[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8476-8477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-02799]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[L1610000.PQ0000/LLCAC09000]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Clear
Creek Management Area Resource Management Plan, California
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability
of the Record of Decision (ROD) and Resource Management Plan (RMP) for
the Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA) located in portions of southern
San Benito and western Fresno Counties, California. The California
State Director signed the ROD on February 11, 2014, which constitutes
the BLM's final decision and makes the CCMA RMP effective immediately.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD and the CCMA RMP are available upon
request from the Field Manager, Hollister Field Office, Bureau of Land
Management, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023 or via the Internet
at http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/hollister/clear_creek_management_area/CCMA_RMP.html. Copies of the ROD/Approved RMP are available for
public inspection at the Hollister Field Office and the BLM California
State Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sky Murphy, Planning & Environmental
Coordinator, telephone 831-630-5039; address 20 Hamilton Court,
Hollister, CA 95023; email smurphy@blm.gov. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message with the above individual. You
[[Page 8477]]
will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Hollister RMP, adopted in 1984, provides
management guidance for the CCMA. The BLM-administered lands account
for more than 84% of the 75,000-acre Clear Creek Management Area in
southern San Benito and western Fresno Counties, California. The BLM
also administers subsurface minerals on approximately 3,500 acres of
``split estate'' lands where the surface is owned by a non-Federal
entity. Within the CCMA is the 31,000-acre Serpentine Area of Critical
Environmental Concern (ACEC), which was designated based on the human
health risk associated with the naturally occurring asbestos and the
special status plant species endemic to the area.
The BLM prepared a series of amendments to the Hollister RMP in
1986, 1995, and 2007 to address new information and concerns regarding
asbestos related health risks and rare plant species. The CCMA was not
addressed in the 2007 Hollister RMP, however, because in 2004 the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -initiated asbestos exposure and
human health risk assessment was not completed in time to be
incorporated into the Hollister RMP. Upon completion of the EPA study,
the BLM incorporated this new information into its CCMA planning
process and associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
As a result of this new health and safety information, the CCMA
ROD/Approved RMP designates the Serpentine ACEC as a ``Limited''
vehicle use area for highway-licensed vehicles authorized by permit
only. The ROD also limits the number of annual visitor-use days to
reduce human health risks associated with exposure to naturally
occurring asbestos in the ACEC.
Based on the public's concerns about impacts to off-highway vehicle
recreation, adaptive management criteria were added to the RMP that
would allow the BLM to reassess its decisions on access and vehicle
travel in the Serpentine ACEC if significant new information becomes
available on human health risks from exposure to airborne asbestos
fibers.
In addition to public health and safety and recreation and travel
management, the CCMA ROD/Approved RMP also describes the BLM management
actions and allowable uses that will meet desired resource conditions
for natural and cultural resources. For example, approximately 5,070
acres of public lands within the CCMA exhibit wilderness
characteristics. Under the CCMA ROD and Approved RMP, these lands will
be managed to emphasize primitive, non-motorized recreation
opportunities.
The CCMA ROD/Approved RMP reflects the BLM's ``preferred
alternative'' described in the CCMA Proposed RMP and Final EIS released
in March 2013. Following the release of the Proposed RMP and Final EIS,
21 protest letters were received. The BLM Director responded to each
protest issue. In accordance with 43 CFR 1610.5-2(b), all protests were
resolved prior to approving the RMP. No inconsistencies with State or
local plans, policies or programs were identified during the Governor's
consistency review of the Proposed RMP and Final EIS.
The CCMA ROD includes several decisions that are appealable. For
example, the decisions designating routes of travel within designated
areas for motorized vehicles are implementation decisions and are
appealable under 43 CFR part 4. These decisions are contained in
Appendix II of the CCMA ROD/Approved RMP. Any party adversely affected
by the approved route designations may appeal within 30 days of
publication of this Notice of Availability pursuant to 43 CFR part 4,
subpart E. The appeal should state the specific route(s), as identified
in Appendix II of the CCMA ROD/Approved RMP, on which the decision is
being appealed. The appeal must be filed with the Hollister Field
Manager at the above listed address. Please consult the appropriate
regulations (43 CFR part 4, subpart E) for further appeal requirements.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.
Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-02799 Filed 2-11-14; 8:45 am]
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