[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 108 (Monday, June 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34289-34290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12103]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLMTL01000-L161000000.PN0000-223; MO #4500161643; MTM-89170-02]


Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and Public Meeting; Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of proposed withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior proposes to withdraw 912.33 
acres of public lands in Phillips County, Montana, from appropriation 
under the public land laws, including location and 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. 
Publication of this notice segregates the lands from the laws specified 
for up to 2 years, subject to valid existing rights. This notice 
initiates a 90-day public comment period and announces an opportunity 
to participate in a virtual public meeting.

DATES: Comments must be received by September 6, 2022.
    A virtual (online) public meeting in connection with the withdrawal 
application and segregation will be held on June 21, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. 
Mountain Time.

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 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will not 
consider comments received via telephone.
    The virtual meeting will be held via Zoom at https://blm.zoomgov.com/j/1616502018?pwd=d1hHenZNdnk2ZmhqY0tPaFUxMUFaUT09. 
Meeting ID: 161 650 2018. Passcode: 544914. Or call 833-568-8864 US 
Toll-free.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Micah Lee, Realty Specialist, Havre 
Field Office, BLM Montana/Dakotas, telephone: (406) 262-2851, email: 
[email protected]; or you may contact the BLM office at the address noted 
earlier. Persons in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 7-1-1 (TTY, TDD, or Tele 
Braille) to access telecommunications relay services to contact Ms. 
Lee. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant is the BLM and its petition/
application requests the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw the 
following-described public lands from appropriation under the public 
land laws, including location and entry under the United States mining 
laws, but not from leasing under the mineral leasing and mineral 
materials disposal laws, subject to valid existing rights, to protect 
the Zortman-Landusky Mine area and to facilitate reclamation and 
stabilization for a 20-year term.

Principal Meridian, Montana

T. 25 N., R. 24 E.,
    sec. 1, lots 14 and 15;
    sec. 11, lot 9;
    sec. 12, lots 11, 12, 13, 17, and 25;
    sec. 13, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\;
    sec. 14, lot 3;
    sec. 21, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\;
    sec. 22, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, NE\1/
4\SE\1/4\, E\1/2\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\, NW\1/4\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/
4\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\, and NW\1/4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 23, E\1/2\NE\1/4\.
T. 25 N., R. 25 E.,
    sec. 6, lots 13 thru 16, lot 18, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    sec. 16, lot 2, N\1/2\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\SW\1/
4\, S\1/2\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, NE\1/
4\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 17, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, S\1/
2\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, W\1/2\SE\1/4\NW\1/
4\SE\1/4\, W\1/2\NE\1/4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, W\1/2\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, SE\1/
4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, and S\1/2\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\.
    The areas described aggregate 912.33 acres.


[[Page 34290]]


    The BLM petition/application has been approved by the Secretary of 
the Interior and therefore it constitutes a withdrawal proposal of the 
Secretary of the Interior (43 CFR 2310.1-3(e)).
    The use of a right-of-way, interagency agreement, or cooperative 
agreement would not provide adequate protection of the Federal 
investment in the mine reclamation work located on the lands.
    No additional water rights will be needed to fulfill the purpose of 
this new withdrawal.
    There are no suitable alternative sites to facilitate mining 
reclamation since the location of the mines and necessary reclamation 
materials are fixed.
    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.
    For a period until June 6, 2024 including location and entry under 
the United States mining laws, but not from leasing under the mineral 
leasing and 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. The BLM is preparing an environmental 
assessment evaluating the environmental consequences of a similar 
withdrawal of 2,688.13 acres proposed to protect the Zortman-Landusky 
Mine reclamation site, announced in the Federal Register on October 7, 
2020 (85 FR 63289), and is including evaluation of the withdrawal 
proposed here in that analysis. Information regarding both proposed 
withdrawals, including environmental and other reviews, will be 
available at the Montana/Dakotas State Office and on the BLM's 
ePlanning site at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2003949/510.
    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 2300.

Theresa M. Hanley,
Acting Montana/Dakotas State Director.
[FR Doc. 2022-12103 Filed 6-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P