Notice of Application for Withdrawal in Nye County, Nevada, 19094-19095 [2018-09180]
Download as PDF
19094
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 84 / Tuesday, May 1, 2018 / Notices
land, subject to valid existing rights, the
provisions of existing withdrawals,
other segregations of record, and the
requirements of applicable law.
Joseph R. Balash,
Assistant Secretary—Land and Minerals
Management.
[FR Doc. 2018–09184 Filed 4–30–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVB02000–L19200000–ET0000; N–
94970; LR0RF1709500; MO# 4500111101]
Notice of Application for Withdrawal in
Nye County, Nevada
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The United States Department
of Energy Office of Legacy Management
(DOE) has filed an application with the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM),
requesting that the Secretary of the
Interior withdraw 361 acres of public
lands to assist the DOE to carry out its
responsibilities regarding public health,
safety, and national security in
connection with a past underground
nuclear detonation in Hot Creek Valley,
Nye County, Nevada. Publication of this
Notice temporarily segregates the lands,
subject to valid existing rights, for up to
two years from all forms of
appropriation or other disposition under
the public land laws, including the
mining laws and the mineral-leasing
laws. The two-year segregation will
provide the BLM and the DOE sufficient
time to prepare an Environmental
Assessment (EA) which will analyze the
environmental effects of the requested
withdrawal and any alternatives in
order for the BLM to make a
recommendation to the Secretary of
Interior on the requested withdrawal.
DATES: Comments regarding this
withdrawal proposal must be received
by July 30, 2018. The BLM welcomes
comments regarding the environmental
consequences of the proposed
withdrawal, for consideration in
preparation of the EA.
ADDRESSES: Comments pertaining to this
Notice should be submitted by any of
the following methods:
• Email: BLM_NV_BMDO_Tonopah_
Withdrawal@blm.gov.
• Fax: 775–482–7810.
• Mail: BLM Nevada State Director,
Attn: NV 930 CNTA Withdrawal,
Bureau of Land Management, 1340
Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV 89520.
amozie on DSK30RV082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:12 Apr 30, 2018
Jkt 244001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Wendy Seley, Project Lead, Tonopah
Field Office, Attn: DOE Withdrawal,
1553 South Main Street, P.O. Box 911,
Tonopah, NV 89049; email: wseley@
blm.gov. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–775–861–6511 to
contact the above individual during
normal business hours. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
to leave a message or question with the
above individual. You will receive a
reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In order to
fulfill its obligations under the Atomic
Energy Act (AEA) of 1954 (42 U.S.C.
2201) regarding public health, safety,
and national security in connection
with a past underground nuclear
detonation, the DOE requests that the
361 acres of public lands be withdrawn
from all forms of appropriation or other
disposition under the public land laws,
including the mining laws and mineral
leasing laws, subject to valid existing
rights.
The AEA requires the DOE to take
necessary measures to protect human
health and the environment from
nuclear contamination, and provides
broad authority for the DOE to do so.
The AEA states, in part, that DOE may
‘‘establish by rule, regulation, or order,
such standards and instructions to
govern the possession and use of special
nuclear material, source material, and
byproduct material as the Commission
may deem necessary or desirable to
promote the common defense and
security or to protect health or to
minimize danger to life or property’’ (42
U.S.C. 2201(b)).
This application is to withdraw lands
adjacent to and surrounding land and
interests withdrawn under Public Land
Order (PLO) No. 4338, published in the
Federal Register Volume 32, No. 241,
December 14, 1967. The PLO
established the Central Nevada Test
Area (CNTA) for an underground
nuclear test. The test, which was
conducted in 1968, resulted in a
determination that the site was
unsuitable for further nuclear tests. DOE
requests a new withdrawal of lands
adjacent to and surrounding the 1967
withdrawal in order to prevent
disturbance to residual subsurface
contamination. The BLM will hold a 90day scoping period to identify issues
and begin preparing an EA to analyze
the impacts of the proposed withdrawal.
As required by section 204(b)(1) of the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (FLPMA), 43 U.S.C.
1714(b)(1), and the BLM regulations at
PO 00000
Frm 00056
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
43 CFR part 2310.3–1, the BLM is
publishing the Notice that DOE has
requested the withdrawal of the
following described lands:
Mount Diablo Meridian
T. 9 N. R. 51 E., Unsurveyed,
Sections 14, 15, 22, and 23. It is an
irregular bounded portion of land being
described as follows:
BEGINNING at a point which is north
35°15′30″ west, 14,986.1 feet from the
southeast corner of township 9 north, range
51 east.
