[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71668-71669]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25520]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLWY920000.14400000.ET0000.223; WYW-172386]


Notice of Application for Permanent Withdrawal and Transfer of 
Jurisdiction, Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management (DOE-LM) 
has filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
requesting that the Secretary of the Interior exercise authority under 
Title II of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 
(UMTRCA) and permanently withdraw and transfer administrative 
jurisdiction to DOE-LM of 869.08 acres of public lands and 3,454.39 
acres of Federal mineral estate at the Split Rock Site in Wyoming. The 
public land and interests in the land would be withdrawn from operation 
of the general land laws, including the United States mining laws, the 
mineral and geothermal leasing laws, and the mineral materials disposal 
laws, subject to valid existing rights, and would be transferred to 
DOE-LM for long term maintenance and monitoring under a Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission license as part of the Split Rock Disposal Cell 
Site. The BLM previously published notice of a DOE-LM application for 
withdrawal and transfer of jurisdiction for some of these lands and 
minerals for the same purpose in the Federal Register on April 14, 2008 
(73 FR 20062-63). This notice announces a 30-day opportunity for the 
public to comment on the DOE-LM application.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 23, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to BLM Wyoming State Director, BLM 
Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY 82009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keesha Clay, Realty Specialist, BLM 
Wyoming State Office, (307) 775-6189, during regular business hours 
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. 
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or 
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services for contacting 
Ms. Clay. 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 DOE-LM filed with the BLM an application 
that requests the Secretary of the Interior to permanently withdraw and 
transfer administrative jurisdiction over the following described 
public lands and federally owned minerals, subject to valid existing 
rights. DOE-LM has requested that the land and minerals be withdrawn 
from location and entry under the United States mining laws, from 
leasing under the mineral or geothermal leasing laws, and from disposal 
under the mineral materials laws, subject to valid existing rights. 
Under the UMTRCA, as amended by the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial 
Action Amendments Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 7916), the Secretary of the 
Interior may make such permanent withdrawals and transfers of 
administrative jurisdiction. The Secretary's actions under UMTRCA are 
explicitly exempt from the withdrawal and transfer provisions of 
Section 204 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as 
amended. The following legal land description includes public lands and 
Federal mineral interest underlying non-Federal surface estate in both 
the new application and the 2008 application. The public lands and 
Federal mineral estate are requested for permanent withdrawal and 
jurisdictional transfer for long term maintenance and monitoring by 
DOE-LM under applicable provisions of UMTRCA:

Public Lands

Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming

T. 29 N., R. 91 W.,
    Sec. 6, lots 8 thru 13 and E1/2SE1/4;
    Sec. 7, N1/2NE1/4;
    Sec. 8, NW1/4NW1/4.
T. 29 N., R. 92 W.,
    Sec. 1, lots 1 and 2, S1/2NE1/4, and SE1/4SE1/4;
    Sec. 2, SE1/4SW1/4 and SW1/4SE1/4;
    Sec. 11, NW1/4NE1/4 and NE1/4NW1/4;
    Sec. 12, W1/2NE1/4.
    The areas described aggregate 869.08 acres of surface and 
Federal minerals.

Federal Mineral Interests Underlying Non-Federal Surface

T. 29 N., R. 91 W.
    Sec. 5, S1/2;
    Sec. 6, lot 5, SE1/4NW1/4, and SW1/4SE1/4;
    Sec. 7, lots 1 thru 4, S1/2NE1/4, E1/2NW1/4, E1/2SW1/4, and SE1/
4;
    Sec. 8, E1/2NE1/4, SW1/4NW1/4, and W1/2SW1/4;
    Sec. 18, lots 1 and 2 and E1/2NW1/4, those portions lying 
northerly of the northerly right-of-way boundary of U.S. Highway 
287, as described on Document No. 2009-1328633, filed October 19, 
2009, in the Fremont County Clerk's Office.
T. 29 N., R. 92 W.,
    Sec. 1, lot 4, SW1/4, and W1/2SE1/4;
    Sec. 2, SW1/4SW1/4, NE1/4SW1/4, N1/2SE1/4, and SE1/4SE1/4;
    Sec. 3, E1/2SE1/4;
    Sec. 10, E1/2SE1/4, that portion lying northerly of the 
northerly boundary of the Home on the Range Estates Subdivision, 
Document No. 970395, filed March 8, 1978, in the Fremont County 
Clerk's Office;
    Sec. 11, NE1/4NE1/4, S1/2NE1/4, SE1/4NW1/4, and S1/2, except 
that portion of SW1/4SW1/4 within said Home on the Range 
Subdivision;
    Sec. 12, E1/2NE1/4, NW1/4, and S1/2;
    Sec. 13, N1/2;
    Sec. 14, NE1/4 and NE1/4NW1/4.

    The areas described aggregate approximately 3,454.39 acres of 
Federal minerals underlying non-Federal surface.

    The purpose of the requested withdrawal and transfer of 
administrative jurisdiction is to allow the DOE-LM to administer the 
lands in perpetuity as a hazardous material site under the authority of 
the UMTRCA of 1978, 42 U.S.C. 7902 et seq.
    For a period until December 23, 2022, all persons who wish to 
submit comments, suggestions, or objections in connection with the DOE-
LM application may present their views in writing to the BLM Wyoming 
State Office at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section above. 
Records related to the applications may be examined by contacting the 
BLM Wyoming State Office at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section 
above. The BLM is preparing an environmental assessment under the 
National Environmental Policy Act in connection with the requested 
withdrawal and jurisdictional transfer. On January 28, 2022, the BLM 
posted a project description for DOI-BLM-WY-R050-2022-0009-EA on its 
ePlanning site at eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017709/510.

[[Page 71669]]

    Your comments, including your name and street address, will be 
available for public review at the BLM Wyoming State Office during 
regular business hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. 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.
    DOE-LM has acknowledged that segments of four National Historic 
Trails are present within the project area. The transfer of 
administrative jurisdiction would not invalidate or revoke the 
congressionally designated alignments of the National Historic Trail 
across the property, and trail wide administration would continue to be 
coordinated by the National Park Service.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7916).

Andrew Archuleta,
BLM Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2022-25520 Filed 11-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P