The BLM received three protest letters during the 30-day protest period provided for the proposed land use plan decisions in the PRMP/FEIS in accordance with 43 CFR Part 1610.5-2. Protesting parties are listed below:
City of Peoria
Black Canyon Trail Coalition, Inc.
New River/Desert Hills Community Association, Inc.
Main protest points pertained to:
Issue 1. The City of Peoria objected to the absence of a new, designated utility corridor across BLM-administered lands adjacent to State Route 74. Peoria stated that its land use plans, calling for the preservation of open space on private and city lands in northern Peoria, would be violated by the expansion of utility infrastructure unless that expansion were to occur along the state highway.
Issue 2. The Black Canyon Trail Coalition and the New River/Desert Hills Community Association raised the same issues. They objected to boundary adjustments to the designated Black Canyon utility corridor between Black Canyon City and Cordes Junction, which increased the width of the corridor in some areas.
Issue 3. The two protesting parties asserted that a wider corridor would adversely impact view sheds, recreational opportunities, wildlife, and cultural resources.
Issue 4. The two protesting parties stated that the description of the Black Canyon utility corridor in the PRMP/FEIS is unclear and confusing.
Issue 5. The two protesting parties asserted that widening of the utility corridor would allow it to be used as a transportation corridor for new lanes of Interstate Highway 17.
The BLM Director’s decisions on the protests are summarized in the Director’s Protest Resolution Report, Agua Fria National Monument and Bradshaw-Harquahala Resource Management Plans, released on February 2, 2009. The Director dismissed the protest from the City of Peoria, because the City had not previously raised this issue during the planning process. The Director denied the protests from the Black Canyon Trail Coalition and the New River/Desert Hills Community Association and included a response to these protests in the Director’s Protest Resolution Report. In summary, the Director concluded that the BLM Arizona State Director followed the applicable laws, regulations, and policies, and considered all relevant resource information and public input in developing the Proposed RMP .
The BLM Director resolved the protests without making significant changes to the Proposed RMP , though minor clarifications were made and have been explained in the Modifications and Clarifications section below.