Arizona State Office
| Contacts: | Chris Horyza | , 602-417-9446 | , chris_horyza@blm.gov | |
| Dennis Godfrey | , 602-417-9499 | , dennis_godfrey@blm.gov |
Comment Period Extended for Northern Arizona Proposed Withdrawal Draft EIS
PHOENIX The Bureau of Land Management has extended by 30 days the public comment period for the Northern Arizona Proposed Withdrawal Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The study is a comprehensive environmental analysis of the effects of withdrawing public land north and south of the Grand Canyon from new filings of mining claims.
The Federal agencies involved had allowed 45 days for the public to comment on the Draft EIS. Because of numerous requests, the agencies are extending the comment period by 30 days to May 4, 2011. The comment period was due to close on April 4.
No additional public meetings will be held during the extended public comment period.
The Draft EIS assesses the environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with the withdrawal of lands in the Grand Canyon watershed. The withdrawal would affect uranium and other hardrock mining.
Under the study’s Proposed Alternative, the BLM would withdraw more than 1 million acres from location and entry of hardrock mining claims for 20 years. The withdrawal would not affect mining claims with valid existing rights.
The Draft EIS and other information are available at http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/mining/timeout.html.
The preferred method of commenting on the Draft EIS is by written submissions to the email address NAZproposedwithdrawal@azblm.org. Comments can also be mailed to: Bureau of Land Management, Arizona Strip District, 345 East Riverside Drive, St. George, UT 84790.
The BLM is the lead agency in preparing the EIS. Other cooperating agencies include the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Service, and multiple local and tribal organizations in Arizona and Utah.
Information on this and other BLM Arizona projects are available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/blmarizona
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. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
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