How to Get Involved and Comment

The Proposed RMP/Final EIS was published in August 2008. Its availability was announced on this Web site and in the Federal Register. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS is available for public review and protest for 30 days, from August 8 to September 8, 2008. As codified in 43 CFR 1610.5-2, any person who participated in the planning process and has an interest that is or may be adversely affected by the approval of the RMP may protest. The protest must be filed with the Director within 30 days of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS being made available. See below for more information regarding protest.

The Proposed RMP/Final EIS is available for downloading on this Web site. A limited number of printed copies and compact discs will be available on request: e-mail to information@cottonwoodrmp.com, or call (208) 962-3245. Make sure to specify whether you would like a printed copy or a compact disc. Also, you must include your name and mailing address. The document will also be available for review at the following locations:

BLM Cottonwood Field Office - 1 Butte Drive, Cottonwood

BLM Idaho State Office - 1387 South Vinnell Way, Boise

City of Lewiston Library - 428 Thain Road, Lewiston

Grangeville Centennial Library - 215 W. North Street, Lewiston

Moscow Public Library - 110 South Jefferson Street, Moscow

Prairie Community Library - 508 King Street, Cottonwood

Salmon River Library - 126 North Main Street, Riggins

To request additional information or to be added to the Cottonwood RMP/EIS mailing list, send your full name, mailing address, and affiliation to: information@cottonwoodrmp.com.

Protest Information

Who can protest?

Any person who participated in the planning process for the Proposed RMP/Final EIS, and has an interest that is or may be adversely affected, may protest approval of this Proposed RMP/Final EIS and land use plan decisions contained within it (see 43 Code of Federal Regulations 1610.5-2) during the 30-day protest period. Only those persons or organizations who participated in the planning process leading to this Proposed RMP/Final EIS may protest. Participation is defined as having submitted written comments, attended a public meeting, and/or personally contacted or discussed the project with a member of the Cottonwood Field Office.

When to protest.

The 30-day period for filing a plan protest begins when the Environmental Protection Agency publishes in the Federal Register its Notice of Availability of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS. The protest period ends 30 days after publication of this Notice of Availability. The BLM will publish announcements specifying the actual start and end dates in local and regional media. The BLM also will post this information on the project Web site and mail it to contacts on the Cottonwood RMP mailing list. To be considered timely, your protest, along with all attachments, must be postmarked no later than the last day of the protest period. There is no provision for any extension of time.

What to protest.

A protesting party may raise only those issues submitted for the record during the planning process leading up to the publication of this Proposed RMP/Final EIS. New issues may not be brought into the record at the protest stage. All proposed decisions in the Proposed RMP/Final EIS are subject to protest, with the exception of decisions on route designations for motorized or nonmotorized vehicle travel, which are discussed in the Transportation and Travel Management portion of Section 2.6 of Chapter 2 of the Proposed RMP (including Figures 28 through 36 in Volume IV of the Cottonwood Draft RMP/EIS).

Decisions on route designations may be appealed to the Interior Board of Land Appeals following the publication of the Approved RMP/Record of Decision. The Approved RMP/Record of Decision will include information on the appeal process.

How to protest.

A letter of protest must be filed in accordance with the planning regulations, 43 Code of Federal Regulations 1610.5-2(a)(1). Protests must be in writing. Although not required, the BLM suggests that you send your protest by certified mail, return receipt requested. Electronic mail and faxed protests will not be accepted as valid protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest period. In such instances, the BLM will consider the emailed or faxed protest as an advance copy and give it full consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such advance notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM protest coordinator at (202)452-5112, and emails to Brenda_Hudgens-Williams@blm.gov.

If sent by regular mail, send to:

Director (210)
Bureau of Land Management
Attention: Brenda Hudgens-Williams
PO Box 66538
Washington DC 20035

For overnight (e.g., FedEx), send to:

Director (210)
Bureau of Land Management
Attention: Brenda Hudgens-Williams
1620 L Street, Suite 1075
Washington , DC 20036

To be considered complete, your protest must contain, at a minimum, the following information:

1. The name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest of the person filing the protest.

2. A statement of the issue or issues being protested.

3. A statement of the part or parts of the Proposed RMP being protested. To the extent possible, this should be done by reference to specific pages, paragraphs, sections, tables, maps, etc., included in the document.

4. A copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues that you submitted during the planning process or a reference to the date the issue or issues were discussed by you for the record.

5. A concise statement explaining why the Idaho BLM State Director's proposed decision is believed to be incorrect. This is a critical part of your protest. Take care to document all relevant facts. As much as possible, reference or cite documents. A protest that merely expresses disagreement with the Idaho BLM State Director's proposed decision, without any data, will not provide us with the benefit of your information and insight. In this case, the Director's review will be based on the existing analysis and supporting data.

Privacy Notice

Public comments submitted for this planning review, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the Cottonwood Field Office, 1 Butte Drive, Cottonwood, Idaho 83522, during regular business hours (7:45 AM to 4:30 PM), Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently in your written comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.