BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
For release: April 18, 2012
Contact: Lisa Clark
(541) 280-9560
BLM Releases Proposed RMP and Final EIS for John Day Basin
CENTRAL OREGON — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Prineville District, has
prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement
(PRMP/FEIS) for management of BLM-administered lands in the John Day Basin. Resource
Management Plans establish specific objectives and guidance for managing lands within a defined
planning area. The PRMP was prepared by the BLM in consultation with cooperating agencies and
the public and will provide future direction for managing 456,000 acres of BLM-managed public
lands located in parts of Sherman, Gilliam, Morrow, Umatilla, Grant, Wheeler, Jefferson and
Wasco counties in the State of Oregon.
When finalized in a Record of Decision, this document will revise the Two Rivers RMP (1986);
the John Day RMP (1985); and the Baker RMP (1989) and will provide objectives, land use
allocations, and management direction to maintain, improve, or restore resource conditions over
the long term. It will specify where and under what circumstances activities will be allowed on
BLM-administered lands. The plan will also provide management practices that ensure long-term
sustainability of a healthy and productive landscape, and add to community stability through
resource use and enjoyment.
There is a need for a new John Day Basin Resource Management Plan because information, laws,
regulations, user demands, user impacts and other circumstances have changed since the original
plans were approved. These conditions, and the fact that some of the existing plans have been
amended, drive the need for an inclusive comprehensive plan that provides updated and clear
direction to both the BLM and the public.
The Environmental Protection Agency will publish a Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register, initiating a 30-day protest period on the PRMP/FEIS. Any person who participated in the
planning process for this PRMP, and has an interest that may be adversely affected, may protest
approval the proposed decisions in the PRMP during this period. The entire document is online at:
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/johndayrmp/jdbdocuments.php
Upon resolution of any protests, an Approved Plan and Record of Decision (ROD) will be issued.
The Approved Plan will be available to all who participated in the planning process and will be
available to all parties through the Prineville BLM website or by mail upon request. The
Approved RMP and ROD will include the appeal process for implementing decisions that may be
appealed to the Office of Hearing and Appeals following its publication. For more information on
this document or the planning process for the John Day Basin Resource Management Plan, please
contact the Prineville BLM at (541) 416-6864.
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About the BLM: The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land – the most of any Federal agency. This land,
known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also
administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other
activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000
American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7
billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission
is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau
accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy
production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.