[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 76 (Monday, April 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21876-21879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08298]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLAZ920000.L13400000.PQ0000.20X; AZA-09973]


Notice of Application for Withdrawal Extension; Notice of 
Application for Withdrawal Addition; Notice of Segregation; and, 
Opportunity for Public Meeting for the Barry M. Goldwater Range, 
Arizona

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal applications.

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

SUMMARY: The United States Department of the Air Force (USAF) and the 
United States Department of the Navy (USN) have filed applications to 
extend and expand existing Federal-land withdrawals in Maricopa, Pima, 
and Yuma counties, Arizona. They have requested an extension of the 
existing 1,743,426.42-acre withdrawal, along with the withdrawal of an 
additional 2,366 acres of public lands at Gila Bend airfield from all 
forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining 
laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws, 
subject to valid existing rights for an indefinite period. The decision 
about these applications will be made by Congress.

DATES: Comments on the withdrawal applications, including their 
environmental consequences, should be received on or before July 20, 
2020. In addition, the USAF, the USN, and the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) will host a public meeting addressing the withdrawal applications 
and the associated environmental review process. The date and venue for 
the public meeting is listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

ADDRESSES: Comments pertaining to the USAF and USN withdrawal extension 
proposal or the USAF withdrawal

[[Page 21877]]

expansion proposal should be sent to the BLM, Arizona State Office; 
Attention: Eddie Arreola, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, 
AZ 85004. Comments pertaining to this notice may be submitted by any of 
the following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 602-417-9454.
     Mail: BLM Arizona State Office, Attn: Eddie Arreola, One 
North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 85004.
    Copies of the legal descriptions and the maps depicting the lands 
that are the subject of the USAF and USN's application are available 
for public inspection at the following offices: State Director, BLM 
Arizona State Office, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, 
Arizona 85004; District Manager, BLM Phoenix District Office, 21605 
North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027; and Field Office Manager, BLM 
Yuma Field Office, 7341 E 30th Street, Yuma, Arizona 85365.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eddie Arreola, Supervisory Project 
Manager, at 602-417-9505 or email at [email protected] or at the above 
addresses. Information on the proposed action (withdrawal extension and 
addition), including the environmental review process, can be viewed at 
the project's website at www.barry-m-goldwater-leis.com. Persons who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual 
during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 
seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the above 
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States Department of the Air 
Force (USAF) and the United States Department of the Navy (USN), acting 
on behalf of the United States Marine Corps, have filed an application 
to extend the current withdrawal of 1,743,426.42 acres of Federal lands 
from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including 
the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing 
laws, subject to valid existing rights, for military use of the Barry 
M. Goldwater Range (BMGR) in Maricopa, Pima, and Yuma counties, Arizona 
for an indefinite period (withdrawal extension). In accordance with the 
Engle Act (43 U.S.C. 155-158), because it exceeds 5000 acres, this 
withdrawal extension requires an Act of Congress. The USAF has also 
requested the withdrawal of an additional 2,366 acres of public lands 
at Gila Bend airfield from all forms of appropriation under the public 
land laws, including the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the 
geothermal leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights for an 
indefinite period (withdrawal expansion). These additional acres are 
adjacent and contiguous to the existing withdrawal, and therefore, 
under the Engle Act (43 U.S.C. 155-158), their withdrawal, too, 
requires an Act of Congress. This notice segregates the 2,366 acres for 
2 years from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, 
including the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal 
leasing laws; initiates an opportunity for the public to comment on the 
proposed withdrawal extension and withdrawal expansion; and announces 
the date, time, and location of public meetings on both the extension 
and the expansion.
    The BMGR was withdrawn under the Military Land Withdrawal Act 
(MLWA) of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-65). The existing withdrawal expires on 
October 4, 2024. In accordance with MLWA, the USAF and USN notified 
Congress of a continuing military need for the BMGR withdrawn lands. 
The USAF and USN are jointly preparing a Legislative Environmental 
Impact Statement (LEIS). The USAF and USN anticipate Federal Register 
publication of a separate Notice of Intent to prepare the LEIS.
    As required by section 204(b)(1) of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976, 43 U.S.C. 1714(b)(1), and the BLM regulations 
at 43 CFR part 2300, the BLM is publishing the notice of the USAF and 
USN application. While the BLM and the Department of the Interior 
assist the USAF and USN with the processing of withdrawal applications, 
and the Secretary of the Interior makes a recommendation to Congress on 
the proposed withdrawals, it will be Congress that will make the final 
decision regarding whether to extend the existing BMGR withdrawal and/
or expand it to add 2,366 acres at Gila Bend Airfield.
    The USAF and USN are requesting that Congress extend the BMGR land 
withdrawal for an indefinite period due to the anticipated continuation 
of national defense requirements.
    Extension Request: The application requests an extension of the 
existing BMGR withdrawal of 1,650,246 acres of Federal land in 
accordance with the Engle Act, (43 U.S.C. 155-158).
    The November 30, 2001, Federal Register publication (66 FR 59813) 
identified 1,650,246 acres of public lands and 83,675 acres of former 
State and private non-contiguous parcels acquired by the military, for 
a total withdrawal of 1,733,921 acres.
    Since 2001, the BLM has surveyed the western portion of the 
withdrawal used by the USN and has produced a more accurate acreage 
than was originally provided in the 2001 Federal Register publication. 
The total calculated acres of Federal interest and acquired lands is 
1,743,426.42 acres, of which 1,659,364.92 acres are public lands and 
84,061.51 acres are acquired lands. There is a difference of 9,505.89 
acres between the 2001 acreage and the resurveyed acreage, even though 
there is no change in the existing boundary and the legal description 
remains the same, as noted below. The difference in acreage is due to 
an accumulation of fractions of acres within the boundary of the 
existing withdrawal due to more recent and accurate geographic 
information system mapping.

