The BLM extends the comment period for the St. George, Utah, Draft Resource Management Plans.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) St. George Field Office has 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, according to the BlueRibbon Coalition.
The public comment period will now end on November 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.
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 Utah 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 November 16, 2015.
BLM staff familiar with the Utah draft plans and draft amendment will be available to answer specific plan-related questions from 5-7 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: October 27, November 3, and November 10, 2015; and from 9-11 a.m. on the following Saturdays: October 24, 2015, and November 7, 2015.
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 November 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 November 16, 2015. Written comments may be sent by email or mail using the following addresses:
Mail:
BLM-Utah St. George Field Office
Attn: Keith Rigtrup
345 East Riverside Drive
St. George, UT 84790
Email:
utsgrmp@blm.gov
For additional information regarding the Draft RMPs, Draft RMP Amendment, and Draft EIS, 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 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.
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