[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70024-70025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28724]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLUT920-09-L13300000-EN000, UTU-XXXX]
Notice of Expansion of the Lisbon Valley Known Potash Leasing
Area, Utah
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Potash is a trade name for potassium bearing minerals used
mainly for fertilizer. Potash and certain other non-energy solid
minerals found on Federal lands may be leased for development in either
of two ways: (1) If it is unknown whether an area contains valuable
potash deposits, an interested party may obtain a prospecting permit,
which grants it the exclusive right to explore for potash, and, if a
valuable deposit is found, that party may qualify for a noncompetitive
lease; or (2) If the BLM has access to information which shows that
valuable deposits of potash exist in an area, the area may be
classified and designated a Known Potash Leasing Area (KPLA), where
prospecting permits may not be issued, and any leasing must be done on
a competitive basis.
In 1960, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) established the
Lisbon Valley KPLA, based on mineral land classification standards
established in 1957. In 1983, under Secretarial Order 3087, the
authority to designate KPLAs was transferred to the BLM. Recent
advances in drilling technology have provided the capability to extract
deep potash deposits using dissolution. Based on this new technology,
the BLM approved new mineral land classification standards for the Utah
portion of the Paradox Basin geologic province, which includes Lisbon
Valley in 2009. The BLM Utah State Office used the new standards and
the analysis of available drilling information to determine that the
Lisbon Valley KPLA should be expanded to include deep solution-mineable
potash deposits. Additional information regarding this KPLA expansion,
including maps and the Potash Master Title Plats, are available in the
Public Room of the BLM Utah State Office and at the following Web site:
http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/more/Land_Records.html. The lands
included in the Lisbon Valley KPLA expansion, located in San Juan
County, Utah, are described as follows:
Salt Lake Base Meridian, Utah
T. 29 S., R. 24 E.,
Sec. 29, SW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
Sec. 30, E\1/2\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 31, E\1/2\E\1/2\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, W\1/2\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 32, W\1/2\W\1/2\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\; and
Sec. 33, E\1/2\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, SW\1/4\SW\1/4\.
Containing 1,200.00 acres.
T. 29\1/2\ S., R. 24 E.,
Sec. 27, lots 2-4;
Sec. 28, lots 1-4;
Sec. 29, lots 1-4;
Sec. 32, N\1/2\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\;
Sec. 33, all; and
Sec. 34, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\, SE\1/4\.
Containing 1,980.68 acres.
T. 30 S., R. 24 E.,
Sec. 2, W\1/2\SW\1/4\;
Sec. 3, all;
Sec. 4, all;
Sec. 5, lots 1, 2, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\;
Sec. 8, E\1/2\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\;
Sec. 9, all;
Sec. 10, all;
Sec. 11, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\, W\1/2\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 13, W\1/2\SW\1/4\;
Sec. 14, all;
Sec. 15, all;
Sec. 16, N\1/2\, N\1/2\S\1/2\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 17, NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\S\1/2\;
Sec. 21, E\1/2\E\1/2\;
Sec. 22, all;
Sec. 23, all;
Sec. 24, W\1/2\;
Sec. 25, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\, SE\1/4\;
Sec. 26, all;
Sec. 27, N\1/2\, N\1/2\S\1/2\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 28, N\1/2\, N\1/2\S\1/2\;
Sec. 35, N\1/2\N\1/2\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\; and
Sec. 36, N\1/2\, N\1/2\S\1/2\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\.
Containing 10,997.82 acres.
T. 31 S., R. 24 E.,
Sec. 1, lots 1-3, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\.
Containing 253.75 acres.
T. 30 S., R. 25 E.,
Sec. 30, lots 2-4, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 31, all;
Sec. 32, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, NW\1/4\, S\1/2\;
Sec. 33, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\;
Sec. 34, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\; and
Sec. 35, SW\1/4\, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\ .
Containing 2,517.75 acres.
T. 31 S., R 25 E.,
Sec. 2, lots 3, 4, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\;
Sec. 3, lots 1-4, S\1/2\N\1/2\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\, SW\1/4\SW\1/4\,
NE\1/4\;SE\1/4\;
[[Page 70025]]
Sec. 4, all;
Sec. 5, all; and
Sec. 6, lots 1-6, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\,
SE\1/4\.
Containing 2,495.23 acres.
Containing an aggregate acreage of: 19,445.23.
DATES: This mineral land classification will become effective upon date
of publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Inquiries should be sent to the State Director (UT-923),
Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Office, 440 West 200 South, Suite
500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Competitive leasing within the KPLA will be
initiated based on expressions of interest. Any competitive leases
issued will be subject to the oil and gas leasing stipulations
contained in the 2008 Moab and Monticello Resource Management Plans
(Moab RMP, Appendix A and Monticello RMP, Appendix B). Competitive
potash leases will also be subject to additional conditions of approval
developed as part of site-specific National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA) compliance.
In accordance with Departmental Manual (DM) 516, Chapter 11.9
J(12), the classification of a KPLA is an action that is categorically
excluded from NEPA analysis, provided that there are no ``extraordinary
circumstances'' as described in 43 CFR 46.215. The proposed Lisbon
Valley KPLA expansion was reviewed and was determined to have no
``extraordinary circumstances'' as documented in DOI-BLM-UT-9230-2010-
0003-CX. Further NEPA review will be done for site specific proposals
within the KPLA.
This notice will be published in the Moab Times Independent for 2
consecutive weeks after publication in the Federal Register.
Pursuant to the authority in the Act of March 3, 1879, (43 U.S.C.
31), as supplemented by Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1950 (43 U.S.C.
1451, note) and 235 Departmental Manual 1.1L, and the Mineral Leasing
Act of 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), the Lisbon Valley KPLA
of May 18, 1960, is expanded to include the lands listed above
effective on November 16, 2010.
Kent Hoffman,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-28724 Filed 11-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P