Legal Description of Withdrawal Extension

Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona

T. 8 S., R. 1 W.,
    Sec. 30, lots 3 and 4 and E\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 31;
    Sec. 32, NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 33, SW\1/4\.
T. 9 S., R. 1 W.,
    Sec. 3, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 4 thru 11;
    Sec. 12, SW\1/4\;
    Secs. 13 thru 36.
T. 8 S., R. 2 W.,
    Sec. 7, lots 1 thru 4, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/
4\;
    Sec. 8, SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 16, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 17 thru 22;
    Sec. 23, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 25, NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 26 thru 36.
T. 9 S., R. 2 W.
T. 7 S., R. 3 W.,
    Sec. 19, lots 3 and 4 and E\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 28, SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 29, NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 30 thru 33;
    Sec. 34, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\.
T. 8 S., R. 3 W.,
    Sec. 1, SW\1/4\;
    Secs. 2 thru 36.
T. 9 S., R. 3 W.
T. 10 S., R. 3 W.,
    Secs. 4 thru 9;
    Secs. 16 thru 21;
    Secs. 28 thru 33.
T. 7 S., R. 4 W.,
    Sec. 14, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 15 thru 23;
    Sec. 24, NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 25 thru 36.
Tps. 8, 9, and 10 S., R. 4 W.
T. 6 S., R. 5 W.,
    Sec. 13;
    Sec. 14, NE\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 15 thru 17;
    Sec. 18, lots 3 and 4, E\1/2\NE\1/4\, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/
4\NW\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;

[[Page 21878]]

    Secs. 19 thru 36.
Tps. 7 thru 10 S., R. 5 W.
T. 6 S., R. 6 W.,
    Sec. 13, E\1/2\SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 22, E\1/2\SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, and S\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 23, E\1/2\NE\1/4\, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, 
and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 24 thru 27;
    Secs. 34 thru 36.
T. 7 S., R. 6 W.,
    Secs. 1 thru 3;
    Secs. 10 thru 36.
Tps. 8 thru 10 S., R. 6 W.
T. 11 S., R. 6 W.,
    Secs. 5 thru 8;
    Secs. 4, 9, 10, and 15, all those portions lying west of the 
westerly boundaries of the State Route 85 (100 feet) and detention 
basin (700 feet) rights-of-way, as more particularly identified and 
described on the official BLM plat maps;
    Secs. 16 thru 21;
    Secs. 22 and 27, all those portions lying west of the westerly 
boundary of the State Route 85 (100 feet) right-of-way, as more 
particularly identified and described on the official BLM plat maps;
    Secs. 28 thru 30.
T. 7 S., R. 7 W.,
    Secs. 13 thru 36.
Tps. 8 thru 10 S., R. 7W.
T. 7 S., R. 8 W.,
    Secs. 13 thru 15;
    Sec. 16, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 17, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 18, lots 3 and 4, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 19 thru 36.
Tps. 8 and 9 S., R. 8 W., unsurveyed.
T. 10 S., R. 8 W.
T. 7 S., R. 9 W.
    Sec. 13, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 14, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 19 thru 36.
Tps. 8 thru 11 S., R. 9 W., unsurveyed.
Tps. 8 and 9 S., R. 10 W.
Tps. 10 and 11 S., R. 10 W., unsurveyed.
Tps. 8 thru 10 S., R. 11 W.
T. 11 S., R. 11 W., unsurveyed.
T. 8 and 9 S., R. 11 \1/2\ W and 12 W.
T. 10 S., R. 12 W.
T. 11 S., R. 12 W., unsurveyed.
T. 8 S., R. 13 W.,
    Secs. 1 thru 3;
    Secs. 4 thru 7, all of those portions lying south of the 
southerly boundary of the railroad right-of-way, as more 
particularly identified and described on the official BLM plat maps.
    Secs. 8 thru 36.
Tps. 9 and 10 S., R. 13 W.
T. 11 S., R. 13 W., unsurveyed.
T. 8 S., R. 14 W.,
    Secs. 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 21, all those portions lying south 
of the southerly boundary of the railroad right-of-way, as more 
particularly identified and described on the official BLM plat maps;
    Sec. 20, all those portions lying south of the southerly 
boundaries of the railroad right-of-way and the Interstate Highway 8 
right-of-way, as more particularly identified and described on the 
official BLM plat maps;
    Sec. 13 and 22 thru 36;
Tps. 9 and 10 S., R. 14 W.
T. 11 S., R. 14 W., unsurveyed.
T. 8 S. R. 15 W.,
    Secs. 33 thru 36.
Tps. 9 and 10 S., R. 15W.
T. 11 S., R. 15 W., unsurveyed.
T. 9 S., R. 16 W.,
    Secs. 1 and 2;
    Secs. 7 thru 36.
T. 10 S., R. 16 W.
T. 11 S., R. 16 W., unsurveyed.
T. 9 S., R. 17 W., partially surveyed.
    Secs. 12 thru 14;
    Secs. 15 and 16, partially surveyed;
    Sec. 17, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 19 thru 36.
T. 10 S., R. 17 W.,
Tps. 11 thru 14 S., R. 17 W., unsurveyed.
T. 9 S., R. 18 W.,
    Sec. 21, SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 22, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 23 thru 36.
T. 10 S., R. 18 W.
Tps. 11 thru 13 S., R. 18 W., unsurveyed.
T. 9 S., R. 19 W.,
    Secs. 25 thru 36.
Tps. 10 thru 13 S., R. 19 W., unsurveyed.
T. 9 S., R. 20 W.,
    Secs. 25 thru 36.
Tps. 10 thru 12 S., R. 20 W., unsurveyed.
T. 9 S., R. 21 W.,
    Secs. 25 thru 36.
Tps. 10 thru 12 S., R. 21 W.
T. 9 S., R. 22 W.,
    Secs. 25 thru 28;
    Sec. 29, NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 32 thru 36.
T. 10 S., R. 22 W.,
    Secs. 1 thru 5;
    Sec. 6, lots 1 and 2, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    Secs. 7 thru 36.
Tps. 11 and 12 S., R. 22 W.
    The areas described aggregate 1,743,426.42 acres.

