Land Management Bureau – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will file the plat of survey of the lands described below in the BLM-Eastern States, Springfield, Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (1972), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pinedale Anticline Working Group (PAWG) will meet in Pinedale, Wyoming for business meetings. Meetings are open to the public.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska Resource Advisory Council will meet as indicated below.

A parcel of public land totaling 17 acres in Blaine County, Idaho, is being considered for direct sale, under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), at no less than the appraised fair market value.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to Nunapitchuk Limited. The lands are in the vicinity of Nunapitchuk, Alaska, and are located in:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Colorado State Office, Lakewood, Colorado, hereby gives notice that a public hearing will be held to receive comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), Maximum Economic Recovery (MER) and Fair Market Value (FMV) of Federal coal to be offered. An application for coal lease was filed by CAM- Colorado, LLC (CAM) on September 12, 2006. As a result, the BLM offers for competitive lease 14,466 acres of Federal coal in Garfield County, Colorado. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the BLM has prepared a DEIS for the proposed Red Cliff Mine, located near Loma, Colorado. The DEIS responds to Right-of-Way (ROW) Applications for a railroad spur and associated mine facilities on Federal Lands, and an electrical transmission line. In addition, a Federal Coal Lease by Application (LBA) was submitted by CAM-Colorado, on September 12, 2006. The BLM is providing this notice to announce the availability of the Red Cliff Mine DEIS, the proposed LBA, and the public hearing requesting comments on the DEIS, MER and FMV, pursuant to 40 CFR 1503.1 and 43 CFR 3425.4. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is being prepared in cooperation with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM); U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); the Colorado Department of Natural Resources; the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (CDRMS); the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW); and Garfield and Mesa counties. The EIS analyzes the development of surface facilities for coal mining associated with CAM's proposed underground Red Cliff Mine, including roads, a water pipeline, electric transmission line, conveyers, coal stockpile and waste disposal areas, a coal preparation plant, the mine portal, other administrative and operations facilities, and a railroad spur line that will connect to the existing Union Pacific Railroad line near Mack, Colorado. The EIS also considers the effects of extracting coal from CAM's existing Federal coal leases, defined as logical mining unit COC-57198, and issuance of an adjoining Federal coal LBA COC-070538. This notice announces the opening of the public comment period for the DEIS.

The purpose of this notice is to inform the public and interested State and local government officials of the filing of Plats of Survey in Nevada.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to sell a 29.42- acre parcel of public land in Sublette County, Wyoming, for the appraised fair market value to Magagna Bros Inc., to resolve an unintentional unauthorized use of public lands.

The plats of survey of the following described land will be officially filed in the Colorado State Office, Bureau of Land Management, Lakewood, Colorado, effective 10 a.m., December 31, 2008. All inquiries should be sent to the Colorado State Office (CO-956), Bureau of Land Management, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80215-7093. The plat, and field notes, of the dependent resurveys and surveys in Township 4 North, Range 72 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, were accepted on October 30, 2008. The supplemental plat of Sections 28 and 33 in Township 5 South, Range 99 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, was accepted on October 10, 2008. The plats and field notes, of the dependent resurvey of certain lines in Township 8 North, Range 100 West and Township 9 North, Range 101 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, were accepted on November 20, 2008. The plat, and field notes, of the dependent resurvey, in Township 8 North, Range 95 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, were accepted on December 9, 2008. The plat, of the entire record, of the corrective dependent resurvey, in Township 2 South, Range 98 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, was accepted on December 17, 2008. The plat, and field notes, of the dependent resurvey and section subdivision of Sections 27 and 28, Township 46 North, Range 8 East, New Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado, were accepted on December 22, 2008. The plat and field notes, of the dependent resurvey of the east boundary and a portion of the subdivisional lines in Township 42 North, Range 13 West, New Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado, were accepted on December 22, 2008.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument located in the Lewistown Field Office, Montana. The Montana State Director signed the ROD, which constitutes the final decision of the BLM and makes the Approved RMP effective immediately.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD)/Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Pinedale Field Office Planning Area located in Sublette and Lincoln Counties, Wyoming. The Wyoming State Director signed the ROD on November 27, 2008, which constitutes the final decision of the BLM and makes the Approved RMP effective immediately. The Pinedale RMP provides the management direction for the Federal lands and resources in the Pinedale Field Office Planning Area. The Approved Pinedale RMP revises and replaces the 1988 Pinedale RMP.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policies, the BLM announces the availability of the Records of Decision (RODs) for the Approved Resource Management Plans of the Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Coos Bay, and Medford Districts, and the Klamath Falls Resource Area of the Lakeview District in western Oregon. The Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management, signed the RODs on December 30, 2008, which constitutes the final decision of the Secretary of the Interior. The Approved Resource Management Plans (RMPs) are effective immediately.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is amending its regulations in 43 CFR part 3500 for leasing of solid minerals other than coal and oil shale to distinguish fringe acreage lease requirements from lease modification requirements, and to describe acceptable justifications for a lease modification. The final rule also identifies changes in the associated procedural requirements and updates the filing fees. The final changes are based on statutory authorities, which authorize the BLM to issue regulations for leasing of minerals and to charge for administrative processing costs, and on policy guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) requiring the BLM to charge these fees.

