NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-ID-0000-2017-0001-EIS
Project Name: Programmatic EIS for Fuel Breaks in the Great Basin

Project Information 

  • NEPA Number
    DOI-BLM-ID-0000-2017-0001-EIS
  • Project Name
    Programmatic EIS for Fuel Breaks in the Great Basin
  • Project Type
    EIS
  • NEPA Status
    Completed - Completed
  • Lead Office
  • Last Updated


Project Description

What's New



 

RECORD OF DECISION
The BLM has signed a Record of Decision (ROD). The ROD is available under the "Documents" link  on the left-hand side of this page.

 

 


This programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluates the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposal to create and maintain a system of fuel breaks in the Great Basin region. The project area, covering nearly 224 million acres, includes portions of California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The fuel breaks would be placed along a subset of available linear features, such as roads and rights-of-way on BLM-administered lands within sagebrush communities; these potential treatment areas cover approximately 38 million acres within the project area boundary.The BLM is developing two landscape scale Programmatic EISs to analyze potential effects of: 1) constructing fuel breaks, and 2) reducing fuel loading and restoring rangeland productivity within the Great Basin Region (Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, northern California, Utah, and eastern Washington) in order to protect and conserve the sagebrush-steppe ecosystem from loss as a result of wildfires. The goal of these Programmatic EISs is to significantly minimize the subsequent National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) work required to approve on-the-ground projects. The BLM initially proposed to prepare these analyses concurrently to gain efficiencies in scoping and effects analyses.  However, after scoping it became apparent that the two should be prepared sequentially.  Therefore, this site only includes the Programmatic EIS for the fuel breaks.  The fuel reduction and restoration Programmatic EIS will be published later under document number DOI-BLM-ID-0000-2017-0003-EIS.

 
 
       
Map of the Fuel Breaks PEIS Project Area, with breakdown of ownership
 

Example of a mowed fuel break next to a roadside

For more information, contact:

Ammon Wilhelm
Phone: (208) 373-3824
Email: [email protected]

Draft EIS Publication

  • Actual Date
    6/21/2019


Final EIS Publication

  • Actual Date
    2/14/2020


Project Location

City State/Territory Zip Code County(ies)
Twin Falls Idaho 83301

Application Information

  • Program
    Hazard Management and Resource Restoration


Project Dates

  • Start Date
    1/4/2017


Notice of Intent Publication

  • NOI Publication Date
    12/22/2017


Project Office Information

  • Lead Office
    —
  • Offices
    State Office,  State Office,  State Office,  State Office,  State Office


Contacts

  • Contact 1 Name
    Jonathan M Beck
  • Contact 1 Email
    [email protected]
  • Contact 1 Phone
    (208)384-3305