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[Federal Register: December 28, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 249)]
[Notices]               
[Page 67178]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28de01-47]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

 
Requested Withdrawal From Mineral Location and Mineral Entry, 
Public Meeting and Extended Comment Period

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service has submitted a request to the Bureau of 
Land Management to withdraw lands under the general mining laws as 
authorized by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. The 
Forest Service has scheduled a meeting to accept public testimony and 
identify issues regarding this requested withdrawal from mineral 
location and mineral entry on lands in the San Bernardino National 
Forest. Written comments are invited, and the comment period has been 
extended.

DATES: The meeting will be held on February 20, 2002, from 6 p.m. to 9 
p.m. Written comments must be received no later than February 28, 2002.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at the San Bernardino Hilton, 
285 East Hospitality Lane, San Bernardino, California 92408. Written 
comments on this proposal may be sent to Brent Handley, USDA Forest 
Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Director, Lands and Minerals 
Management, 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, California 94592-1110; or 
electronically to <A HREF="mailto:seliason@fs.fed.us">seliason@fs.fed.us</A>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Eliason, San Bernardino National 
Forest, 909-866-3437, extension 3904, <A HREF="mailto:seliason@fs.fed.us">seliason@fs.fed.us</A>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bureau of Land Management published a 
notice of this Forest Service requested withdrawal in the Federal 
Register on October 29, 2001 (FR Vol. 66, No. 209, 54536). In this 
Forest Service notice, we announce the details of the public meeting 
and extend the comment period.

Overview

    Approximately 44,575 acres on the San Bernardino National Forest 
are requested to be withdrawn, subject to valid existing rights, from 
mineral location and mineral entry under the general mining laws of the 
United States. The authority to make such a withdrawal is delegated to 
the Secretary of the Interior under the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976, and other statutes. The process by which such 
withdrawals are made, and the provisions for other agencies (including 
the Forest Service) to request such withdrawals from the Secretary of 
the Interior, are provided under 43 CFR 2300.

Purpose

    The purpose of the requested withdrawal is to conserve the habitat 
of species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, as directed 
under section 7(a) of this act. The issues raised during the public 
meeting, and also from written comments, will be used by the Forest 
Service and the Bureau of Land Management in finalizing the 
configuration and extent of the final withdrawal request to be 
forwarded to the Secretary of the Interior. The issues raised will also 
be used by the Forest Service to analyze and document the effects and 
impacts of the action, as required under the National Environmental 
Policy Act.

Agenda

    The meeting will begin with a welcome by Forest Supervisor Gene 
Zimmerman, followed by a brief overview by staff of the requested 
withdrawal, the regulatory process, and implications to the public. A 
hearing coordinator will review the process of public testimony. 
Testimony will then be heard and recorded into the public record. 
Finally, staff will provide closing remarks.

    Dated: December 18, 2001.
Gene Zimmerman,
San Bernardino National Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 01-31972 Filed 12-27-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M

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