Under the provisions of 30 U.S.C. 188(d) and (e), and 43 CFR 3108.2-3(a) and (b)(1), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement from Abraxas Petroleum Corp. for competitive oil and gas lease WYW143474 for land in Converse County, Wyoming. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to Russian Mission Native Corporation. The lands are in the vicinity of Russian Mission, Alaska, and are located in:

Recreation and Public Purposes application for classification and sale of 400 acres of public land in Bannock County, Idaho. Bannock County proposes to purchase the public land to use for landfill purposes.

This order withdraws 20 acres of public land from surface entry and mining for a period of 20 years and transfers administrative jurisdiction to the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection for their Deming Station Forward Operating Base.

This order revokes in its entirety a Secretarial Order insofar as it affects 135.20 acres of National Forest System land within the Kaniksu National Forest withdrawn from surface entry and mining and reserved for use of the Forest Service for the Ethel Ranger Station. This order partially revokes Public Land Order No. 1703 insofar as it affects a 0.64 acre parcel of National Forest System land reserved for use by the United States Army Corps of Engineers for flood control purposes in connection with the Albeni Falls Project. This order also opens 80.64 acres of the lands to surface entry. The remaining lands will remain closed to surface entry and mining due to an overlapping withdrawal.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to Kokarmuit Corporation. The lands are in the vicinity of Akiak, Alaska, and are located in:

Pursuant to 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 8364.1, an Order has been issued by the Ukiah Field Office, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), prohibiting recreational and target practice shooting on six (6) acres previously available for such shooting within the Knoxville Recreation Area. These six acres, managed by the Ukiah BLM Field Office, are located in the SE\1/4\ SW\1/4\ section 28, Township 12 North, Range 5 West, Mount Diablo Meridian. The BLM land base for the Knoxville Recreation Area is located in southeastern Lake, northern Napa, and northwestern Yolo counties, California. This shooting closure is necessary to protect persons, property, and public lands. An increase in visitors, coupled with housing/subdivision development of adjacent ranches, has led to a significant increase in documented cases where stray bullets have narrowly missed public land users, vehicles, and adjacent private buildings. This Closure Order does not apply to hunting under the laws and regulations of the State of California. Other BLM managed public lands of the Knoxville Recreation Area remain unavailable for shooting due to the lack of identified designated shooting areas as defined by the Ukiah Resource Management Plan (June 2006.)

In accordance with Section 202 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500- 1508), and applicable agency guidance, the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendments for geothermal leasing in the western United States (U.S.). The decision is hereby made to amend 114 BLM land use plans covering public lands managed by the BLM under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) in order to allocate about 111 million acres of BLM-administered lands as open to geothermal leasing and to adopt a reasonably foreseeable development scenario, stipulations, best management practices (BMPs), and leasing procedures for geothermal resources within the 11 western states and Alaska. The Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management, in the Department of the Interior signed the ROD on December 17, 2008.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving the surface and subsurface estates in certain lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to K'oyitl'ots'ina, Limited, successor in interest to Hadohdleekaga, Incorporated. The lands are in the vicinity of Hughes, Alaska, and are located in:

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to Bristol Bay Native Corporation for lands located in the vicinity of Twin Hills and Perryville, Alaska. Notice of the decision will also be published four times in the Anchorage Daily News.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is soliciting nominations from the public to fill positions on the Carrizo Plain National Monument Advisory Committee. Committee members provide advice and recommendations to the BLM on the management of public lands in the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to offer 14 parcels of public land of approximately 117.50 in the Las Vegas Valley by competitive online auction at not less than the fair market value (FMV). The sale will be conducted pursuant to the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 (SNPLMA), Public Law 105-263, 112 Stat. 2343, as amended. The online sale will be subject to the applicable provisions of Sections 203 and 209 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), 43 U.S.C. 1713 and 1719, and BLM land sale and mineral conveyance regulations at 43 CFR 2710 and 2720.