BLM seeks comments for a withdrawal extension application

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Southern Nevada District Office, is seeking public comments on an application filed by the Department of the Air Force to extend the duration of the public land withdrawal created in 1999 by Public Land Order (PLO) No. 7419.

The withdrawal extension application is for an additional 20-year period for the same military purpose and location created by PLO 7419.

The withdrawn land encompasses approximately 2,125.90 acres and is used by the Department of the Air Force at Nellis Air Force Base, northeast of Las Vegas, to support safety buffers for potentially hazardous areas, to protect populated areas, and to facilitate Air Force compliance with the Department of Defense Directive No. 6055.09E regarding ammunition and explosive safety standards. The safety buffer zone includes security patrol roads and a security checkpoint staffed as needed, the BLM said in a news release.

The proposal aligns with the Trump administration’s “Making America Safe – Restoring Our Sovereignty”, as it would improve early coordination with the Department of Defense related to land withdrawals that support military training and operations, and streamline the processing of withdrawal applications, the BLM said.

A 90-day public comment period opened today and will close Feb. 19, 2019. During the comment period, the public may submit written comments or request a public meeting in connection with the proposed withdrawal extension as specified below.

If the authorized officer determines that a public meeting will be held, a notice of the date, time, and place will be published at least 30 days before the scheduled meeting date in the Federal Register, the local newspaper, and posted on the BLM website at https://www.blm.gov/media/press-releases

Submit written comments to the BLM Southern Nevada District Office, Attn: Tom Seley, Project Manager, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130–2301; email to tseley@blm.gov or fax to 702-515-5010.

“Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in comments, please be advised that entire comments – including personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time,” the BLM said in a statement. “While you can ask to withhold personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.”