The BLM invited local, state, federal, and tribal representatives to participate as cooperating agencies on the Bighorn Basin RMP Revision Project and EIS. The BLM invited the following entities to participate because they have jurisdiction by law or because they could offer special expertise:
Counties
Big Horn County Commission
Hot Springs County Commission
Park County Commission
Washakie County Commission
Conservation Districts
Cody Conservation District
Hot Springs Conservation District
Powell-Clarks Fork Conservation District
Meeteetse Conservation District
Shoshone Conservation District
South Big Horn Conservation District
Washakie County Conservation District
Wyoming State Agencies
Office of the Governor
Department of Agriculture
Department of Environmental Quality
Game and Fish Department
Office of Lands and Investments
Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
State Engineer’s Office
State Geological Survey
State Historic Preservation Office
Federal Agencies
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 8
U.S. Forest Service – Shoshone National Forest/Wapati Ranger District
U.S. Forest Service – Bighorn Ranger District
Tribes
Northern Cheyenne Tribe Tribal Historic Preservation Office
Crow
Rosebud Sioux
The BLM formally invited the cooperating agencies to participate in developing the alternatives and RMP and EIS, and to provide data and other information relative to their agency responsibilities, goals, mandates, and expertise. Cooperating agencies provided input during the initial scoping process. The BLM held general meetings with cooperators to discuss procedures and processes. The BLM hosted teleconferences to obtain cooperator input on the Analysis of the Management Situation in February 2009. The BLM and cooperating agencies held several workshops to develop goals and objectives, a range of alternatives, and the Preferred Alternative between March 2009 and February 2010. Cooperating agencies met with the Field Managers to relay concerns and propose options for the Preferred Alternative between October 2009 and February 2010. The BLM and cooperating agencies have routinely met to be orientated to process and procedures and to resolve process related issues. Though not in effect during meetings and consultation with cooperating agencies and the general public leading up the Draft RMP and EIS, the BLM will apply the guidance provided in Instruction Memorandum No. WY 2010-033 (BLM 2010d) in future public involvement activities for this revision project, including those with cooperating agencies.
Cooperating agencies were provided an opportunity to submit position statements for publication in the Draft RMP and Draft EIS. The intent of these position statements was to allow the cooperating agencies to express their agreement or disagreement on substantive elements of the alternatives or impacts and whether or not these disagreements were adequately resolved in the Agency Preferred Alternative. No position statements were provided opposing the Agency Preferred Alternative, and only the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and the Washakie County Conservation District provided positions statements for publication in this Draft RMP and Draft EIS (Appendix E).