Planning Process

The BLM's planning process involves nine steps as shown below:

1.		Identify issues, concerns, and opportunities.
2.		Develop planning criteria.
3.		Collect inventory data and information.
4.		Analyze the management situation.
5.		Formulate alternatives.
6.		Estimate effects of alternatives.
7.		Select the preferred alternative.
8.		Select the resource management plan.
8a.		Publish Proposed Resource Management Plan/final Environmental Impact Statement.
8b.		Respond to any protests and publish Resource Management Plan/record of decision.
9.		Implement, monitor, and evaluate the Resource Management Plan.

Step 7 also includes publication of the draft Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement. Public involvement has occurred at several steps in the process.

Publication of this document constitutes completion of step 8. Public involvement has occurred at several steps in the process.

The planning process is designed to help the BLM identify and consider those uses on BLM-administered land that the public is interested in, to the extent consistent with the laws established by the Congress and the policies of the executive branch of the federal government regarding management of these lands.