[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2423-2424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-937]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[NM-930-1430-ET; NMNM 102308]


Public Land Order No. 7427; Withdrawal of Public Lands and 
Federal Minerals for the Carlsbad Cave and Karst Area; New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Public land order.

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SUMMARY: This order withdraws 8,470.59 acres of public lands from 
surface entry, mining, and mineral leasing and 480 acres of federally 
reserved mineral interests underlying non-Federal surface estate from 
mining and mineral leasing, for a period of 20 years, for the Bureau of 
Land Management to protect the Carlsbad Cave and Karst Area. An 
additional 8,198.72 acres of State lands would become subject to the 
withdrawal if acquired by the United States.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 14, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Clarence Hougland, BLM New Mexico 
State Office, P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502, 505-438-7593.
    By virtue of the authority vested in the Secretary of the Interior 
by Section 204 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, 
43 U.S.C. 1714 (1994), it is ordered as follows:
    1. Subject to valid existing rights, the following described public 
lands are hereby withdrawn from settlement, sale, location, or entry 
under the general land laws, including the United States mining laws 
(30 U.S.C. Ch. 2 (1994)), and from leasing under the mineral leasing 
laws (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq. and 30 U.S.C. 351 et seq. (1994)), to 
protect the Carlsbad Cave and Karst Area:

New Mexico Principal Meridian

T. 24 S., R. 23 E.,
    Sec. 24;
    Sec. 34, E\1/2\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 35, N\1/2\.
T. 24 S., R. 24 E.,
    Sec. 14, N\1/2\;
    Sec. 15, N\1/2\;
    Sec. 17, N\1/2\, N\1/2\S\1/2\, S\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\SE\1/
4\;
    Sec. 18, lots 3, and 4, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\.
T. 24 S., R. 25 E.,
    Sec. 11, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 12, N\1/2\, N\1/2\S\1/2\, S\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\SE\1/
4\;
    Sec. 13, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 14, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\, and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 22;
    Sec. 23, N\1/2\, SW\1/4\, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, W\1/2\E\1/
2\SE\1/4\, and W\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 24, N\1/2\, E\1/2\E\1/2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, 
SW\1/4\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 25, N\1/2\;
    Sec. 26, N\1/2\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\.
T. 24 S., R. 26 E.,
    Sec. 17, lot 1, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\ 
(lying West of Highway No. 180);
    Sec. 18, lots 1, 2, and 4, W\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, 
NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 19, lots 1 to 4, inclusive, NE\1/4\, and E\1/2\W\1/2\ 
(lying West of Highway No. 180).

    The areas described aggregate 8,970.59 acres in Eddy County.
    2. Subject to valid existing rights, the federally reserved 
mineral interests in the following described lands are hereby 
withdrawn from mining under the United States mining laws, (30 
U.S.C. Ch.2 (1994)), and from leasing under the mineral leasing 
laws, (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq. (1994)), for the Bureau of Land 
Management to protect the Carlsbad Cave and Karst Area:

New Mexico Principal Meridian

T. 24 S., R. 23 E.,
    Sec. 33, NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, and NE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 34, NW\1/4\ and NW\1/4\SW\1/4\.

    The areas described aggregate 480 acres in Eddy County.
    3. The following described State lands are located within the 
Carlsbad Cave and Karst Area. In the event the lands return to 
Federal ownership, they would become subject to the terms and 
conditions of this withdrawal as specified in Paragraph 1:

New Mexico Principal Meridian

T. 24 S., R. 23 E.,
    Sec. 22, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 23, S\1/2\;
    Secs. 26 and 27;
    Sec. 28, E\1/2\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 33, W\1/2\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, W\1/2\SE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SE\1/
4\.
T. 24 S., R. 24 E.,
    Sec. 12, S\1/2\;
    Secs. 13 and 16.
T. 24 S., R. 25 E.
    Sec. 7, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 8, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 9, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 10, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 15, N\1/2\, N\1/2\S\1/2\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, and S\1/2\SE\1/
4\;

[[Page 2424]]

    Secs. 16 and 17;
    Sec. 18, lots 1 to 4, inclusive, E\1/2\, and E\1/2\W\1/2\.

    The areas described aggregate 8,198.72 acres in Eddy County.
    4. The withdrawal made by this order does not alter the 
applicability of those public land laws governing the use of the 
lands under lease, license, or permit, including but not limited to 
livestock grazing, lawful ingress and egress to any valid mining 
claims and patented claims and mineral leases that may exist on the 
withdrawn lands or nearby public lands inside the existing cave 
protection area, use of all rights-of-way, lawful access to non-
Federal lands and interests in lands, all current recreational uses 
including hunting, camping and day use, and all commercial uses 
being conducted under special use permits. The Bureau of Land 
Management is authorized to grant rights-of-way, easements 
(including drilling easements), permits and other approvals for the 
exercise of valid existing rights on the withdrawn lands or nearby 
public lands inside the existing cave protection area.
    5. This withdrawal will expire 20 years from the effective date 
of this order unless, as a result of a review conducted before the 
expiration date pursuant to Section 204(f) of the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act of 1976, 43 U.S.C. 1714(f) (1994), the 
Secretary determines that the withdrawal shall be extended.

    Dated: January 10, 2000.
John Berry,
Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 00-937 Filed 1-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P