Bureau of Land Management
Regulations
Washington State Association of Counties
Cooperating Agency & Coordination Training
November 22, 2013 – Vancouver, WA
Kerry E. Rodgers
Senior Planning and Environmental Analyst
Division of Decision Support, Planning and NEPA
US DOI-BLM, Washington, DC
Goals for Today’s Presentation
• Role(s) of cooperating
agencies (CAs) in the
BLM planning process
• Role(s) of CAs in the
BLM NEPA process
• BLM Model MOU
• Related DOI & BLM
policy and guidance
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Federal Land Policy and
Management Act (FLPMA)
• Section 202 guides the BLM planning process.
• Section 202(a) requires that the DOI Secretary, “with
public involvement, …develop, maintain, and, when
appropriate, revise land use plans which provide …
for the use of the public lands…”
• Section 202(e) authorizes management decisions to
implement land use plans.
• Section 202(f) requires an opportunity for public
involvement and procedures for participation.
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Two Levels of Decisions
• Planning Decisions
-
Planning regulations + NEPA regulations
Integrated process
Typically leads to a Proposed RMP/Final EIS and ROD
• Project Decisions
-
Also called Management or Implementation Decisions
NEPA regulations and process (if no plan amendment)
**Cooperating agencies have important roles
in both BLM planning and project decisions.
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CAs in the BLM Planning Process
• BLM land use planning regulations (43 CFR 1600 et
seq.) provide for cooperating agency participation
throughout the planning process as feasible, given
resources and expertise.
-
See 43 CFR 1610.3-1(a)(5) (directing State Directors and
Field Managers to “[w]here possible and appropriate,
develop [RMPs] collaboratively with cooperating
agencies”).
• A Desk Guide to Cooperating Agency Relationships
and Coordination with Intergovernmental Partners
(2012) outlines roles for several steps of the process.
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CAs in the BLM Planning Process
• BLM’s development of a prep(aration) plan or
“prep plan” for a Resource Management Plan
(RMP)
- Sets the schedule and budget
• Scoping and identification of issues
• BLM’s development of planning criteria
• BLM’s collection of inventory data
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CAs in the BLM Planning Process
• BLM’s analysis of baseline data and
preparation of an Analysis of the
Management Situation (AMS)
• BLM’s formulation of alternatives
• BLM’s estimation of alternatives’ effects
• BLM’s selection of a preferred alternative and
issuance of a Draft RMP/Draft EIS
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CAs in the BLM Planning Process
• BLM’s response to public comments and
issuance of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS
- 60-day Governor’s Consistency Review
- 30-day Protest Period
• BLM’s response to protests
and ROD signature
• Implementation and monitoring
of the Final RMP
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CAs in the Project NEPA Process
• DOI regulations require invitations to “eligible
government entities” to serve as CAs for EISs.
• BLM (and other DOI bureaus) must consider
requests from a government entity to serve as a
CA and state the reasons for any denial in the EIS.
• BLM (and other DOI bureaus) may allow CAs to
help develop environmental assessments (EAs)
and must provide for public involvement.
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CAs in the Project NEPA Process
• Identifying issues to be
addressed
• Collecting data for NEPA
analysis (e.g., resource,
environmental, social,
economic, or institutional)
• Developing and evaluating
alternatives and their
effects
• Other tasks for NEPA
analyses and documents
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Other Considerations for
Project-Level EISs
•
•
•
•
Power of NEPA scoping
Importance of time limits
Disclosure of CA relationships
Requirement to request comments from
affected local governments and agencies
- Note: BLM need not delay preparation or issuance of a
Final EIS if agencies do not comment on time.
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BLM Model MOU Establishing
CA Relationships
• Template and 2012 CA Desk Guide are at:
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/nepa/
cooperating_agencies.html
• Drafted for a planning effort, but can be
adapted for a project/implementation EIS
• No prescribed format, but key elements help
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BLM Model MOU Establishing
CA Relationships
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
Introduction
Purpose
Authorities for the MOU
Roles and Responsibilities
Other Provisions
Agency Representatives
Administration of the MOU
Signatures
Attachments – Detailed Tasks & Schedule
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BLM Model MOU
Other Provisions to Consider
• V.A. – Authorities not altered.
• V.E. – Documenting disagreement or
inconsistency.
- Including a summary of CAs’ views in the
Draft RMP/EIS and Proposed RMP/Final EIS
- Describing substantial inconsistencies with
state, local, or tribal plans and policies
• V.F. – Management of information.
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Related DOI Policy & Guidance:
Environmental Statement Memoranda
• ESM No. 13-6, “State and Local Agency
Review of Environmental Impact Statements”
(Jan. 7, 2013) –
www.doi.gov/pmb/oepc/upload/ESM13-6.pdf
• ESM No. 13-12, “Incorporating ConsensusBased Management in Agency Planning and
Operations” (Jan. 7, 2013) (43 CFR 46.110) –
www.doi.gov/pmb/oepc/upload/ESM13-12.pdf
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Related BLM Policy & Guidance:
Instruction Memoranda (IMs)
• IM No. 2013-014, “Revised Guidance for
Establishing Implementation Priorities for Land Use
Plans” (Oct. 25, 2012) –
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/regulations/Instruction_Memos_a
nd_Bulletins/national_instruction/2013/M_2013-014.html
• IM No. 2013-144, “Transitioning from Printing Hard
Copies of NEPA and Planning Documents to
Providing Documents in Electronic Formats” (June
21, 2013) –
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/regulations/Instruction_Memos_a
nd_Bulletins/national_instruction/2013/IM_2013-144.print.html
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Related BLM Policy & Guidance:
Instruction Memoranda (IMs)
• IM No. 2013-142, “Interim Policy – Draft Regional
Mitigation Manual Section 1794” (June 13, 2013) –
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/regulations/Instruction_Memos_a
nd_Bulletins/national_instruction/2013/IM_2013-142.html
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Questions?
Kerry E. Rodgers
Senior Planning and Environmental Analyst, BLM Washington Office
(202) 912-7158 (office) – kerodgers@blm.gov (e-mail)
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