Buffalo RMP Revision

High Plains District

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What's New Planning Bulletin #7  Site Links Document Library - updated 05/09/13 Scoping Process Cooperating Agencies Join the Mailing List

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is revising the Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Buffalo Field Office. It will provide future direction for approximately 800,000 surface acres and 4.8 million acres of mineral estate managed by the BLM in Campbell, Johnson, and Sheridan counties in north-eastern Wyoming. This area contains vast deposits of oil, gas, and coal, and provides a variety of resources such as wildlife habitat and rangelands for livestock grazing. The public lands and adjacent Bighorn National Forest provide many opportunities for recreational activities. The purpose of the RMP will be to establish goals and objectives for resource management; identify lands that are open or available for certain uses, including any restrictions, and lands that are administratively unavailable to certain uses; provide comprehensive management direction for all resources and uses; and make broad-scale decisions guiding future site-specific implementation decisions.

RMP News & Information

The Buffalo Field Office is finalizing revisions to the Draft Buffalo RMP and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and preparing the document for public release. The BLM anticipates issuing the Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Draft Buffalo RMP and EIS in the Federal Register in June 2013.

Over the past two years, the Buffalo Field Office has been working to revise the RMP and EIS to reflect new BLM guidance and updated data. In December 2011, the BLM Washington Office issued a national Greater Sage-Grouse land use planning strategy and in February 2012, the Wyoming State Office issued a revised Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Management policy. Both policies have been incorporated into the RMP and EIS. As a result of these and other policy changes and updated data, several analyses and other baseline information were updated, as described below.

• Management actions and alternatives were revised to incorporate new BLM policies for the conservation and management of Greater Sage-Grouse and their habitat.
• The Reasonable Foreseeable Development (RFD) Scenario for Oil and Gas was revised to account for the increasing interest in shale borne oil and natural gas and declining interest in coalbed natural gas.
• The air quality emissions inventory was revised and the impacts re-analyzed to reflect changes in the management actions, alternatives, and RFD. The supporting air quality appendices were also updated.
• The socioeconomic model (IMPLAN) was re-run to incorporate the changes in the management actions, alternatives, and RFD. These changes required updating the impact analyses for social conditions, economic conditions, and environmental justice, including the direct, indirect and induced economic impacts (employment, earnings, output, and tax revenues from oil and gas production).

Please continue to check the Buffalo RMP Revision website for updates. 

Public Involvement

When people, communities, and governments collaborate to identify common ground, share information, and listen to each other, the planning process is more effective. Community-specific input and comments are welcome throughout the RMP process, as they help shape the environmental analysis and inform the decision makers. Throughout the planning process, there will be formal periods during which the public may submit comments on the RMP. However, the BLM welcomes public input, such as resource information, issues, and concerns, during the entire planning process. The current Buffalo RMP is available in the document library. Visit the Scoping Information & Materials page for more information.

Publication of the NOA in the Federal Register begins the 90-day public review and comment period, during which the public may submit comments. During this time, a series of public meetings will be held across the planning area. BLM managers and resource specialists will be available at the meetings to answer questions and comments can also be submitted at that time. Specific information about the meetings and submitting comments will be included in the NOA and posted on this website. The BLM encourages you to stay involved, attend the meetings, and comment on the RMP.

After the 90-day comment period, the BLM will consider all of the comments received, revise the Draft RMP and EIS as needed, and issue a Proposed RMP and Final EIS.

Cooperating Agencies 

As part of the planning process, the BLM invites tribal, state, and local governments, as well as other federal agencies to serve as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the RMP. Cooperators play a key role in developing the RMP and EIS. Visit the Cooperating Agencies page to view a list of invited agencies.