Washington · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Coal Creek
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource, a cultural value and a historic value here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 5 rights of way inside the line today, and a grazing allotment covers part of it. It covers 764 acres in Washington, managed by BLM's Oregon/Washington office, and was designated December 17, 1992, in the Spokane District RMP Amendment. In the plan's name, RMP stands for resource management plan.
One of the 1,120 places the Bureau of Land Management has designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. This page shows its line, what BLM found there and what sits inside it.
The line
The rights of way
5 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 3 under non-energy facilities, 1 under fiber optic facilities and 1 under other energy facilities.
- WASHINGTON STATE - DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION2rights of way
- GREAT NORTHERN RR1right of way
- NORTHWEST OPEN ACCESS NETWORK1right of way
- AVISTA CORP1right of way
Grazing allotments
A grazing allotment covers part of this line. Its permittee isn't named here yet.
- COAL CREEK238acres
The nearest areas
- Juniper ForestOregon/Washington · 12,928 acres · 6 rights of way, 5 grazing allotments covering part of it71miles
- Windy Bay RNAIdaho · 16 acres · nothing placed inside72miles
- Sentinel SlopeOregon/Washington · 124 acres · nothing placed inside74miles
- Yakima River - Columbia River IslandOregon/Washington · 88 acres · nothing placed inside77miles
- Rock Island CanyonOregon/Washington · 2,203 acres · 1 right of way, 3 grazing allotments covering part of it77miles
More from BLM's Oregon/Washington office
Every area BLM's Oregon/Washington office holdsThe proposed rule
A proposed rule, RIN 1004-AF53, would change how BLM drafts every land use plan, and how it designates ACECs like Coal Creek. The comment window hasn't opened: the proposed rule wasn't in the Federal Register at our last check. The Watch sends one email the day it prints.
The rule's abstract
The purpose of this rulemaking is to establish in regulations an updated process for the approval of the development, revision, amendment, and maintenance of land use plans, as provided for by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Additionally, this rulemaking will provide clarification of the process the BLM uses for designating Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.Unified Agenda entry for RIN 1004-AF53, Publication ID 2026, reginfo.gov (OMB OIRA), read Oct 18, 2026