Public Notice: Request for Nominations of Qualified Properties for Potential Purchase by the Federal Government; Montana, 34390 [E6-9258]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management
• Land Management Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 34390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9258]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[MT-924-5870-HN]


Public Notice: Request for Nominations of Qualified Properties 
for Potential Purchase by the Federal Government; Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice is provided pursuant to Section 204 of the Federal Land 
Transaction Facilitation Act of 2000 (43 U.S.C. 2303) (FLTFA) of the 
procedures for possible acquisition of qualified properties by the 
Federal Government. The notice also provides information on the 
procedures for identifying such properties held by willing sellers and 
establishing a priority for the purchase of such properties.

DATES: June 14, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Nominations should be mailed to BLM Montana State Office, 
Attn: Dee Baxter, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, MT 59101-4669.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dee Baxter, BLM Montana FLTFA Contact, 
at 406-896-5044, or on the internet at dbaxter@blm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FLTFA provides for the deposit of 
proceeds from land sales or exchanges into a separate account in the 
Treasury of the United States, known as the Federal Land Disposal 
Account. From the amounts deposited, eighty percent (80%) or more of 
the funds must be used to acquire inholding property and lands adjacent 
to federally designated areas containing exceptional resources. The 
four land managing agencies participating in the FLTFA land acquisition 
program are the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Forest Service 
(FS), the National Park Service (NPS), and the Fish and Wildlife 
Service (FWS).
    The four agencies have signed a national interagency memorandum of 
understanding (MOU) that describes the process for use of funds from 
the Federal Land Disposal Account and the acquisition of properties 
under the act. The Montana FLTFA Implementation Plan was completed on 
February 1, 2006.
    Section 204 of FLTFA requires publication of a notice to the public 
of agency procedures to identify and prioritize inholdings to be 
acquired under the Act. To that end, the public is hereby notified of 
its opportunity to nominate qualified properties in the State of 
Montana for potential purchase by the Federal Government. The BLM is 
the lead agency for the public notice process regarding the nomination 
of properties for potential Federal acquisition.
    Property nominated in response to this notice must meet the 
following criteria:
    (1) The property must contain an exceptional resource, meaning a 
resource of scientific, natural, historic, cultural, or recreational 
value that has been documented by a Federal, state, or local government 
authority, and for which there is a compelling need for conservation 
and protection under the jurisdiction of a Federal agency in order to 
maintain the resource for the benefit of the public; and
    ( 2) The property must be an ``inholding'' or immediately adjacent 
to a federally designated area. An ``inholding'' is any right, title, 
or interest held by a non-Federal entity, in or to a tract of land that 
lies within the boundary of a federally designated area.
    A federally designated area is defined as an area that has been set 
aside for special management, such as land within the boundary of:
    (a) A national monument, an area of critical environmental concern, 
a national conservation area, a national riparian conservation area, a 
national recreation area, a national scenic area, a research natural 
area, a national outstanding natural area, or a national natural 
landmark managed by BLM; or
    (b) A unit of the National Park System; or
    (c) A unit of the national Wildlife Refuge System; or
    (d) An area of the National Forest System designated for special 
management by Congress; or
    (e) An area that is designated as wilderness under the Wilderness 
Act, a wilderness study area, a component of the Wild and Scenic Rivers 
System, or a component of the National Trails System.
    Any individual, group, or governmental body may make a nomination 
of such lands that would benefit from public ownership. Nominations 
will only be considered if there is a willing seller, if acquisition of 
the nominated land or interest in land would be consistent with an 
agency approved land use plan, and if any public safety, hazardous 
contaminant or other liability, and land title issues present on the 
property can be mitigated.
    The nominations will be assessed by the four agencies for public 
benefits and ranked in a priority order in accordance with the state 
plan. Items considered in the prioritization process include the date 
the inholding was established and the extent to which acquisition of 
the land will facilitate land management efficiency.
    The identification of an inholding creates no obligation on the 
part of the landowner to convey the inholding or any obligation on the 
part of the United States to acquire the inholding. Land purchases 
under the act must be at fair market value consistent with applicable 
provisions of the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land 
Acquisitions. Detailed information on the MOU, the state plan, the 
acquisition process, and the acquisition nomination package 
requirements may be obtained by contacting BLM at the above address.

    Dated: May 19, 2006
Howard A. Lemm,
Acting State Director.
 FR Doc. E6-9258 Filed 6-13-06; 8:45 am]
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