§ 2310.3-1 - Publication and public meeting requirements.

§ 2310.3-1 Publication and public meeting requirements.

(a) When a withdrawal proposal is made, a notice to that effect shall be published immediately in the Federal Register. The notice shall contain the information required by § 2310.1-3 of this title. In the event a withdrawal petition, which subsequently becomes a withdrawal proposal, is submitted simultaneously with a withdrawal application, the information requirements for notices pertaining to withdrawal applications (See paragraph (b) of this section) shall supersede the information requirements of this paragraph. However, in such instances, the notice required by paragraph (b) of this section shall be published immediately without regard to the 30-day period allowed for the filing for publication in the Federal Register of withdrawal application notices.

(b)

(1) Except for emergency withdrawals and except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a) of this section, within 30 days of the submission for filing of a withdrawal, extension or modification application, the authorized officer shall publish in the Federal Register a notice to that effect. The authorized officer also shall publish the same notice in at least one newspaper having a general circulation in the vicinity of the lands involved and, with the cooperation and assistance of the applicant, when appropriate, shall provide sufficient publicity to inform the interested public of the requested action.

(2) The notice shall contain, in summary form, the information required by § 2310.1-2 of this title, except that the authorized officer may exclude the information required by § 2310.1-2(c)(2) of this title, and as much of the descriptive information required by § 2310.1-2(c) (5) and (6) of this title as the authorized officer considers appropriate. The notice shall:

(i) Provide a legal description of the lands affected by the application, together with the total acreage of such lands;

(ii) Specify the extent to which and the time during which any lands that may be involved may be segregated in accordance with § 2310.2 of this title;

(iii) Identify the temporary land uses that may be permitted or allowed during the segregation period as provided for in § 2310.2(c) of this title;

(iv) Provide for a suitable period of at least 90 days after publication of the notice, for public comment on the requested action;

(v) Solicit written comments from the public as to the requested action and provide for one or more public meetings in relation to requested actions involving 5,000 or more acres in the aggregate and, as to requested actions involving less than 5,000 acres, solicit and evaluate the written comments of the public as to the requested action and as to the need for public meetings;

(vi) State, in the case of a national defense withdrawal which can only be made by an Act of Congress, that if the withdrawal is to be made, it will be made by an Act of Congress;

(vii) Provide the address of the Bureau of Land Management office in which the application and the case file pertaining to it are available for public inspection and to which the written comments of the public should be sent;

(viii) State that the application will be processed in accordance with the regulations set forth in part 2300 of this title;

(ix) Reference, if appropriate, the Federal Register in which the notice of a withdrawal proposal, if any, pertaining to the application was published previously;

(x) Provide such additional information as the authorized officer deems necessary or appropriate.

(c)

(1) In determining whether a public meeting will be held on applications involving less than 5,000 acres of land, the authorized officer shall consider whether or not:

(i) A large number of persons have expressed objections to or suggestions regarding the requested action;

(ii) The objections or suggestions expressed appear to have merit without regard to the number of persons responding;

(iii) A public meeting can effectively develop information which would otherwise be difficult or costly to accumulate;

(iv) The requested action, because of the amount of acreage involved, the location of the affected lands or other relevant factors, would have an important effect on the public, as for example, the national or regional economy;

(v) There is an appreciable public interest in the lands or their use, as indicated by the records of the Bureau of Land Management;

(vi) There is prevailing public opinion in the area that favors public meetings or shows particular concern over withdrawal actions; and

(vii) The applicant has requested a public meeting.

(2) A public meeting, whether required or determined by the authorized officer to be necessary, shall be held at a time and place convenient to the interested public, the applicant and the authorized officer. A notice stating the time and place of the meeting, shall be published in the Federal Register and in at least one newspaper having a general circulation in the vicinity of lands involved in the requested action, at least 30 days before the scheduled date of the meeting.