[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 57 (Wednesday, March 24, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13871-13872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-6542]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-921-1050-ET; WYW 144782]


Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and Opportunity for Public Meeting; 
Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior proposes to withdraw certain 
federally owned public lands and reserved mineral interests to protect 
prehistoric petroglyphs and cultural resources in the Whoopup Canyon 
Area of Critical Environmental Concern, Weston County, Wyoming. To the 
extent specified below, this notice segregates from surface entry and 
mining for up to 2 years, the aforementioned lands and mineral 
interests.

DATE: Comments and requests for a public meeting must be received by 
June 22, 2004.

ADDRESS: Comments and meeting requests should be sent to the Bureau of 
Land Management, Wyoming State Director, P.O. Box 1828, Cheyenne, 
Wyoming 82003-1828.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Booth, Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) Wyoming State Office, (307) 775-6124.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant is the Bureau of Land 
Management at the address stated above. The petition/application 
requests the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw for a period of 20 
years and subject to valid existing rights, the following described 
federally owned public lands and reserved mineral interests from 
settlement, sale, location, or entry under the general land laws, 
including the mining laws, but not from mineral leasing, mineral 
material sales, or conveyances under Section 206 of the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended:

Sixth Principal Meridian

T. 43 N., R. 60 W.,
    Sec. 5, W\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 6, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 7, lot 4, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 8, W\1/2\SW\1/4\.
T. 44 N., R. 60 W.,
    Sec. 19, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 20, S\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 29, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 30, lots 3 and 4, N\1/2\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, SE\1/
4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 31, lots 1 to 4, inclusive, NE\1/4\, E\1/2\W\1/2\;
    Sec. 32, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 33, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\.

    The area described contains approximately 1439.39 acres of 
federally owned surface and minerals in Weston County, Wyoming.

T. 43 N., R. 60 W.,
    Sec. 6, lots 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 7, lots 1, 2, 3, W\1/2\E\1/2\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/
4\;
    Sec. 8, W\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 18, E\1/2\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\.
T. 44 N., R. 60 W.,
    Sec. 29, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, W\1/
2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 30, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, W\1/
2\SE\1/4\, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 31, SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 32, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, N\1/
2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 33, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, NW\1/4\SW\1/4\.
    The area described contains approximately 1919.51 acres of 
Federal reserved minerals underlying private surface in Weston 
County, Wyoming.

    The BLM petition/application has been approved by the Assistant 
Secretary, Land and Minerals Management. Therefore, it 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 constrain non-discretionary uses that could 
irrevocably affect adversely the petroglyphs and cultural resources in 
the area.
    There are no suitable alternative sites, since the lands described 
contain the resources that need protection.
    No water rights will be needed to fulfill the purpose of the 
withdrawal.
    Possible mineral deposits present in the above described land areas 
include

[[Page 13872]]

some leasable, locatable, and salable minerals. No critical or 
strategic minerals, as defined by the Secretary of the Interior, are 
present in these areas.
    The purpose of the proposed withdrawal is to protect valuable 
prehistoric petroglyphs and associated cultural resources pending 
further study and development of appropriate, and possibly longer-term, 
actions.
    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 Wyoming State Director.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the Newcastle Field Office, 1101 
Washington Blvd., Newcastle, Wyoming, during regular business hours, 
7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. 
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to 
withhold your name or address from public review or from disclosure 
under 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 an opportunity for a public meeting is 
afforded in connection with the proposed withdrawal. All interested 
persons who desire a public meeting for the purpose of being heard on 
the proposed withdrawal should submit a written request to the Wyoming 
State Director within 90 days from the date of publication of this 
notice. If the authorized officer determines that a public meeting will 
be held, a notice of the time and place will be published in the 
Federal Register at least 30 days before the scheduled date of the 
meeting.
    This withdrawal proposal will be processed in accordance with the 
regulations set forth in 43 CFR 2300.
    For a period of 2 years from the date of publication of this notice 
in the Federal Register, the land will be segregated as specified above 
unless the application is denied or cancelled or the withdrawal is 
approved prior to that date.
    Licenses, permits, cooperative agreements, or discretionary land 
use authorizations of a temporary nature which will not significantly 
impact the values to be protected by the withdrawal may be allowed with 
the approval of an authorized officer of the BLM during the segregative 
period.

Melvin Schlagel,
Realty Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-6542 Filed 3-23-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P