[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 87 (Friday, May 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26575-26576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10768]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLUT920-12-L13300000-EN000, UTU-87494]


Notice of the Establishment of the Ten Mile (Utah) Known Potash 
Leasing Area (KPLA)

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This action establishes the Ten Mile KPLA so the potash 
resources on these lands will no longer be available for non-
competitive leasing and may instead be available through a competitive 
leasing process. This action does not commit any on-the-ground 
resources nor does it commit BLM to any future actions except the 
denial of the prospecting permit applications that now lie within the 
boundaries of the Ten Mile KPLA.

DATES: This mineral land classification will become effective upon date 
of publication in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Inquiries should be sent to the State Director (UT-923), 
Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Office, 440 West 200 South, Suite 
500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Additional information regarding this KPLA, 
including maps and the Potash Master Title Plats, are available in the 
Public Room of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah State Office 
and at: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/more/Land_Records.html. The 
lands included in the Ten Mile KPLA, located in Grand County, Utah, are 
described as follows:

Salt Lake Base Meridian, Utah

T. 23 S., R. 19 E.,
    Sec. 31, NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 32;
T. 24 S., R, 18 E.,
    Sec. 1, E\1/2\;
    Sec. 10, E\1/2\;
    Secs. 11 to 14, inclusive;
    Sec. 15, E\1/2\;
    Sec. 22, NE\1/4\;
    Secs. 23 to 26; inclusive;
    Sec. 33, SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 34, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 35 and 36;
T. 24 S., R. 19 E.,
    Sec. 3, W\1/2\;
    Secs. 4 to 9, inclusive;
    Sec. 10, W\1/2\;
    Secs. 14 to 23, inclusive;
    Sec. 24, S\1/2\;
    Secs. 25 to 36, inclusive;
T. 24 S., R. 20 E.,
    Sec. 19, lot 4;
    Sec. 28, NW\1/4\, S\1/2\;
    Secs. 29 to 33, inclusive;
    Sec. 34, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, W\1/2\SW\1/4\;
T. 25 S., R. 18 E.,
    Sec. 1 to 4, inclusive, partly unsurveyed;
    Sec. 5, SE\1/4\, unsurveyed;
    Sec. 7, NE\1/4\, S\1/2\, unsurveyed;
    Secs. 8 to 18, inclusive, partly unsurveyed;
    Sec. 19, NE\1/4\, unsurveyed;
    Secs. 20 to 22, inclusive, unsurveyed;
    Sec. 23, N\1/2\, SW\1/4\, unsurveyed;
    Sec. 24, N\1/2\, unsurveyed;
    Sec. 27, NW\1/4\, unsurveyed;
    Sec. 28, N\1/2\, unsurveyed;
    Sec. 29, NE\1/4\, unsurveyed;
T. 25 S., R. 19 E.,
    Secs. 1 to 18, inclusive;
    Sec. 19, N\1/2\;
    Sec. 20, N\1/2\;
    Sec. 21, N\1/2\, SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 22 to 27, inclusive;
    Sec. 28, E\1/2\;
    Sec. 33, NE\1/4\;
    Secs. 34 to 36, inclusive;
T. 25 S., R. 20 E.,
    Sec. 3, lots 3, 4, and 5, SW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Secs. 4 to 9, inclusive;
    Sec. 10, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, 
S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 13, S\1/2\SW\1/4\, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 14, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, 
S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec.15 to 23, inclusive;
    Sec. 24, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, W\1/2\W\1/2\;
    Secs. 26 to 35, inclusive
T. 26 S., R. 20 E.,
    Sec. 2 to 4, inclusive;
    Sec. 5, lots 1 to 4, inclusive, and lots 6 to 8, inclusive, S\1/
2\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 9, NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 10, N\1/2\;
    Sec. 11, N\1/2\, N\1/2\S\1/2\, SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 12;
    Sec. 13, N\1/2\, N\1/2\S\1/2\.

    The areas described, including both public and nonpublic lands, 
aggregate 90,240 acres.

    Potash is a trade name for potassium-bearing minerals used mainly 
for fertilizer. Potash and certain other non-energy solid minerals 
found on Federal lands may be leased for development in either of two 
ways:
    (1) If it is unknown whether an area contains valuable potash 
deposits, an interested party may obtain a prospecting permit, which 
grants the party an exclusive right to explore for potash, and, if a 
valuable deposit is found, that party may qualify for a noncompetitive 
lease, or
    (2) If the BLM has access to information which shows that valuable 
deposits of potash exist in an area, the area may be designated a KPLA, 
where prospecting permits may not be issued, and any leasing must be 
done on a competitive basis.
    In 1983, under Secretarial Order 3087, the authority to designate 
KPLAs was transferred to the BLM. In 1984, the BLM issued four 
preference right leases for potash resources found in this area.
    Recent advances in drilling technology have provided the capability 
to extract deep potash deposits using dissolution. Based on this new 
technology, the BLM Assistant Director, in 2009, approved new mineral 
land classification standards for the Utah portion of the Paradox Basin 
geologic province, which includes the Ten Mile KPLA. The BLM Utah State 
Office used the new standards and the analysis of available drilling 
information to determine that the Ten Mile KPLA should be established 
to include deep solution-mineable potash deposits. Competitive leasing 
within the KPLA will be initiated based on expressions of interest. Any 
competitive leases issued

[[Page 26576]]

will be subject to the oil and gas leasing stipulations contained in 
the 2008 Moab Resource Management Plan (Moab RMP, Appendix A), any 
amendments to the leasing stipulations that result from the Moab Master 
Leasing Plan process, which was initiated on March 5, 2012. Competitive 
potash leases will also be subject to additional conditions of approval 
developed as part of site-specific National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA) compliance.
    In accordance with Departmental Manual (DM) 516, Chapter 11.9 
J(12), the classification of a KPLA is an action that is categorically 
excluded from NEPA analysis, provided that there are no ``extraordinary 
circumstances'' as described in 43 CFR 46.215. The proposed Ten Mile 
KPLA was reviewed and was determined to have no ``extraordinary 
circumstances'' as stated in DOI-BLM-UT-9230-2012-0001-CX (number to be 
assigned as of date of publication). Further NEPA review will be done 
for site specific proposals within the KPLA.
    This notice will be published in the Moab Times Independent for 2 
consecutive weeks after publication in the Federal Register.
    Pursuant to the authority in the Act of March 3, 1879, (43 U.S.C. 
31), as supplemented by Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1950 (43 U.S.C. 
1451, note), the Departmental Manual 235 DM 1.1L, and the Mineral 
Leasing Act of 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), the Ten Mile 
KPLA includes the lands listed above effective May 4, 2012.

    Authority: Act of March 3, 1879, (43 U.S.C. 31), as supplemented 
by Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1950 (43 U.S.C. 1451, note) and 235 
Interior Department Manual 1.1L.; Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as 
amended (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.).

Shelley J. Smith,
Acting Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-10768 Filed 5-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P