HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibits E-PPROJECT NAME:
Ol·INER:
LOCATION:
SITE DATA:
PROPOSED ROADS:
ADJACENT ZONING:
Colorado Lien Company
Bureau of Land Managem ent
Approximat ely 10 miles northeast of Rifle, west of the
Rifle Fish Hatch ery, off State Highway 325.
The affected area is a 40 acr e tract of land owned by
BLM. The actual min e site and processinq area would
encompass approximately 26 acres. -
The applicant would haul by way of a public access road onto
State Highway 325, then to State Highway 13, and then proce ed
to the respective destinations, either by way of St~te Highway
13 north, or possibly through Rifle to I-70.
North:
South:
East:
i~es t:
A/R/RD
0/S
A/R/RD
A/R/RD
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL:
The applicant proposes to develop an open pit mine to extract high calcium lime stone
and to crush and stockpile this produ ct on a 26 acre parcel of BLM land. As
mentioned above, the product would be transported by State Highway 325 fron
the site. The year-round employee count is expected to be eight miners. Five
to six of these employees would be seasonal employees, living in temnorary
quarters. The remaining employe es would be pemanent-; and they are expected
to live either in Rifle or Glenwood Spring s .
Colorado Lien's transport operations would be conducted 52 weeks per
year, five days per week, at an avera9e of 384 tons per day. This would requir e
approximately 16 truck load s per day, or one truck every half hour. Colorado
Lien has proposed certain provi sions and guidelines by which they would
transport their product, see attached Impact Statement, Item P.
The life of the operation is 75 years.
PREVIOUS HISTORY OF THIS REQUES T:
This application was first reviev1ed by the Garfield County Planning Commission
in August of 1980. The Planning Commission recommended arproval with conditions
(see copy of August 1980 minute s from the Planning Commission, attached). On
September 22, 1980, the Garfield County Board of Commissioners held a public
hearing on this request. This hearing wa s continued until October 6, 1980, at
which time the Board accepted further testi mony . The hearing was then closed,
and a decision was scheduled for October 20, 1980. On that date, the Garfield
County Commissioners denied the application by Colorado Lien Company, due to
the inadequacy of the road system providin g access for the mine site, and due
to the impact of this use and the resultan t traffic on the recreational facilitie s
in the area.
Subsequent to this decision by the Board, Colorado Lien filed suit again st
the county. However, when it wa s discovered that Colorado Lien had apolied
for the wrong type of permit, (special us e vs. conditional use), the la1,•1suit
was withdravm.
G¥-s~ 81-14~) The county, in the meantim e, had amended the zoning regulations to allow
for a determination of certain use s on public lands to be either special or
conditional uses, depending on the issue of Federal or State preemptiv e
regulations in regard to the specific proposal s .
RtCOMMENDA TION:
If a determination is made that the Colorado Lien proposal is a special
use, then the Planning Staff recommend s that the Boa rd refer the application
to :'J: Planning Commission for revi ew and comment.
~If the Board determines that the Colorado Lien proposal is a conditional
use, then staff recommends that the application be referred to the Planning
Commission for advisory review.
MAJOR CONCERNS AND ISSUES:
1) Colorado Lien Company propose s to use State Highway 325 as its immediate
access to the mining area. This road is recognized by the Colorado State
Hi~hway Department as being narrow and having numerous curves. The Department
also acknowledges that the road bas e is not sufficie nt to carry the types of
heavy traffic projected for the mining operations. Improvements to this road
are not included in the Department's present five-year construction plan.
2) Colorado Lien proposes to limit its haul truck size to 38 feet in length.
These trucks would carry an average load of 76,000 pounds. Due to the
existing winding conditions of State Highway 325, and the narrow width
of the road base, this type of heavy industrial traffic would have a major
impact on the safety of the recreation al and resi dential users of the high -
way.
3) The Colorado Lien proposal is for an estimated 75 year time frame.
4) Tourism and recreation' filay major roles in the economy of Garfield County.
In the area of the mine site and along the applicant's proposed access
rout e, there is considerable public investment in numerous tourist and
recreational facilities.
The Rifle Falls State Park and Rifle Gap Reservoir Area had a visitor
count of 148,026 in 1981. The Rifle Gap State Park had a visitor count
of 166,103 from July 1979 to Jun e 1980. The State Fish Hatchery had an
estimated count of over 30,000 vi sitors in 1981. These facilities indicated
that slig htly less than half of these visitors are from out of state.
The City of Rifle Mountain Park also ha s substantial usage. In addition, the
City of Rifle Planning staff is projecting the area's pooulation to increas e
rapidly over the next few year s. If the city's population continue s to grow
at the 1981 level of 34%, the area's population would increase from 6,000
to date to approximately 16,000 over the next fi ve years. With the influx
of this increasing populat ion, projected not only for the Rifle area, but
for other areas of the county as well, it can be expected that these
reoreational areas will also experience increased demand on their facilities.
5) Recent traffic counts are also showing an increase in usage of State Highway
325 over previous years. Th e 1980 annual average daily count for State
Highway 325 just north of its intersection with State Highway 13, showed
1050 vehicle s per day. The previou s year indicated 900 vehicle s per day.
Increasing area popula tions will further stimulate an increase, as noted
previously.
6) The Garfield County Comprehensiv e Plan encourages industrial expansion where
similar development already exists in appropriate areas. The Plan also encourage s
industrial developmen t in areas where adequat e transportation facilities are
available. Further, the Comprehensive Plan allows the county to deny a project
based on inadequate road access which would lead to further deterioration of th e
road and large daily traffic volume s.
The Comprehensive Plan addresse s at length, the issue of compatibility of
proposed and existing use s. Specifically, it speaks to a proposal's
"adverse impacts on the desireability of the surrounding community," "alteration
of the basic character of adjacent land use s " and "impairment of the stability
or valu e of adjacent or surrounding properties."
7) Staff finds that the Colorado Lien oroposal is incompatible with the Garfield
County Comprehensiv e Plan. The proposed truck t raffic would be a threat
to the health, safety, and welfare of Garfield County citizens; and further,
that the proposed operations woul d hav e an adverse impact on the substantial
publi c investment made for tour i s t and recreational facilities in the ar ea .
REVIEW AGENCY COMMENTS:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Ed Gebhardt, State Highway Dep a r t me nt -co mm ents of the previous hearing would
still apply. (see attached)
Brent Bean, City of Rifl e-corrrnen t s of the pr eviou s he a ring would still apply
(see attached)
Dariel Clark, Superintendent of RE -2 Sc ho ol District -conrnents of th e previou s
hearing would still apply (see attached)
Mike Grode, Division of Wildli fe -letter fo rth coming .
EXHIBI T ~JS2
LEGAL POSITION OF COLORADO LIEN COMPANY ,
Garfield County Does Not Have T he Authority Under Its Zoning
Ordinance To Deny Colorado Lien Its Right To Mine Limes t one
On Federal Mining Claims.
1. Introduction.
Sec. 3.09 of the Garfield County Zoning Ordinance
provides that unless included within another zone district
all land owned by the United States Government shall be
within the Open/Space distr i ct. Sec. 3.09.01 provides for
the following uses within the Op en /Space district:
U ~~_§__,__~c i a_l or conditional: Ex t raction , pro-
cessing , fabricat i o n, a nd storage of n at u ral
resources and agr i c ul t u ra l mater i als ; wa t er
im poundments; sani tar y l a nd fi l ls ; a ir craft l a n d in g
str i ps; a n d u t ility fac il i t ies ; recr_eat_iona1:_
~_ort f ac ili t:_ie s.
T he a b ove u ses s h a ll b e g overned by a sp e c i a l u se
p ermit whic h s h a ll b e approved by th e Co unty
Conun i s s io n er s as pr ov ide d for i n t h is Zo ning
Resolution; excep t t h a t wh ere t h e a u t h ority for
said use arises from a specific contract or permit
wit h the u. S. Government for t he u se of property
owned by that government, then t h at use shall be a
concli tional use, upon which the County Commissioners
may impose conditions necessary to protect the
health, safety and welfare of the people of
Garfield County, provided that said conditions do
not directly conflict with the federally imposed
regulatory scheme. The procedure for obtaining
such conditiona l use permit shal l be that prescribed
for any use otherwise authorized by conditional
us e permit.
Th e above form of Sec. 3.09.0l was adopted by the Board
of County Commissioners by Resolution on August 24, 1981.
This sec tion is an effort by Garfield County to u tilize the
zoning power to regulate to t h e fu l lest legal extent the , ..
x ,
,, ,. -.
e numerated u ses on federal l ands. It cstciblishes a p ermit
program wh ere by a use i s a specia l use if in the mind of the
Commissioners th ey have the aut h ority to a lt ogether deny the
use bu tionly a condi ti ona l use i f the Commissioners may only
condi tion the use to protect th e p ubli c h ea lth, safety and
welfare. It is a c l ear recognition th at by virtue of con-
flicting statutory schemes Garfield County may have th e
aut hority to reg~at~1 7 use but not to ultimately _?etermin e
if the u se can occur.-
I I. Garfield County Is Pr ee l uded From __ 2}.r2ply ins._ I ts Special
!:_J~-~--Provi si o ns To _ The In s tc:rnt AJ2PJ:..ica t ig_1_~_l3 ~ca~~_Q_f_1_he
H~_l_ationsf0-__E__I}_~tween Th e Fed eral Go_vernrnent And The App lic ant.
The real property which is the s ubj ect of this appl i -
cation is owned by the United States Bureau of Land Management.
Th e applicant , Colorado Lien Company , is the owner of the
substa~ce to be mined and has the l e gal right to ente r the
proper ty by virtue of valid mi ning claims fil ed purs u ant to
th e general mining laws of th e United States, 30 US C 21, et
~· Tl1es e s t at utes es tablisl1 the federa l government 1 s -
i nt e nt to solely determine the ex i s tence of mining activities
on federal l and a nd thus preclud e Garfield County from
denying the app li c ant a permit to condu ct it s proposed
mining act ivity.
'I'h c general mi ni ng laws of the Unite<..! States , 3 0 USC
21 , et ~·, estab li s h a scheme wher e by publi c l ands containing
valuable min erals are sub j ect to lo cation a nd e nt ry b y the
1/ Sec. 3.09.01 of the Zo n ing Ordinance s t ates on its face
that uses on federal government property are co n ditional
where the authority for such use arises from a specific
contract or permit with the U. S, Government. We submit
that while this language recognizes to some degree the
limitations placed up on local governmental a uthority by
conflicting federa l and state laws, it is not an accurate
enu n cia tion of the f ull exte n t of the lim itations imposed by
the doctrine of preemption a nd is therefore unlawful.
Similarly, we note other l ega l dcfici.e nc ies in the l an guag e
of Sec. 3.09.01 but do not advance them h ere , reserving,
however; our rig h t to ra is e th e m in a more appropria te forum.
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A '' ...
pub li c. S ee also , 43 en~ 384 0, et seq. In fac t , 30 USC 22
dec l ares that.-aff val u able min eral Iar1d s are "free and open "
so that .the public may locate and remove such valuable
mineral~. Furth ermore , 30 USC 2la states th a t it is the
policy 6f the federal government to foster a nd enco urage the
development of t h e country's min era l r eso u rces. 30 USC 26
guarantees to lo cat ors t h e exc lu sive right of possession and
enjoyment of their mineral claims. ClearJy , i t is t h e
policy of the United States Congr ess , as expressed in a
Jlervasive statutory and regulatory scheme, that th e right of
use of valuable mi nera l l ands remain f r ee and available to
provide for th e ex t raction and deve l opment of natura l resources
necessary to the Nation 's economy.
Where s u c h an overriding na t ion al policy has been
Llxpressed a nd the terms thereof are c l early ar ti cu l ated , a
local gover nm e n t does not have th e authori ty to veto the
activ ~ty permitted, encouraged , and r e gul a t ed by the pervasive
federal l e gislation. Kl~e v. New Mexico , 426 U.S. 529
(1976 ); Ventura County v . Gu}._!_ Oi~ Corp., 601 F,2d 1080 (9th
Cir. 1979), aff 'd., 445 U .S. 947 (1980 ). This is precisely
t h e s itvation i n th e instant cas e ano the Ventura Count:_,y
case expresses th e limit at ion s impo sed upon Garfield County .
Th e fe deral regulat ion p r eempts Garf i e ld Co unty from d e nying
t h e activity a u t h or i zed by the federal government.
