BLM seeking public comment on Nevada land withdrawal

The Bureau of Land Management will hold a virtual meeting on the proposal to extend the withdrawal of 694,838.84 acres of federal land in Churchill, Lyon, Mineral, Nye and Pershing counties for an additional four years.

The BLM withdrawal extension is done under Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and supports the Navy’s military withdrawal efforts, Colleen Dingman, acting associate District Manager BLM Gila District, said in an email.

The decision to approve or not approve the BLM’s request for an extension of PLO 7873 is made by the Secretary of the Interior, she said.

A virtual public meeting will be held Dec. 9, 2021, 4 p.m. Pacific Time. The Zoom link for the Bureau of Land Management - Carson City Land Management Evaluation Withdrawal Extension - Virtual Public Meeting is as follows:

https://empsi.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D_Kw02L0TuSrS6we67_LdQ

After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar to help the public understand the proposed withdrawal and the associated decision-making process.

BLM is also accepting written comments on the proposed withdrawal that should be received on or before Jan. 10, 2022.

Comments can be submitted by email: blm_nv_ccdowebmail@blm.gov with the subject line “LME Withdrawal Extension; by fax 775-885-6147 or by mail BLM Carson City District, Attn: LME Extension, 5665 Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, NV 89701.

The purpose of the proposed withdrawal extension is to maintain current environmental baseline conditions, which would allow the BLM and the Department of the Navy to evaluate management of the land and consider a future legislative transfer of the land to the Navy’s jurisdiction, according to the press release.

“The transfer of management of the land from the BLM to the Navy must occur through legislation,” Dingman said. “The length of the transfer would be determined by legislation. The Navy is requesting a length of 25 years for the military withdrawal.”

No new impact on counties’ economies is expected on the PLO extension and no compensation is provided, if the withdrawal is granted, Dingman said.

The proposal would continue the current withdrawal of lands from all forms of appropriation, subject to valid existing rights, under the public land laws, including the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws, for four years for land management evaluation purposes and to maintain the current environmental baseline, the release said.

If approved, this proposal would extend for four years the withdrawal of an additional 68,809.44 acres of public land in the Dixie Valley Training Area from the mineral leasing laws for land management evaluation purposes, subject to valid existing rights.