Nov. 16. BLM staff familiar with the draft plans and draft amendment will be available to answer specific plan-related questions from 5-7 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: Oct. 27, Nov. 3, and Nov. 10; and from 9-11 a.m. on the following Saturdays: Oct. 24 and Nov. 7.
The Draft RMPs, Draft RMP Amendment, and Draft EIS are available online for public review at: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/st__george/planning2/nca_resource_management.html.
A limited number of copies are also available for in-office review at the following BLM-Utah offices:
St. George Field Office BLM-Utah State Office
345 East Riverside Drive 440 West 200 South, Suite 500
St. George, UT 84790 Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Written comments will be accepted by letter or email until Nov. 16, 2015. Please note that the most useful comments are those that contain new technical or scientific information relevant to the proposed action. Comments should be as specific as possible. Comments which contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response but may be considered in the BLM decision-making process. Please reference “NCA RMPs” when submitting comments.
To learn more about submitting comments and being involved in the NEPA process, the Council on Environmental Quality published A Citizen’s Guide to the NEPA: Having Your Voice Heard to explain the process from start to finish and offer practical tips on formulating substantive comments.
Please reference “NCA RMPs” in your correspondence. Written comments will be accepted until Nov. 16, 2015. Written comments may be sent by email or mail using the following addresses:
Attention: Keith Rigtrup
Bureau of Land Management
St. George Field Office Field Office
345 East Riverside Drive
St. George, UT 84790
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. The 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.
For additional information regarding the Draft RMPs, Draft RMP Amendment, and Draft EIS, please contact BLM Planner Keith Rigtrup at (435)865-3063. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question for the above individual. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.