[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 15 (Monday, January 24, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3580-3581]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01216]


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DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[21X.LLNMP02000.L14400000.ET0000; NMNM-142840]


Notice of Application for Withdrawal and a Public Meeting for 
Guadalupe Cave Resource Protection Area, New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of application for withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has received an 
application from the United States Forest Service (USFS) for the 
Secretary of the Interior to withdraw 28,513.30 acres of National 
Forest System lands from location and entry under the United States 
mining laws, and from leasing under the mineral leasing laws, subject 
to valid existing rights, for a period of 20 years to protect the 
Guadalupe Cave Resource Protection Area located on the Guadalupe Ranger 
District of the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. Publication of 
this notice segregates the lands for two years from location and entry 
under the United States mining laws, and from leasing under the mineral 
leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights, and announces an 
opportunity for the public to comment on the withdrawal application. 
This notice also announces the date, time, and location of the public 
meeting. The lands will remain open to all other uses according to the 
laws applicable to National Forest System lands.

DATES: Comments and meeting requests must be received on or before 
April 25, 2022.

ADDRESSES: All comments should be sent to the BLM New Mexico State 
Office, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508, or email to 
[email protected]. The BLM will not consider comments received via 
telephone calls. The application and case file are available for public 
examination by interested persons by appointment at the BLM Public 
Room, 620 E Greene Street, Carlsbad, NM 88220 during regular business 
hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday except holidays. 
Please call Robert Gomez, Realty Supervisor, at (575) 234-5989 to 
review the application and case file at the BLM Public Room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Naranjo, Realty Specialist, BLM 
New Mexico State Office, by email at [email protected] or by telephone 
at (505) 954-2200. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
to contact Ms. Naranjo. The FRS available 24 hours a day, 7 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 purpose of the withdrawal is to protect 
and preserve the Guadalupe Cave Resource Protection Area in the Lincoln 
National Forest in Eddy County, New Mexico, for a 20-year period. This 
area is part of the Capitan Limestone, reef, and shelf complex, of 
Permian age, and has a high likelihood of undiscovered caves; 
therefore, no suitable alternative site is available. The USFS filed an 
application on December 18, 2020, with the Secretary of the Interior, 
to withdraw the following described National Forest System lands:

New Mexico Principal Meridian

T. 25 S., R. 21 E.,
    sec. 36, lot 4, S\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\SE\1/4\,
T. 26 S., R. 21 E.
    sec. 1;
    sec. 2, E\1/2\;
    sec. 10, SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 11, E\1/2\ and SW\1/4\;
    secs. 12, 13, and 14;
    sec. 15, E\1/2\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\;
    sec. 16, S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 20, SE\1/4\;
    secs. 21 thru 28;
    sec. 29, E\1/2\;
    sec. 32, lots 1 and 2, and N\1/2\NE\1/4\;
    sec. 33, lots 1 thru 4, and N\1/2\N\1/2\;
    sec. 34, lots 1 thru 4, and N\1/2\N\1/2\;
    sec. 35, lots 1 thru 4, and N\1/2\N\1/2\;
    sec. 36, lots 1 thru 4, and N\1/2\N\1/2\;
T. 25 S., R.22 E.,

(The land described in T. 25 S., R. 22 E. is unsurveyed, and 
descriptions were established by a 2002 Protraction Diagram)

    PB 43;
    sec. 14, S\1/2\;
    sec. 15, S\1/2\ and NW\1/4\;
    PBs 44, 49, 50, 51, and 52;
    secs. 22 and 23;
    secs. 26 thru 29;
    PBs 55 thru 63;
T. 26 S., R. 22 E.,
    secs. 3 thru 10, and 15 thru 18.

    The area described contains 28,513.30 acres in Eddy County, New 
Mexico.
    All persons who wish to submit comments, suggestions, or 
objections, in connection with the requested withdrawal to the Lincoln 
National Forest, can do so until April 25, 2022 to the individual 
mentioned in the ADDRESSES section.
    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 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 application for withdrawal and segregation will be 
held. The USFS and the BLM will have a public meeting on February 23, 
2022, at 5:30 p.m. (Mountain Time). A link to join the Teams virtual 
meeting will be available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/lincoln.
    Submit your written comments to the State Director, BLM New Mexico 
State Office, at the address in the ADDRESSES section indicated above 
by April 25, 2022.
    For a period until January 24, 2024, subject to valid existing 
rights, the lands in this Notice will be segregated from location and 
entry under the United States mining laws and leasing under the mineral 
leasing laws, unless the application is denied or canceled, or the 
withdrawal is approved prior to that date.


[[Page 3581]]


(Authority: 43 CFR 2310.3-1)

Melanie G. Barnes,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2022-01216 Filed 1-21-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P