Contact: David Boyd, Public Affairs Specialist, (970) 947-2832

Oct. 10, 2008

BLM opens comment period for Little Snake RMP air analysis
 

CRAIG, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management today began a 45-day public comment period for an additional air quality analysis completed for the Draft Little Snake Resource Management Plan.

BLM’s Draft Little Snake Resource Management Plan, covering 1.3-million acres in northwestern Colorado, was released for public comment in Feb. 2007. Following public and technical review of the draft document, BLM conducted additional analyses to better determine potential impacts from management actions on air quality.

The analysis indicated that impacts would not exceed any air quality standards in any of the four alternatives in the plan. Very slight impacts to visibility in the Dinosaur National Monument and Mt. Zirkel Wilderness Area might be detectable on no more than five days, depending on the alternative selected.

Information about how to comment and the complete air analysis are available at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/lsfo/plans/rmp_revision/rmp_docs.html or at the Little Snake Field Office, 455 Emerson St. in Craig. Comments need to be received by Nov. 24, 2008.

The RMP will guide the overall management of the Field Office, including energy and mineral development, transportation and travel management, wildlife habitat, and special management areas. BLM continues to thoroughly review and analyze the thousands of public comments it received on the Draft EIS. Substantive comments will be addressed in the Final EIS, scheduled to be released in April 2009.

The Field Office includes 1.3 million acres of public lands and minerals, as well as an additional 1.1 million acres of mineral estate with non-federal surface ownership, in Routt, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties. 

###