FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLM withdraws Steens travel plan decision after court rules in ONDA's favor

In response to an ONDA legal victory, BLM has withdrawn its final decision adopting a flawed Travel Management Plan for Steens Mountain. The TMP was intended to "implement" a Transportation Plan challenged in federal district court by ONDA as being inconsistent with the requirements of the Steens Act. The agency's action came after the court ruled that the Transportation Plan, issued in 2006 with the resource management plan for the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area, failed to comply with Congress's direction that it be a "comprehensive" plan. BLM's Transportation Plan failed to address issues such as non-motorized recreation and uses along the more than 500 miles of routes currently existing on Steens Mountain.

In response to ONDA's lawsuit, BLM fast-tracked what it called a "Travel Management Plan" over the course of the past year. The TMP was intended to "implement" the Transportation Plan by providing complete route inventory information, designating roads to be closed or left open, and specifying allowable grazing permittee and administrative uses.

During the NEPA process for the TMP, ONDA commented that the TMP, as proposed by BLM, continued to not satisfy the Steens Act's requirements. Of significant concern was the fact that BLM still refused to consider non-motorized uses and trail designations in the TMP, and that BLM proposed to designate 35 miles of roads it calls "Obscure Routes" within Wilderness Study Areas. According to BLM, these routes are "hard to locate on-the-ground." This is an understatement in that many of these routes no longer exist and simply cannot be found on the ground.

On June 13th, BLM rescinded its TMP decision in order to consider the district court's opinion, and has stated that it will issue a new decision soon.

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