Wyoming greater sage-grouse : draft supplemental environmental impact statement

2020·23.8 MB·English

by  United States. Bureau of Land Management

DRAFT Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement, Greater Sage-Grouse 2020
2 Hard Looks, 2011-15 and 2017-19
2,313
143 alternatives
people attended
18 EISs
considered in
54
48,023
public meetings
total pages of NEPA analysis
326
$16.9 million
partners and
total cost
cooperators
Public Comments
8,512 unique scoping comments
15,885 substantive comments on draft EISs
Habitat Investments
Treatment and Restoration, 2013–19
$294 million 2.7 million acres
2020, planned
$37 million 316,000 acres
Another Hard Look, 2020
Wyoming

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Wyoming State Office
5353 Yellowstone Road
Cheyenne, WY 82009
www.blm.gov/WY
In Reply Refer To:
1610 (930)
Dear Reader:
The Wyoming Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) is available for
your review and comment. The Bureau ofLand Management (BLM) prepared this document in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, implementing regulations, the BLM's Land
Use Planning Handbook (H-1601-1 ), and other applicable law and policy.
The affected area includes all the BLM Field Offices within Wyoming, encompassing
approximately 18 million surface acres administered by the BLM and 40 million acres of Federal
mineral estate.
The Management Alignment Alternative has been identified in the DSEIS as the preferred
alternative. Identification ofthe preferred alternative does not indicate any commitments on the
part of the BLM with regard to a final decision. In developing the Final SEIS, which is the next
phase of the planning process, the decision maker may select various management actions from
each ofthe alternatives analyzed in the DSEIS for the purpose of creating a management strategy
that best meets the needs of the resources and values in this area under the BLM multiple use and
sustained yield mandate.
The BLM encourages the public to review and provide comments on the DSEIS. The DSEIS is
available on the project website at: https://goo.gl/22iKE2. Limited hard copies are also available
for public review at BLM offices within the planning area. Public comments will be accepted for
forty-five (4 5) calendar days following the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of its
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM can best utilize your comments and
resource information submissions if received within the review period.
INTERIOR REGION S MISSOURI HASIN
--------- i/11
KANSAS, MONTANA'. NEBRASKA, NOR.Tl l DAKOTA SOUTll DAKOTA
'PAHT!Al
COLORADO, NEVV MEXICO, UTAl I. WYOM!NC,
Written comments may be submitted as follows (submittal of electronic comments is
encouraged):
1. Written comments may be submitted electronically at:
https://goo.gl/22jl<E2 .
2. Written comments may also be mailed directly, or delivered to, the BLM at:
Bureau of Land Management
Wyoming State Office
Attn: Jenny Marzluf, Greater Sage-Grouse State Implementation Lead
5353 Yellowstone Road
Cheyenne, WY 82009
To facilitate analysis of comments and information submitted, we encourage you to submit
comments in an electronic format. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address,
or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment
- including your personal identifying information -may be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying
information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Public meetings will be held at various locations around the planning area to provide the public
with opportunities to submit comments and seek additional information. The locations, dates,
and times ofthese meetings will be am1ounced at least 15 days prior to the first meeting via a
press release and on the project website: https://goo.gl/22iKE2.
Thank you for your continued interest in the Greater Sage-Grouse RMP A. We appreciate the
information and suggestions you contribute to the process.
Sincerely,
"
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Duane Spencer
Acting State Director
Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

Responsible Agency: United States Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management

