BLM seeks comments on Little Missouri River Bridge Environmental Assessment
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(DICKINSON, N.D.) – The Bureau of Land Management North Dakota Field Office is seeking public comments on an environmental assessment for an application to authorize an existing bridge and access road over the Little Missouri River, in Dunn County.
Comments will be accepted for a 30-day period ending April 24, 2019.
The BLM’s proposed action is to grant a 30-year right-of-way for the bridge and access road. The BLM would also require the reclamation of an unauthorized settling pond and portions of two alfalfa fields developed on public land.
Comments will only be accepted through the ePlanning web page dedicated to this environmental assessment.
Go to: https://go.usa.gov/xQF89 or https://eplanning.blm.gov. The project name is: “Little Missouri River Bridge and Other Unauthorized Developments,” NEPA number: DOI-BLM-MT-C030-2018-0083-EA.
The applicant built the 300-foot long, three-span, single-lane, pre-fabricated steel bridge in 2014 after receiving a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The east side of the bridge is on private land owned by the applicant. The west side of the bridge -- and a 1,000-foot long unpaved access road -- is situated on an isolated 76-acre tract of BLM-managed land surrounded by lands owned by the applicant.
The environmental assessment analyzes the potential impacts of a right-of-way for the bridge and road in addition to the impacts of removing and reclaiming the pond and fields built on public land. About 13 acres of public land are affected. Even though a BLM right-of-way would permit the bridge and road, the site would remain inaccessible to the public – except by river – due to the lack of nearby public roads.
Those who provide comments are advised that before including an address, phone number, email address or other personal-identifying information, that it may be made publicly available at any time. While those commenting can ask in their comments to have personal-identifying information withheld from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that they will be able to do so.
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.