Th0 a pplic a nt proposes to min e high ca J cium lim estone
irorn the quarry site located on real proper t y owned by the
Bureau of Land Management. Lim eston e i s a va lu able mineral,
locatab l e und er the genera l mining laws. Northern P. R. Co . v.
~_o_?_e _!:}:?_e1_g_1 188 U .S. 526 (1903). Thu s, th e federal s tatut es
outlined above guarantee the applicant fr ee and op en access
to the min esite for it s extraction of the resource. While
Garf icld County may reason ab l y reg ul ate the ac tivit y to
protect the public health, safety and welfare, it does not
h a v e th e authority to determine the existence of the activity.
Th e right to mine the resourcehas already been guaranteed
Lh e applicant by federal law and Garfield County does not
h a v e the power to withdraw that federal guarantee under th e
gui se of denying a special u se permi t.
It is important to note that thi s case presents a
fa c tual situat i on in which it is eve n more clear that th e
County does not h ave th e aut ho rity to deny applicant's
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permit tha n was presented in Br ubaker v. Board of County
Commission ers of El Paso Coun~, N2/-81Sl\l86-,-r;o w pe11ding .
b efore the Color a do Supreme Cou r t .-I n this case there i s
no ques~i on a b out the legitimacy of the! applicant 's c l aim to
valuab l e min eral lands. Applica nt ha s the exclusive right
of possess io n and enjoyment of i ts clai ms , 30 USC 26 , a nd it
js obligated to perform work up on the claim or forfeit it ,
30 USC 28. See also 43 CFR 385 0 . For Garfield County to
prohi bi t the applicant from minin g by denying a specia l use
permit is to not only unlawfully interfere with a preemptive
federal statutory scheme but a l so to deprive the appl icant
of valid property rights wit hout comp ensation.
For the foregoing reasons , it is clear that Garfield
County does not have the authority to deny applicant the
right to mi ne limestone on its federal mining c l ai ms. Under
the curre nt language of Sec. 3.09.01 of the Garfield County
zoning Ordin a nc e , t h erefo re, appl i cant 's prop osed us e is a
cond itional us e which ca n only b e reasonab l y re gulated by
the Commissioners.
j
III. G~rfield County Cannot De ma nd A SEecial Use Permit Of
{\J2.ElicaJ'1rBecause The Area Of Mining Rec]UT,:;l tion Has Been
~_£__eemp ted By State Law And The Permit Requir e ment Is Prohibi tc::d
By C.R.S. 1973 34-32-109 (6). -
Sec. 3.09,01 of th e Garfi e ld Count y Zoning Ordinance,
while recogniz in g the doctrine of preemption as app li e d to
federal law, does not acknowledge th at loc al government
regulations can also be preempted by a state statutory
scheme.~ Bennion v. Denver, 180 Colo. 213, 504 P.2d 350
(1 972); Givigliano v. Veltri, 180 Co l o. 10 1 5 01 P,2d 1 0 44
{J .972). Thus, where the state has provided a compre h ensive
scheme to regulate the field, a county does not have authority
to promulgate regulations which in any way contradict the
state legislation. In Colorado, mining is such a field.
']._/ Applicu.nt agrees with the appellant in ~rubaker that
even in the circumstances th ere presen t ed the Dis t rict Court
of El Paso County was incorrect in affirming the County
Co~nissioners ' denial o f the special use permit.
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T h e .Mine d Land Rec l a ma t i on Ac t (ML RA ), C .R.S . 1 973 3 4-
32 -1 01, et seq., a nd the P rese r va tion o f Comm e r c i a l Min era l
Depos its Act, C .R .S . 1 973 34 -1 -3 0 1, et seq ., present a
co mp r ehensive, p e rvasive l egislative sche 1ne to r egul a t e
mini n g ~ Color a do , from th e d i s c ov er y o f the mi n er a l to
th e rec l a ma tion o f the l a nd af t e r compl e tion of extr a ction.
Bo t h s tatut e s p r oclaim t hat t he reg u la t i on of mi nin g i s o f
sta t e-wi d e con cer n . Th e statute s tog e th er es t a blish a
state-w i de p r o gram f or all stag es o f mining and th e i s suanc e
o f permits th erefo r .
T h e ML RA c r ea t es the Mi n ed La nd Rec l a mat i on Board
(MLR B) t o wh i ch e v e ry mine op e ra to r mu s t ma k e a pplic at io n
for a pe rmit , 34 -3 2-1 09 1 and whi c h i s th e o n l y ar m of t he
sta t e which h as th e a u t h o rity to i ssue a permi t f o r mining ,
J4-32-109 (b ). Th e MLRA thus cre at e s a s ingl e st a t e agency
wliic h is charg e d with p e r mitting a ll min i ng t h rouc;hout the
state.-S u ch state -wid e r e gu l a tion over a n area d e clared to
b e of s ta t e -wide co n cern i s c l assic p r eemp t iv e l e gi slation .
I n t h e face o f s u c h s t a t e l e gi s l a tion, Garf i e l d County i s
wit h o u t ~h e p o wer to impo se c ont ra di c tor y r e g u l a t i on s .
.
Ye €, t hi s is e xac tly what Ga r fi e l d County ha s attemp te d
to do by de ma ndin g sp e ci a l u se p e r mits o f mining o pe rations .
Th e Cou n t y i s a tt e mpting to s upe r impo se a not h e r permit
sy s t e m upo n a s t a t e-wid e s y s t e m which s p ec i fica lly p r ovides
t h a t n o sta t e e n t i ty exce pt th e ML RB h as a u t h or ity to d e ma n d
a p ermit. Ag a i n, Ga r f i e ld Count y h as a tt e mp t ed t o g i ve
itse l f a po wer o f determina t io n where on l y a power of
reaso n a bl e req u la t i o n exi s ts . Garfi e ld Co u nty does not hav e
t h e p o w¥ t o d e ma n d a s peci a l u se pe r mit o f th is applic a n t
because t h e a r ea of per mitt ing mi n es h a s b een preempt ed by
state sta t u t e. See , C & M S a nd & Gr a vel Co . v. Boa r d of
County Commissioners of t h e Count y of Boulder , 80 CV 1 35 9 -2 ,
December 18 , 1 9 81.
More specif i cally , Garfiel d Cou n ty does not h ave th e
authority to demand a spec i a l use pe rmit of this app l icant
because of C.R.S. 1973 34-32-1 0 9 (6}. Th at section pr o vides:
"No governme n tal office of t he st at e, oth er t h a n t h e Boar d,
nor any political s u bdivis i o n of t h e s t a t e s h a ll have
authority to issue a permi t or to req u ire any performance o r
f i nanc i al warran t y o f a n y k i nd for minin g opera ti ons." By
re q uiring a spec i a l u se pe r mit of mi n i ng op era tor s ,
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.,;1 .,··i
Garf i eld county has attempte d to ass um e the ultim ate mining
authority granted to the MLRB by this statute. In other
words , Garfield County has attempted to place its elf in a
position of greater a uthority th a n the l'II .. Irn -a position
where G ~rfield County , not the Board, determines whether
mining occurs. This usurpation of authority by the County
is patently offensive to the state statute. See, C & M
0rave l Co., ~· Gar fi e ld County may have the power to
reas onably reg ul a te the h ea lth, s afety and welfar e aspects
of a propos ed min ing oper a tion but it cannot retain the
discret ion to a ltog et h er deny a permit which a state sta tute
speci fi ca lly grants to an independent state age ncy .
In the context of Sec. 3,09.01 of the Garfield County
Zoning Ordinanc e , th e n, t hi s applicant's proposed u se mu st
be a conditional use . Garfield Co unty does not h av e the
au thority to demand a permit of th i s appl icant which in the
di scre tion of the County may be den i ed , b e cause a s t ate
statute spec ifically pro hibit s it and th e entire field of
regulation of mi ning activity h as been preempted by the
state l~gi slat iv e sc h e me.
IV. Conclusion.
This app li ca nt's proposed u se i s a conditional u se
whic h can on l y be reasona bly reg ul ated by Gar f ield County.
~he use cannot be a specia l u se because the Garfield County
zoning Ordinance gr a nts the Co unt y the di sc r e tion to a l togeth er
de ny a spec ial u se, Gar field County do es not have the
iluthori ty to deny this applicant's proposed u se b~/virtue of
conf lic ~i ng and preemptive federal an d state l aw.-
.=ii In this document we have shown· how the applicant's
proposed use is a conditional us e within the terms a n d
condi tions of Sec. 3.09 .01 of the Garfie l d County Zoning
Ordinance. We believe there are other constitutiona l and
statutory reasons why Garfie ld County i s constrained f rom
altoge th er denying app li can t its p ermit. Failure to discuss
those reasons in a document of such limited scope as this
does not cons ti t ut e a waiver of a ny such issues which might
be raised in a more appropriate forum,
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. . A ·' . ... ..
Th e conditions heretofore impos e d by the Ga rf ield
Count y Planning Com mi ss ion and in c or porated in the instant
application will protec t the h ealt h, sa f ety a nd welfare of
the citjzens of Ga rfield County. The applicat ion for
ccnditional u se s hou ld t h erefore b e gra nt ed .
Res pectfully s ubmitted,
DEL ANE Y & BALCOMB, P.C .
. / ----;~: ~-~-/ . // 1/:/~/ --------,fay ·. ;/>/ 1/' /t{.(' / I /f . Ur------..
(___.-Lawren-ce -R. G~ie n :-/
P, 0. Drawer 790 /
Glenwood Sp r ings, CO 8lfi0 2
(303 ) 945 -6546
Attorneys for Color ad o Li e n Co.
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·: •••
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COUNTY ATTORNEY 'S OFF I CE
P.O. Box 640 Glenwood Spri n gs, Co l orado 81 E:.02-0 64 0
Marc h 2, 1982
_,
Lawrence R . Gre e n, Attorney
Delaney & Balcomb, P.C.
Drawer 790
GJenwood S prings , CO 81601
Dear Larry :
RE: Colorado Lien Co .
Pho n e 9~ 5-9 158
This lett er is in response t o your letter to Da v is Farrar o f
F ebr uary 9 , 1982. Th e purpose of this l etter is to set out
a ge n eral p ro cedure to be folJowed in regards to this appli-
cat;i _on.
As I und erstan d it, the proposed site for your operations is
located in the open space zone district. The Garfield County Zo nir~g Resolution of 1978 , as a me nd e d by 81-145, prov id es that
this ~se may e i t her be a specia l use or conditional us e ,
depen din g on the question cf federal prcc~?tio n cf County
zon ing aut hority. 1 h~ve rev ie wed this mat ter wi~h the
Commissioners in regar ds to the procedura l approach to this
decision. lt is lhcir feeling that this matt e r should be
tre~tcd as a special use permit for pur?oses of pr ocedure .
Thus, the matter will be scheduled f or a p ubli c h earing before
t h e Board o f County Corn111 i ss ion er s. l'i.s I indicated to you ,
should th e Co~~i ssioners decide t h at there is no federal
prcerrlt>tion in this motter , they wo ul d have the option, in
a ccordance with 9.03.04, to contin u e the public hearing so
t h at the matter would be referred to the Planning Com1nission.
I have talked to Davis Farrar, a n d we have sc h eduled a
tenative d a te for this hearing for April 5, 1982, from 10 :00 a.m.
to 12:00 p.m. I i ntend to respond to your l egal memo as to
your question of preemption, and have th a t avai l able to you at
least ten days prior to the h earing.
If you have any further q u estions about this, please don't
hesitate t o contact me.
