[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33352-33353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14168]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD070000.L91310000.EI0000; CACA 51880]


Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and Opportunity for Public Meeting; 
California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals 
Management proposes to withdraw approximately 22,562 acres of public 
lands from settlement, sale, location, and entry under the public land 
laws, including the United States mining laws, and the operation of the 
mineral leasing laws, and approximately 1,782 acres of Federal mineral 
estate from location and entry under the United States mining laws, 
including the operation of the mineral leasing laws, for a period of 20 
years, on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to protect and 
preserve geothermal, solar, and wind energy study areas for future 
renewable energy development. This notice temporarily segregates the 
public lands and subsurface mineral estates for up to 2 years while 
various studies and analyses are made to support a final decision on 
the withdrawal application. The lands will remain open to the 
geothermal leasing laws and the Materials Act of 1947.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 6, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Karla Norris, Associate Deputy 
State Director (CA-930), California State Office, Bureau of Land 
Management, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-1623, Sacramento, California 
95825-1886.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Krekelberg, California State 
Office (CA-930), Bureau of Land Management, at 916-978-4655.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Assistant Secretary for Land and 
Minerals Management proposes to withdraw, for a period of 20 years and 
subject to valid existing rights, the following described public lands 
and Federal mineral estates to protect the lands while the BLM 
evaluates the area for renewable energy development, including 
geothermal leasing and solar and wind energy rights-of-ways:

San Bernardino Meridian

a). Public Lands

T. 9 S., R. 12 E.,
    sec. 2, E\1/2\ SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\, and S\1/2\NE\1/
4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 4, lots 1 and 2, and S\1/2\;
    sec. 6, lots 1 and 2, and SE\1/4\;
    sec. 8, E\1/2\;
    sec. 10;
    sec. 12, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\, and 
SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 14, W\1/2\NE\1/4\ and NW\1/4\;
    sec. 18, lots 1 and 2, and E\1/2\;
    secs. 20 and 24;
    sec. 26, S\1/2\NW\1/4\ and S\1/2\.
T. 9 S., R. 13 E.,
    sec. 18, lots 3 to 6, inclusive, E\1/2\W\1/2\, and SE\1/4\;
    sec. 20, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\NW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and S\1/2\;
    sec. 22, S\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    sec. 26, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 28;
    sec. 30, E\1/2\SW\1/4\ and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    secs. 32 and 34.
T. 10 S., R. 13 E.,
    sec. 4, lots 6, 7, and 14, and SW\1/4\;
    sec. 6, lots 2 to 15, inclusive, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\.
T. 10 S., R. 14 E.,
    sec. 6, lots 6, 7, and lots 13 to 16, inclusive, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, 
W\1/2\SE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 8, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\, and SE\1/4\;
    sec. 22, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\, and SE\1/4\;
    sec. 26, E\1/2\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\N\1/
2\SW\1/4\, and S\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    sec. 28, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\.
T. 11 S., R. 14 E.,
    sec. 12, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\.
T. 10 S., R. 15 E.,
    sec. 32.
T. 11 S., R. 15 E.,
    sec. 4, lots 3 to 6, inclusive, S\1/2\N\1/2\, and S\1/2\;
    sec. 6, lots 3 to 9, inclusive, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/
2\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    secs. 8, 10, 11, 13, and 14;
    sec. 18, E\1/2\E\1/2\;
    sec. 20, N\1/2\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    secs. 22 and 24;
    sec. 28, N\1/2\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 34, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\.
T. 11 S., R. 16 E.,
    sec. 19, lots 3 to 18, inclusive;
    sec. 29;
    sec. 30, lots 3 to 18, inclusive, and E\1/2\.
    The areas described aggregate 22,562 acres, more or less, in 
Imperial County.

