Notice of Administrative Boundary Change for Bureau of Land Management Districts in Colorado
| Published date | 13 October 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 64529 |
| Record Number | 2020-22575 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Interior Department,Land Management Bureau |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 198 (Tuesday, October 13, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 198 (Tuesday, October 13, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64529-64530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22575]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCO910000-20X-L13100000.PP0000]
Notice of Administrative Boundary Change for Bureau of Land
Management Districts in Colorado
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of district boundary changes.
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SUMMARY: The administrative boundaries of the Northwest Colorado
District Office, Rocky Mountain District, and Southwest Colorado
District are being changed, and the Upper Colorado River District is
being created.
DATES: The boundary change takes effect on October 1, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne Copping, Rocky Mountain
District Associate District Manager, telephone: 719-269-8724, email:
[email protected] or Jayson Barangan, BLM Colorado Acting Communications
Director, telephone: 303-239-3681, email: [email protected]. Persons who
use a use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Ms. Copping
during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, to leave a message or questions. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The administrative boundary change will
realign the Gunnison Field Office under the Southwest District; move
the Grand Junction Field Office from the Southwest District to the
newly created Upper Colorado River District; and move the Colorado
River Valley Field Office from the Northwest District to the Upper
Colorado River District. Field Office and Fire Unit boundaries will
remain the same. This change in administrative boundaries will align
district boundaries with BLM Colorado's fire units. All land managed by
the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado fall within the Department of
the Interior's Upper Colorado Basin--Region 7. This realignment of
administrative boundaries does not conflict with the Department's
reorganization into 12 unified Interior regions and is fully consistent
with the goals of the Department's efforts for efficient government and
enhanced coordination.
In 2016, BLM Colorado redrew its district boundaries, establishing
the Rocky Mountain District, Northwest Colorado, and Southwest Colorado
Districts. The established boundaries from this effort resulted in
districts not aligning with the fire units. After implementation, the
State Director made a commitment to evaluate the realignment and
determine if adjustments would be necessary. To honor the commitment,
BLM Colorado sought input in Fall 2019 from its employees, local
communities and local government officials, and Tribes, as well as
Colorado's congressional delegation on how the 2016 alignment is
working. As a result of the evaluation, BLM Colorado is establishing a
fourth district--the Upper Colorado River District--and realigning
existing districts to match the existing four fire units and better
complement the missions of the field offices throughout the state.
The primary purpose of the administrative boundary change is to
align BLM Colorado fire units with district boundaries and simplify
reporting and oversight structures to enhance wildfire response and
wildland firefighter safety. Secondly, aligning district boundaries
with more practical geographic features and geopolitical areas will
enhance service to the public, as well as coordination with local,
county and state agencies and elected officials.
Authority: BLM Manual 1203 Delegation of Authority Sec. 1202 and
Sec. 1201 relates to functions of BLM. The delegation manual shows the
various delegations of functions to BLM officials, et al., which
includes ``Approve changes in District and Field Office boundaries.''
(See the table of delegations in the manual, specifically subject code
1202.) This authority is retained by the Director, with concurrence by
the ``Office of the Assistant Secretary'' (see footnote 3 in
[[Page 64530]]
the 1203 Manual). BLM Manual 1201 Organization Management describes
organizational policies and standards. Procedures and requirements for
organizational change have been followed as described in BLM Manual
1202 Organization Control.
Jamie E. Connell,
Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-22575 Filed 10-9-20; 8:45 am]
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