Programmatic environmental impact statement vegetation treatments using herbicides on Bureau of Land Management lands in 17 western states : final

2007·170.3 MB·English

by  United States. Bureau of Land Management

on Bureau of Land Management Lands
in 17 Western States
Programmatic Environmentai Impact Statement
Volume 1: Abstract, Executive Summary, and Chapters 1 through 8
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
FES 07-21
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Dear Reader;
Enclosed for your review is the Final Vegetation Treatments UsingHerbicides on Bureau ofLand
ManagementLands in 17 Western States Programmatic EIS (PEIS) and the Vegetation Treatments on
Bureau ofLandManagementLands in 17 Western States Programmatic Environmental Report (PER).
Together these documents assess, on a National level, the BLM’s use ofherbicides and describe the
environmental effects ofusing non-herbicide treatment methods, including fire and mechanical, manual,
and biological controls.
The Draft PEIS was released for public comment on November 10, 2005 for a 60-day public comment
period. On January 9, 2006, the comment period was extended for an additional 30 days until February 10,
2006. Over 3,000 comments have been addressed in the Final PEIS and PER as comment responses and/or
changes to the analysis based on the comments received through the public review. Additional information
and analysis is included in the FEIS addressing comments related to degradates, use ofPOEA and R-1
surfactants, and risks associated with endocrine disrupting chemicals. In addition, the FEIS contains
subsistence analysis required under Section 801(a) ofthe Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
(ANILCA).
The Final Programmatic EIS assesses five alternative approaches to the use ofherbicides to treat vegetation
on public lands, details the expected impacts and benefits from the BLM’s use ofherbicides, and provides
analysis to determine which herbicide active ingredients will be approved for use on public lands
BLM
administered by the in the western United States, including Alaska.
This Final PEIS is available for public review for 30 days. Written comments on the Final PEIS will be
accepted until July 30, 2007. Upon evaluation ofany comments received, a Record ofDecision will be
issued or a supplemental analysis undertaken to address any significant information not previously
considered within the scope ofanalysis contained in the Final PEIS. Please send written comments to:
Bureau ofLand Management
Nevada State Office
Attn: Brian C. Amme, EIS Project Manager
1340 Financial Blvd.
P.O. Box 12000
Reno,NV 89520-0006
Sincerely,
Acting Assistant Director,
Renewable Resources and Planning
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FINAL
PROGRAMMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
VEGETATION TREATMENTS USING HERBICIDES ON BUREAU
OF LAND MANAGEMENT LANDS IN 17 WESTERN STATES
DRAFT X) FINAL
( ) (
LEAD AGENCY: U.S. Department ofthe Interior
Bureau ofLand Management
Washington Office, Washington, D.C.
PROJECT LOCATION: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Texas, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and
Wyoming
COMMENTS ON THIS FINAL PROGRAMMATIC Mr. Brian Amme
EIS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO: PEIS Project Manager
Nevada State Office
1340 Financial Boulevard
P.O. Box 12000
Reno, Nevada 89520-0006
Fax: [phone]
DATE FINAL PROGRAMMATIC EIS FILED WITH
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
U.S.
AGENCY: June 29, 2007
DATE BY WHICH COMMENTS MUST BE
POSTMARKED TO THE BUM: July 30, 2007
ABSTRACT
This Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) analyzes the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative
impacts associated with the Bureau ofLand Management’s use ofherbicides on the human and natural environment. An
accompanying Final Programmatic Environmental Report (PER) discloses the potential impacts to vegetation and the
environment from utilization of non-herbicide treatment techniques, including, but not limited to, fire, mechanical,
manual, and biological control methods. Together, herbicide and non-herbicide treatments make up the integrated pest
management program that the BLM would apply to approximately 6 million acres annually ofpublic lands in 17 western
U.S. states, including Alaska. Alternatives analyzed in the PEIS include the No Action Alternative, or continuation of
present management, as outlined in four previous EISs dating from 1986 to 1992. In addition, four action alternatives
were evaluated: 1) the Preferred Alternative, which includes herbicide treatments on about 932,000 acres annually and
adoption of four new herbicides for use on public lands; 2) a no herbicide use alternative; 3) a no aerial spraying
alternative; and4) an alternative thatwould limit herbicide use to non-acetolactate synthase-inhibiting active ingredients.
RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL FOR PEIS: Bud Cribley
Acting Assistant Director
Bureau ofLand Management