THENCE, north 89°43′10″ west, a distance
of 6602.5 feet.
THENCE, north 0°16′30″ east, a distance of
6602.6 feet.
THENCE, south 89°43′10″ east, a distance
of 6602.5 feet.
THENCE, south 0°17′20″ west, a distance
of 6602.6 feet to the POINT OF BEGINNING.
BASIS OF BEARING: Mean geodetic
bearings referenced to the true meridian.
EXCEPTING those portions withdrawn by
PLO No. 4338 (UC–1 withdrawal).
The area encumbered by the existing
withdrawal contains approximately 640
acres.
The area encumbered by the new
withdrawal is 361 acres in Nye County.
This proposed withdrawal would
fully encompass the use-restriction and
compliance boundaries established by
DOE. The objective of the compliance
boundary is to protect the public and
environment from exposure to
groundwater contamination by the
underground nuclear test. The objective
of the use-restriction boundary is to
restrict access to subsurface materials,
including groundwater. The proposed
withdrawal for 20 years would maintain
the physical integrity of the subsurface
environment, and would ensure that
DOE’s ongoing, long-term site
characterization studies of the CNTA are
not invalidated or otherwise adversely
affected.
The use of a right-of-way, interagency
agreement, or cooperative agreement
would not adequately constrain nondiscretionary uses which could result in
permanent loss of significant values and
threaten public health, safety, and
Federal investment in the long-term
monitoring program established for the
CNTA.
There are no suitable alternative sites
because the lands contain the specific
area surrounding the underground
nuclear test site, and Federal
improvements described in the
application.
No water rights will be required for
this withdrawal.
The legal descriptions and the maps
depicting the lands are available for
public inspection at the following
offices: BLM Nevada State Office, 1340
Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada
E:\FR\FM\01MYN1.SGM
01MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 84 / Tuesday, May 1, 2018 / Notices
89502; BLM Tonopah Field Office, 1553
South Main Street, Tonopah, Nevada
89049.
Information regarding the proposed
withdrawal will be available for public
review at the BLM’s Tonopah Field
Office, during regular business hours,
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personally
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personally identifying information—
may be made publicly available at any
time. While you can ask the BLM in
your comment to withhold your
personally identifying information from
public review, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so.
For a period until May 1, 2020,
subject to valid existing rights, the
public lands described in this Notice is
segregated, for up to two years, from all
forms of appropriation under the public
land laws, including the mining laws
and the mineral-leasing laws, unless the
application/proposal is denied or
canceled or the withdrawal is approved
prior to that date.
Licenses, permits, cooperative
agreements, or discretionary land use
authorizations may be allowed during
the period of segregation, but only with
the approval of the authorized officer
and, as appropriate, with the
concurrence of DOE.
Authority: 43 U.S.C. 1714(b)(1) and 43 CFR
2300
Michael J. Herder,
Acting State Director, Nevada.
[FR Doc. 2018–09180 Filed 4–30–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLORN03000.L63100000.DB0000.
17XL1116AF.252Z.HAG 17–0170]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Hult
Reservoir and Dam Safety
Environmental Impact Statement in
Lane County, Oregon
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
amozie on DSK30RV082PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969 and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Siuslaw Field Office, Northwest Oregon
District, intends to prepare the Hult
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:12 Apr 30, 2018
Jkt 244001
Reservoir and Dam Safety
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Through this Notice, the BLM is
announcing the beginning of the
scoping process to solicit public
comments and identify issues.
DATES: This Notice initiates the public
scoping process for the EIS. Comments
may be submitted in writing until May
31, 2018. The date(s) and location(s) of
any scoping meetings will be
announced at least 15 days in advance
through email and the ePlanning
website. In order to be included in the
Draft EIS, all comments must be
received prior to the close of the 30-day
scoping period or 15 days after the last
public meeting, whichever is later. The
BLM will provide additional
opportunities for public participation
upon publication of the Draft EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
related to the EIS by any of the
following methods:
• Email: blm_or_no_
publiccomments_nepa@blm.gov; ATTN:
Panchita Paulete, Hult Dam and
Reservoir Safety EIS.
• Fax: 541–683–6981; ATTN:
Panchita Paulete, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator.
• Mail: Bureau of Land Management,
3106 Pierce Parkway, Suite E,
Springfield, OR 97477–7909.