Ver y truly yours,
.#
~tffhvilvv
E 0 rl G. Rl1odes
Garfield County Attorney
xc: Flaven Cerise
Davis Far rar
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·' ~u ... ·,.: 0
Ez:rl G . i'-huc>.:s , County ,\t l.orncy
:.'; i'J r Ch L 3 I l 9 8 2
! !~'j'f.<OJJUC'I'J 010
!·-. i,_trcr (;c,Lcd :~._-b1-;.1ary 9 , 1982 , the Cli.tocney for t h e Colorado
_,_.:: C<•:;::J.,:1y h."s 1:~.1dc <'·:-'?1.icatj0n for u 1C1nc'! use permit for its
, > " ' clL ~ c :/ s i ) I l h e E "~ s t R i f 1 e c r c e K i'H (' Fl 0 f f 0 f c 0 l 0 r 2 d 0 ; ; i g h \·J a y
., >. /,1_t,"·hcc1 Lo this rnc~mo and marked c>:hibjt "A " is th e 1 2ga1
: . u , i ~on u f the Co J o 1 :id o Lie n Corn pan y , w h i c h h a s been f o n·1 c: r d e d ~o Lhe 1L o unty Attorney 's office for r evie w. The purpo s e of t hi s
•_<Y) j~ Lo respo :!d to th a t s tate me nt o f l e g a l a u t ho r ity , a n d t o
. :1(:ic:z l c.: to lhc i '.oc:1rd t he y c 11 er a l pa i.·a mC:"t cr s o f t h e Boa r d 's
, .~il o .rjty a s to the t wo i s s u es r ai se d b y the attor n e y fo r t h e
c n 1 o ,-"'do L i e n Corn pa n y : l ) \.Yh ct h er t h er c i s F c de r u 1 pre -emp t i on
Cou~1 t ·:: Jzrnd use author i t y as ,1 res ult of a minin g c laim uncicr
1 ! ~ (. l L "7 ? 1 n i n j ! i < ! ,·: c l ; u n cl 2 ) w h c L h c r St «1 l c r c CJ u l i! t .io n o f min in g
.. ·_ vj Ly prc-crn;.>ts County land use aut h ority . By way o f
, , , :Jusion , jt is lhe position of the County Altorncy that
:.··i~h2r State nor Federal pre-emption is app l icable upon the
-.~c,~s ,~ set forth by t:.h e Colorado Lien Company , a n d t h erefor e ,
: , i 1 : ,; u il ~ t lo § 3 . 0 9 . 0 1 of the Ga r f i e l d Co u n t y Z on in g Re so 1 u t i on ,
i )1.:1 ·,he: Coloraclo L i en Compuny ' s app l icdtion Cun be treated as
,, ,,;J ;jJ icrJlion for special use permit. The: implication of this
' · '· ~ ~i s ion i s t h a t the ;') o a rd h a s t he o o V.' c r to den y th i s 2 pp 1 i c a -
•!1 if i L c:c·Ci11s lh:il <l'.)}-'ropri C!lr'.
ll l : '1 0 f\ Y 0 l' T il E C'\ SE
" •
1
'. • , • : 1 i , 1 rd > L r I. 2 , J ') 8 0 , L h i ~:> Bo <'1 rc1 h c 1 d p u b 1 i c h e a r in g s i n r c g c.: rd s
t,, ~.ho f1J"st ;H)1>]1 cat1on of the Colorado Lien Company for a
1 i> stunc c}u.-1r 1-y iI1g ope ration jrnmcdiatcly to the west of the
~ . 1 " l e f i sh h ,::, t ch er y o f f o f St at c I-l j g h w a y 3 2 5 in t h c Ea st R i f J e
t • : r .· L' ).; 3 r c 2 . Th c.: rn a L l c:: r \..; u s t h e n c o n t j n u c cl \l n t i 1 0 c to be r 6 , 1 9 8 0 ,
,:!1d t.1;~.Board 2 1!!1o unccd its decision on October 20 , 198 0 .
'.:~1lJ ~>L:·.:ue:1 1L lo Ll1 c dnno lrnccrne n t of Lh c Board 's d ec i s i on , the
: :J!-1 i ~ 21n t , Col or .:t do LiPn Company , brouy h t s uit i n State District
c< ... :1r t to c h2J lenge t h e de ni a l o f i t s a pp li cat i on. Af t e r l egal
:,·c . ..:0H]j11os h ad gone o n for so me ti me , i t was d e t c::r mincd 'th a t
c:1 c:~-! o r l~i'id been r.w d e by both th e a ]J pl i c ant a nd th e County Stu f f ,
'·'·<t!O l o f )c)(~~ru
:·J.Jch 23 , l ':!82
~ .... ~ (: e 2
.~.
... ;1i,_·;1 L:rrcH-h,,,:; Lhz 1t Li1c :H:LJ;1it 1.;h j ch 1·;as ap '.:-;licd for 1:1 2s a
<'CJ!JCitio:1al \lSC: 2S rn_,~)0 '.3C·c1 to cl S~l('Cii11 l!.SC . l\s you are
""·:a;·c:1 tJ:·1de:r our zoni1!s syslc.rri the Bc;H·c1 due:s not have the
.iuLl1ority to G<:ny a condition<1l u se:>, 1·:)1c..:I-0 ,1s , it cioes have
~h~ C-:ut!Jority l:O cic:ny c;pc"'.Ci<il use. ;),:SC:d U[>Oli the Cliscov,~·r~;
" Lhjs c1·1cr, lhL: L: ... su i.t 1·:as di:-:;~,i~.-~-;"c .~nc the Colo~~acJo
1
.i .. r_ r· ,:.,;,_1;1y L,!S ;::,,,;,_, Cl'..>pli.Cul ion fo1· .: 1c111d use: :·;L'.rmit .. T,t
; :.'s ti:1 ;cc , the ;::Jp!i 1 ~·zint i.s r:rquinrj ;,,;..-,t_ a conditiona l lc,nd
;,_:, : .. ·r:nJt is ~':·''.-'LC>priate he:::rc for thL· ::rr;uiW .'nt staL.ed in 'i..he
·j 1. L 1· :Jd u ct o:r y Sl~C: t 1011 ,-1 hove.
c·u:,o;,"r~u(nt to the discovery of the L'L·coi-mentioned above ,
<,·'.09.01 vJ.::is <1mc·ndcd by resoluLi.o n i!8J-l45 so that in the
, ·, ;i ::.~:):,cc· zone district an <ictivj Ly i:ie:.y either be a SC)eciaJ
,-, / ._,;-ic)i_tj nna1 uc;c h,;sccl upon the L;Ucstion of the extent
~.),,. cc,,inty lc1:1d u~~c oulhority. 1•;<1rkL'd ;!s exhibit "B " i s
)1, \"1L,1Li111 J;,1-:t_~t1;c1yc of t his s'-'ci:i on. In summa r y , l·Jh en the
.,, :rd c1L·~c,rmir1cs thdt it docs no t h,·:vc the ~>0 1·1 cr t o d e n y a
;,_.1d u;;e ~~pp J ir:,:ition !JCCiHJ se th e Fcdcro J. cv;vcrr1rnc nt h a s
: ;._-.. ~~nc:d the County 's J a nd u se author ity , t h e uppJ.i catio n
:,, i.1G";:.:lCc1 clS a ,_;()ncJi.t ion a l \J SO a pp lj cc-1 t:ion. \\'h e r e the BOiE d
,; tu:ninc:s Lhat Llic:rc h as b een no p r c-c.:1n!:JCio n , s u c h a c tivitjcs
.: " t n<it cd ,1s s;;ccci,1 1 u s e s . Th e purpo ~;c of this me mo is to
''''L 1111c for the~ Bo,1r d 1,1 ha t t h e L·oc t ri ;1 c; of Pcdcra J. P r e -e mption
(' "'1<! hOI·.' Lhc :;;)(·Cifics of t hi s c::1s0 rr ·li 1lc l o th nt lconl
'!. (J/ y.
J J J. S'l 'l\'l'E !lJn:-~"Ml'TJON OJ·' COUNTY Ll\ND USE /\U'l'H OT<lTY ------------. -~
n' '.o,-~re<ichinq i.hc question of F edcr0J pre-emptio n, it is
:;,:,J"t._,pi·iolc to consic1cr t h e jsc;uc raised by th0-apsi J icant of
·.L·_Lhc-r the County 1 s land u se authority has been pre-e;i1pted
.' '.. l 1 '-~ S L u l e o r Co 1 or o do , a s 2 re s u 1 t o f the a c t iv i t i e s o f
·:,,_-:.:i::e Land Rc:cl2;-;i0tion Board. ,\s the Board may be 2wo.re ,
. ! , : ~; i !) s u c~ i s p r c :; e: ~1 t 1 y i n l ll c.> Co u .c t s , 2 s a r e s u 1 t o f t h e
'.··" ~;ion cif 1..he Enulc'lc:r District Court .1uc1qe in the CU!i Grc~vel
" : ~ >.: ( 8 U ( V l 3 S ') -2 ) j n 1..: h i c h c 0 s e , on De c em b r:ir 1 8 , l 9 8 l , Ju d s e
i ,,-J,.rd Dz.na ruled that the County has no lr:rnd use authority
, : " ~ o L h e J u c i1 t i n n o f i:1 CJ r a v c J p i t . B y v.1 a y o f co n c J u s i on ,
•
1
;c-C:r)unt y Ai.. i·o1 ne::y ' s 1·cso arch indic.-ct.cs t h at Judqe Da n a 1 s
•il"iion i s inco1 1·(·ct , as 1.;eJl us the si...c:ited position of the
.:·,: 1 it',1nt , Cn l cff,l<lo T,jr'n C0Jr1p,1ny , since hot h b y truditi.o n ,
• , 1 , J '..J y J L' q o J i ! i t <.e q n c.: L ci l i on , t he :r c i s n o c on f J i c t be t 1-.' e e n t h e
('u.1111.J'*s li!nci use ilUthoriLy zrnc1 the u u thor ity of t he St<1te
!·~i :,r, LcJ!!d Pcclai1.dlion llo.:1r d.
: : 'H-Lo d i s cu s s i n g 1·.' h o t au th or ity t h e S t. at c h 2 s d e 1 e g 2 tea to
1 ".<.~ 1-:inr:> T,u!ld fo_c}.:-i:nal.i.o n Boor d , i t i s c;o o d to r e me mb e r tha t
i 1 c:i C ,-:i u n t y ' s J , llH1 u s c ~1 u t ho r j t y a J s o corn c s f r om t h e S t a t e .
--_ ...
. . ~ L ; .. ~ u -=:! n t he ;L, ! 1 i f '·~ s t ,1 t i on of L ha t <i u L h 0 r i t y i s re y u J a t ion s
; "; c.: ~ r::: c: by t h c: Co u n Ly , t h c~ author i t y Lo en ci ct th c s e r c y u 1 a t i on s
• ·, ~J l-o ! ~ ~11 s :, ;~ c o !w L: h c S t a t e L c si i s L:1 L u r c 1. n § 3 0 -2 8 -l 0 J e t s e q .
r_·.1'..'.1. 1 97 3 , .-,::; .:::111cn c1cd. Thus , the County 's 1and use authority
;,J:...'S no t s;:1r1!H:J f ro m any inher ent PO\.;c r in the Count y , bu t as
" uc-' 1 1::: c; a t .:i o ;1 o f t h 0 r c c; I) on s i b i l i t y f i· o rn t h e S ta t c:: o f Co J or 2 d o . ~ ' 1 c s 0 u 1 , d c · -,, ~:>on for t h i s i s t h c d .~ L c cm i.r1 i1 t ion t h a t th e Co u n t i c s ,
· ...
1 .ir~·h c''ists for the co nvenie nt z1c1r.1in i.slrr.tion of Sta te CJ0'1er'1ITtC"nt ,
,.,. i11 ,:, ;-""Lier '.J O sitL ori t o m 2d;,:; lcin c1 use decis i ons than th e State
c_;u .c-rrii
1
1.:=:n t .:itsc'lf. Thus , it is i11 correc t t o characterize Jocal
L:._!u]atjons ,:,,s bc..:ir,y sur:;;)o rt ecJ un ly by local cJ u t h ority sinc e these
1 L' c; ;J J a l i o n s h .'t v c b <2 c:: n C::< pr e s s 1 y a u t h o r i z. e d by t h c:: S t a t e o f Co l o r a d o .
\
1
1: :x1(JC'S [oui-Lhnlut;h six of the ap:,:JJ i.c<tr1t 's l ega l ~)osition ;,.:::~;er ,
l'.,'_' ;,:;:·J]ic.:(nt ,J1_;ues ll1<1t t h L're :ts co 1 r :r)J ~e h c 11sive St at 12 Jc~qisJ;:,t_j on ·~ !1,: '1 1ininq fi •.:ld, ,,ncl i.h c•1·c~fcn-c, ;10 JOOi11 for Lhe County to
• • :-: , · J c 1 s (~ t ::-_ s ::; t ;; ~· e <J ·~ v c.: n J :m d u s c: r1 u t l 1 en~ i t y . ?, r c c! r1 i n o o f t h c
'.1ut0 i•'d h·., l':~ r!o ~~u c h l e lJ .isL;tiv c .i!'1i .c::nt , ,111d 111 fact , c ~:a c tly
: i 1 L' ' ; ll J , > s i i~ L' : •..: '\ ~-!l ,; "' s re c o q n it ion o J the Co u n t y ' s l and use
."n
1
1u ltti t y . T'_; hce'g _in ""'i th , t he cip~.)J.icant 's re J j eince uoon the
; . r·~s,j v c1;..1 on of Co i;ne:::-c ial l'lin eL-al D.:').!OSits Act , §34-1-301 et seo.
