[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 119 (Wednesday, June 21, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35699-35701]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9654]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AZ-310-5700-BX; AZA-31733]


Notice of Realty Action; Recreation and Public Purposes Act 
Classification; Arizona; Notice of Availability of Proposed Kingman 
Resource Management Plan Amendment/Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) as amended, the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM) has prepared an Environmental Assessment/
Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment for a proposed shooting range. 
This document, available online at http://www.blm.gov/az/env_docs/library/shooting_range_ea.pdf, analyzes the effects of the proposal 
on public lands and of amending the RMP to allow for disposal of land 
necessary for the shooting range and special management designation of 
land necessary for the buffer, for the Boundary Cone road alternative 
as described in Supplementary Information below. Pursuant to section 
212 of FLPMA, the BLM has examined and found suitable for conveyance 
under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act 
(43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.), as amended, two parcels of public land, as 
described in Supplementary Information below, in Mohave Valley near 
Bullhead City, Mohave County, Arizona. This notice invites comments on 
BLM's classification of that land as suitable for conveyance under the 
R&PP Act.

DATES: Protests regarding the proposed land use plan amendment must be 
postmarked by July 21, 2006. Comments regarding R&PP classification of 
public land must be postmarked by August 7, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Protests regarding the plan amendment on the Boundary Cone 
Road location should be sent to the Director, Bureau of Land 
Management, Attention: Brenda Williams (WO-210), for mail: P. O. Box 
66538, Washington, DC 20035 OR for overnight express: 1620 L Street 
NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20236. Comments regarding the 
classification of public land for R&PP should be sent to the Kingman 
Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 2755 Mission Boulevard, 
Kingman, AZ 86401.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce Cook, Realty Specialist, Kingman 
Field Office, 2755 Mission Boulevard, Kingman, Arizona, 86401, 
telephone (928) 718-3716.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Kingman Resource Management Plan (RMP), 
approved in March 1995, identified land for R&PP uses, i.e. churches, 
schools, parks, fire departments, etc. with a caveat that non-
conforming uses may be considered on a case-by-case basis. A shooting 
range is considered to be a non-conforming use. A Notice was previously 
published, 68 FR 14687, March 26, 2003, regarding the intent to amend 
the Kingman Resource Management Plan and classify lands for Recreation 
and Public Purpose for a proposed shooting range as reiterated below:

[[Page 35700]]

A--Shooting Range

Gila and Salt River Meridian, Mohave County, Arizona

    T. 19 N., R. 21 W., Sec. 35, S\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/
4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NE\1/4\SE\1/
4\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/
4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 36, S\1/2\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\S\1/
2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, S\1/2\N\1/2\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\NE\1/
4\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Containing 315 acres, more or less.

    The lands identified under B-Buffer below are being considered 
through the plan amendment process for special designation for 
retention and management under a Cooperative Management Plan/Agreement 
between the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the BLM for safety 
purposes:

B--Buffer

Gila and Salt River Meridian, Mohave County, Arizona

    T. 19 N., R. 21 W., Sec. 25, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/
4\SE\1/4\, S\1/2\N\1/2\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\S\1/2\;
    Sec. 26, S\1/2\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, E\1/
2\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 35, N\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\;
    Sec. 36, N\1/2\N\1/2\N\1/2\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/
4\NE\1/4\;

    Containing 470 acres, more or less.

    This location is known as the Boundary Cone Road location and is 
the proponent's proposed action. It has been examined and found 
suitable for conveyance under the provisions of the R&PP Act, as 
amended (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.) and the public lands described are 
proposed for classification under section 7 of the Taylor Grazing Act, 
43 U.S.C. 315f and Executive Order No. 6910 and the R&PP Act.
    Due to Native American concerns, BLM initiated an Alternative 
Dispute Resolution process with affected stakeholders, including the 
Fort Mojave and Hualapai tribes, which resulted in the addition of 
another alternative for analysis. This alternative, known as the Willow 
Road location, has been examined and found suitable for conveyance 
under the provisions of the R&PP Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 869 et 
seq.) and the public lands described below are proposed for 
classification under section 7 of the Taylor Grazing Act, 43 U.S.C. 
315f and Executive Order No. 6910 and the R&PP Act. This location is on 
public land described as follows:

Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona

T. 18 N., R. 21 W.,
    Sec. 28, NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\N\1/2\NW\1/4\, 
S\1/2\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\;
    The area described contains approximately 610 acres in Mohave 
County.

