[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 87 (Friday, May 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24116-24117]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-9088]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[SDM 94312]


Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and Opportunity for Public Meeting; 
Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Agriculture has filed a withdrawal 
application asking the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw from 
mining 5,170.20 acres of public land, the surface of which is reserved 
as part of the Black Hills National Forest, Custer County, South 
Dakota.

DATES: Comments and requests for a public meeting must be received by 
August 4, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments and meeting requests should be sent to the Forest 
Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest, 25041 N. Highway 16, Custer, 
South Dakota 57730, acting at the request of the BLM State Director, 
Montana, 5001 Southgate Drive, P.O. Box 36800, Billings, Montana 59107.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandra Ward, BLM Montana State Office, 
406-896-5052, or Valerie Hunt, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, 
303-275-5071.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States Department of Agriculture, 
acting through the Forest Service, has filed an application with the 
Bureau of Land Management to withdraw the following-described public 
land, the surface of which is reserved as part of the Black Hills 
National Forest, from location or entry under the United States mining 
laws, subject to valid existing rights:

Black Hills National Forest

Black Hills Meridian

T. 4 S., R. 2 E.,
    Sec. 12, E\1/2\SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 13, E\1/2\ and E\1/2\NW\1/4\.
T. 4 S., R. 3 E.,
    Sec. 5, lots 3 to 16, inclusive;
    Sec. 6, lots 1 to 5, inclusive, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, 
and E\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 7, lots 3 and 4, E\1/2\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 8, lots 1 to 16, inclusive;
    Sec. 9, lots 4 to 8, inclusive, and lots 11 to 14, inclusive;
    Sec. 16, lots 4, 5, 8, and 9, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 17, lots 1 to 14, inclusive;
    Sec. 18, lots 1 to 4, inclusive, E\1/2\, and E\1/2\W\1/2\;
    Sec. 19, lots 1 and 2, NE\1/4\, and E\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 20, lots 1 to 9, inclusive, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, 
NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SW\1/4\, and N\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 21, lots 1 to 9 inclusive, and NW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 28, lots 1, 2, and 3, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 29, lot 1, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, and NW\1/4\.

    The area described contains 5,170.20 acres in Custer County.

    The purpose of the proposed withdrawal is to protect and preserve 
unique cave resources, including the caverns of great scientific and 
public interest, located around the Jewel Cave National Monument, one 
of the largest known cave systems in the world.
    The use of a right-of-way or cooperative agreement would not 
provide adequate protection for this area due to the broad scope and 
nondiscretionary nature of the general mining laws.
    As proposed, the withdrawal would be for a period of 20 years.
    No alternative sites are feasible.
    No water will be needed to fulfill the purpose of the requested 
withdrawal.
    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 Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the Forest Supervisor's Office, Black 
Hills National Forest, 25041 N. Highway 16, Custer, South Dakota 57730, 
during regular business hours. 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

[[Page 24117]]

allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and 
from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials 
of organizations or busineses, will be made available for public 
inspection in their entirety.
    Notice is hereby given that there will be at least one public 
meeting in connection with the proposed withdrawal to be announced at a 
later date. A notice of the time, place, and date will be published in 
the Federal Register and a local newspaper at least 30 days before the 
scheduled date of a meeting.
    For a period of two years from the date of publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register, the land will be segregated from 
location or entry under the United States mining laws, unless the 
application is denied or canceled or the withdrawal is approved prior 
to that date. The land will remain open to other uses within the 
statutory authority pertinent to National Forest lands and subject to 
discretionary approval.
    The application will be processed in accordance with the 
regulations set forth in 43 CFR 2300.

(Authority: 43 U.S.C. 1714 (b)(1); 43 CFR 2310.3-1(a).)

    Dated: February 10, 2005.
Randy D. Heuscher,
Acting Deputy State Director, Division of Resources.
[FR Doc. 05-9088 Filed 5-5-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P