HomeMy WebLinkAbout20192384.tiffUnited States Department of
the Interior
JUN 17 2019
RECEIVED
WELD COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
TAKE PRIDE'
INAMERICA
In reply refer to: 1610 (COF020, JS)
Dear Interested Party:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is pleased to announce that the Draft Eastern
Colorado Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Draft RMP/EIS)
is available for review and comment.
The planning area for the Eastern Colorado RMP/EIS consists of about 35 million acres of
land, which includes 658,200 acres of BLM-administered surface lands and 3,311,900 acres
of BLM-administered mineral estate managed by the Royal Gorge Field Office. The planning
area is the entire field office regardless of ownership or agency. It includes 37 counties in
eastern Colorado, from just west of the Front Range to the eastern border of the state and from
the Wyoming/Nebraska border in the north to the New Mexico/Oklahoma border in the south.
The decision area for this RMP includes all of the public land administered by the BLM
within the field office boundaries except for that within the Browns Canyon National
Monument, which the BLM will manage under a separate RMP. When approved, this RMP
will replace the 1986 Northeast RMP and the 1996 Royal Gorge Resource Area RMP and will
guide the management of public lands administered by the Royal Gorge Field Office into the
future. The Draft RMP/EIS and supporting information are available on the project web site:
https://go.usa.gov/xQcZT.
The BLM encourages affected parties to provide information and comments pertaining to the
analysis presented in the Draft RMP/EIS. We are particularly interested in feedback
concerning the adequacy and accuracy of the proposed alternatives, the analysis of their
respective management decisions, and any new infonnation that would help the BLM as it
develops the plan. In developing the Proposed RMP/Final EIS, which is the next phase of the
planning process, the BLM may select various management decisions from each of the
alternatives analyzed in the Draft RMP/EIS to create a management strategy that best meets
the needs of the resources and values in this area, under the BLM's multiple use and sustained
yield mandate. Your timely comments on the Eastern Colorado RMP/EIS will help formulate
the Proposed RMP/Final EIS. Comments will be accepted for ninety (90) calendar days
following the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) publication of a notice of
availability in the Federal Register. The BLM can best utilize your comments if they are
received within the review period.
Comments must be submitted by the following methods:
• Electronic comments must be submitted via the ePlanning website at
https://go.usa.gov/xQcZT
• Hard -copy comments must be submitted via mail or hand -delivered to the Royal
Gorge Field Office, 3028 E. Main St., Canon City, CO 81212
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To facilitate analysis of comments and information submitted, we strongly encourage you to
submit comments through ePlanning.
Your review and comments on the content of this document are critical to the success of this
planning effort. If you wish to submit comments on the Draft RMP/EIS, we request that you
make your comments as specific as possible. Comments will be more helpful if they include
suggested changes, sources, or methodologies and refer to a section or page number.
Comments containing only opinions or personal preferences will be considered and included
as part of the decision -making process, although they will not receive a formal response from
the BLM.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, be advised 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.
Public meetings to provide an overview of the document, respond to questions, and accept
public comments will be announced by local media, BLM website, and/or U.S Postal Service
mail at least 15 days in advance. More information on these meetings is on the ePlanning
website.
Copies of the Draft RMP/EIS are available for public inspection at the BLM Royal Gorge
Field Office (3028 East Main Street, Canon City, CO 81401, 719-269-8500) during normal
working hours (Monday to Friday, 8:00-4:30 p.m., except holidays) and on the BLM website
at https://go.usa.gov/xQcZT.
Thank you for your interest in the Eastern Colorado RMP. We appreciate your information
and suggestions. For additional information or clarification regarding this document or the
planning process, please contact John Smeins, RMP project manager, at 719-269-8581 or
email jsmeins@blm.gov.
Sincerely,
Keith Berger
Royal Gorge Field Office Manager
Bureau of Land Management
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