SUMMARY
EXECUTIVE

)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
SUMMARY
EXECUTIVE
Proposed Action and Purpose forage, and are detrimental to the agriculture and
commerce of the U.S. and to public health. Weed
and Need
infestations can become permanent ifleft untreated.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency In response to the threats of wildfire and invasive
of the U.S. Department of the Interior (USDI), vegetation and noxious weeds, the President and
administers vegetation on nearly 261 million acres Congress have directed the USDI and BLM, through
(public lands) in 17 states in the western U.S., implementation of the National Fire Plan, and the
including Alaska. Management and control of Healthy Forests Restoration Act of2003, to take more
vegetation on public lands for resource and habitat aggressive actions to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk
enhancement is an important function of this agency, on public lands. The actions would be taken to protect
including management to reduce the risk of wildfires life and property, and to manage vegetation in a
to people and their property. manner that provides for long-term economic
sustainability of local communities, improved habitat
BLM
The is proposing to treat vegetation on and vegetation conditions for fish and wildlife, and
approximately 932,000 acres annually in 17 western other public land uses.
states in the U.S., including Alaska, using 14
currently-approved and four new herbicide active The BLM last assessed its use ofvegetation treatment
BLM
ingredients. At present, the treats about 300,000 methods during the late 1980s and early 1990s, by
acres annually using 20 approved herbicides. The preparing Environmental Impact Statements (EISs)
proposed action would reduce the risk of catastrophic and Record of Decisions (RODs) that covered
wildfires by reducing hazardous fuels, restoring fire- vegetation treatment activities in 14 western states in
damaged lands, and improving ecosystem health by the continental U.S. These EISs evaluated the
1
controlling weeds and invasive species; and 2) environmental impacts associated with vegetation
manipulating vegetation to benefit fish and wildlife control and modification from the use ofherb—icides, in
habitat, improve riparian and wetlands areas, and addition to other treatment methods manual,
improve water quality in priority watersheds. mech—anical, and biological control methods, and use of
fire on approximately 500,000 acres ofpublic lands a
In recent years, the severity and intensity of wildfires year in the western U.S. The EISs also evaluated the
in the West has increased dramatically from levels in human health and non-target species risks ofusing 20
the 1970s and 1980s, to a million or more acres herbicide active ingredients on these public lands.
annually. Changes in the vegetation on public lands
have resulted in increases in hazardous flammable This Vegetation Treatments Using Herbicides on
fuels. Bureau of Land Management Lands in 17 Western
States Programmatic EIS (PEIS) has two primary
Much of the increase in hazardous fuels can be objectives:
attributed to fire exclusion policies over the past 100
years. Contributors to the change include intermittent- • Determine which herbicide active ingredients
and long-term drought over the past 40 years and an are available for use on public lands in the
increase in the spread of noxious weeds species and western U.S., including Alaska, to improve the
invasive vegetation. agency’s ability to control hazardous fuels and
unwanted vegetation. In addition to the
Invasive vegetation and noxious weeds are the herbicides currently approved for use,
dominant vegetation on an estimated 35 million acres additional active ingredients are being
ofpublic lands. The estimated rate ofweed spread on considered for use by the BLM in order to
western public lands in 1996 was 2,300 acres per day. address emerging weed problems associated
Invasive vegetation and noxious weeds degrade or with public lands, such as downy brome
reduce soil productivity, water quality and quantity, (cheatgrass) and invasive aquatic species.
native plant communities, wildlife habitat, wilderness
values, recreational opportunities, and livestock
BLMVegetationTreatmentsUsingHerbicides ES-1 June2007
FinalProgrammaticEIS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
BLM
• In consultation with the U.S. Environmental were also developed to ensure that the complied
Protection Agency (USEPA), U.S. Fish and with federal, tribal, state, and local regulations.
