Comments sought on NASA request to withdraw Nye land

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking comment on National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s application for withdrawal of 22,995 acres for use on satellite calibration activities, which would segregate the lands for up to two years while the withdrawal package is being processed.

The segregation was also announced in a Federal Register notice published April 29.

NASA has requested a 20-year withdrawal and reservation of land in Nye County approximately 80 miles northeast of Tonopah. Railroad Valley is one of the Central Nevada desert basins in the Tonopah Basin and is approximately 80 miles north to south and up to 20 miles wide, with some southern areas running southwest to northeast.

According to the Bureau of Land Management's website, under a withdrawl, "The Secretary of the Interior has the authority to withdraw lands in Federal ownership, effectively removing an area of federal land from settlement, sale, location, or entry for the purpose of limiting activities under those laws to maintain other public values in the area or reserving it for a particular public purpose or program. Withdrawals are also used to transfer jurisdiction over federal land from one department, bureau, or agency to another."

The requested withdrawal in Nye consists of 36 640-acre sections aggregating 22,995.05 acres.

Although NASA has requested the withdrawal of all these acres, the agency expects to select among alternatives, with the result that, should the Interior Department issue a public land order, only a subset of these acres would be withdrawn.

Publication of this notice segregates the lands for up to two years from all forms of appropriation or other disposition while the application is being processed.

All comments should be sent to the BLM Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard., Reno, NV 89502; faxed to 775-861-6606; or sent by email to blm_nv_so_nasafrncomments@blm.gov.

The BLM will not consider comments received via telephone calls. Comments must be received by July 28 and should include “NASA withdrawal” in the subject line.

Before including an address, phone number, email or other personal identifying information, be aware that the entire comment – including personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask in the comments to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.