[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56403-56404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14943]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_AZ_FRN_MO4500178910]


Notice of Realty Action: Recreation and Public Purposes Act 
Classification; Arizona

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of realty action.

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

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Hassayampa Field Office, 
examined two parcels consisting of approximately 640 acres of public 
land and determined that the parcels are suitable for classification 
for lease and/or conveyance under the provisions of the Recreation and 
Public Purpose Act, as amended (R&PP). The R&PP allows local 
governments to lease, develop, and subsequently acquire public lands 
for recreational uses when the proposed use complies with local 
government and

[[Page 56404]]

BLM land use planning. The City of Buckeye (Applicant) filed an 
application to develop the land as a local park that will help meet 
future expanding recreational needs in Buckeye, Arizona. The BLM is 
seeking public comments as to the suitability of the lands for lease 
and/or conveyance under the R&PP Act.

DATES: Interested parties may submit written comments regarding this 
proposed classification for lease and/or conveyance on or before August 
23, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to the BLM Hassayampa Field Office, 
Ryan Randell, Land Law Examiner, 2020 East Bell Road, Phoenix, Arizona 
85022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ryan Randell, Land Law Examiner, at 
the above address, by telephone at 602-867-5400, or by email at 
[email protected]. 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. 
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 R&PP project is consistent with the BLM 
Bradshaw-Harquahala Resource Management Plan dated April 22, 2010. The 
two parcels are 320 acres each, which would add a total of 640 acres to 
the adjacent 8,675-acre Skyline Regional Park. The subject parcels are 
located within the White Tank Mountains, within the city of Buckeye, 
north of Interstate 10, and are legally described as:

Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona

T. 2 N. R. 3 W.,
    Sec. 14, E\1/2\;
    Sec. 26, N\1/2\.

    The areas described aggregate 640 acres, more or less, according 
to the official plat of the survey of the said land on file with the 
BLM.

    Plans for the R&PP project consist of trails connecting to the 
existing and planned Skyline Regional Park trail network with trailhead 
parking, rest nodes with restrooms, shade structures, seating and site 
furnishings, signage, and access roads from the future Verrado road 
network. The trails are anticipated to be single-track, shared-use, 
non-motorized trails for hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian use. 
Long term future improvements could include a bike skills area that 
would utilize the varied terrain of the White Tank Mountains foothills 
to offer a variety of bike recreation opportunities, such as pump track 
style courses, BMX challenge courses, flow trails, mountain bike trails 
ranging in difficulty, and training areas for beginners.
    The conveyance document, if and when issued, would be subject to 
the provisions of the R&PP Act, to all applicable regulations of the 
Secretary of Interior, and the following terms and conditions:
    1. A right-of-way thereon for ditches and canals constructed by the 
authority of the United States pursuant to the Act of August 30, 1890 
(43 U.S.C. 945).
    2. All mineral deposits in the land, and to it, or persons 
authorized by it, the right to prospect for, mine, and remove such 
deposits from the same under applicable law and regulations to be 
established by the Secretary of the Interior.
    3. Subject to valid existing rights.
    4. An appropriate indemnification clause protecting the United 
States from claims arising out of the use, occupancy, or occupations on 
the lands.
    Upon publication of this notice in the Federal Register, the land 
described above will be segregated from all other forms of 
appropriation under the public land laws, including the general mining 
laws, except for lease/conveyance under the R&PP Act, and leasing under 
the mineral and geothermal leasing laws.
    Interested parties may submit comments to this Notice of Realty 
Action (NORA) involving the classification of lands as being suitable 
for further development of Skyline Regional Park, whether the land is 
physically suited for the proposal, whether the use will maximize the 
future use or uses of the land, whether the use is consistent with 
local planning and zoning, or if the use is consistent with State and 
Federal programs. Comments to this NORA must be submitted in writing 
and sent to the BLM Hassayampa Field Office on or before the date 
listed under the DATES section above.
    All comments received from publication of this notice will then be 
considered for analysis in the Environmental Assessment (EA) for this 
project. Once the EA is completed, it will be made available on the BLM 
National NEPA Register (eplanning website) at https://eplanning.blm.gov. Interested parties on file with the BLM, including 
anyone that submitted a comment to the NORA, will be sent a notice that 
the EA is available for review. Beginning the day that the EA is 
published on the eplanning website, the public will be given an 
additional 30 days to submit comments.
    Comments during the 30-day EA comment period may include concerns 
over the specific use proposed in the application, the Plan of 
Development (POD), and whether the BLM followed proper administrative 
procedures. All comments during the NEPA comment period must be 
submitted directly onto the eplanning website. Comments received during 
the EA comment period will be considered in reaching a decision 
regarding leasing and/or conveying the lands under the R&PP Act. Other 
pertinent information related to the project such as the POD and maps 
will also be made available for review on the eplanning website.
    Any adverse comments received will be considered protests and will 
be reviewed by the BLM Arizona State Director, who may sustain, vacate, 
or modify this realty action. In the absence of any adverse comments to 
the NORA, the classification of lands will become effective 60 days 
from the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. In 
the absence of any adverse comments to the EA, a decision will be made 
in response to the R&PP application and will be posted on the eplanning 
website.
    Before including your address, phone number, email, address, or 
other personal identifying information in any of your comments, 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.
    Authority: 43 CFR 2741.5.

James Holden,
Acting Field Manager, BLM Hassayampa Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-14943 Filed 7-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-12-P