| Contacts: | Angel Martinez | , (505) 761-8918 |
90-Day Public Comment Period is Open for the BLM Draft Rio Puerco Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement
Albuquerque, New Mexico –The Bureau of Land Management has prepared a revised Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze and update BLM’s management of public lands in Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia Counties of central New Mexico. The public is invited to provide comments during the 90-day period.
The planning area consists of about 9.5 million acres of land within the six counties of central New Mexico. This includes about 757,100 acres of public surface lands and 3.6 million acres of Federal subsurface minerals managed by the Rio Puerco Field Office.
When approved, this RMP will replace the 1986 Rio Puerco RMP and subsequent amendments, and will guide the management of public lands administered by the Rio Puerco Field Office into the future. The Rio Puerco Draft RMP/EIS and supporting information are available online at:
http:// www.blm.gov/nm/riopuerco
Copies of the Draft RMP/EIS are also available for review at the following BLM offices:
Rio Puerco Field Office | Grants Field Station |
Public comments on the Draft RMP/EIS will help the BLM formulate the Proposed RMP and Final EIS. Comments will be accepted beginning July 13-October 11, 2012. They may be submitted electronically at: NM_RPFO_Comments@blm.gov, or by mail to: Bureau of Land Management, Attention: Angel Martinez, 435 Montaño Road NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87107.
Public meetings to provide an overview of the document, respond to questions, and take comments have been scheduled in the following communities:
August 27, 2012
5 p.m.-7 p.m.
University of New Mexico Campus, Gallup, NM
August 29, 2012
5 p.m.-7 p.m.
New Mexico Visitor’s Center
Grants, NM
September 4, 2012
5 p.m.-7 p.m.
Cuba Ranger Station
Cuba, NM
September 5, 2012
5 p.m.-7 p.m.
Civic Center
Moriarty, NM
September 10, 2012
5 p.m.-7 p.m.
Regional Transportation Center, Los Lunas, NM
September 12, 2012
5 p.m.-7 p.m.
Marriot Pyramid
Albuquerque, NM
September 17, 2012
6 p.m. -8 p.m.
6:30 p.m. Presentation
Bernalillo High School Gym
Bernalillo, NM
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 multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.