Abstract: This draft supplemental environmental impact statement (DSEIS) has been prepared by the
United States Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The DSEIS describes
and analyzes the eight alternatives considered during the 2015 and 2019 Greater Sage-Grouse planning
processes, BLM’s consultation and coordination process with federal and state stakeholders, and the
rigorous analysis completed to align BLM Greater Sage-Grouse management with the State of Wyoming’s
plans.
On October 16, 2019, the US District Court for the District of Idaho issued an order granting a motion
for a preliminary injunction filed by Plaintiffs Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians, Center
for Biological Diversity, and Prairie Hills Audubon Society. The court found that the Plaintiffs were likely
to succeed on the merits of their claims that the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) when adopting the 2019 Greater Sage-Grouse plans. The BLM has prepared this DSEIS to review
its previous NEPA analysis, clarify and augment it where necessary, and provide the public with additional
opportunities to review and comment. The BLM’s DSEIS, including any comments that the agency receives,
will help the BLM determine whether its 2015 and 2019 land use planning and NEPA processes have
sufficiently addressed Greater Sage-Grouse habitat conservation or whether the BLM should initiate a
new land use planning process to consider additional alternatives or new information. To inform this
decision that the BLM will make, it has prepared this DSEIS to address four specific issues: the range of
alternatives, need to take a “hard look” at environmental impacts, cumulative effects analysis, and the
BLM’s approach to compensatory mitigation.
Review Period: Comments on the Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Draft Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement will be accepted for forty-five (45) calendar days following publication of the United
States Environmental Protection Agency’s Notice of Availability in the Federal Register
For further information, contact:
Jennifer Marzluf, BLM Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse State Implementation Lead
Telephone: [phone]
Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office
5353 Yellowstone Rd.
Cheyenne, WY 82009
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................. ES-1
ES.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. ES-1
ES.2 Purpose of and Need for Action ............................................................................................ ES-4
ES.3 Items to be clarified in This DSEIS.......................................................................................... ES-4
ES.4 Analysis Conclusions .................................................................................................................. ES-5
CHAPTER 1. PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR ACTION .................................................................. 1-1
1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1-1
1.2 Purpose of and Need for Action .............................................................................................. 1-4
1.3 Planning Area and Current Management ................................................................................ 1-5
1.4 2019 Issues Development ........................................................................................................... 1-8
1.4.1 Issues and Related Resource Topics Identified Through Scoping as
Part of the 2019 Planning Process ............................................................................. 1-8
1.5 Items to be Clarified in this DSEIS.......................................................................................... 1-11
1.6 Relationships to Other Policies, Plans, and Programs ....................................................... 1-11
1.6.1 State Plans ...................................................................................................................... 1-12
1.6.2 Local Plans ..................................................................................................................... 1-12
CHAPTER 2. ALTERNATIVES ..................................................................................................... 2-1
2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2-1
2.2 2018 Proposed Plan Amendment Description ...................................................................... 2-1
2.3 2018 Proposed Plan Amendment ............................................................................................. 2-1
2.5 Other Alternatives Considered ................................................................................................ 2-9
2.5.1 Varying Constraints on Land Uses and Development Activities ........................ 2-9
2.6 Description of Alternatives from the 2019 Planning Process .......................................... 2-11
2.6.1 No-Action Alternative ................................................................................................ 2-11
2.6.2 Management Alignment Alternative ........................................................................ 2-11
2.6.3 Detailed Description of Alternatives Considered during the 2019
Planning Process ........................................................................................................... 2-12
CHAPTER 3. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................... 3-1
3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3-1
3.1.1 USGS Reports................................................................................................................. 3-2
3.1.2 Multi-scale Habitat Suitability and Mapping Tools ................................................. 3-2
3.1.3 Discrete Human Activities........................................................................................... 3-2
3.1.4 Diffuse Activities ............................................................................................................ 3-2
3.1.5 Fire and Invasive Species .............................................................................................. 3-3
3.1.6 Restoration Effectiveness ............................................................................................. 3-3
3.1.7 Population Estimation and Genetics.......................................................................... 3-3
3.2 Resources Affected ...................................................................................................................... 3-4
3.3 Greater Sage-Grouse ................................................................................................................... 3-5
3.3.1 Changes to Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Based on Threats ............................. 3-6
3.4 Vegetation ....................................................................................................................................... 3-8
3.5 Lands, Realty, and Renewable Energy ...................................................................................... 3-9
3.6 Minerals ........................................................................................................................................... 3-9
3.7 Livestock Grazing ......................................................................................................................... 3-9

