[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 248 (Monday, December 29, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 67602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33725]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
43 CFR Part 3820
RIN 1004--AC60
[WO-320-1990-01-24 1A]
Surface Management of Mineral Activities Within the Bodie Bowl
Under the Bodie Protection Act of 1994
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; withdrawal.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is withdrawing the
proposed rule concerning mineral development in the Bodie Bowl which
was previously proposed to implement the Bodie Protection Act of 1994.
Because this Act closed the area to location of mining claims, and the
state of California and the Nature Conservancy have acquired all
existing unpatented mining claims and mill sites so that they may be
reconveyed to BLM, the development of locatable minerals will not occur
on Federal lands within the Bodie Bowl. Thus, regulations are no longer
necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Fontecchio, Regulatory Affairs
Group, Bureau of Land Management, Mail Stop 401LS, 1849 C Street, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20240; telephone (202) 452-5012 (Commercial or FTS).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bodie Protection Act of 1994 (108 Stat.
4471, 4509), withdrew Federal lands within the Bodie Bowl to protect
and preserve the historic mining town of Bodie. The withdrawal closed
the area to further mineral location, and the Act compelled the
Secretary of the Interior to manage those existing claims in accordance
with rules which would minimize adverse effects on historic, cultural,
recreational and natural resource values of the Bodie Bowl.
Specifically, the Secretary was ordered to promulgate rules for
management of mineral activities within the Bodie Bowl that are no less
stringent than the rules promulgated by the National Park Service under
the Mining in the Parks Act (16 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.), now codified at
36 CFR part 9. In consultation with the California State Department of
Parks and Recreation, which administers the Bodie Historic Park, BLM
issued proposed rules designed to carry out the terms of the Act on
November 8, 1996 (61 FR 57837).
Since these rules were proposed, the State of California and the
Nature Conservancy have acquired the remaining mining claims and mill
sites in the Bodie Bowl. BLM expects that the final stages of the
agreement, whereby the State and the Nature Conservancy will quitclaim
all unpatented mining claims and mill sites back to the United States,
will be completed sometime in the near future. As a result, there will
be no future mineral development activities in the Bodie Bowl, making
BLM regulations of mining in the Bodie Bowl unnecessary. Therefore, the
proposed regulations are withdrawn. If for some unforeseen reason
development of locatable minerals becomes possible on Federal lands in
the Bodie Bowl in the future, BLM would take appropriate action to
promulgate any needed rules.
Date: December 17, 1997.
Bob Armstrong,
Assistant Secretary for Land Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 97-33725 Filed 12-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P
