WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) today sent a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell echoing the concerns of Nebraskans about the Ponca Bluffs and Niobrara River land management plans being considered by the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The proposal under review could result in government management or acquisition affecting more than 1.4 million acres in Nebraska and South Dakota. The majority of the acreage is in Nebraska.

In the letter, Johanns and Fischer call for an extended comment period so residents and landowners in the impacted area can voice their opinions.

Below is a copy of the letter:

May 24, 2013

The Honorable Sally Jewell
Secretary
Department of Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC  20240

RE:  Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Land Protection Plan, Niobrara Confluence and Ponca Bluffs Conservation Areas, Nebraska and South Dakota, March 2013; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. 

Dear Secretary Jewell:

As you may know, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a draft Environmental Impact Statement and Land Protection Plan in March, 2013 (DEIS).  The DEIS addresses a joint “conservation effort” along portions of the Missouri and Niobrara rivers in Nebraska and South Dakota.  The comment period opened with public availability on April 2, 2013, and is scheduled to close on June 14, 2013. 

Give the size and scope of the project and the complex issues addressed in the DEIS, we believe a comment period of just over 60 days is insufficient to permit our constituents to review the plan and its impact on our state, counties, local communities, and economy.   Public meetings concerning the plan and preliminary review of the document have yielded substantial concerns.  Those concerns have deepened and become more numerous as review of the document has continued.  Quite simply, without a substantial extension to the comment period, our constituents will not have sufficient time to fully assess the project.

We therefore ask that the comment period for the DEIS not be closed before September 30, 2013.  We ask also that questions, requests for clarification, and requests for additional information be honored well before the close of this amended deadline. 

Thank you for your prompt consideration of this request. 

Sincerely,

 

Mike Johanns                                                    Deb Fischer
United States Senator                                     United States Senator