(c:: :.;j~c ,1n t: 1
5 Jc:c;<:l iXJSJ.tion )Jcl~icr , z,:;ci qc: 5 ) is misp]z1ced for !::
1
//0
!-, ,;::;o ns . 1 ) Th<it zic t is not ap~l ] icabJc to Garfiel d County , s1nce
1 I ~.o i ;U ;) u J a t i 0 n JS J CS S tha n 6 5 , 0 0 0 f Sc e § 3 !J -1-3 0 2 ( 3 ) ] , ar>d 2 ) 'i' he
·c t c:, ,-illc s zit. §3-1-J.-302 (1 ) a c om 1•1crcidl rninec1l c1c~~')os i t to ·,·_·!1 ~:k: "z: 11111 ui-<!1 minL:rciJ cl cpo .sit of Jimcstone used for
c 1 ' ~·. r r u c L i on u t ! r ; ) o s c s . " In t h e J a s t h c a r in g i n r cs 2 r d s to th i s
.. l ic;q i.on , i..he <qi ;_)l ic a nt indicated ll1i1t the :)uroose of its
[1::....:si:onE: 1,·,:s for 2 che mical to be us c c1 in sc rubbing devicc::s 2t
ll·,: Cr~J.CJ r ,0 1·1 er p l an t. This could not reaso n ab ly be includ e d ln
·),,._: (}efunt 1on of "for construction ~)ur ros es." Thus, the
.1 :1:;Jic1 nt 's rcUonce ll!:)On the Commercial Min eral Deposits /,ct
i'.; :
1 ic;;)L1cc<l , ,1ncl to the:: exU:nt th ot tl H-' Judge in the C&M 1
>,·''01 c;.:se also reliE:d heavily u pon this ac t, th e aoolicant 's
, 1;,-,1,·r.· imc'n i..ha t. <:()sr i.s not vl <c11 fou 11dcd.
''',1 ::.J :)]ic<ont is coru.:ct in thcit its e:;ct.ivities wou ld be qoverncd
t i _ 1! C: l) J 01 ;.J r] o '·1i. n e Li : n d I< c c Jc:rn1 <1 t j o n Ac t a t § 3 4 -3 2 -l 0 1 e t s c q . ,
.!'..S . ]<))J , <1s ":ilonclc.:d. llowl:ver, the u ~Y9licant stretches b::yond
· .. ,;,(_:,.,}JJ2 unc1crstandinCJ oi the inte nt o:C that ,-ct , 1..ihen it intc~rprets
1 1:c :1. .-~ct 1-0 c :-:clucJc lnc,11 ]and use ,1uthority. It is clear fro rn .":~·!q the act tl.c1t its intent J.s lo covc:r the O?cration of
:1j11i:ir_; <1cl jvity, and s:-i ec i fica J1y , t.he rcclrimation of lc::nd
,.,,J.::u •11cd by that acti vity. The:: langua qe of the statute do es not
r;i '.rl_, d~c.: <-ijne L·1 :1d Pc0 cL::irnation Board any uutllority over off -si te
: '. 1; , "~ ; s c, r U: 2 r c l at j o n sh i p o f the rn in in ~l i'l ct iv it y to o t h c:: r u .s e s
, , t:ic:: r1c i r;hbo r hood of the :Jropos E.>d min i ng s i te. This is rnac12
, , , -, , ; l ) y ;:: h c: ( 1 e :; i n i ~~ .i o n o f ni i n i n g o :x: r a t i o n l n § 3 4 -3 2 -1 0 3 ( 8 ) ,
::.c:':O lo Fio,1rd
f.'>.;J ch 2 3 I l Jd2
!'i1'-JC 5
('rn,r1Ly land use.: ;1ut h orjty. Palh12r , the Stale system contains
! l ·:uJ<}'tion of Sl>c..Cj fie l~irC:2s d e c:rnc:>d to be of State intere::st.
!ooth because o( t ·)ie existc~nce of Stn te stat uLory authority
!uc Joc2l Jann use control , <HH1 e xolicit refer-:::nc:es in the
._.;I .JLut e that i;·,jniny :Y:1:rnits will not be iss11ed j_n vio}atj_on
, , :· Co u n t y z o n i n CJ , ] t s i Ji 11~· l y c c:rn not be s '' i. d th c~ re i s St ate
· ,_ -r _ : . 1 1 l L i o ri o :: ;:: ] n ; ;! '~ a c l iv j L i r: s f r o rn I <Y .: a l c o n t r o 1 .
I \i. l'l:!J!·'l\/\L, Pl<l>L::!-1P T10N
,'-.!· tiw Bo<1rd is :J v1:,1 ·e, G:1rfielc1 County con t ains 719 ,7 47 acres
<Jf p1 O!..Jl?r t y , the surL:ce of \vhich is 0'.·.'.1cd by the United States
r;,_J\',·1n r:1···r1t , anc1 ,1r)cJitionul :1 crc.:-1yc in '.·.'hich the ;nii:crals are
: ·_-:.;•:1·vr:·d t·o the Uni lc"?d StAtcs Govci.-n1.1c11t . 'fl.s to these l<J1cs ,
~!. ic-is .__:,_,11cln-:-,~·11L jtic isdi ction o_f boLh Co unty Jc.nd use
, ... :ul.-1lJOll :JJ1d /'c•d1 ·':al rrop1iclary rnancige:me nt systems. It is
" 1 , ,.., s t <'1 G J i s l 1 c d p r i 1' c j_ p J e o f 1 aw l h a t ~-; t a le 1 a w a n d S ta t e po l i c e
· <;\,,__:r .t,.'xLr.:ncJ ovci-l'le Fcdeca1 oub1ic domain within its bound<:Jries
" 1 1 t. j J p r c -" 1 r, p t , ' c-1 , 2 11 c1 on 1 y l o i~ h c c x t o n t ;=> r c -c mp t e d b y ? e d c: r a 1
,,1.,•. 1'c:·:,1'.:: Oil <:!ld Gas Corp . vs . Phj_J li l)s Petrole u m Corn:::i n.ny ,
11-:, st _.-r--1~--iS.i--5,_-~-=-i-c t--okT~1~ 1 -9-c:n--2 77 ·1~.--s ui~6 G /-\fr · a--m th
t':r. J c:6 9 ), 406 F.2d J :303 ; State of Idaho Ex Rel. l\ndrus vs.
,·, 1c L , ~.s.1 P .2c1 969 (Tc1n h o ,-r9-76_) ___ li1 a recent Colorado Case
'!1· ,-1 illciplc h ,!~3 l.>('•'n t'St<1bl _i ~;hc d th c:i t lhc Federa l govcrnrn on t
·:1;'.)L be l c.'Spons .i.vc to loc c:il land use coi1ce::rns. See City and
' ·' ', 1~ 0-~_~ _ _;_ __ D ·~ n~~~.:~-_v_ ~-~2:_3 1 an~ , 5 1 7 F . Su pp . 1 5 5 ( l 9 8 l ) .
1 L i s lf e l J e st a b 1 j sh c d i n th e 1 a w th a t \·.'here con f 1 i c t s a r i s e
IJ( ,.._,.,:,i:::n !·'1•dcrc:iJ i -L~rJulations a nd Slate a n d Jocal regulations
, " ;,,,-cl i nq ;:.ubl ic lt1nc1 1 the lutt0-r arc '.'re-empted. I<lcooe vs.
'~l \•) !·:c );<ico , 112 U.S. 529 , 96 S. Ct. 2285 , 49 L .. Ed. 2d 34 (1976 ) ·,,-~t__t~2-~~'.:0_~~-c~~lL~.'...~.:._.l;~lJ Oil Corooration , 601 F.2d 1080 (9th
i · J r . l ~i 7 9) , /1 ~ f 1 d /1 ~ S U . S . 9 4 7 , 10 0 S . Ct . 15 9 3 , 6 3 L. Ed. 2 d
,(l/. (1 <180 ). l iO iv •.;VL'r , it is not self-evident that there is i:tny
.!,
1
Ji-"!lt \:Oni l ict !icrWc'Cll County land use c"!Ut h ority an d a
! , :,.r-:J! i: .. ini11u c1.1.iin L:;,,c;cd upon the 1872 mining law , 2s is
,,.-.J,,,r;,.d Ly Lhc "i)Pljc,1nt.
" l t_ i s CJ f L c: ;·1 cJ pc q :.i h: x i ! i g q u e st i on w h c the r con gr e s s h a s pr cc l u de d
'. , l " '._ c a c t ion , or by th c ch o :l c e o f s c l cc t iv e r cg u l a tor y me a s u re s
1-,.,s left th e ~Jol ice power of the St.ate und i sturbed , e>'.cept as
; ),,.., St.0;,tC ,,nc] I'c:nora l :reuu l ations collide. Ric e vs. Santc: Fe
j le \'.:1:o__!_ __ C~<-~i-p~)_r<~~)?_l2_, 33J U.S. 2 J 8, 67 S. Ct~J46 , 9 l L. Ed .
1 :.~7 (19~1'1 )." li c wcver , four tests have b een clev e l 0;::>c d to
1;. 1 .. ·rJ1 1in <.: ;JrC-c !ri:)tjon:
l ) ';'h e in t \;nt of conc_;i c:ss , as revealed b y the
sl~tutc ln its l eg i s lative h i story.
.'-'.•·!:10 t o r1Cii1 1-d
:,·:,,1 -c h 2 3 , 1 9 8 2
2 ) 'I'h e :_icr v .::is j ven c ss of the i cd t ~r a l regu l o t or y sch (;J ne.
, 3 ) Th e: 11 ;1 t ur e o f t h e s ubj ec t rna 'L l e r reg u lat e d , and
\·1h e:thc r jt_ d crnu nd s e >:c l us i\'C r\ . .:de ral regulati on .
4 ) \·,'hvLhc;r , unc1er th e circumsLinccs o f a part i c uJ ar
c.-!::Oc , Si_<;te L 1 w stands dS d !l o iJ s·L icJ e t o the
nCl.'C !:,[•l is l1 !:1e nt of t h e p u :r_-:lC;'.;(' C'St 2b lj sh ed by
c 0 l 11:; :-c: s s .
J 1 ~;h o u l d b c nu Ll' d l h ri L in Cl ~J 9 J y i n q l li c: ~; t.; t c s ts , l h e p re -c rn ;-J t ion
: ) 1 o u l d 1 , o t lJ cc f o u n c1 u n 1 c s s 11 l h c a c t o f c o IHJ r c s s , f a i r l y
. ;it c·r;,,1 "l ec , is ·i 1 ~ llc lu a l con.Cl i ct \·lith the L l\·J o f th e St at2 . 11
! i ., :-un J'r' rt J , '._'.Id C < • !!" · 11 L S.__:J n ~ '. l~..Y-v ~. _!..: j L_y ~ f _ D~_l:_!-0_~1:_ i _:_"2l_S:.]2_~_<...i::~..'.2 ,
-: (, ! l 1 • s . Lj t1 0 I (l() c; . (_' L . 8 ] 3 I ·~ L. J-:d . 2 cJ 8 '.:i 2 ( ] 9 6 0 ) .
