§ 2741.5 - Guidelines for conveyances and leases under the act.

§ 2741.5 Guidelines for conveyances and leases under the act.

(a) Public lands shall be conveyed or leased under the act only for an established or definitely proposed project for which there is a reasonable timetable of development and satisfactory development and management plans.

(b) No public lands having national significance shall be conveyed pursuant to the act.

(c) No more public lands than are reasonably necessary for the proposed use shall be conveyed pursuant to the act.

(d) For proposals involving over 640 acres, public lands shall not be sold or leased pursuant to this act until:

(1) Comprehensive land use plans and zoning regulations for the area in which the lands are located have been adopted by the appropriate State or local authorities.

(2) The authorized officer has held at least one public meeting on the proposal.

(e) Applications shall not be approved unless and until it has been determined that disposal under the act would serve the national interest following the planning requirements of section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1712).

(f) Public lands may be determined to be suitable for lease or sale under the act by the authorized officer on his own motion as a result of demonstrated public needs for public lands for recreational or public purposes during the planning process described in section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

(g) Lands under the jurisdiction of another agency shall not be determined to be suitable for lease or sale without that agency's approval.

(h)

(1) A notice of realty action which shall serve as a classification of public lands as suitable or unsuitable for conveyance or lease under the act shall be issued, published and sent to parties of interest by the authorized officer not less than 60 days prior to the proposed effective date of the classification action. Notices specifying public lands classified as suitable shall include: the use proposed; whether the lands are to be conveyed or leased; and the terms, covenants, conditions and reservations which shall be included in the conveyance or lease document. The notice shall provide at least 45 days from the date of issuance for submission of public comments.

(2) If the notice of realty action states that the lands are classified as suitable for conveyance or lease under the act, it shall segregate the public lands described in the notice from appropriation under any other public land law, including locations under the mining laws, except as provided in the notice or any amendments or revisions to the notice. If, after 18 months following the issuance of the notice, an application has not been filed for the purpose for which the public lands have been classified, the segregative effect of the classification shall automatically expire and the public lands classified in the notice shall return to their former status without further action by the authorized officer.

(3) The notice of realty action shall be published once in the Federal Register and once a week for 3 weeks thereafter in a newspaper of general circulation in the vicinity of the public lands covered by the notice.

(4) The notice published under § 1610.5-5 of this title, if designated in the notice, shall serve as the notice of realty action required by this section and shall segregate the public lands as stated in the notice. Any such notice given under § 1610.5-5 of this title shall be published and distributed under the provisions of this section.

(i) The Act shall not be used to provide sites for the disposal of permanent or long-term hazardous wastes.

[44 FR 43472, July 25, 1979. Redesignated at 51 FR 50300, Dec. 10, 1985, and amended at 50 FR 50301, Dec. 10, 1985; 51 FR 1795, Jan. 15, 1986; 57 FR 32733, July 23, 1992]