Public Comment Invited: Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management Application to Withdraw Additional BLM Lands at Central Nevada Test Area
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TONOPAH, Nev. – The Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management Office, has applied to the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw approximately 361 acres of land surrounding part of its Central Nevada Test Area. The BLM has completed an Environmental Assessment which is now available for public comment.
The CNTA consists of three parcels of withdrawn federal land in Hot Creek Valley, approximately 70 miles northeast of Tonopah, Nevada. One 640-acre parcel was the site of an underground nuclear test in 1968, which resulted in a determination that the CNTA was unsuitable for further nuclear testing. These lands are currently withdrawn from fluid mineral leasing, non-energy (solid) mineral leasing and mineral material (saleable) entry. Closure to locatable minerals can only be accomplished via a withdrawal by the Secretary of the Interior. The DOE, which monitors the CNTA, has determined that the additional 361 acres need to be withdrawn to prevent disturbance to residual subsurface contamination.
As a result of DOE’s application, the BLM segregated the proposed withdrawal area from appropriation under the public land laws as required while the DOE and BLM prepared the EA. The segregation removed the proposed withdrawal lands from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws and the mineral leasing laws, for two years. Valid existing rights at the time of the segregation will be honored.
The BLM published a Notice of Proposed Withdrawal in the Federal Register on May 1, 2018, stating that DOE and BLM would conduct an EA, based on which the BLM will make a recommendation on the withdrawal to the Secretary of the Interior. The EA and a draft Finding of No Significant Impact are now available for public review and comment at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/103814/510.
Comments must be received by December 31, 2018 and may be submitted via the project website provided above; e-mail to BLM_NV_BMDO_Tonopah_Withdrawal@blm.gov; fax to 775-482-7810; or mail to BLM Tonopah Field Office, Attn: DOE Withdrawal, 1553 South Main St., P.O. Box 911, Tonopah, NV 89049.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised 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 from public review your personal identifying information, the BLM cannot guarantee it will be able to do so. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.