Bureau of Land Management Press Release
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Price Field Office announces that the public scoping period for the San Rafael Desert Travel Management and Transportation Plan Environmental Assessment (EA) will run Jan. 21, to Feb. 21, 2015.
The purpose of public scoping is to determine relevant issues that will guide the planning process and influence the scope of the environmental analysis, including development of alternatives. As a result of the travel management planning process, each route on lands managed by the Price Field Office will receive a designation of “open,” “closed” or “limited to designated routes.”
The travel management plan will be subdivided into five areas with a separate EA and 30-day public scoping period for each area. The first area to be analyzed is the San Rafael Desert area, which includes the San Rafael Desert south of I-70 and east of Hwy 24 to the Green River and Emery County line.
The BLM will host two open houses where the public can provide written input on route designation criteria and travel routes in the planning area that are important to their use of public lands. These meetings will also help inform the public about the BLM’s travel management planning process.
Informational open houses for the San Rafael Desert travel management area will be held at the following locations:
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Jan. 21, 2015 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. John Wesley Powell Museum 1765 East Main St Green River, Utah 84525 |
Jan. 22, 2015 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Emery County Courthouse 75 East Main St Castle Dale, Utah 84513 |
In advance of the open houses, the public is encouraged to view a map of the planning area and current route inventory maps on the Environmental Notification Bulletin Board at https://www.blm.gov/ut/enbb/index.php (search for project name “San Rafael Desert”).
Written comments will be accepted at the public scoping meetings and throughout the scoping period, which ends Feb. 21, 2015. Please reference “San Rafael Desert Travel Management” when submitting comments. Comments may be mailed or emailed using the following:
Mail
BLM Price Field Office
125 South 600 East
Price, UT 84501
Email
BLM_UT_PR_Recreation@blm.gov
Before including an address, phone number, email address or other personally identifiable information in any comments, be aware that the entire comment, including personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
For additional travel management information, contact Kelly Buckner, land use planner, at (435) 636-3639 or (435) 781-4445. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the BLM during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In fiscal year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.