. \:•:_;J-~. irq l he f .i rst test <!l::io v e , it is c l c ri r t h a t t he intent of
• !:·· 187:~ ;,~j!ii.11y '\cl \·.1 ~1s to [J rovjde f or the d e v e Jo:J rn en t of th e
11 :;n,-1-.~,1 L-c s o u rccs of Lh e c o u ntry . ll o \·.'c~ver , t h e r e i s no
c-x;-n -c i">s d 1-•c Ja ro tion that St 21te r eq ul a 1-i o n is to pre-e r;1 ~::i ted ,
,::i d Jl;l fa ct , t h e r e i s cxp 1~c s s refercnc'C S -'--_o J oca l Ja w:
11
••• al l valua b Je min era l d e p o s i ts an d la nds b e l o n g ing
to th e United St a tes ... s hall be free a nd o pe n to
c x p J o rrltjon i"l n d purcha s e ... u n d er r c y u Jat i ons
)> r t : '.; c; 1-j l J L.:' d lJ y li: w , cJ n cl cl c c o r ch n q t o t h e 1 o c a l
custo lll s o r r u l e s of min e rs in Lhe se v era l rr.i ning
dj s tri cts , so far as the sa me ar e aoolicable a nd
no t in cons i stent w i th t h e l a\\'S of t h e United S t a t e s. 11
c 30 U.S .C . Sec. 22 ,
'.',·\'•·ra l cases h a v e rec ogn i z e d that "nothing in t he (Mining
1.:1 '.! of 1 8 72 ) or its le gis l ative hi sto r ~' (indicat e s ) u.n att em~)t
t () :Jr c -ccmpt St0te rec~ulatio n . 1 nd e ed t h e F e d er al s ta tut e
":•d_:i: ic<!] l y rccc)(_Jnizes t h e St ate 's r iyht to irn:::io se ad diti ona l
,, .. :u i1-r.:mc.-nls in ~;o me a r eas ." C l ic k ,Sup_ra ; see als o Q_'D o_Tin~
\.'s. (-~Jc'_!~, 8 J .. iC)JI LttIJa 248 , 1 9 P . 3 02 , 3 06 (18 88 ); see a lso
:u ttr· ___ Ci_l _ _y_ l ~....:.l:_l~_r _frnnp_0~1_y~~-·-§..a kcr , 196 U.S . 119 , 123-J24 ,
!, 0 L . i·:d . IJ 0 9 , 11 J l ( J 9 0 5 ) .
; : , u J y i 11 '..l l h e : ; t.' cu n c1 l c st , th e M j n in c3 L a v,1 o f l 8 7 2 J_ s to be
1,1Jt -,d b y i ts ,dJsc n cc o f r e g u Jation as o pp o se d t o a p e J~v asi v e
J l'CJUL:iLory sch<.:rn c~. This is ver y import a nt , since t h i s alJm.>s
Lllc j n .slant c.:-1sc t o b e d is tin g ui s h e d .fro m the Vent u ra case
1.1hi ·...:h.<-j s bascc u po n th e Hi nc r a l L a n ds L C'2 sing !\ct of 1 920 ,
1.-.liich is a ;n ucll mor e comp r e h ensi v e J c g i sL:i tiv e sch e me . In
Ll:js n :yar d , t h e la n g ua g e o f l h c Garf j c J d Co un t y Zonin g
! -: , -:; n J u L i o n , § 3 . 0 9 . 0 J i. s s i ~1 n j f i c a n t s i n cc i t i s t h e du t ,y o f
l.i 1v Eud n ] t o <l c:Lcr n,i nc \,;h e thcr the c::p 9J icont operates b y rric:~:n s
rJ' L' i '~1 rni l o r con l_r ,-i ct w i t h t h e F e cl e raJ y o v c:r n r;1c:nt. In t h e
~ 1 ! ~; L ct 11 t c 2 s e , th c 2 :;) ~:=i J i c 2 n t r.1 er C? J y ha s a c 1 a i m , t h e u se o f \; h _"!_c h
.·.,. •d LC! J3c,::; 1-d
.··,1ch 23 , 1 92
! •: ; l O 7
,3r,=-s :1ot rcguire CO!ilIJlicrnce with any f'c.>de:ra lly
,.,, .. J·S 's t:-1n ·-.cc-1·11c•0 0 40 +.h.,, c~ic-; ·i1 1•·t1.0'' 1 r.'-,,,·,c·'l" 1 . . . • ..L , • 1.-l__ • > ._) ~-• "---L L J .< 1....-..1 ..• ~ L __ . '--J J j_) ..__ L Vv l_ _ J
; l 1 c cl r i J J j 11 CJ o 1 1 c:.> r i-i L j o :1 i n t he V c n t u r ci c>• s c .
i moosed conditions.
this matter a nd
.'·· .. ·1~-~·-:0 cl a s c:--.:hibi_t_s 11 D 11 '-~1 11d '1 E'.1
' 2n c.3 (1ltn (:}·1c~d hcrc~to or e 1~c·1 n CJ _!~c~r!c3urn
-r '.l!!d <:cc Stiii!Chnc1 }J , 1-h 'CC n Garfield County an d th.:; B ure a u o f Lc::nc]
.•::•,c;~-i·:·:-nt, Uni ted States D·::>pc1c:L r:1u1l of Ir;tc·ri or . These:'. cHFU'2 -
•1ls ':!C;V··r:! cuo:)ce·rc1L i o n J.JCl\-vcen tile L \·JO crititic:s in rc:c_1a1-c3s to
::1c3 usc-li1 ci\tc 1 ~s or1 public l a!·ids. Tn C":hibit "E ", JI , s c.:ction h.
I )i·.· :i .. _·i'10t:1ndurn of u1d cr ~3ta ndiny st,·1 Lcs:
"To l hl'. :i li-i>;jmu!ll extent poc;sjbJc (lh e ?a r ties) C:trJre c
Ll1cil. 1io lc~:,s e, yra nt or other conveyanc e of ~)ubljc
1 ,-; i , c3 sh a 1 l '-' >: , ' 111 ;J t s u c h J ( ' s ·.; c c , <J r i 1 n t e c , o r o t h e r
C• 11 :v .:'VC1.3 :rorn cun 1~)l i a n cc vii. th Cou;1t y l i.,nd use
:)L::-i s , 1 ,,1,·s , or r<.?<Julatinr)S ':.il 1 i ch 0 re or r~:ay be
111 c·1 feet a s of the; da te: uf l.hc: Jc'ase , grrint ,
ur othe r conve y ancr::'."
', ~ '1;,t; t l.c Bu1c:u u of Lar1d Man agement is a r c s:Jonsi b le Federal
• ' , 1 i t v ~or t he pr C> }) c r t y o f in t c !' e st to l ~ h c c:: u !:) 1 i c a n t , t h i s
'· '"'--i i u n i s s i g n i f i c an t f or g iv in g t h c cH3 rn .i. n i s t r a t i v e i n t e r ~-n.:: t a t i o n
,, 10 Joc al J and use authority. Sinml'/ put , the above s ec tion
.Ji,-,;1 c:; th il t t.h c Run?<Hl o f LDncl M,!ntJ <Wlll·. 11t vri_ 11 rcc o qni?.c
:·,,• 1.'11u 11L y ,it 1Ll 1C1 LJ l 'j unless it~~ ilCLi.ons urc-c mpt the fie1d.
!!. i_'1 c .instant case , v.>h crc a minj nc; cJairn i.s involved, the
:,1,·:_;,u of L c:t nd ."1 :rn,-!g crnc nt has isSUl?cl no [Jl:'.cmits or contracts
.:i:d l1;c1s im9osed no conditions o n t he oc:>crrition of the a!:Jpli can t.
'i !iv,::, a'fco1din g to section h. above , the Bureau of Land
': .. :1 .<J ·'111 cnt 1..;ou J d r cS '.)C'Ct the County 's 1 ;:ind use authoritv over
: .. :~t2bj(:oc l: rn.:.ittc:r.
l (:t
I ' l \ ~·
!)1j1·d lesL z1bo vc J_s that of nutionFll unjiormity of
1 .t J 1 , · q j :.,; L: I. 1 n n . 1 n r Pc; iff c1 s t o l: h i s , i t c n n not b c
:;lc1 LC: c>11d locaJ •JOVt~rrn.1c nts arc> vit0J 1y int crc.::st c::c1
t h e
c'lcr 1 J ccJ
in the
.: .:; "'J';:;1...on t of LJ1.;j r n.Jt u ra l i csourc cs. TnJee c1, consress is
:· ,.,,,1:1j/'.,·c1 u-1 Lh,~ l>J ,1tiL)!1'1l J::nvi r onm c::n toJ p olicy J\ct of ]969,
(',1·:,-../, :.h.1L l.hc !'l in1a ry rcsponsjbi l ity f or imp lementing an
. _,'.'i10:.n•.:ntal ;-Jolicy rests with Stc:it<~ and l oc al o,overnrnc::1 1ts,
. ·, >' r J • ~; • C . § 4 3 7 J ( lJ ) ( 2 ) ; s c e n J so 4 2 U . S . C . § 4 3 3 1 ( a ) . Ji, J s o
'ik J-',:::c1cra l Lond ;.:ioJ icy M,:cinagement Act of 1976 as recogniz ed
t:11_ n1Jc of local <.:JO'Jcrrn ,1 c nts in FccJcraJ decision-making.
~~l'C' 43 't'.l.S .C. §J 765. Thus , given the rc:fcrcncc s in the
I t.;7:! 111ining ]a\,, l o local custom <u-,J the more recen t Fec1e1·a 1
,,:_,islat i on , it c:Jn no t be said the nat i ona l u nif o r mi t y
::; y .~sr nt J y an i:nµc;1~a tivc o bj ec t ive of the: m1 n.1 ng J a w s .
' '. :: /' C h / 2 I l 9 8 2
'j 'lit: :·ou1-th test ~;L,Lc:c) above 1s \-J )V_?ll1c1-under the circur1st01·,ccs
c , ~ a :=-«! r t i c u 1 a r c .J s e , t h c a pp J i c a t i o n o f S ta t e l a w i s 2 n
C)~c-;;_.1cJe to the accorn;_)l ic.>hmcnt of lhl-:: :•Lff[->uscs set forth by
r_'c ;J~LJ!"C:;~s. It is to be adm itte d that the, 1872 i•iining law w2s
:~101 ;1 ~ited mainly by 'Ki :x:s of cco~1o mi c (JC:Vl'io;>:1c:nt. _t;:_li_ck ,_?_u_?rco ,
~·7f.. HC\·:,;vCC'r 1;;u ;-e :r..-ccent lcs i c;ldti o n L .:s t·u;1:_,cred this one-
: i<l r>c'. 1 1 o lic~'. /1t 42 U.S.C. 4371, lhc \>t~onal Environmental
l ) () ! i c \: /) c t J (_-c 1 -:_'1 ; ·~; s :
"(b ) ( 1 ) Th_;LL' is a n<n~iona l '.JO] icy for the
c:-1 ·1vi1 o rrn 1 ·-~'.!t \·Jhjch proviL3cs foi-the c n hcinc c=:rncnt
o f c~n\•i1t _•1,,;1 ,_;ni.c::] r,u,1Jily. This u oJicy is
•:'J tdciicJ·d Ly st.1 Lutes hcrelofcJre cnilcte d
rc·L1ti 11 q to Lhe ;)i-c;vcntion , ob:11_,;rnent , an d
L'Ulltro} or •'!lVj 1·on1 ;ic•ntu} po l ]ut_jon , \vatC:r
z1:jJ lc~ncJ I-1...:sc)urccs, trans1_1ort.-1t ic)n , anc1
c..cuno1 :1i c "1"1 1··:.::<}joniil c1cvc:;Joprnc nt. (2) The
p1_-j _;u ry .1 ..:S~lons.ibili ty for im o 'J crnentin0 this
~oJicy rests wjt h t he State il n d Jo cal
.. gov._:r1 '11 1c1 1 Ls."
1;j "·c::!1 t l 12 2 bov e , Garf i eJd County zon in g reg u la tions are coc1sisten t
-. .. j t 1
1 , a 1 1 c1 i1 o t co n L :-c=i:1 . .-y to , t h e ob j e c t iv c s a nd 9 llr ? CJ s e s o f C on gr e s s .
1 ·u1 Liicr , t lic rcquirc;me nt for a County l and use 9e r m it do e s n ot
: 1,.clwl(; m in c>ral cJeve l op me nt, alt h o u gh it r:wy mal-:e it mor e clifficu ]t.
l'i1 .. ;,·f1 J 1r ', :_;Jnc!.C 1 1i,-. 1 c•q t1 L1tury SL:ll c 1ne L~: !lot <in ~1 u :30 Jut e l JcJJ" Lo
" ·_t l<Y1J11 c nt , it c11F1ot be said t h at its ap plication t o the i.nstant
~:;,_;is sllch as to Lh\vart the p u rposes of Conqress.
