The Bureau of Land Management Prineville District is holding a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 22, from 3:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. to hear input on adverse effects to historic properties and potential resolutions for the AT&T Glass Butte Communication Site Project. Public input gathered from this session, which is part of the required National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 compliance process, will be considered for the project’s final mitigation plan.
Section 106 requires Federal agencies to consider the effects of their work on historic properties and requires consultation with State Historic Preservation Offices, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, and Indian Tribes, among others. Glass Buttes has significant cultural importance to several area tribes, making it a historic property and applicable to the terms of Section 106.
In 2017, the BLM released an Environmental Assessment for two communication site infrastructure projects at Glass Butte for Bonneville Power Administration and AT&T. Planning and consultation for both projects began in 2013. In 2018, a right-of-way was granted to Bonneville Power for their facility and construction began on site in 2021.
For the AT&T project, tribal consultation is complete, and this virtual meeting will finalize Section 106 review requirements and the agency may move forward with finalizing National Environmental Policy Act documentation. Following consideration of public input, the BLM will issue a Decision Record from the Environmental Assessment specific to the AT&T proposal regarding whether or not and under what conditions to grant a short-term right-of-way to construct the communication facility, and lease a long-term right-of-way to operate, use and maintain the facility.
Those interested in participating in the virtual meeting must attend through Zoom by copying the following link into an internet browser: https://blm.zoomgov.com/j/1604020843?pwd=eU5yRG1Za2hCZjYxM3AwYVg2QnN0QT09 with passcode 799118. Participants can join the meeting through the link or use it to find a phone number and instructions to connect offline. Comments can be submitted during the meeting orally or through the Zoom chat feature. Input may also be shared with the BLM up to three days after the meeting, in writing, by:
Email: BLM_OR_PR_Lands@blm.gov
Mail: BLM Prineville District
Attn: Glass Butte Project
3050 NE Third Street
Prineville, Oregon, 97754
More information about the initial planning effort, including the Environmental Assessment and project maps can be found on the project’s ePlanning website at https://go.usa.gov/xtBkJ. For specific questions, contact Faith Simitz, Realty Specialist, at BLM_OR_PR_Lands@blm.gov or (541) 416-6783. You can also call the BLM Prineville office at (541) 416-6700.
