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Show EIS streamlining proposed for BLM WASHINGTON, D.C. The Bureau of Land Management would streamline costly and time-consuming procedures pro-cedures for writing Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) pertaining per-taining to livestock grazing on public rangelands, according to a proposed policy statement announced recently by BLM Director Bob Burford. Burford said that the Bureau will be able to make better use of its available funds and personnel as a result of the changes made in the way it prepares environmental en-vironmental impact statements. Under the proposed program, the Bureau would collect enough information about soils and resources from grazing allotments within each given EIS area to identify an allotment's production potential and current condition. Grazing allotments would then be categorized, through the EIS process, according to current use, production potential, condition, and the demands being made on the resources. Lands having a high potential for improvement and increased productivity, or those with major conflicts over their use, would receive the greater share of the Bureau's management efforts in the short term. Burford also said that the proposed program would improve the Bureau's procedures for managing livestock use of public lands. Although grazing use still could not be increased or decreased in a given EIS area until the impact statement has been completed, the Bureau would no longer base grazing-use decisions solely on information used to prepare the EIS. The Bureau would collect additional data on vegetation production for those allotments where forage conflicts exist. This information would be continually updated through monitoring. The amount of data collected would depend on the complexity of demands on the resources. The proposed Rangeland Management policy statement will be sent to representatives of universities, colleges, State and Federal agencies, and interested persons. Copies are now available from the Bureau of Land Management, Washington, Wash-ington, D.C. 20240 and from State and local BLM Offices. Public comments should be forwarded to the Division of Rangeland Management, Bureau of Land Management (220), Washington, D.C. by Sept. 4. |