Bureau of Land Management Regulations

Washington State Association of Counties

Cooperating Agency & Coordination Training

November 22, 2013 – Vancouver, WA

Kerry E. RodgersSenior Planning and Environmental Analyst

Division of Decision Support, Planning and NEPAUS DOI-BLM, Washington, DC

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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. IntroductionII. PurposeIII. Authorities for the MOUIV. Roles and ResponsibilitiesV. Other ProvisionsVI. Agency RepresentativesVII. Administration of the MOUVIII. Signatures

Attachments – Detailed Tasks & Schedule

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BLM Model MOUOther 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 Consensus-Based 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_and_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_and_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_and_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)