[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63289-63290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22313]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLMTL01000-L161000000.PN0000; MO #4500146072; MTM-89170-01]


Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and Notification of Public Meeting, 
Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of proposed withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Interior proposes to withdraw 2,688.13 
acres of public lands in Phillips County, Montana, from location or 
entry under the United States mining laws, but not from the mineral 
leasing or the mineral materials disposal laws for up to 20 years, 
subject to valid existing rights, to protect the Zortman-Landusky Mine 
reclamation site. The proposed 20-year withdrawal, if established, 
would replace the existing 5-year withdrawal created by Public Land 
Order (PLO) 7464, as extended three times, and which will expire 
October 4, 2020. Publication of this notice segregates the lands for up 
to 2 years from location or entry under the United States mining laws, 
subject to valid existing rights, while the application is being 
processed. This notice also announces to the public the opportunity to 
comment on the proposed withdrawal application and to participate in a 
virtual public meeting.

DATES: Comments must be received by January 5, 2021. The Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) will hold a virtual public meeting in connection with 
the proposed withdrawal on December 7, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. The BLM will 
publish instructions on how to access the online public meeting in the 
Lewistown News--Argus (Lewistown), Havre Daily News (Havre), and 
Phillips County News (Malta) newspapers a minimum of 30 days prior to 
the meeting.

ADDRESSES: All comments should be sent to: Malta Field Office, Attn: 
Field Manager, 501 South 2nd St. East, Malta, Montana 59538; or sent by 
email to [email protected]. The BLM will not consider comments received via 
telephone.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Micah Lee, Realty Specialist, BLM, at 
406-262-2851; or by email at [email protected]. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay 
Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question for Ms. 
Lee. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a 
message or question. You will receive a reply during normal business 
hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM filed a petition and application to 
withdraw, subject to valid existing rights, 2,688.13 acres of land 
located in Phillips County, Montana, from location or entry under the 
United States mining laws (30 U.S.C. Ch. 2), but not from the mineral 
leasing or mineral materials disposal laws, for 20 years, to protect 
the Zortman-Landusky Mine area and facilitate reclamation and 
stabilization within the following legal description.

Principal Meridian, Montana

T. 25 N., R. 24 E.,
    Sec. 10, lots 7 thru 11 and NE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 11, lot 8;
    Sec. 12, lots 8, 20, 23, and 24 and SE\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 13, W\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 14, lots 1 and 2, lots 4 thru 11, E\1/2\NE\1/4\, SW\1/
4\NE\1/4\, and N\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 15, lots 4 thru 18;
    Sec. 21, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, and W\1/2\SE\1/4\SE\1/
4\;
    Sec. 22, lot 1, lots 3 thru 7, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\NW\1/4\, 
N\1/2\SW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, and 
NW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 23, W\1/2\NE\1/4\ and NW\1/4\.
T. 25 N., R. 25 E.,
    Sec. 7, lots 5 thru 9, lots 14, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, and 26, lots 
28 thru 32, and NW\1/4\NE\1/4\;
    Sec. 8, SW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 17, lots 3 and 4, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, E\1/
2\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, 
N\1/2\NE\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, and N\1/2\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 18, lots 2 thru 5, lots 9, 10, 13, and 14, and SW\1/4\NE\1/
4\.
    The areas described aggregate 2,688.13 acres.

    The Secretary of the Interior approved the BLM' s petition/
application. Therefore, the petition/application constitutes a 
withdrawal proposal of the Secretary of the Interior (43 CFR 2310.1-
3(e)).
    The purpose of the proposed withdrawal is to continue the 
protection of the lands provided by PLO 7464, as extended, and to 
facilitate reclamation in the Zortman-Landusky Mine reclamation area.
    The use of a right-of-way, interagency agreement, or cooperative 
agreement would not adequately constrain non-discretionary uses and 
would not provide adequate protection of the Federal investment in the 
mine reclamation work located on the lands.
    There are no suitable alternative sites available where the 
withdrawal would facilitate mine reclamation since the location of the 
mines and necessary reclamation materials are fixed.
    No water rights would be needed to fulfill the purpose of the 
requested withdrawal.
    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 made 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 virtual (online) public meeting in 
connection with the withdrawal application and segregation will be held 
on December 7, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. The BLM will publish a notice of the 
time and online venue in a local newspaper a minimum of 15 days before 
the scheduled date of the meeting. The BLM will prepare an 
environmental assessment to evaluate the proposed withdrawal and any 
alternatives in order to make a recommendation to the Secretary of the 
Interior (or appropriate Departmental official).
    For a period until October 7, 2022, the public lands described in 
this notice will be segregated from location or entry under the United 
States mining laws, but not from the mineral leasing or mineral 
materials disposal laws, subject to valid existing rights, unless the 
application is denied or canceled or the withdrawal is approved prior 
to that date.

[[Page 63290]]

    Licenses, permits, cooperative agreements, or discretionary land 
use authorizations of a temporary nature that will not significantly 
impact the values to be protected by the withdrawal may be allowed with 
the approval of the authorized officer of the BLM during the temporary 
segregation period.
    The application will be processed in accordance with the 
regulations set forth in 43 CFR part 2300.

    Dated: October 1, 2020.
David L. Bernhardt,
Secretary of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 2020-22313 Filed 10-5-20; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P