Request to Submit Fiscal Year 2019-2024 Proposed and Pending Withdrawal Projects
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240–0036
http://www.blm.gov
November 1, 2018
In Reply Refer To:
2300 (350) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 11/06/2019
Instruction Memorandum No. 2019-010
Expires: 09/30/2020
To: All State Directors
From: Assistant Director, Energy, Minerals, and Realty Management
Subject: Request to Submit Fiscal Year 2019-2024 Proposed and Pending Withdrawal Projects DD: 12/14/2018
Program Area: Lands and Realty - Administrative and Military Withdrawals.
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) includes a list of withdrawals that are due to expire between Fiscal Years (FY) 2019 through 2024. State Offices are directed to:
- Review this list for accuracy, completeness, and provide comments as necessary.
- Identify details for any new withdrawal projects.
- Provide explanations for any withdrawals that are expiring and for which the applicant is not seeking an extension (i.e., are they no longer required, etc.).
State Offices must review withdrawals nearing expiration to ensure that the withdrawn lands are the minimum acreage necessary to meet the demonstrated needs of the applicants; and, if the applicant intends to seek an extension, begin the petition or application at least 2 years prior to the expiration date in order that the withdrawal review and extension process may be completed in a timely manner. (603 DM 1 and 43 CFR 2310.4).
Administrative or Mission Related: Administrative.
Policy/Action: Please submit the requested withdrawal information using the attached withdrawal workload spreadsheet (Attachment) to the Washington Office Division of Lands, Realty and Cadastral Survey (WO-350), Attn: Brenda Wilhight, National Withdrawal Program Lead no later than close of business on December 14, 2018.
Timeframe: Effective upon publication.
Budget Impact: None.
Background: The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) defines a withdrawal as “withholding an area of Federal land from settlement, sale, location, or entry, under some or all of the general land laws for the purpose of limiting activities under those laws in order to maintain other public values in the area or reserving the area for a particular public purpose or program; or transferring jurisdiction over an area of federal land…..” There are three major categories of withdrawals: (1) Administrative, (2) Executive, and (3) Congressional.
Withdrawals are established for a wide variety of purposes (e.g., military reservations, administrative sites, recreation sites, national parks, reclamation projects, resource protection, and wilderness areas). Withdrawals from location and entry under the United States mining laws, and from operation of the mineral and geothermal leasing laws still allow for multiple surface uses of the land (e.g., recreation, hunting, grazing, etc.), unless such uses are otherwise prohibited by the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the agency administering the surface lands.
Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: 43 CFR 2300 (Land Withdrawals).
Coordination: WO-350 and WO-300.
Contact: If you have questions concerning the content of this IM, please contact me at 202-208-4201, or Brenda Wilhight, National Withdrawal Program Lead by email at bwilhigh@blm.gov or by phone at 202-912-7346.
Michael D. Nedd Authenticated by:
Assistant Director Robert M. Williams
Energy, Minerals and Realty Management Division of Business Resources,WO-850
1 Attachment
1 – FY2019-2024 Pending Withdrawals (3 pp)