Newcastle Resource Area, WY

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[WY-060-93-4410-02]

Newcastle Resource Area, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Comment period extension for the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement for the Newcastle Resource Management Plan for the BLM

Administered Public Lands in the Wyoming Portion of the Newcastle

Resource Area.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is extending the public

comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for

the Newcastle Resource Management Plan (RMP). Comments will be accepted

until June 10, 1994.

The draft EIS for the Newcastle RMP describes and analysis four

alternative RMPs, including the BLM's preferred alternative, for

managing the Wyoming portion of the Newcastle Resource Area. The

planning area is located in Crook, Weston, and Niobrara Counties, in

northeastern Wyoming. When completed, the Newcastle RMP will provide

the management direction for future land and resource management

actions on approximately 291,000 acres of public land surface and

approximately 1,700,000 acres of Federal mineral estate administered by

the BLM within this portion of the Newcastle Resource Area.

The draft EIS focuses on resolving three key issues that were

identified with public involvement early in the planning process. These

issues are: (1) Retention or disposal of public lands; (2) surface

disturbance; and (3) special management areas designations.

There is one designated area of environmental concern (ACEC) within

the Newcastle RMP planning area, the Whoopup Canyon ACEC. The preferred

alternative recommends that the Whoopup Canyon ACEC designation be

retained and that the area of the ACEC be expanded in size. The

potential for new ACEC designations was also explored. One potential

new ACEC was identified and is proposed in the preferred alternative.

This involves the BLM administered public land surface in the Lance

Creek Fossil Area.

During development of the draft EIS, the BLM conducted a Wild and

Scenic Rivers review of BLM administered public lands that lie along

waterways within the planning area. There were no BLM administered

public lands in the planning areas that were found to meet the Wild and

Scenic Rivers eligibility criteria to be given further consideration

for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

The coal screening process (including application of the coal

unsuitability criteria under 43 CFR part 3461) was not conducted for

the planing effort. Any interest in coal exploration or leasing will be

handled on a case by case basis. If an application for a coal lease is

received sometime in the future, an appropriation land use

environmental analysis will be conducted (which will include conducting

the coal screening process), to determine whether or not the coal areas

applied for are acceptable for development and leasing consideration.

The RMP will be amended by necessary. To date, there has been no

interest expressed to the BLM for leasing and development of BLM-

administered coal in the planning area.

Wilderness management and wild horse management were not addressed

in the planning effort. There are no wilderness areas or wilderness

study areas on BLM-administered public lands in the planning area. In

addition, there have been no other areas with wilderness

characteristics identified on public lands in the planning area. There

are no known wild horse or wild horse herd management areas in the

planning area.

When approved, the Newcastle RMP will guide BLM's management of the

public lands in the Newcastle Resource Area.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until June 10, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Newcastle RMP draft EIS are available from the

BLM Newcastle Resource Area Office at 1101 Washington Boulevard,

Newcastle, Wyoming 82701, or the BLM Casper District Office at 1701

East ``E'' Street, Casper Wyoming 82601. Comments should be sent to the

Newcastle Area Manager at the Newcastle Resource Area Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Floyd Ewing, Newcastle Area Manager, or Gary Lebsack, Newcastle RMP

Team Leader, at the above address or telephone 307-746-4453.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Newcastle Resource Area is responsible

for managing the BLM administered public lands in Crook, Niobrara, and

Weston countries in Wyoming, and all BLM administered public lands in

Nebraska. Management of the BLM administered public lands in Nebraska

is covered under the Nebraska Resource Management Plan completed in

1992.

Within the Nescastle RMP planning areas, there are varied and

intermingled land surface ownerships and overlapping mineral

ownerships. Therefore, the administrative jurisdictions for land use

planning and for managing the land surface and minerals are also

varied, intermingled, and sometimes overlapping. For this reason, it is

important to understand that the Newcastle RMP draft EIS does not

address management of lands or minerals within the planning areas that

are privately owned or owned by the State of Wyoming of local

Governments (about 1,000 acres). If also does not address those

Federally owned minerals within the planning area that are under

Federal land surface managed by other Federal agencies (about 420,000

acres).

The draft EIS for the Newcastle RMP presents four alternatives,

multiple use RMPs for managing the BLM administered public lands in the

planning area, Alternative A (continuation of present management) and

three other alternatives that suggest different combinations and

emphases for managing the various resource and land uses on the BLM

administered public lands, on the basis of needs, opportunities, and

public demand. The four alternative plans focus on allocating public

lands and resources among their valid uses and prescribing general

management actions that would be taken. The preferred alternative is a

combination of parts of Alternatives A, B, and C and represents what

BLM believes is the best balance between the public land and resource

uses and environmental protection in the planning area. The various

impacts that would be expected from implementing each of the

alternative is also presented in the draft EIS.

Dated: April 29, 1994.

David J. Walter,

Acting State Director.

[FR Doc. 94-10774 Filed 5-4-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-22-M