(b). Non-Federal Surface and Federal Mineral Estate

(1). Non-Federal Surface and Federal Minerals
T. 9 S., R. 12 E.,
    sec. 2, lots 3 to 18, inclusive, S\1/2\N\1/2\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\, SW\1/
4\SW\1/4\, W\1/2\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, N\1/2\N\1/2\SE\1/4\, and S\1/2\NW\1/
4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 12, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 28, E\1/2\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\.
T. 10 S., R. 14 E.,
    sec. 26, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and N\1/2\N\1/
2\SW\1/4\.
    The areas described aggregate 1,182 acres, more or less, in 
Imperial County.
(2). Non-Federal Surface and Federal Oil and Gas, only
T. 9 S., R. 12 E.,
    sec. 8, SW\1/4\.
T. 10 S., R. 13 E.,
    sec. 2, lots 7, 8, 13, and 14;
    sec. 12, SW\1/4\;NW\1/4\;.
T. 10 S., R. 14 E.,
    sec. 34, SE\1/4\;NE\1/4\;.
T. 11 S., R. 15 E.,
    sec. 34, W\1/2\SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\SW\1/4\.

    The areas described aggregate 520 acres, more or less, in Imperial 
County.
(3). Non-Federal Surface and Federal Geothermal, Only
T. 10 S., R.13. E,
    sec. 10, E\1/2\NE\1/4\.

    The areas described aggregate 80.00 acres in Imperial County.
    The total areas described in (a) and (b) above, including both 
public lands and Federal minerals, aggregate 24,344 acres, more or 
less, in Imperial County.
    The BLM's petition for withdrawal has been approved by the 
Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. Therefore, it 
constitutes a withdrawal proposal of the Secretary of the Interior (43 
CFR 2310.1-3(e)).
    The purpose of the proposed withdrawal is to protect and preserve 
geothermal, solar, and wind energy study areas for future renewable 
energy development for a 20-year period.
    The use of a right-of-way, interagency agreement, cooperative 
agreement, or surface management under 43 CFR part 3809 regulations 
would not adequately constrain non-discretionary uses that

[[Page 33353]]

could irrevocably affect the use of the lands for the development of 
renewable energy resources.
    No water rights would be needed to fulfill the purpose of the 
requested withdrawal.
    Until September 6, 2011, all persons who wish to submit comments, 
suggestions, or objections in connection with the proposed withdrawal 
may present their views in writing, by the date specified above, to the 
BLM Director, California State Office, BLM, 2800 Cottage Way, 
Sacramento, California 95825.
    Comments, including names and street addresses for respondents, 
will be available for public review at the BLM's California State 
Office, during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. Before including your address, telephone number, e-
mail address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your 
personal identifying information--may be publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    Notice is hereby given that a public meeting will be afforded in 
connection with the proposed withdrawal. A notice of time and place 
will be published in the Federal Register and a local newspaper at 
least 30 days before the scheduled date of the meeting.
    The withdrawal proposal will be processed in accordance with the 
regulations set forth in 43 CFR 2300.
    For a period of 2 years from June 8, 2011, the public lands 
referenced in this notice will be segregated from settlement, sale, 
location, and entry under the public land laws, including the United 
States mining laws and the operation of the mineral leasing laws, but 
not the geothermal leasing laws or the Materials Act of 1947, and the 
Federal mineral estates will be segregated from the United States 
mining laws and the operation of the mineral leasing laws, but not the 
geothermal leasing laws or the Materials Act of 1947, unless the 
application is denied or canceled or the withdrawal is approved prior 
to that date.
    Additionally, upon publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register and during the temporary 2 year segregative period, the BLM is 
no longer accepting any new applications for a right-of-way for a solar 
or wind energy facility, located on the lands described above. Any 
previously authorized grant or pending applications for geothermal 
leasing or a right-of-way for a solar or wind energy facility, located 
on the lands described in this notice, will not be affected by this 
notice.
    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 the authorized officer of BLM during the segregative 
period.

    Authority: 43 CFR 2310.1-2.

Karla D. Norris,
Associate Deputy State Director, Natural Resources (CA-930).
[FR Doc. 2011-14168 Filed 6-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P