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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3914-3915]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00700]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_NV_FRN_MO4540000292; NVNV106391927]

Proposed Withdrawal and Public Meeting for the Amargosa Valley, 
Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of proposed withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior proposes to withdraw 308,890 
acres of Federal lands located in Nye County, Nevada, from location and 
entry under the United States mining laws, and from leasing under the 
mineral and geothermal leasing laws, for 20 years, subject to valid 
existing rights. The area also includes approximately 40,000 acres, 
more or less, of non-Federal lands that would be subject to the 
withdrawal if they are subsequently acquired by the United States. The 
purpose of the proposed withdrawal is to protect the cultural, 
recreational, and biological resources of these lands. Publication of 
this notice temporarily segregates the lands for up to 2 years from 
location and entry under the United States mining laws and leasing 
under the mineral and geothermal leasing laws, subject to valid 
existing rights. The lands will remain open to disposal under the 
mineral materials laws. This notice initiates a 90-day public comment 
period and announces a public meeting on the proposed withdrawal, 
including input related to ongoing mining activities for sepiolite, 
saponite, and bentonite within the study area related to projected 
development of valid existing rights.

DATES: All Comments must be received by April 15, 2025.
    The BLM will hold a Public Meeting on the withdrawal proposal on 
February 27, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time at the Amargosa Community 
Center located at 1640 E. Amargosa Farm Road, Amargosa Valley, NV 
89020.

ADDRESSES: All comments should be submitted to the BLM Pahrump Field 
Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Pahrump Field Office, Attn: 
Amargosa

[[Page 3915]]

Withdrawal, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130, or via 
email at [email protected]. The BLM will not consider 
comments via telephone calls.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nicholas B. Pay, Field Manager, 
Pahrump Field Office at (702) 515-5042, or you may contact the BLM 
office at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section. Individuals in 
the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a 
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States. 
You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the proposed withdrawal is to 
protect the cultural, recreational, and biological resources of the 
lands proposed for withdrawal. The proposed withdrawal includes the 
federal lands within the area described below in Nye County, Nevada:

Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada

Tps. 14 thru 17 S., R. 48 E., partly unsurveyed, those portions 
lying southwesterly of the centerline of U.S. Highway No. 95.
Tps. 15 thru 18 S., Rs. 49 and 50 E., those portions lying 
southwesterly of the centerline of U.S. Highway No. 95.
T. 19 S., R. 50 E.
Tps. 15 thru 18 S., R. 51 E., partly unsurveyed, those portions 
lying southwesterly of the centerline of U.S. Highway No. 95.
T. 19 S., R. 51 E.,
    Secs. 1 thru 18.
T. 16 S., R. 52 E.,
    Secs. 7 thru 10, secs. 15 thru 22, and secs 27 thru 34, those 
portions lying southwesterly of the centerline of U.S. Highway No. 
95.
T. 17 S., R. 52 E.,
    Secs. 3 thru 10, secs. 15 thru 22, and secs. 26 thru 35.
T. 18 S., R. 52 E.,
    Secs. 2 thru 10, secs 15 thru 21, and secs. 29 thru 32.
T. 19 S., R. 52 E.,
    Secs. 5 thru 8 and secs. 17 and 18.

San Bernadino Meridian, Nevada

T. 25 N., R. 7 E.,
    Secs. 4, 5, and 6.
T. 26 N., R. 7 E.,
    Sec. 31.

    The area described, including both Federal and non-Federal land, 
contains 308,890 acres, more or less, as derived from Bureau of Land 
Management GIS data. No part of this description shall be construed to 
impact surface rights to non-Federal land or existing valid claims to 
Federal subsurface mineral estate.
    Non-Federal lands included in the description above would be 
subject to the proposed withdrawal only if they are subsequently 
acquired by the United States.
    The Secretary of the Interior approved the BLM's petition. 
Therefore, the petition/application constitutes a withdrawal proposal 
of the Secretary of the Interior (43 CFR 2310.1-3(e)).
    The use of a right-of-way, interagency agreement, or cooperative 
agreement would not adequately constrain non-discretionary uses and 
would not provide adequate protection for the cultural, recreational, 
and biological resources in this area.
    No additional water rights would be needed to fulfill the purpose 
of the proposed withdrawal.
    There are no suitable alternative sites as the described lands 
contain the resource values to be protected.
    Records relating to the withdrawal proposal may be examined by 
contacting the BLM at the address and phone number provided above in 
this notice.
    For a 90-day period from the date of publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register, all persons who wish to submit comments in 
connection with the proposed withdrawal may present their views in 
writing to the address or email above, including comments or input 
related to on-going mining activities for sepiolite, saponite, and 
bentonite within the proposed withdrawal area related to projected 
development of valid existing rights. Information regarding the 
proposed withdrawal will be available for public review at the BLM's 
Southern Nevada District Office, during regular business hours, 8:00 
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and 
from individuals identifying themselves as representatives of officials 
of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public 
inspection in their entirety.
    Notice is hereby given that the BLM will hold a Public Meeting on 
February 27, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time at the Amargosa Community 
Center located at 1640 East Amargosa Farm Road, Amargosa Valley, Nevada 
89020.
    For a period until January 15, 2027, the Federal lands described in 
this notice will be segregated from location and entry under the United 
States mining laws and from leasing under the mineral or geothermal 
leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights, unless the application 
is denied or canceled, or the withdrawal is approved prior to that 
date.
    Licenses, permits, cooperative agreements, or discretionary land 
use authorizations of a temporary nature that will not significantly 
impact the values to be protected by the proposed withdrawal may be 
allowed with the approval of the authorized officer of the BLM during 
the temporary segregation period.
    The withdrawal proposal will be processed in accordance with the 
regulations set forth in 43 CFR 2300.

(Authority: 43 U.S.C. 1714)

Jon K. Raby,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2025-00700 Filed 1-14-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P
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