'j ·) 1 c.: ,1 l_.10"1 e u n c::i 1 y s i s s tr on CJ l y s u CJ g e st s th a t there i s no Feder a l
;.J l --,;1;1ption in re gcJrcJs to claims fi led on Federal ~_)ro-::ierty unc1er
'.c' 1872 i;1in i ng 1aw. Th is conclusion is strongly buttressed by
1
11v :1;.J :.Jlj(·zrnt 's :':0iJurc to recognize that it willingly submits
~::;c ·li t o the juriscLiction of the Mining Land Reclar:lation Board ,
,.,,r: ':·r·L <11 -nucs the local zoning authority , \-.'hich is also deri'jed
r < , "' ~ 11 t_: ~:_ :: <1 L c , j ~~ pro c l u c1 c d by Fr.: c1 er a l qr e -c rn pt ion . From the
; , : : 1 L •) f v i ,_.., \.J o f F c c1 er .J l pr c ·-cm jJ t i on , th c a u tho r it y o f t he M i n e
', :f.t t i .. ·cJ.1 11 1<1 1 ion Ho2rd stands in no betL.:"r position than th<:::
,· .. ,,!,ty 'c; L,nd USl' F1uthorjty. It seems obvious that the pur'.JOSes
,,, 1!1" I·ij ne La~1cl l<ecJ ::rnol .ion Do2rd, as \;cJl as local zoning , ci r P
,·,_;::,:,, ~J b l e 1...;itl1 th e f'ederal lec;i slation , since each is directed
t • ".:,.: d a diffc;rcnl pur po se , und that the 21:=J?lica nt must cornJ?ly
\-. 1 i ! 1 <l l l 1 :: w s , !=' c· c'i c; r i:l l , S l: a t c a n c3 J o ca l , in order to u n d e r t a}:. e
j ts o;)r:r;.0tion . . ,
LXHl DIT A
·., ,
. '
, c! f}e}fr t'Crnrnt y Docc; 100': lL-:!Ve Th e -7\ut l iority l ;nc1cr I t s Zon i ng
!J' ,: ir,,-:I!C C' T o Dvny Col 01·cc10 Lj con It'.; Fi1_Jhl To l'._ine Li!r1cs tonc
<\I! -. d ( . .r (1 ] ] ·'! ·i I1 1 } 1 s c: l ( 1 ~ I~!'.=:, ~
l J 1 '. I 0 l i l C i_ -j C> J l .
~:(0 c. 3. 09 of Lnc C<irfjcld County 1;u;ii11s On'Line:i:ce
1 J l,\; ic'c~s thnt unlcs~. iJJCl\:dc d \·:iih:in :1nuU 1cr zone d istr.ict
, , ! 1 l , , :·1 d o 1-.Ti r: < 1 by t_ ll e U n :i i Pd S l a t c s Gov c ri 1; n c n t sh 2 11 be
1-.' ; t l 1 j n l l 1 e 0 ~ '<0 1 1 I:, i · ~-; c e d i :-: t :r :i c t . S cc . 3 . 0 9 . 0 1 pr o v i c e s f or
'. j,c_: fuJ l <·1·.'i 11~J t~~__;,~s 1-.'1 th i ll the Opt'n/Sp;,cc c1i st.J ict:
~
j ; ~:_· ~ / or cond ~ t:i o n c.: l: pro -
Ct ~-.~·,jns , f ,-:lJr ·ic:c--:t j_on , dnc.1 ~~tcir ·,:(_J (~ C)f nc-Jtur-c1 l
tcscnn·c.:'s :1 nd .=:gric ul turr,l rn,![,_·r_1 a ls ; 1,1 6 t E::r
11111Jciu1lC~i 11 c n ts ; c~ci nitcir y J211 1 dCi l Js ; r!.ircraft landing
s t rips ; c. n d u t i l j t y fa c i l i t _ i c: s ; r g._c_r e_a_t _j C?!l_C:l_
= :~c l\_;~)(_)rt fnci L 1 t :i e s.
Th c 2 b o v e u s cs s h a l l b e <Jov e r n c c1 by 2 spec i a l u s e
pc::2-mi 1~ 1:1'.1 c h s h a 11 be? 2pprovcd by t he County
Cu~n i ni'.~c.icn ic 'JS <~s provjdc'd fo r i n t li1 s 7,on ing
RC' ~~ o 1 u t i u n ; c :..: c e p t t h c:i t 1,; h ('. r· c:: t h c <' u U 1 or :i t y f or
s,,jd \l~~c cHi'.;es fr om a sp c cifjc contract or per m it
\,: i Ui th e:: U. S. Government for lhc u se o f propert y
.c-0 1·:n ed L>y t h at gove rnment, t h en that use sh2ll be a
co11clitic•n2!l use , upon which U 1c County C0Fm1issjoners
rnc:y ii;1po~-;c concli tions ne::cessar y to protc~ct the
k' Ci l t h , ::. < 1 f c: l y <'l n c1 \·.' c l f <i r c o f t ll c p e op l e o f
c,,rfje J c~ County , provided that sc:id conditjons do
r,ot c]}r,·ctly conf Ji ct \,>jt_h the fr,clc-1all y imposed
't.'Cj\JL,tn1·y ~;c )1r 'me. The procedure: for obt2ini n g
:;1,cL cc•1H"ii tjc,i12:l u c;e pc:nnit slJ,dl be th2t prcscr:ibed
f u r u JJ y u c:; c ~ o th.:: n·» _i s c a u ll 1 or i /. ( o c3 by con cJ i t :i on a 1
l~ '.·;2 pc J"ii1 .1 l.
'1'>,_-i:LJuvc fc1rin of Sec. 3. 09. 01 w c::s ,-:c!opte d by t he Bo ard
c_,f ('c ,ui ty (c_,:11mjs~:;:i0nc,rs by Pcso lu t:ion on hu0ust 24 , 19 81 .
'1 i ; ~; ',l·ct J on J s ein c·ffort by GcJrfic Jd County to utilize t_J -ie
:n-'· 1 :ic_! jJt;>;..Jer to rcyuL:::tc to th e fullest J r"c;a l ex te nt the
e·-
:,··~r:.:::2t...::d u se~; 011 {L'c~crr~l Jc::;:c!s. I t L '~;_;,bli.s h cs a :Jc-::.-mit
~<.·':J!'~n \ .. ;lJcr r:.by a U'..c 1s a spcc i 2 1. l~s c jf .Jrl t he mind uf the
'--:7 1iss .~on ers ll Hcy have iiie: i':U l:l!orily to 21loscth0r de:r;y the
.r'.:: J .ut only a c011cl it ic 11:cil t i sc: if lhc Cc,:1 1•1 ;issione:rs may only
, "-, '·? i t j ~1 ll 1 e t ~ s c l o ~ • c o t e c t l h c pub 1 i c Ji C' ci ·1 th , s 2 f e t y r: n d
>.·-J '. .. 2rc. It is a c.lcdr recognition t h,:L by virtue: of con-
1 1 !<'t i11<; o:.: "luco "·y s c l,, :;,L'S Garfield
•:_,,~-ily 1c> r t_''.;11·!.,te_1/' 11:·.c but J!OL.
f 1 C: C '., cc C r: f i 0 '' • 'I l r . ·:
Cc J1 i n ty ;·"1y h."v(? the
tu ulli111<~L2ly dete.:m1ne
! ! Gi i rf_j __ c_l_cJ_ Cou1it:Y_ Js _l ~r _e _~}u _c~c d f'r _rn:~ _~.,ppl _y.:ins __ _I_t _s __ s_pc::_cj_i_:i_L
L :.r· }J 1·0visions 'l'o :1'Jie _J 11?Lci1_1_1.:_ t;,>p.Jjc r:tion F.':C <-11 ~_se _Of The j -:r -:,,~.io:1sJ1~i_p __ B_~-~~···'l 'C 'n _Tl10: F_c_d_cra~ Gu\1 c-1 r ,:r1"·n t ,i»nd The !'-J'p~.i_r-_c:nt:_.
Tl10 r eal pl·op c:rty 1-1hich j s t·hc:-sl;bje:~ct of this ~-:ppJ .l-
' ·" ; i , • 11 .i :; er 1·: n c d Ly l lie ll ll i t c d S L: 1 cos D 111· r a u of La n d !': <~ n <:1 c u;: c.~ i 1 t ..
'" ... ::·r>Jic:c:nl, C c1l o rc1c10 Li.e n Con~;,ciny , .is tlic O\..me r of the
.),.,; ,::J'L'C' to be: i~·,1 i ·ed a nd h as th e l ec;al r_~ght to c:nter t h e
;·!1 ,j,1 -rty by virtue of Ve i l .id mining cJai.ins f.iJcd pursuant to
: l,' -~;, -r 1 c r a l m .in i n <J J ;~ v: s o f U H:! Un i t c d Std l c: s , 3 O USC 2 1 , e t
·,,,ci . 'l'r1e-se steitules 0slablis h the fc:c)c:r .-11 govc--rnrnc·nt 's
; 11 i (; n t t Q sol e .l y ck t c nn i n e t h e e >: i st enc e of mini n g act i v it i es
011 fc.-c".(,ral l c.rnd a nd thus prec.l ude C a rfieJd County f1-om
ci , -1 . y j n g l h e <: pp J j c <i n t a p e r m i t t o con d u c t i t s pr op C> s e d
i»iJ.inc_; ;,cli v.ity.
T l 1 c <J c: J 1 e::r r a 1 ll 1 1 n l n g J , 1 "" s o [ 1 h c U n i L C' cJ S t r1 t e s , 3 0 U S C
·;1 , <:~ _s_c:_q., est ,~J.iJ ish a scheme wher <?by public lands cont2ining
\·,,J ui:ib]e rninerc:ds are subject to location and entry by the
1 / ~: t ~ c .. 3 . 0 9 . 0 J of l h 12 Z on i n g 0 rd .i n 2 n cc st a. t c s on i ts L:~ c e
)1 ,:( 1 1 ~;l'S O J J fc>cJ0rii} government rroperty c'!l~C Conditional
.. :,,-r ,, the: c-~utL o ri ty for such use arises from a spc:c_i f ic
,., ;1 : '..t l-L (1r pc ·n11it \,1 jlh the U. S . Cove1 ·i1;1ic,nt. \\1C sul.Jmit
: : .. :'.. \·:!i iJe this Lingu,ige recognj ?.es to ~;ornc clc:9ree: t h e
J: -.; : ,,t ion~; p1t1cL·cl upon local govc:rnrnc 11tal aulhority by
, u 1 . f l ~ c L i n 9 f e cl (~ r a l and s L1 t c L" w s , i l j s not ci n a cc u r "" t e
,,: t11wi"Licm of Uie fulJ c>:te nt of lhe ljrnitations imposed by
t : , . : c] o c: t 1-i n c o f ! » r c c.n p t i on a nd .:i s t Ji er c= fur c: u n L =1 \·If u l .
::i 1::jJn r ly, \.J'2 note ulli·.~r J egal c~cficjc-nc:ics in the: L:ingu29e
1;f :.L:c. J.09 .0 .l but do not <Jd vcincc lh c1n licrc, r e serving ,
J 1 u .. , -v er , u u r r .:i <J h t to r 2 i s e ll 1 c m in c: mo r c 2 pp ro pr i ate f o ru IJ\ • •'
-2-
.J, L! c . T --n
! : ' •I o : (: j ( ' ~3
S ·:r:: ~~-J~o_, <;J CTH 38t,O , ct_ :;cci .
tl1 21t al J v.11uablc rn)11c;r;d lc-,i ,cJ :.o CJ .r C:
; (';Ct / 3 0 u Sc 2 2
"fj_"(:'.C (JfJU GI.JCJ1 "
"' t ],.,L tl1 e puL>ljc n:uy ·Jocai_12 ;,nd rc :11ovc · :;\JCli valuabJe
.i .1·1."Jls. f'l1C .!11.:.·11:1o:>e 1 3 0 USC 2la stuU:s i hi::t jt js t he
; ) ' i c y o .t th e f c c3 r.: r e: l g c;v e r rnn c n l to f o s i ': r d ; , d e 1 1 c o u r a g e ti 1 c
,; .. ve:-101;:-:r::nt of the~ counl.ry 's minc:ral rc::o1.1!.·ccs. 30 USC 26
c:1 •. 1·,.1,~ccs to Jocc-:,tors t_l;c e.xclu<~i\'C 1-ic:r!t of poss 12ssion and
·'· _·1 J .. :..·i 1t of tl,c,.ir mir,,-r(d c1z:j1i:s. Clc.::1·1y, jt is i.hc
: " , 1 ; c y u f l h c~ U n i l c d ~~ i ;-, l ·'..' s C CJ; , 'J 1 e : ~ s , , : : " t : :-: ~-' .i-r • :; c:.: e d j n a
·""''-'C ::t,,iui.ury <1I 'U lcc_;uieilory ~;c)1•;;:e:, Li1i1t the~ right of
,. <•f \.·,:1•,1;,})le: l~•'n ·<-zcl Jciic1s r•·:11r-1in f1·cc onc1 ;_,vail21ble to
;1 !. v iile for the vY1 r,1ct ion dnc1 dcv2lo~_·::1r'nl of natural resources
• ...... .-•:.::c>ary lo the l':dtion 's c·co n c•my.