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Table of Contents

3.8 Socioeconomics ............................................................................................................................ 3-9
CHAPTER 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ..................................................................... 4-1
4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4-1
4.2 Analytical Assumptions ................................................................................................................ 4-1
4.3 General Method for Analyzing Impacts ................................................................................... 4-2
4.4 Summary of Environmental Impacts of the No-Action Alternative ................................. 4-3
4.5 Environmental Impacts of the Management Alignment Alternative and the
Proposed RMP Amendment..................................................................................................... 4-91
4.5.1 Modifying Habitat Management Area Designations ............................................. 4-91
4.5.2 Sagebrush Focal Areas and Withdrawal ................................................................. 4-94
4.5.3 Habitat Objectives ....................................................................................................... 4-94
4.5.4 Livestock Management—Permit Renewals ............................................................ 4-95
4.5.5 Livestock Management—Existing Range Improvement Structures ................. 4-96
4.5.6 Livestock Management—Riparian Area Management ......................................... 4-97
4.5.7 Noise .............................................................................................................................. 4-97
4.5.8 Adaptive Management ................................................................................................ 4-98
4.5.9 Prioritization of Fluid Mineral Leasing ................................................................. 4-100
4.6 Cumulative Effects Analysis ................................................................................................... 4-101
4.6.1 Range-wide Cumulative Effects Analysis Greater Sage-Grouse .................... 4-103
4.6.2 Why Use WAFWA Management Zones? ........................................................... 4-104
4.6.3 Cumulative Effects on Greater Sage-Grouse: Management Zone I ............. 4-106
4.6.4 Cumulative Effects on Greater Sage-Grouse: Management Zone II/VII ...... 4-108
4.6.5 Cumulative Effects on Greater Sage-Grouse: Management Zone III ........... 4-112
4.6.6 Cumulative Effects on Greater Sage-Grouse: Management Zone IV ........... 4-114
4.6.7 Cumulative Effects on Greater Sage-Grouse: Management Zone V ............ 4-116
4.7 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources ............................................ 4-118
4.8 Unavoidable Adverse Impacts ............................................................................................... 4-119
4.9 Relationship Between Local Short-Term Uses and Long-Term Productivity ........... 4-120
CHAPTER 5. CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION................................................................ 5-1
5.1 Public Involvement During the 2019 NEPA Process............................................................ 5-1
5.1.1 Public Comments on the 2019 DSEIS....................................................................... 5-1
5.1.2 Future Opportunities for Public Involvement on the SFEIS ................................ 5-1
5.2 American Indian Tribal Consultation ....................................................................................... 5-1
5.3 List of DSEIS Preparers ............................................................................................................... 5-1
CHAPTER 6. REFERENCES.......................................................................................................... 6-1
GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................. GLOSSARY-1
INDEX ................................................................................................................................ INDEX-1

TABLES Page

1-1 Acres of Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat by BLM Field Office in the Decision Area .................... 1-5
1-2 Issues and Related Resource Topics ....................................................................................................... 1-9
2-1 Seasonal Habitat Objectives for the Greater Sage-Grouse Wyoming Basin Ecoregion ............ 2-7
2-2 Alternatives considered during the 2019 planning process. ............................................................ 2-13
2-3 Detailed Comparison of 2019 Alternatives ......................................................................................... 2-28
2-4a Part I 2015 ARMPA Goals and Objectives by Alternative ............................................................... 2-49

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2-4a Part II 2015 ARMPA Management Actions by Alternative .............................................................. 2-58
2-4b Part I 2015 Bighorn Basin RMP Revision Goals and Objectives by Alternative ...................... 2-306
2-4b Part II 2015 Bighorn Basin RMP Revision Management Actions by Alternative ...................... 2-311
2-4c Part I 2015 Buffalo RMP Revision Goals and Objectives by Alternative ................................... 2-363
2-4c Part II 2015 Buffalo RMP Revision Management Actions by Alternative................................... 2-367
2-4d Part I 2014 Lander RMP Revision Goals and Objectives by Alternative ................................... 2-398
2-4d Part II 2014 Lander RMP Revision Management Actions by Alternative .................................. 2-403
3-1 Affected Environment Incorporated by Reference.............................................................................. 3-4
4-1 Environmental Consequences for the No-Action Alternative Incorporated by Reference ...... 4-3
4-2a 2015 Wyoming ARMPA Summary of Environmental Consequences ............................................. 4-7
4-2b 2015 Buffalo Field Office RMP Revision Summary of Environmental Consequences ............... 4-21
4-2c 2015 Bighorn Basin RMP Revision Summary of Environmental Consequences ......................... 4-43
4-2d 2014 Lander Field Office RMP Revision Summary of Environmental Consequences ............... 4-70
4-3 Cumulative Effects Analysis Incorporated by Reference ............................................................... 4-105

FIGURES Page

1-1 Existing Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Management Area Designations
(Planning Area) ............................................................................................................................................. 1-6
1-2 Existing Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Management Decision Area ........................... 1-7

APPENDICES

A Proposed RMP Amendment with Management Goals, Objectives, and Decisions
B Required Design Features
C The Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Management Strategy
D Cumulative Effects Supporting Information
E Responses to Substantive Public Comments on the 2018 Draft EIS
F Review of the NTT and COT Report’s Relevance to the Planning Process; Incorporation of the
NTT, COT, and USGS Summary of Science into the Wyoming Planning Process

February 2020 Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse DSEIS iii
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iv Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse DSEIS February 2020