Sagebrush Focal Areas Withdrawal Environmental Impact Statement: Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming Draft

This Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) documents the analysis of potential environmental impacts of the Secretary of the Interior’s proposed withdrawal of approximately 10 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service-administered federal lands within Sagebrush Focal Areas (SFAs) in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming from locations and entry under the Mining Law of 1872 (30 USC 22-54) for 20 years, subject to valid existing rights. The Notice of Intent to prepare this EIS was published in the Federal Register on September 24, 2015. This Draft EIS describes the geological, biological, and socioeconomic resources in and around the proposed withdrawal area. The Draft EIS considers the impacts of five alternatives, including changing the configuration and acreage of the withdrawal or not implementing the withdrawal (the “No Action” Alternative). The focus for the impact analysis was based on resource issues and concerns identified during public scoping conducted for the proposed withdrawal by BLM and other agency land managers and resource specialists. Public scoping identified concerns related to impacts on geology and mineral resources, vegetation, wildlife, and social and economic conditions.