\·:JwJ·c :_;11ch ;-,n ove1 ri_di_ng n<d:io na J pol -icy has Lc.'en
' _. i ' . ·; ~. · · d r: ll d i_ 11 E' t '~' rn s tlv: r c: of a r c c l ' ·,, i-J y c11· t i cu la t l' d , a
.. , <::;C.J\ 1-1",!fli ·--=r,t_ li c:c s not hc1ve tl1e ,,uL }1 c,1-i ly lo ve::to the
,, : 1\·1 Ly pr:1rnii.tc,c'l, c·11cour.19c·d , r111c1 rc<:_JnL"i c~ Ly ::he; !:Je::;.-vc:sive
·, :. :,-,] J,,<Jis}eitiG!I. J<1c:-pp~_ v _. Jh·vl !·i c~xico_, r:)6 U.S. 529
( l';/C); \/t'l 1t_i:rr-1 C'n>.11 1t _y _v_._ Gulf 0-11 Corp ._, GOl F,2d )08 0 (9th
l<J7'.},), FJ[f 'c1., 1,45 U .S. 947 (l'J8 0). Thi s is pre?cisely
1_,,. ~:i!uati on in tliP inst<lllt Ci'lse 0nc1 the \lr~ntu_r _a __ C_o_un:_!:._'i_
, ·""· c:-:pr'csse:s 1-hL' ljm _ital.ions i rnp o~~r::d upon Garfield County.
'i'.1·· J.·;:Jr_,r<:l rc<JU ]r :L-ion p reempts Garfjclc3 County from denying
; i..-nl'l )\·ity ;,ulJ1o:·i1~0d by lhc feder al 'J0V(;)"flif1C~llt .
·;·!1·· ·'i'J>li c·";il. j•iopo:;cs to rni.11c l 1i(3l1 r·<1lc i u 1n iincstonc
· 1 ... ; i 1,_; q kl ry '._;_it t.: l <_)ca led on rcc:t1 propc:r ty ov.'n ed by the
1 · .. 1, ,,\1 of L end 1'Jc~nd<J,_;H1C'nt. Lime stone i s a v aJuable rniner2l,
, r-, «, '. ,-il..1 1 C? \l n c3 er l he: g c n er a l rn in j n g 1 a,,, s . nor the r n P . R . Co . v .
. ;, , i .. :rc:r, 188 u.s. s26 (l90JJ. Thus , th e i -ia_c_r_aT --statutes ____ _
.. t ·11 1 11··r1 ;,hove CJllc:l"<:nlcc the etppl i cunt frc.,c; ancJ open CiCCC::'SS
;(, tl1•' i:1iJ 1C:siL c for its extract i on of the rcsou r ce. \'lhile
('.,;,' ~r-~d Counly 1;;;1y re:2sonably re::guL::itc U1c activity to
1 ! • '. , -( • t ; he pub ·1 j c l : c e: l th , s a f ct y -~i]~d -w r, J fare , it cJ o es riot
: ... ·", · ·-li' :1 t: t.. lien i t y i o c1cLc1 m i_ 11 c l he ex 1 ~; l c:·; 1 cc of tl 1 c Ci ct iv :t t y .
1 •• i<Jl!i.. lo 111-ine: t lie rl·so tircc has alu·,1uy l..1C'(~n guc.:r,:,ntce:-d
;,J :t·c:rit by fl'l;l'l <:.l lrtw i1lld Gn.rfjf'ld County does not
i. -. ,. ,,,, ;>0\-.1 21 i 0 \•.'l 'L )J<]}-il\-.1 Lliat fcc1crr:J. (j\la1·n.11lce unuer i·he
.:t 1 .:' (1[ ,Jc~11yinq '1 C.>)JL'Ci<1l ll'.:,e pCrITiit.
J 1 :
ll
. ti,(, l
('< ·'iJJ'.. y
is j;i,po.Lt..<J!Jl
s i t u <1 l i o n l n
to no l c t Ji a t th i s c ,~ s e p cc s e: n t s a
, ... h i ch j t i s c v en rn n re c J c a r th a t the
t..he? aulhor)ty to duiy. app li cant 's
-3-
9 ·
:,·-:111~L. LL<~n 1·:2 :~; pcc:s<.::n t cd in B1·uL <ch:~r \/.Bua.rd of Cnunly
( , ,; .i:r, j ~; ~-, i c' ~~-' ~-_·? __ o_f i:_: l __ P _<~ ~o __ Co_1~r:i ~ y , J~ 2 l 8 j :-;,-,_ l 8 6 ~-!1 o ~.;--[).-·,:-la D~ g .
),.-fu1 c: tlH~ Co1or<ioo Suprc ;n e Court.--J n l hJ s C <>:5e tncre is
!1 0 t~~c"s .~jon auciut th':: Jcgiti.lli':1C)' of tnc~,i -~>liceint '.s c12i:n to
,_,,,1u,:liJe nnneraJ lanes .. i'l.pplJC?:lnL h<is ;.ne: c>:clusive .rJ.gnt
ti: i ''-··:~,:;c-~:s ion <ind cnjoy111c~nt of i t~; cJ;,;:,,s , 30 1JSC 26 , <"'rid it
1:-\)L! ;~;,!~t.::d 1 0 p•...:J fo1ri: 1-:ork lll >O!i th e cl.~i;r, o:?.-fcu-fcit it,
rn i_;~;c ~~8 . ~;<..'C::: <:J s o 4J CFH 38SO . For C.-i 1 f i c-Jd C cl'.rnty to
1,c.:.iLil ;_he c1ppli.l~,,ni. f1on. J11in11icJ l>y {J c:n ying a copi::ci.-il use
~ ·:J JiiJ '-is to not only unlc.1.;fully .i1itc:rf1-~:~c v:ith 2 pn.::i::::rn9t..ive
-: , , : , -, 1-,~ 1 s t <-> t u t or y s c Ji C:' me bu t a J ~:; o t o (l C pr i v e r_ h e 2 pp 1 j c 2 n t
t,; '\·ciJ jd propc::rt y rigb Ls without co;111H::n~.;z,t:ion.
Fci:.· i..lH:: forcyoing rl:'.asons, it JS clear that Ga:rfield
t , . , , J, .;_ y c 1 o'' s not Ji ,3. v l''~ th c u u t_ ho r i t y to cl,~ n y a pp l i cant the
! ic;l!t :c1 n;inc· Ji111.·st..onc on :its ff-:ocr,cil mining c l c.irn s. Under
;_,. ,.,,Lr1·nl l <':Jl']\l<l<je? of Sec. 3 .09.rll of tl1c GarficJd County
: "~1.n •;; (!:-c3ini'l11ce , t _he:n,,fo r e , appJic;nlt 's L)roposed u se is a
,· . .;,<3itior12J use 1·.'hich c2n only be n~.,s o :1.:ib ly r eg uJated by
·i,c: Cc)'"ujss:ioncrs.
I i J . C.dr f i~l cl__Co1'.._J l ~~-.Y --~~1!~!l_C2..!-__ J.2.S?_J_~<:'.._~i~1 __ _:_7.\ ___ S_pc;c .. ~_<_j 1 ll se Pe r m it Of
1· ·. ·;l i c,;,n C,_Jjcc ,-,us e The l 'rc:.a Of J·lin i r1a 1\eo u 1n t T0!1 ___ l:l as--B-ee n __ _
~ ,.._ ·-----. ---------------------------·'----..! _______ . ___________ _
·, · · ii11,t c:d Dv State:: Lc:v: .7.\nd Tht2 Pe nnit r\cq uir erue nt Is Pro hibited
H· C. j~. S. 1-<J -.iJ _3_4_ -Ji_:-l-0 9--(G-)--.-·-----------------------·--------.. --
----------
Si·c. =~.09,0 J of Ll1c Gnrf :i cld County 7.onjng O rd inance ,
1 .· , l L' 1· L ·co CJ n :i z i n g t h c c'l o c tr in e o f pr c C: !11IJ1-1 on 2 s a pp 1 i e d t o
f,·c'i· 1 r:l Ja w, docs not acLnowledge t h at loca l government
J v.._!111at:!-on~; can also be pret2rnpted by a state stat utory
:,t·J1t·ll 1v". E e nniun v_._Q~~?V~£_, 180 CoJ.o. 213 , 504 P.2d 35 0
(!<,72); c;i\·jql"i zor~o __ \'._· ___ V_eltri_, 180 Colo . 10 1 501 P.2d 1044
( _ cJ 12.). T hu s , 1-.1 }1cre lhe state hos provi.ded a compreher,siv e
:. : .. : .... to r (~yulcitc the field , a county cJocs not h o.ve 2uthcirity
t" l: c_,:,uJc_;<iic rc-guJations which in any \:ay contradict the
: , , ; , J r cJ 1 :; J , : L i o n . T n Co) or <l d o , m in i. n g i s s \ 1 c h a f i e l d .
';/ !\]>p J iccoll'L .~,g1 c·c:s 1v.i th U1c <lp?elJ ant i.n Brubaker that
, ·,; , • 1 i j n t h c c j :r c u rn ~:; t..; 1 n c c s t h C: r C?. pr c s le n t. ,-~ d t.. h C:--D :i-s t r i c t Cc, u r t
C.· : } : j P .J so County v: a s j n correct _i. n a f f i : m i n s t h e Co u n t y
Cr · ·;~i ~_;~~,oncrs 1 c1c·nial of t h e spec i <::l us e permit.
-4 -
'· ..
·-: :' -l () l I l ' l '. ' (~ ']_ • / < : j '. C
'i·.'·'J·~it:.::. l~ct , C.1\.S .
of
I ~ 7 3 3 s -l -::3 0 l , ( · L :, c '::'.. . , p : c: :~ c-n t a
, -. : ~ o: , · l, c n s 1 \' e , pc _,. v .:~ ~~ j v e J 0' g .i s l c-, t i v c -:-=:c l 1 ':Fl'.:'. to r c 9 <J J 2 t e
;;.i 1,i11<J in Coloi-,-:(io , ft-orn lh e (li:::-,c:c 1\"r-·1·y c_)f the rn:ine:ral to
,;1c· ic-c:Ji".:ne:l.ion of L.i!C Jana aficr c 1._;Jl1l•lr.:\_jon of e x t:ract i on .
1-,,._;1 ·,t:.,1¥l1'c:.es D.!OCli::i:n t}v1t th r_:: i·1;11J ::ti on of mining _is of
~--~ <:~c:--\·:JCe cot1r:t~1-n. 'l'he stc:tutcs 1G<_jc~t Iic:r c~st<-..bl_i s J-1 2
-..:·l --1-:Jn e progi.:J i' -("o:c r;lJ sL-,c;c:, o;" i ii 1'L'l1~1 anc': the i:;slL":rice
.f ._,,., 11,1 '. s t!1c-rc·for.
1
'.
1 }!C:: J·'!}.}L?i c1-c-,--itr;s the J .jir1r~d T,,:inc1 r<;·cl t!;r1<1t _ion }-;'Jc.rd
\!'.'..:-;j-i) iC1 ,.,)ljch c-v,~1·y rnj!1C oper<Jtcn il\!:~t. rn:~J-;e app licc1tion
:f,!-a 1 1r~:1nit_, 3~--32-109 , (!nd \.,1hich i:; tl1c-:: on_l _'l arm C)f the
",. 1:)Jj ch has the <cut lior j ty to J_ :__;·;11c ,1 pc~rrn1 t for mining ,
-~ '. -:L' l 09 (b ). '!lie.: l ·lLJV, thus c:-.-c-<:t c·:; " .si 11glc state e:02ncy
; i 1 , · J 1 i s < • l;:, i <J (~cl ,.,-i i Ji l "-' : Ill i t t_ j n CJ ,1 l l rn ; n ' rig t h r o u CJ\-, out the
1 • , i c -.c u c· h s ~ , : l c, ·-\-.' ·i d c · r r · <] u l ,c1 t i o n u v '~ r ,--, 1 1 i"~ c e a c) c: c 1 a r e d t o
;,1 r•f ;,t_.__;~L_;-\,,'~dl' l'()J 1 l~t -•_l_']i .l S C],-lsS iC }.'/t .I·( !1:r>t.}\Je Jc~gi:-::Jut}On.
i ! I i "' 1
\-. ! i t j l 1 l
l cc
\._Ji C
of ~011ch
l J ~).,..,1 r ~ r I '-0
s L 1~-c ]egisl.-;L_ion , <;.:11fie J d County JS
_i1 ·1 po:,;c co n t o..Jdic:LrJL Y rc r:Ju]a "c:ions .