    Addition Request: In accordance with the Engle Act, (43 U.S.C. 155-
158), the USAF filed an application requesting withdrawal and 
reservation of 2,366 acres of additional Federal lands for military 
training exercises involving the BMGR, Maricopa County, Arizona (the 
``Addition area''). The USAF requests that the land be withdrawn from 
all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the 
mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws, 
subject to valid existing rights, and reserved for use of the USAF for 
testing and training, consistent with the purpose of the BMGR.

Legal Description of Addition Lands

Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona

T. 6 S. R. 4 W.,
    Sec. 19, lots 3 and 4, and E\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 31; Lots 1 and 2, and E\1/2\NW\1/4\.
T. 7 S., R. 4 W.,
    Sec. 5, SW\1/4\ SW\1/4\ SW\1/4\;
    Secs. 6, Lots 3 thru 7, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/
4\;
    Secs. 7 and 8;
    Sec. 9, SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\.
    The areas described aggregate 2,366 acres.

    In the event any non-federally owned lands within the requested 
withdrawal area return or pass to Federal ownership in the future, they 
would be subject to the terms and conditions described above.
    The purpose of the requested withdrawal extension and expansion is 
to withdraw and reserve the lands for use by the USAF and USN for 
military testing and training.
    For a period until July 20, 2020, all persons who wish to submit 
comments, suggestions, or objections in connection with the withdrawal 
application may present their comments in writing to the persons and 
offices listed in the ADDRESSES section above. All comments received 
will be considered before the Secretary of the Interior makes any 
recommendation for withdrawal to Congress.
    As a direct result of the National Emergency declared by the 
President on Friday, March 13, 2020, in response to the coronavirus 
(COVID-19) pandemic, no in-person public meeting will be held. Instead, 
a virtual (online) public meeting will be conducted on Thursday, May 26 
at 5:00 p.m. and Thursday, May 28 at 3:00 p.m. via a virtual meeting. 
The BLM will publish the date and instructions on how to access the 
online public meeting in the Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Ajo Copper 
News, Gila Bend Sun, Arizona Republic (Phoenix Metropolitan area), Casa 
Grande Dispatch, The Glendale Star, Yuma Sun, Baja El Sol (Yuma), La 
Voz (Phoenix), and The Runner (Tohono O'odham Nation) newspapers for a 
minimum of 15 days prior to the meetings.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the project website noted above. 
Before including your address, phone number, email 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.
    Subject to valid existing rights, the 2366 acres of Federal lands 
that are the subject of the USAF application for addition of the 
withdrawal and reservation for USAF military use, and that are 
described in this notice, will be segregated from all forms of 
appropriation under the public land

[[Page 21879]]

laws, including the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the 
geothermal leasing laws. The segregation will continue for a period of 
2 years from date of publication in the Federal Register, unless the 
applications/proposal are denied or cancelled, or the withdrawal is 
approved prior to that date. Licenses, permits, cooperative agreements, 
or discretionary land use authorizations may be allowed during the 
period of segregation, but only with the approval of the authorized 
officer and, as appropriate, with the concurrence of the USAF.
    The applications for withdrawal and reservation will be processed 
in accordance with the regulations at 43 CFR part 2300.

(Authority: 43 U.S.C. 1714(b)(1) and 43 CFR 2300)

Raymond Suazo,
Arizona State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-08298 Filed 4-17-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-32-P