[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 4, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 52006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-24611]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[UT-920-05-1330-00]


Classification Standards for Establishing Known Leasing Areas for 
Gilsonite

summary: The Secretary of the Interior, through Secretarial Orders 3071 
and 3087, transferred the authority under 43 U.S.C. 21 to classify 
public lands for leasable minerals to the Director, Bureau of Land 
Management. On May 22, 1986, regulations were finalized at 43 CFR part 
3500 which provided for prospecting permits for gilsonite on lands that 
were not known to contain valuable deposits of gilsonite. Lands with 
known gilsonite deposits will be subject to competitive leasing 
procedures only. On January 20, 1995, a notice was published in the 
Federal Register inviting comments on a proposed standard which would 
be used to determine whether lands will be subject to competitive 
leasing for gilsonite. A total of two comments were submitted on the 
proposed standard within the 60-day comment period identified in the 
notice. The first commenter suggested that the standard was too 
restrictive and should be broadened to include lands beyond the 
mappable surface exposure of a gilsonite vein. We recognize that some 
gilsonite veins continue to be minable at depth even though they are 
not exposed on the surface, but that is not always the case. Under the 
proposed standard, if a mappable gilsonite vein occurs in any part of a 
legal subdivision (generally a 40-acre tract), all of the lands within 
the tract will be considered as a known gilsonite area. This has the 
effect of extending the vein as much as 1,320 feet beyond any surface 
expression. The second commenter suggested that the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) use a more restrictive standard which would require a 
vein to exhibit consistent surface exposures of at least 18 inches in 
width. This commenter further stated that application of the broad 
standard identified in the January 20, 1995, Federal Register notice 
would eliminate prospecting permits for gilsonite because all 
prospective gilsonite areas have mappable gilsonite veins exposed at 
the surface. BLM has determined that the more restrictive standard 
suggested by this commenter places a more rigorous standard for 
determining whether lands should be leased competitively than the 
gilsonite industry places on itself before making a decision to open a 
mine. Furthermore, the regulations at 43 CFR part 3554 provide for an 
exploration license which enables interested parties to further explore 
unleased deposits of gilsonite. This allows a prospective lessee to 
obtain any necessary information about the deposit before obtaining a 
lease. Lands not known to contain gilsonite veins or extensions of 
existing veins where no gilsonite is mappable at the surface would 
still be available for prospecting through a prospecting permit. 
However, issuing prospecting permits on lands containing clearly 
defined veins of gilsonite imposes an unnecessary administrative burden 
on the BLM to process both a prospecting permit and a preference-right 
lease application when the existence of a gilsonite vein is known in 
advance. The public interest is best served by leasing such gilsonite 
deposits through a competitive process, ensuring a fair return for the 
public's resources.
    The Director, Bureau of Land Management, has determined that the 
following standard will be used to define Known Gilsonite Leasing 
Areas: Lands will be defined as a Known Gilsonite Area and subject to 
competitive leasing if they contain a gilsonite vein that can be mapped 
as a continuous vein based on surface exposures and other indications 
of a continuous linear feature using generally accepted geologic 
mapping techniques. The Known Gilsonite Leasing Area shall be described 
by aliquot parts generally no smaller than a quarter-quarter section 
or, when appropriate, a lot. If any part of the lot or quarter-quarter 
section contains a portion of a mapped vein meeting the classification 
standard, that subdivision shall be included within the Known Gilsonite 
Leasing Area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bureau of Land Management, Division of 
Mineral Resources, Attn: James Kohler, P.O. Box 45155, Salt Lake City, 
Utah 84145-0155.

    Dated: August 14, 1995.
Mat Millenbach,
Utah State Director.
[FR Doc 95-24611 Filed 10-3-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-M