Documents pertinent to this proposal
may be examined at the Northwest
Oregon District’s Springfield
Interagency Office located at 3106
Pierce Parkway in Springfield, Oregon.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Panchita Paulete, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator; 541–683–
6976; blm_or_no_publiccomments_
nepa@blm.gov Contact Ms. Paulete if
you wish to add your name to our
mailing list. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1(800) 877–8339 to
contact the above individual during
normal business hours. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
to leave a message or question with the
above individual. You will receive a
reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Hult
Reservoir is located within the Lake
Creek fifth-field watershed, near the
community of Horton, Oregon, within
the Siuslaw Field Office of the
Northwest Oregon District at Township
15S, Range 7W, Sections 23 and 26, in
Lane County, Oregon.
The Hult Reservoir is a 41-acre manmade lake, approximately a half-mile
long and less than a quarter-mile wide.
The reservoir’s depth ranges from
approximately 15 feet to 35 feet, and
PO 00000
Frm 00057
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
19095
contains another 10 to 15 feet of soft,
silty sand. Below depths of 25 to 43 feet,
it is estimated that the foundation of the
reservoir consists of landslide deposits,
which generally include cobbles,
bounders, and large rock beds. The dam
is an earthen dam which consists of
loose rock placed on the downstream
face.
The dam and spillway at Hult
Reservoir were originally constructed in
1950 to create a holding pond for logs
by the Hult Timber Company. These
lands were transferred to the BLM in
1994. During severe winter weather, the
amount of rainfall in the catchment area
contributes substantially to the water
levels in the reservoir. The dam requires
constant monitoring and adjustment of
the outflow valve by BLM engineers to
avoid overwhelming the current water
level controls in place. Since the
transfer of ownership, costly
renovations to the dam (e.g., grouting,
reinforcement structures, and
monitoring devices) have been ongoing
to address structural and safety
concerns.
In July 2012, the BLM completed a
Comprehensive Dam Evaluation on the
dam and spillway at Hult Reservoir,
which found eleven potential failure
modes presenting unacceptable high
risks for dam failure, five of which
warrant expedited action to address.
These evaluations of the dam
infrastructure also identified that the
dam and spillway are currently at an
elevated cumulative risk posed by all
possible failure modes and associated
potential life loss. In 2016, the BLM
implemented improvements to the dam
infrastructure, which improved some
elements presenting cumulative risk.
However, there is still a need to address
the remaining cumulative safety risks
associated with the dam at Hult
Reservoir.
The purpose of this project is to
reduce the risk of infrastructure failure
at Hult Dam from excessive water and
sediment loading, within the scope of
what the BLM could reasonably fund
and within the scope of the BLM’s
jurisdiction.
The EIS will analyze a range of
alternatives to provide for a long-term
management approach. The EIS will
analyze a No Action alternative that
would analyze the continued
management and standard maintenance
of Hult Dam in the current conditions.
Some potential action alternatives
include:
• Improving the existing dam
infrastructure: This alternative would
retain all existing dam infrastructure,
but would implement patches,
reinforcements, or other additions
E:\FR\FM\01MYN1.SGM
01MYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 1, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19094-19095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09180]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVB02000-L19200000-ET0000; N-94970; LR0RF1709500; MO# 4500111101]
Notice of Application for Withdrawal in Nye County, Nevada
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The United States Department of Energy Office of Legacy
Management (DOE) has filed an application with the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), requesting that the Secretary of the Interior
withdraw 361 acres of public lands to assist the DOE to carry out its
responsibilities regarding public health, safety, and national security
in connection with a past underground nuclear detonation in Hot Creek
Valley, Nye County, Nevada. Publication of this Notice temporarily
segregates the lands, subject to valid existing rights, for up to two
years from all forms of appropriation or other disposition under the
public land laws, including the mining laws and the mineral-leasing
laws. The two-year segregation will provide the BLM and the DOE
sufficient time to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) which will
analyze the environmental effects of the requested withdrawal and any
alternatives in order for the BLM to make a recommendation to the
Secretary of Interior on the requested withdrawal.
DATES: Comments regarding this withdrawal proposal must be received by
July 30, 2018. The BLM welcomes comments regarding the environmental
consequences of the proposed withdrawal, for consideration in
preparation of the EA.
ADDRESSES: Comments pertaining to this Notice should be submitted by
any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 775-482-7810.
Mail: BLM Nevada State Director, Attn: NV 930 CNTA
Withdrawal, Bureau of Land Management, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno,
NV 89520.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Seley, Project Lead, Tonopah
Field Office, Attn: DOE Withdrawal, 1553 South Main Street, P.O. Box
911, Tonopah, NV 89049; email: [email protected]. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1-775-861-6511 to contact the above individual during
normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You
will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In order to fulfill its obligations under
the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2201) regarding public
health, safety, and national security in connection with a past
underground nuclear detonation, the DOE requests that the 361 acres of
public lands be withdrawn from all forms of appropriation or other
disposition under the public land laws, including the mining laws and
mineral leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights.
