Grousing against mining

Grousing against prosperity     Small bird to cause 10 million acres of mineral lands to be withdrawn.   Since they aren't endangered, what do they taste like?   https://www.blm.gov/node/8341     BLM Releases Draft EIS on Proposed Withdrawal in Crucial Sage-Grouse Habitat Will host series of public meetings throughout West to gather input on alternatives WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of its continuing efforts to conserve habitat vital to healthy populations of the Greater Sage-Grouse in the West, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced the draft proposal to withdraw a subset of lands that are sage-grouse strongholds from future mining claims.       Based on public comments received during the scoping period over the last year, the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzes five alternatives, ranging from no action to the withdrawal of approximately 10 million acres of federal locatable minerals in certain areas that are particularly crucial to the Greater Sage-Grouse in six states: Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.      The announcement, which will be published in the Federal Register tomorrow, opens a 90-day public comment period that will end March 30, 2017.  The BLM will also host eight public meetings throughout the West in February to gather input on the proposal and alternatives to the proposal.     “We appreciate the input we’ve received from states, tribes, and other important stakeholders to help develop this draft analysis of the proposed mineral withdrawal,” said Kristin Bail, BLM assistant director for resources and planning. “We look forward to working closely with the public in the coming months as we finalize a proposal to protect important Greater Sage-Grouse habitat from potential future disturbance resulting from mining claims.”     Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell first announced the proposed withdrawal in September, 2015, as part of the unprecedented, landscape-scale effort that began with BLM’s and its state and federal partners’ successful efforts to prevent the Greater Sage-Grouse from being listed under the Endangered Species Act.     To develop the proposal and its alternatives, the BLM held public meetings in November 2015 in the six states to gather information and comments about whether to withdraw these areas from the location of new mining claims for up to 20 years.  The BLM also incorporated a mineral resource assessment prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey to help develop a reasonably foreseeable development scenario for the draft EIS.     In addition to releasing the draft EIS today, the agency published a Notice of Amended Proposed Withdrawal that would add about 388,000 acres to the approximately 10 million acres that are already temporarily segregated under the mining laws until Sept. 24, 2017.  These lands represent a proposal by the State of Nevada that areas adjacent to SFAs that contain high value habitat and identified Greater Sage-Grouse populations should be withdrawn, instead of high mineral development potential areas in the SFAs.  The draft EIS includes an alternative that evaluates the environmental consequences of this substitution.   Neither the segregation, nor any subsequent withdrawal, would prohibit ongoing or future mining exploration or extraction operations on valid pre-existing claims.   At one time, the Greater Sage-Grouse population likely numbered in the millions, but is estimated to have dwindled to 200,000 to 500,000 individuals range-wide. Sagebrush, the Greater Sage-Grouse’s primary habitat, also supports more than 350 other animal and plant species in the Western United States.  A fact sheet, draft EIS and Notice of Amended Proposed Withdrawal, dates and times for public meetings and a map of the proposed withdrawals are available here.  You can comment by  mailing written comments to Mark Mackiewicz, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) WO, C/O Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, Price, Utah  84501 or by submitting electronically to sagebrush_withdrawals@blm.gov.       The draft EIS:   https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/70697/94514/114120/SFA_DEIS_Main_Text_508.pdf     This document includes a list by township and range of the withdrawn lands:   https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/70697/94513/114119/SFA_DEIS_Appendices_Glossary_508.pdf       Public meetings have been scheduled during the public comment period for the Draft EIS and proposed withdrawal amendment. The planned dates and locations for the public meetings are listed below. The purpose of the public meetings is to present the Draft EIS to the public, answer questions about the document, and solicit substantive comments.         Meeting Locations                                                                                                               Meeting Dates and Times Great Northern Hotel, 2 S 1st Street E, Malta, MT                                                                     February 13, 2017, 2-4 p.m. BLM West Desert District Office, 2370 S. Decker Lake Blvd., West Valley City, UT                      February 14, 2017, 5-7 p.m. BLM Rock Springs Field Office, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, WY                                February 15, 2017, 5-7 p.m. Shilo Suites, 780 Lindsay Blvd., Idaho Falls, ID                                                                         February 16, 2017, 5-7 p.m. Nugget Casino Resort, 1100 Nugget Ave., Sparks, NV                                                               February 21, 2017, 5-7 p.m. BLM Lakeview District Office, 1301 S G Street, Lakeview, OR                                                     February 22, 2017, 5-7 p.m. Elko Convention Center, 700 Moren Way, Elko, NV                                                                    February 23, 2017, 5-7 p.m. Best Western Vista Inn, 2645 W Airport Way, Boise, ID                                                             February 24, 2017, 5-7 p.m.         Return to the Press Releases RELEASE DATE Thursday, December 29, 2016 ORGANIZATION Bureau of Land Management CONTACTS Name:  Michelle Barret Phone:  (601) 919-4653 ATTACHMENTS   * FACT SHEET (FORMAT PDF / 48  KB)