    The public lands described above were identified for disposal in 
the Kingman Resource Management Plan as land not needed for Federal 
(BLM) purposes and available to support community expansion. Conveyance 
of the Boundary Cone Road location would be consistent with the Kingman 
Resource Management Plan if the plan amendment is approved. Conveyance 
of public land for a shooting range would be in the public interest. 
The conveyance, if issued, would be subject to the provisions of the 
R&PP Act and applicable regulations of the Secretary of the Interior 
and would contain the following reservations to the United States:
    1. A right-of-way thereon for ditches and canals constructed by the 
authority of the United States, Act of August 30, 1890 (43 U.S.C. 945).
    2. All Federal minerals shall be reserved to the United States, 
together with the right to prospect for, mine and remove such deposits 
from the same under applicable law and such regulations as the 
Secretary of the Interior may prescribe.
    And the conveyance would be subject to:
    1. Valid existing rights.
    In addition, if the Boundary Cone Road location is selected, the 
conveyance would be subject to:
    1. Those rights for highway purposes as have been granted to Mohave 
County, its successors or assigns, by right-of-way No. AZA-20911 
pursuant to Title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1761) as amended;
    2. Those rights for electric power transmission line purposes as 
have been granted to Citizens Utilities Company, it successors and 
assigns, by right-of-way No. AZA-24775 pursuant to Title V of the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1761) as 
amended.
    There are no rights-of-way of record on the Willow Road location.
    Detailed information concerning this action is available for review 
at the office of the Bureau of Land Management, Kingman Field Office, 
2755 Mission Boulevard, Kingman, Arizona 86401.
    Upon publication of this notice in the Federal Register, the public 
land described under the Willow Road location is segregated from all 
other forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the 
general mining laws, except for conveyance under the R&PP Act, leasing 
under the mineral leasing laws, and disposal under the mineral material 
disposal laws. The public lands described under the Boundary Cone Road 
location were previously segregated by notice 68 FR 14687, March 26, 
2003, as noted above.
    Classification Comments: Interested parties may submit comments 
involving the suitability of the Willow Road location for a shooting 
range site. Comments on the classification are restricted to whether 
the land is physically suited for the proposal, whether the use will 
maximize the future use or uses of the land, whether the use is 
consistent with local planning and zoning, or if the use is consistent 
with State and Federal programs.
    Comments received on the classification will be answered by the 
State Director with the right to further comment to the Secretary of 
Interior. In the absence of any comments, the classification will 
become the final determination of the Department of the Interior.
    Protests: A protest to the proposed plan amendment must be filed in 
accordance with 43 CFR 1610.5-2. Public protests and comments submitted 
for this planning review, including names and street addresses of 
respondents, will be available for public review at the Kingman Field 
Office during regular business hours (7:30 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. E-mail and faxed protests will not be accepted as valid 
protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter 
by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the 
protest period. Under these conditions, BLM will consider the e-mail or 
faxed protest as an advance copy and it will receive full 
consideration. If you wish to provide BLM with such advance 
notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM 
Protest Coordinator at 202-452-5112, and e-mails to [email protected].
    The Environmental Assessment analyzes both alternative locations as 
well as the No Action Alternative. Upon completion of the protest/
comment process, a decision will be made on the location based on the 
facts presented in the Environmental Assessment. This

[[Page 35701]]

decision will carry a 30 day appeal period.

    Dated: June 13, 2006.
Wayne King,
Kingman Field Manager.
[FR Doc. E6-9654 Filed 6-20-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-32-P