SFS Releases Supplemental Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

OGDEN, Utah– The Forest Service published a Supplemental Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register this week to create a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, beginning a 30 day comment period. The Forest Service is proposing to amend the Forest Service land management plans that were amended in 2015 regarding greater sage-grouse conservation in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah. The NOI lists several categories of potential changes in Wyoming, and commenters are encouraged to comment on the textual edits that are being considered.

 SAGE-GROUSE WYOMING PLAN AMENDMENT

 
Desired condition – A description of specific social, economic, and/or ecological characteristics of the plan area, or a portion of the plan area, toward which management of the land and resources should be directed. Desired conditions must be described in terms that are specific enough to allow progress toward their achievement to be determined, but do not include completion dates.
Objective – A concise, measurable, and time-specific statement of a desired rate of progress toward a desired condition or conditions. Objectives should be based on reasonably foreseeable budgets.
Standard – A mandatory constraint on project and activity decision making, established to help achieve or maintain the desired condition or conditions, to avoid or mitigate undesirable effects, or to meet applicable legal requirements.
Guideline – A constraint on project and activity decision making that allows for departure from its terms, so long as the purpose of the guideline is met. Guidelines are established to help achieve or maintain a desired condition or conditions, to avoid or mitigate undesirable effects, or to meet applicable legal requirements.

The purpose of proposed changes are to improve the clarity, efficiency, and implementation of greater sage-grouse plans, including better alignment with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and state plans, in order to benefit greater sage-grouse conservation on the landscape scale. The agency will use lessons learned from new science, scoping and implementing during the last three years to make revised plans more efficient. Proposed actions are intended to improve sage-grouse conservation and although some management areas, such as Sagebrush Focal Areas may change in name designation, limits to development and other protections will remain.

After reviewing comments to the June 20 NOI, the Forest Service plans to continue the planning process with multi-regional draft and final Environmental Impact Statements, and have plan amendments finalized in the spring of 2019.

To read and comment on the Supplemental NOI, visit:

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-06-20/pdf/2018-13260.pdf .

 
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