Update on progress towards completion of the TriCounty RMPs/EIS

It has been awhile since we have updated this webpage and we appreciate your patience as we move through this process.   The Las Cruces District Office (LCDO) is continuing to prepare a revision of its 1986 White Sands Resource Management Plan (RMP), an amendment to its 1993 Mimbres RMP, and a supporting environmental impact statement (EIS).  This planning effort, referred to as the TriCounty RMPs/EIS, is needed to respond to changing policies, land use conditions, and emerging issues through updated management actions in Sierra, Otero, and Doña Ana Counties in south-central New Mexico (collectively these three counties are called the Planning Area).  The planning process began in January 2005.  We conducted public scoping in 2005 after which we developed alternatives which were presented to the public in December 2006.  A Preliminary Draft RMP/EIS was produced in late 2008 that was reviewed internally by the BLM and our cooperating agencies in early 2009.

When preparation of the TriCounty RMPs began in 2005, it was determined that the decisions contained in the RMP Amendment for Fluid Minerals Leasing and Development in Sierra and Otero Counties (BLM 2005) would be carried forward unchanged into the TriCounty RMPs.  However, when the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Fluid Minerals RMP Amendment was issued, the State of New Mexico, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, and several other environmental organizations filed suit against the BLM challenging those decisions dealing with oil and gas development, primarily around Otero Mesa.

In April 2009, the Tenth Circuit Court of appeals issued a decision which voided the management decisions made in the Fluid Minerals RMP Amendment. Consequently, those decisions could not be carried into the TriCounty RMP/EIS and the schedule for the TriCounty RMPs/EIS had to be extended to deal with this change.  

Under the administration of President Obama, a National policy and priority has emerged to promote development of renewable energy projects on public land managed by the BLM.  Proposals from the renewable energy industry for development of solar, wind, geothermal, and supporting utility corridors have increased dramatically on BLM-managed land in the Southwest, including New Mexico.  In the public scoping process for the TriCounty RMPs/EIS, renewable energy siting was not identified as an issue.  Although we have identified proposed avoidance and exclusion areas for rights-of-way, primarily transmission lines, the implications of utility scale renewable energy projects need to be considered for various resources and resource uses.  Consequently, we have added renewable energy siting to the TriCounty RMPs/EIS.

Even though livestock grazing was not raised as an issue during scoping in 2005, it was brought up in several comments during the internal BLM and cooperating agency review last year.  We are re-analyzing livestock grazing use and impacts of grazing management.

The BLM is revising the Preliminary Draft TriCounty RMPs/EIS completed in April 2009 to incorporate the proposed changes regarding fluid minerals leasing, renewable energy siting and livestock grazing.  Upon completion, the BLM and its cooperating agencies will once again review the document.  Comments from those reviews will be incorporated into the document and it will be released for a 90-day public comment period.  Below is an approximate schedule for the process through the end of calendar year 2010.

Current Schedule
Revise Preliminary Draft RMPs:  Feb-June
Internal and Cooperating Agency Review:  July
Publish Draft RMP/EIS and begin 90-day public comment period:  October
90 day public comment period and public meetings:  October – December
Review and analyze public comments:  January 2011

Due to the changes in the TriCounty RMPs/EIS regarding fluid minerals, renewable energy development, and livestock grazing management, and the fact that they were not considered issues in our original scoping, we are requesting and accepting public comments on these three issues.  Only comments regarding these three issues will be considered during this comment period.  You may provide comments at nmlcdo_comments@blm.gov.  Please indicate that your comments are for the TriCounty RMPs/EIS and to the attention of Dwayne Sykes.  The deadline for submitting public comment is June 1, 2010.

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment - including your personal identifying information - may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Please refer back to this website from time to time as we will continue to provide updated and useful information regarding the progress of the preparation of the TriCounty RMPs/EIS in the future.

News Releases Dec. 5, 2006 Jul. 25, 2005 Mar. 7, 2005 Jan. 31, 2005 Documents Final Scoping Report June 2005 Table 4-1 GIS Data Inventory Acronyms and Abbreviations Newsletters Newsletter 4 - May 2010 Newsletter 3 - Nov, 2006 Newsletter 2 - July, 2005 Newsletter 1 - Feb, 2005 Newsletter 1, Comment Form Maps Jurisdiction Map Contacts For more information regarding the planning process, please contact: Clarence "Dwayne" Sykes RMP Team Leader Las Cruces District Office 1800 Marquess St. Las Cruces, NM (505) 525-4400 In addition, recorded information regarding the project can be heard by calling the telephone information line at 1-877-877-0918. To be added to the project mailing list please send an e-mail to lcfo_rmp@nm.blm.gov or contact Dwayne Sykes by the above address, phone or fax. You can also leave a message on the telephone information line.