Wildlife Service, and National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration National Marine Alternative A - Continue Present
Fisheries Service, develop a state-of-the- Herbicide Use (No Action Alternative)
science human health and ecological risk
assessment (ERA) methodology. This Under this alternative, the BLM would be able to
methodology would serve as the initial continue to use 20 active ingredients approved for use
standard for assessing human health and in 14 western states under the earlier EIS RODs for
ecological risk for herbicides that may become each state. The BLM would also continue activities
available foruse in the future. conducted under burned area emergency stabilization
BLM and rehabilitation and hazardous fuel reduction that are
The has also prepared a Vegetation Treatments evaluated by NEPA compliance documents prepared
on Bureau ofLand Management Lands in 17 Western BLM
by local field offices. Under this alternative, an
States Programmatic Environmental Report (PER)
estimated 305,000 acres would be treated annually
describing the environmental impacts of using non-
using herbicides.
herbicide vegetation treatment methods on public
lands. Limiting analysis in the PEIS to the use of Alternative B - Expand Herbicide Use
herbicides, while analyzing other treatment methods in
the PER, was done because the primary issue of and Allow for Use of New Herbicides
controversy identified through scoping, and which in 17 Western States (Preferred
required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Alternative)
review, was the BLM’s continuing and proposed
increase in the use of herbicides in vegetation
This alternative represents the treatment of vegetation
treatment programs needed to implement the National
using herbicides in 17 western states, including
Fire Plan and related initiatives. The use ofherbicides
Alaska, Nebraska, and Texas, states that were not
has been affirmed as a central issue for analysis in all
included in the earlier EIS assessments. Under the
past EISs considered in this document. The use ofthe
Preferred Alternative, approximately 932,000 acres
other non-herbicide techniques in an integrated pest
would be treated annually using herbicides, based on
management approach has also been affirmed in all BLM
BLM the herbicide use projections developed by field
previous EIS Records ofDecision, and the is not
offices. Based on these projections, the majority of
proposing to make any decisions relative to the use of
treatments would oecur in Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and
non-herbicide vegetation treatment methods.
Wyoming.
Alternative Proposals BLM
Under the Preferred Alternative, the would be
able to use, in the western U.S., including Alaska, 14
Five program alternatives were developed for and active ingredients that were approved for use in the
evaluated in this PEIS, including the Preferred earlier RODs and for which an analysis of risks to
Alternative and the No Action Alternative. Alternative humans and non-target plants and animals was
BLM
actions were developed that 1) allow the to conducted for this PEIS or by the U.S. Department of
continue its current use of 20 active ingredients in 14 Agriculture Forest Service (Forest Service). These
western states, as authorized by earlier EIS RODs; 2) active ingredients are 2,4-D, bromacil, chlorsulfuron,
allow for the use of 14 active ingredients currently elopyralid, dicamba, diuron, glyphosate, hexazinone,
used by the BLM and four new active ingredients; 3) imazapyr, metsulfuron methyl, picloram, sulfometuron
prohibit the use of herbicides; 4) prohibit the aerial methyl, tebuthiuron, and triclopyr. The remaining six
application of herbicides; or 5) prohibit the use of active ingredients currently approved for use by the
—
sulfonylurea and other acetolactate synthase-inhibiting BLM ^2,4-DP, asulam, atrazine, fosamine,
—
active ingredients. These program alternatives address mefluidide, and simazine ^have not been used by the
many of the concerns raised during scoping, in BLM for several years, or their use has been limited to
particular the public’s desire to see alternatives that a very small number of acres. Although the risks to
place less emphasis on the use ofherbicides, while still humans from the use of these chemicals are not
meeting the program’s purpose and need. Alternatives significant based on evaluations done for the earlier
EISs and a review of the literature for this PEIS, the
BLMVegetationTreatmentsUsingHerbicides ES-2 June2007
FinalProgrammaticEIS