BLM seeks comments on Little Missouri River bridge Right-of-way application
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(DICKINSON, N.D.) – The Bureau of Land Management North Dakota Field Office is seeking public comments regarding an application to authorize an existing single-lane ranch bridge over the Little Missouri River, with an associated access road, in Dunn County.
Comments will be accepted until Aug. 13, 2018.
The applicant built the 300-foot long, three-span, single-lane, pre-fabricated steel ranch 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 public land that is surrounded by private lands owned by the applicant.
A BLM right-of-way would be necessary to permit those portions of the bridge and access road that are situated on public land, but the site would remain inaccessible to the public, by road, due to the lack of public roads to the site.
An environmental assessment to analyze the potential impacts of whether or not to grant a right-of-way for the bridge and access road will be prepared. In addition, the environmental assessment will analyze the impacts of removing and reclaiming a water settling pond and portions of two alfalfa fields that are presently situated on the BLM-managed public land near the west side of the bridge. In all, nearly 13 acres of public land are affected.
The purpose of the public scoping process is to obtain feedback on relevant issues that may influence the scope of the environmental analysis, including alternatives, and guide the process for developing the environmental assessment. Substantive comments are encouraged concerning potential environmental impacts associated with permitting the bridge as presently built, or relocating the bridge to another area.
Comments must be submitted through BLM’s ePlanning web page dedicated to this project on or before August 13, 2018 at:https://go.usa.gov/xQF89 or https://eplanning.blm.gov . Click on Text Search; go to Advanced Search for NEPA # and enter: DOI-BLM-MT-C030-2018-0083-EA. Click on Public Scoping Notice. The project name is: “Little Missouri River Bridge and Other Unauthorized Developments.”
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.