[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 138 (Tuesday, July 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35887-35888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17293]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management


Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and Opportunity for Public Meeting; 
Arizona

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior proposes to withdraw 
approximately 633,547 acres of public lands and 360,002 acres of 
National Forest System lands for up to 20 years from location and entry 
under the Mining Law of 1872, 30 U.S.C. 22 et seq., on behalf of the 
Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service. The 
purpose of the withdrawal, if determined to be appropriate, would be to 
protect the Grand Canyon watershed from adverse effects of locatable 
hardrock mineral exploration and mining. This notice segregates the 
lands from location and entry under the 1872 Mining Law for up to 2 
years to allow time for various studies and analyses, including 
appropriate National Environmental Policy Act analysis. These actions 
will support a final decision on whether or not to proceed with a 
withdrawal. The lands will remain open to the mineral leasing, 
geothermal leasing, mineral materials, and public land laws.

DATES: Comments and requests for a public meeting must be received by 
October 19, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Comments and meeting requests should be sent to the District 
Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Arizona Strip District Office, 345 
East Riverside Drive, St. George, Utah 84790-9000, or Forest 
Supervisor, Forest Service, Kaibab National Forest, 800 South Sixth 
St., Williams, Arizona 86046.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Florence, District Manager, BLM 
Arizona Strip District, 435-688-3200, or Michael Williams, Forest 
Supervisor, Kaibab National Forest, 928-635-8200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant is the Bureau of Land 
Management at the address above and its petition/application requests 
the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw, subject to valid existing 
rights, the following public lands and National Forest System lands 
from location and entry under the 1872 Mining Law, but not the mineral 
leasing, geothermal leasing, mineral materials laws, or public land 
laws: All the Federal lands identified in the townships below, and all 
non-Federal lands within the exterior boundaries described below that 
are subsequently acquired by the Federal government, to the boundary of 
the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve, including the overlap of the 
withdrawal for the Kanab Creek Wilderness, as depicted on the map 
entitled ``Petition/Application for Withdrawal'' available from the BLM 
Arizona Strip District office and the FS Kaibab National Forest office 
at the addresses listed above.

Public Lands

Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona

Tps. 40 and 41 N., R. 1E.,
Tps. 38 and 40 N., R. 3 E., to the boundary of the Vermilion Cliffs 
National Monument,
Tps. 36 to 38 N., Rs. 4 and 5 E., to the boundary of the Vermilion 
Cliffs National Monument,
Tps. 37 to 39 N., R. 6 E., to the boundary of the Vermilion Cliffs 
National Monument,
T. 39 N., R. 7 E., to the boundary of the Vermilion Cliffs National 
Monument,
Tps. 38 to 41 N., R. 1 W.,
Tps. 38 to 40 N., R. 2 W.,
Tps. 36 to 40 N., R. 3 W.,
Tps. 35 to 40 N., Rs. 4 and 5 W.,
Tps. 35 to 39 N., Rs. 6 and 7 W.,
    The areas described contain approximately 633,547 acres of 
public lands in Coconino and Mohave Counties.

National Forest System Lands

Kaibab National Forest

Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona.

North Kaibab Ranger District

Tps. 37 to 40 N., R. 3 E., to the boundary of the Vermilion Cliffs 
National Monument,
Tps. 36 and 37 N., R. 4 E.,
T. 36 N., R. 5 E.,
T. 38 N., R. 3 W.,
Tps. 36 and 37 N., Rs. 3 and 4 W.,

Tusayan Ranger District

Tps. 28 to 31 N., R. 1 E.,
Tps. 28 to 30 N., R 2 E.,
Tps. 27 to 30 N., Rs. 3 to 6 E.,
Tps. 31 and 32 N., R 1 W.,
    The areas described contain approximately 360,002 acres of 
National Forest System lands in Coconino and Mohave Counties.
    The total areas described aggregate approximately 993,549 acres 
of both public and National Forest System lands in Coconino and 
Mohave Counties located adjacent to the Grand Canyon National Park 
in Arizona. The total non-Federal lands within the area aggregate 
approximately 85,673 acres in Coconino and Mohave Counties.

    The Secretary of the Interior has approved the Bureau of Land 
Management's petition for approval to file its withdrawal application. 
The Secretary's approval of the petition constitutes his proposal to 
withdraw the subject lands. The Forest Service has consented to 
proposing the withdrawal of lands under its administrative 
jurisdiction.
    The purpose of the withdrawal, if determined to be appropriate, 
would be to protect the Grand Canyon watershed from adverse effects of 
locatable hardrock mineral exploration and mining for up to a 20-year 
period, which is the maximum allowable for a withdrawal aggregating 
more than 5,000 acres.
    The use of a right-of-way, interagency, or cooperative agreement, 
or surface management by the Bureau of Land Management under 43 CFR 
3715 and 3809 regulations and by the Forest Service under 36 CFR 228 
would not adequately constrain nondiscretionary uses which could result 
in permanent loss of significant values and irreplaceable resources at 
the site.
    There are no suitable alternative sites for the withdrawal.
    No water rights would be needed to fulfill the purpose of the 
requested withdrawal.
    Records relating to the application may be examined by contacting 
the BLM District Manager at the above address or by calling 435-688-
3200 or the Forest Supervisor, Kaibab National Forest, 800 South Sixth 
Street, Williams, AZ 86046 or by calling 928-635-8200.
    For a period of 90 days from the date of publication of this 
notice, all persons who wish to submit comments, suggestions, or 
objections in connection with the proposed withdrawal may present their 
views in writing to the BLM District Manager at the address noted 
above.
    Comments including names and street addresses of respondents will 
be available for public review at the BLM Arizona Strip District Office 
at the address noted above, during regular business hours 8 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Before including 
your address, phone number, e-mail 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. Individual 
respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your 
name or address from public review or from disclosure under

[[Page 35888]]

the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the 
beginning of your comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and 
from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials 
of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public 
inspection in their entirety.
    Notice is hereby given that one or more public meetings will be 
held in connection with the proposed withdrawal. All interested persons 
who desire a public meeting for the purpose of being heard on the 
proposed withdrawal must submit a written request to the BLM District 
Manager no later than October 19, 2009. A notice of the time and place 
of any public meetings will be published in the Federal Register and a 
local newspaper at least 30 days before the scheduled date of the 
meeting.
    This application/proposal will be processed in accordance with the 
regulations set forth in 43 CFR part 2300.
    For a period of 2 years from the date of publication of this notice 
in the Federal Register, the lands described in this notice will be 
segregated from location and entry under the 1872 Mining Law, unless 
the application/proposal is denied or canceled or the withdrawal is 
approved prior to that date. Licenses, permits, cooperative agreements, 
or other discretionary land use authorizations may be allowed with the 
approval of an authorized officer of the Bureau of Land Management or 
Forest Service during the segregative period.

    Authority:  43 CFR 2310.3-1.

    Dated: July 16, 2009.
Mike Pool,
Acting Director, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. E9-17293 Filed 7-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-32-P