The AEA requires the DOE to take necessary measures to protect
human health and the environment from nuclear contamination, and
provides broad authority for the DOE to do so. The AEA states, in part,
that DOE may ``establish by rule, regulation, or order, such standards
and instructions to govern the possession and use of special nuclear
material, source material, and byproduct material as the Commission may
deem necessary or desirable to promote the common defense and security
or to protect health or to minimize danger to life or property'' (42
U.S.C. 2201(b)).
This application is to withdraw lands adjacent to and surrounding
land and interests withdrawn under Public Land Order (PLO) No. 4338,
published in the Federal Register Volume 32, No. 241, December 14,
1967. The PLO established the Central Nevada Test Area (CNTA) for an
underground nuclear test. The test, which was conducted in 1968,
resulted in a determination that the site was unsuitable for further
nuclear tests. DOE requests a new withdrawal of lands adjacent to and
surrounding the 1967 withdrawal in order to prevent disturbance to
residual subsurface contamination. The BLM will hold a 90-day scoping
period to identify issues and begin preparing an EA to analyze the
impacts of the proposed withdrawal.
As required by section 204(b)(1) of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), 43 U.S.C. 1714(b)(1), and the BLM
regulations at 43 CFR part 2310.3-1, the BLM is publishing the Notice
that DOE has requested the withdrawal of the following described lands:
Mount Diablo Meridian
T. 9 N. R. 51 E., Unsurveyed,
Sections 14, 15, 22, and 23. It is an irregular bounded portion
of land being described as follows:
BEGINNING at a point which is north 35[deg]15'30'' west,
14,986.1 feet from the southeast corner of township 9 north, range
51 east.
THENCE, north 89[deg]43'10'' west, a distance of 6602.5 feet.
THENCE, north 0[deg]16'30'' east, a distance of 6602.6 feet.
THENCE, south 89[deg]43'10'' east, a distance of 6602.5 feet.
THENCE, south 0[deg]17'20'' west, a distance of 6602.6 feet to
the POINT OF BEGINNING.
BASIS OF BEARING: Mean geodetic bearings referenced to the true
meridian.
EXCEPTING those portions withdrawn by PLO No. 4338 (UC-1
withdrawal).
The area encumbered by the existing withdrawal contains
approximately 640 acres.
The area encumbered by the new withdrawal is 361 acres in Nye
County.
This proposed withdrawal would fully encompass the use-restriction
and compliance boundaries established by DOE. The objective of the
compliance boundary is to protect the public and environment from
exposure to groundwater contamination by the underground nuclear test.
The objective of the use-restriction boundary is to restrict access to
subsurface materials, including groundwater. The proposed withdrawal
for 20 years would maintain the physical integrity of the subsurface
environment, and would ensure that DOE's ongoing, long-term site
characterization studies of the CNTA are not invalidated or otherwise
adversely affected.
The use of a right-of-way, interagency agreement, or cooperative
agreement would not adequately constrain non-discretionary uses which
could result in permanent loss of significant values and threaten
public health, safety, and Federal investment in the long-term
monitoring program established for the CNTA.
There are no suitable alternative sites because the lands contain
the specific area surrounding the underground nuclear test site, and
Federal improvements described in the application.
No water rights will be required for this withdrawal.
The legal descriptions and the maps depicting the lands are
available for public inspection at the following offices: BLM Nevada
State Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada
[[Page 19095]]
89502; BLM Tonopah Field Office, 1553 South Main Street, Tonopah,
Nevada 89049.
Information regarding the proposed withdrawal will be available for
public review at the BLM's Tonopah Field Office, during regular
business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays. Before including your address, phone number, email
address, or other personally identifying information in your comment,
you should be aware that your entire comment--including your personally
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask the BLM in your comment to withhold your personally
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
For a period until May 1, 2020, subject to valid existing rights,
the public lands described in this Notice is segregated, for up to two
years, from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws,
including the mining laws and the mineral-leasing laws, unless the
application/proposal is denied or canceled or the withdrawal is
approved prior to that date.
Licenses, permits, cooperative agreements, or discretionary land
use authorizations may be allowed during the period of segregation, but
only with the approval of the authorized officer and, as appropriate,
with the concurrence of DOE.
Authority: 43 U.S.C. 1714(b)(1) and 43 CFR 2300
Michael J. Herder,
Acting State Director, Nevada.
[FR Doc. 2018-09180 Filed 4-30-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P