EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:00 PM ET on SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

FACT SHEET: Proposed Withdrawal from Mineral Entry in Sagebrush Focal Areas

Background: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) identified habitat disturbance and 

fragmentation caused by certain hardrock mining operations as a threat to sage-grouse habitat. 

As a result, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land use 

plans recommend that the Secretary of the Interior exercise her authority under the Federal Land 

Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) to safeguard the most important landscapes identified by 

the FWS within Priority Habitat Management Areas – identified as Sagebrush Focal Areas – by 

withdrawing them from the operation of the hardrock mining law. 

With the finalization of the BLM-USFS plans, the Secretary is taking prompt action to consider 

the recommendations. Through a public, transparent process, the Interior Department will seek to 

ensure that the Sagebrush Focal Areas that anchor the range-wide conservation strategy for the 

greater sage-grouse are protected from the threat of hardrock mining, subject to valid existing 

rights. 

The elements of the proposed mineral withdrawal include: 

Temporary segregation: Subject to valid existing rights, the Interior Department will propose 

to withdraw approximately 10 million acres of public and National Forest System lands located 

in the states of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming from location and entry 

under the United States mining laws. This segregation, which lasts up to two years until the 

Secretary decides whether to make the withdrawal, prohibits the location and entry of new 

mining claims in the designated areas. 

The notice of proposed withdrawal will publish in the Federal Register on September 24, 2015. 

The notice begins the segregation period and opens a 90-day public review period for the 

proposed withdrawal. 

Analyses: During the segregation period, studies and environmental analyses will be conducted 

to determine if the lands should be withdrawn to protect sage-grouse habitat from location and 

entry of new mining claims. This process will invite participation by the public, tribes, 

environmental groups, industry, state and local government, as well as other stakeholders. 

These efforts will be undertaken under the leadership of the BLM in cooperation with the USFS

and in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. 

Public process: During the segregation period, the Interior Department will hold a public 

process to consider information provided by the states, stakeholders and others on mineral 

potential, including rare earths, as well as the importance of these areas as sagebrush habitat. At 

the end of the process, a decision on the proposed withdrawal may be made. 

Valid, pre-existing claims: Neither the segregation for up to two years, nor any subsequent 

withdrawal, would prohibit ongoing or future mining exploration or extraction operations on

valid pre-existing claims. Neither the segregation nor the proposed withdrawal would prohibit 

any other authorized uses on these lands. Under FLPMA, the Secretary can withdraw these 

lands for a maximum of 20 years, and may extend the period in the future.