Wyo4News staff, [email protected] [PRESS RELEASE]
November 13, 2023 — The public comment period for the BLM Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Rock Springs Field Office has been extended to January 17, 2024. Four interactive public workshops on the BLM’s Rock Springs RMP will take place this week.
The first two public meetings will be held on Friday, Nov. 17th, at Western Wyoming Community College in Room #3650. The first meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and will focus on livestock and industry, and the second meeting be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., focusing on recreation, tourism, and wildlife conservation.
The third RMP public meeting will be held on Saturday, Nov. 18th, at Western Wyoming Community College Green River Center, in Room #206, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and will cover all topics with breakout groups.
The fourth RMP public meeting will be held in Farson, Wyoming, on Saturday, Nov. 18th, at Eden Valley Community Center, 4039 US-191, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and will cover all topics with breakout groups.
These meetings are being organized by the University of Wyoming’s Ruckelshaus Institute along with the UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences, and Natural Resources, the UW School of Energy Resources, and the Wyoming County Commissioners Association.
Organizers will provide an overview of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the RMP process, and how to submit comments to the BLM. This will be followed by an interactive public workshop for the public to share their perspectives with a task force to be appointed by the Governor.
“It is clear that the draft Rock Springs RMP is critical for the economy and lifeblood of Southwestern Wyoming,” Governor Gordon said. “Significant effort must be put into making the final plan work for the people and industries of Wyoming.”
These initial public meetings will inform a governor-appointed stakeholder task force, developing recommendations to be delivered to the Governor and BLM in January. Task force members will attend these public meetings to hear directly from the public. In addition to sharing your input via the public meetings, you may submit input to the governor’s task force using this form. Input submitted here will go to the governor’s task force and not to the BLM. If you would like to submit a comment directly to the BLM, find more information about how to do so at https://www.uwyo.edu/haub/ruckelshaus-institute/.
