Planning Process Overview

BLM's resource management planning process consists of nine steps as described below.

Step 1: Issue Identification

This planning step is designed to identify major problems, concerns, or opportunities associated with the management of public land in the planning area. Issues are identified by the public, the BLM, and other governmental entities. The planning process is focused on the identified planning issues.

Step 2: Planning Criteria

Planning criteria include policies, laws, regulations, and guidelines for resolving issues, developing alternatives, and choosing a proposed plan.

Step 3: Inventory and Data Collection

Certain kinds of biological, physical, social, or economic information needed to resolve the planning issues is collected and analyzed. Inventory information is also used to determine how BLM-administered resources would respond under each alternative.

Step 4: Analysis of the Management Situation

The analysis of the management situation (AMS) identifies the ways lands are currently managed in the planning area and identifies opportunities to manage these lands differently.

Step 5: Formulation of Alternatives

BLM formulates a range of alternatives for managing resources in the planning area. A range of alternatives is developed to resolve significant planning issues and address specific management concerns. Alternatives include a preferred plan, management direction common to all alternatives, alternative plans, and no action (current management).

Step 6: Estimation of Effects

This step involves estimating the environmental effects of implementing each of the alternatives. Effects are estimated in order to provide a comparative evaluation of impacts in compliance with CEQ regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500).

Step 7: Selection of the Preferred Alternative

BLM identifies a Preferred Alternative (PA). The Draft RMP/EIS is then prepared and distributed for public review.

Step 8: Selection of Resource Management Plan

Following review and analysis of public comments on the Draft RMP/EIS, BLM selects a proposed resource management plan and publishes the Proposed RMP and Final EIS (PRMP/FEIS). Decisions become final after a 30-day protest period following publication of the PRMP/FEIS. BLM then publishes the Record of Decision (ROD) and prepares the Approved Resource Management Plan.

Step 9: Monitoring and Evaluation

This step involves the collection and analysis of resource condition and trend data to ensure the plan is achieving its objective of resolving the identified issues and achieving other desired results. Monitoring continues from the time the RMP is adopted until changing conditions require revision of the whole plan or any portion of the plan.

Publication of this document constitutes completion of Step 8. Public involvement has occurred at several steps in the process. Where BLM manages the subsurface mineral estate and the surface is nonfederal or administered by another Federal agency, the RMP addresses only the management of the BLM-administered mineral resources.