BLM seeks public input on Miles City land use plan amendment and supplemental analysis

MILES CITY, Mont. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on the preparation of a supplemental environmental impact statement and amendment to the 2015 Miles City Field Office Approved Resource Management Plan. The supplemental environmental impact statement is being prepared in response to a U.S. Montana District court opinion and order pertaining to Western Organization of Resource Councils, et al. v. BLM.

The publication of a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register initiates a 30-day public scoping period that will end on Oct. 31, 2022. A public scoping meeting is set for Oct. 18, 2022, from 5-7 p.m. at the Miles City Field Office located at 111 Garryowen Road, Miles City, MT.

In August 2022, the court determined that the analysis of possible fossil fuel impacts to the planning area was insufficient and gave the BLM until November 2023 to analyze other coal leasing alternatives and disclose the public health impacts, both climate and non-climate, of burning fossil fuels from the planning area. The BLM Buffalo Field Office in Wyoming is also included in the court order.

More information, relevant documents, addresses, and a venue for submitting comments are available on the webpage dedicated to this project at https://eplanning.blm.gov. Search using the NEPA number: DOI-BLM-MT-C020-2022-0086-RMP-EIS. Electronic comments may only be submitted via e-Planning. Hard copy comments can be mailed or hand-delivered to the Miles City Field Office during business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information, please be aware that your entire comment – including personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While those commenting can ask in their comments to have their personal identifying information withheld from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that they will be able to do so.

For more information, contact Project Manager Irma Nansel at: (406) 233-3653.

–BLM