'.'.' ct ; l h j s J s c :-: :1 c t l y \,, h u t G ar L i_ c l cJ r 0 1 rn t y h a s a t t c in pt c d
iu ric1 by c"iu:-;<1ncling S~)(·c -i.a l u s e pe rmi t '.> of m i ning operat i ons.
'!'l !t· \cm nty J S atL.:.1 :1 p tin.::-~ to s u pc c r.iP:~.:i o sc <'2no tlier perrnit
"'i°' i ,-;11 u_IJ o n i-1 str1tc.::-1,1 :id2 s y stem ,,,hi c h s p•::c j f .-ical l y pro v J c es
i " ' L 1 ) () ', l_ 0 1__ (::: l:: Tl L j t. y c >: c c pt t h e ML H B lJ CJ s a u t h 0 r i t y t 0 cl C:: T:l ::m d
:. 111it . lc~;r1-i n 1 C:r.rf i c Jd Co unty has riti.urpte d t o g i v e
, t :.··Ir ,, ;w'"'"'L oi t -;L'l •·! J 1Li _J__i<'21.-=--'0:~12. 1·.>l1 L:1 ·c u11ly c'l 1-JO'vl Cr of
: , .. : (•J1<,)_,1e ! c9u_l _._,_l_1 <~ c>-:1sts. G ,:nf _icld Co unty d oes no t have
~ l:· jJC1i:cr to c'ic:J11and a sriec i al use pcrmj t of t h is app lic ant
l n" .ii.1::.(_• the <nca of pcnnitt:ing min es hu::, L>een preempte d b y
:.t.,ll c;~-,~tutc:. Sec:, C: [, M S;uid & C ravP l Co. v. Board of
( \ , _,' ~·--~~c.'..~~nj _:_'.~ :i 01!_~~::_-s -~'L_ ~-lie -~i_u n_~.y__~o ( _ _l_)o u _L9_~~£~ -8-o cv fjs ~T __:_-2 ,
("c:!ilH'r J8 , J9Rl.
,,,_ '.;;:,-r:jfi(·.:l}y , C.:1 :-fjcld Cuulli.y c1ocs not huve the
.. 1\ ,1< ! '-' ~u 1:c·~11:11'r: <! -.Jc ·cial u~;c pc:1rni1. of thjs <:pplicant
;,. :1·, 1,; C,!\.S. [<J73 3·~-J/.-J09 (6). Tl.<il section ;_-:>rovH>.:s:
'' ' .. _> ' : 1 \ , : • 1 < 1 , n ~ .::11 o f ::' i c c: o f l h e s t a t c , o t Ji e: r t h a n t h e Bo a r d ,
11<: ·:!.)' ;.o:J-Ltic,:1 :;ul>cliv i~-;ion of thr> :__;1iJ1C' '.-hnJl have
.,.~1,,,; 11.'_/ :o :is:___;11c: a pc:n11it or to rcq11jrc:' c:ny perfor;-r12ncc or
-r i; .. ,:1('i <0 l 1-.J,~1 J"dnty of <:;iy };ind for mining operations. 11 Ey
, ,-1_;1,ir-;:19 2 spccj,-,l use pc:rrnjt of min:ing opcc:rators ,
•'
-5-
•. ,:·
C :rf j eJd Cu unt y i 12s <-iit c_;·;1;J'.:-c::d to c:c~.:.=;tFnc the t.:lti;r.z:tc minin9
<:11 ~l ic ,r1t_y C.:J <Hitc:d t_o the J.:i L HB by ~~his c~1-i-1tntc . In otJ-i e r
\.'u 1d s , G;:1f1r,1d Colinty );,::s at-tc::1;;pt c:·cJ 1.o pL,ce:: jt c_;e::l f in a
~JO:;.it i on o f <::Jl"C:·c.:tcr c:utho rity th iHl il1 c 1 li,Hl3 -a p osjtion
'..h(_ce c2~;~field Co un ty, not t h e Eoi1rd , <),.'r'~Jf!lLcs ":h e:t her
'f''JJ l!i Cj cycurs. This u :,,i1r1ktiori of i'l(itli<·ri;_y by the County
is p<"U~r;tly offe:J1sive to th e '.:,t-21-12 si..nil:.c. Se e , C & J.l
('. l -i ' \. (' J (' 0 . r S L2 1J .'.. cl .
----
<"r ·:,::h1 y J'C:--,:\11 ci. C
(1 ~ (~ !·'. < ~)c)~_-;(~Ll 111i ni!l ~J
G <Le f :i e 1 d c o 11 1 i L y n1 d y ! , v c t L e: p ~-:· . : •· ::.--t o
!ic l!C'i-,l tli , S<1f•'iy :1 1.l ,., . .-,1,-r,re: ,,c-.p cJct.s
0;:1:1·;,Ji.:i on lillt _:ii c;,; no=. ret;-,1.n the
i . ·; 1-i ·]c1T1 Lo <:-} t r__;·._;(:1 .!ic· .. r c-i t·ny 2 i_)t:r;n ·i t \-:~-j; c·}1 a :_~t_r-jt C:: ~;La lute
:.,.,-;fi...:,c,lly <jl'<111t.~: to :111 :i11dcp'-.'.lJc]cnt :c;i_,,t_c:: c:9c 11 cy.
ln the C<·!1 ll'>;t of Sec. 3 .0 9.0~-Ol. lie: Gc:rfjeld Count y
1: < ';, i 1 l <_; C 1 1 r 1 j 11 '' 1 i cc , i . 1 ! c · n , t l 1 j s <::pp l i c '' n t ' ~; ;) r C· ~ 1 o s c C:: u s e f'l us t
J,r · cl 1·r.1:·1citiuni'i1 \J ':C. GdrfjeJd Cou11t y llO'.?S not hco\7C lhe
.:,11 lic11 iLy to c:L·i ~"-,11c1 i1 l-Jt.;:l·r;1) l of t h is i.:p:)l j_c,;1 1t whi c:i1 ln the:
{;!:\·ic'L _ic :n uf l}1~ C'c)~.JP-L.)' m2y l_J2 c:c-:n i cd , 1 =...:r:.caL~Se c. r~:_\:~te
i,1\,·,c-'.-r,'cifi cF1Jly )JJ ·o:-,ib :its it r:ncJ ~li e L0 n t jr e fie-Jc of
: , (_;1ilz,1.ion of rijni ;i g ;1ct i.vity l i as bc::e n p1«.cc1 ;1::-1t c J by t he
:,i ,,: •.: J c ij j sla~_i v e sc liu:·1e .
'l'l11 s iiop l1 c21 nt ' s proposcd u se is a condi tionnl u se
·.::.;c l : ciin O!ily be: rcasoni·,bly rec:-1ulated by Ga rf ield County.
'J · 1 , ,0 u s e c ,~ n not Li c a ~; p e c i a l u s e b c ca u s c 1' h e G a r f i e 1 c1 Co u n t y
;:.,:1i 1!rJ C>nLinz11 1ci::: c_p,1nts th e Cou1 i ty the cJi ::;c r eL i or1 t o al to rj0tl1er
d:·'1y a spccic-11 use, G arf ieJd County d ocs not hav e the
, u L l 1 u :-i t y L o c] e n y t h i s a pp 1 i c an t ' s pr op o s c d u s c by Iv i r tu e o f
cunf1icting and prcc:rr:pt iv e federa l and s tat e law.·?-
.J/ ·1 i. t hj :~ docu'.ncr;l ""e have shO\.;n ·how tl1l: applicant 's
!'!''-:.c,'.:C'U use j s a c ondi tionzil us e:: wj thi n the tE::.nns and
r • -:11:: '. i CJ J J S of ~~c·c. 3. 09. 01 o f the Garf j c J c Co unty Zoning
C-: ~:i '"::i c e. \·~e:c bc--1 i,:ve U1ere c11·c ot l1 c:r con~;titut.ional an d
:.'.._;1 ~i.c,1y r c·,:0_;0 11s \:!iy l';c-;rfie l d County j:,; ccinslrained from
,,1;r1tJ i·lhr d'-'!lyjnc:; r.ppJ.ican t its pc-ornit. Failure to discuss
< J 1'1'>C.o n ,1so1:s in 2 c'ioc:tJmenl of suc h limited .sc o;_;e as tl1 is
. : 1 , ' , s 1 1 o t. con s t 1 t l 1 L c a h 2 _i \I er of an y s u ch i :; s u e s w h i ch 1 n i g h t
];c· re: ·i ~-,;d l .n ci J!!Ol c ,c:p propria te for urn,
...
-6 -
•.. ,· ., -~-
'l'l!C:: condj t ~ons ),,:;-L·ctof or e 1;::;-'o~,ui b y t he G,c:r fj e::ld
Cu,J11t y P J a n n ing CG:i 1rnission and i1 1corpnrr,tcd in U i c: instant
,,;J j)J:ication y.;jJJ proLc,ct t h e hc;~J th , :~:ofc=ty and ""'c lfare of
t i:e cit i ze:ns o: GarficJd Co u nty. The .-~p plication for
c; c 1 ) j i t ~-on a J u s t:: s l 1 o u 1 c t h c rt? f o r c b e 'j ,-a n t c: d .
Pc::,~,r-c:tfuJ 1y su 1J!'1itled ,
J1tlorneys for CoJ or a do Li e n Co.
--]-
3 .09 .0 1
Usc:s , spccinl ·---------__ ___... __ --- --
ti=>:L.raction , procossing , f<':b1icc;tion , c::nd storoqc o.:_ niitur al
'resources ond Cl•.:a icu l t u ral ;"1oLeri i:ls; water im!JOi.!'!d:w2nts ;
sariitary J:1ndfil}s ; uircraf-c L'.11r}i11c; St!_-i ps ; an d utjlit.y
f (1 c i J i t i C' s .
Tha aL>ovc l:sc.:s '.:;Lci J] be yovc:rncd by a spcciol use pi::·.cmit
\·.'L.ich sholl ~-JC:: a:_>:.:iroved by the County Co:-:unissioners as
µrovided for in this Zoninq Resolution ; except that where
the authority for sa i d u se c:ris1.::s from a spr::::cific contract
or permit \,•ith the U .S. Gove:i-i1mcnt [or t h e ~sc of property
0 1vncd by lhdt qovernmen t, then t h at use s h all be a condi -
tional use , upon whi c h t he County Comrnissione:rs ;;-;ay i1.-:pose
conch t ions ll c'C<:ssary t o protect the 0.cal th , safety and
we] fare of the pco9 l e of Garf i eJd Co u nty , p rovided that
stlid condiLiu n s do n o t di rect l y conf li c t wi t h a federall y
ii 1!)0Sc d rC?<.J U ] a t or y sc h e me . T he q rocc dure f o r obt a in i ng
;;uc h co 1di.t ion a l us e p er mi t s h a l l be that J:l res c r i b e:d fo r 4 -'
a ny u se ot h er wise a u thori ze d by a co nd i t i o n a l u se perm it.
\i-J \ \ I _, I ,(~ , ~ -,
' I '
I •.'.1' 'I-. i
' 1. , ·1 ': .1~".:"· .L. '·' '-1
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C:.,· ;: r-J d C'.>ciLy
]Joc;L Offjcc Bo~: 6Li0
CJ ' ·ri..10.:::>d S;=irj_ngs, CO 81601
,-·r-
. D ' ,, '~ •(• ·~ L' I
LE: Policy of D2o<:rT!?nt of NatuT2l Rcsou::.·ccs c:nd 1·1i."'lcd k:d Recl2'.'2t:icn 3oc:;rd
rcs<"'nlir.g Cc~T1L-y ::c:cing rl'.solutions
C'"·ntJc,__:n :
'21:1 s o.::-.'.icc has Le:m :::-c-~l.1 2ste d to provide the Dosit i ci:! of t.1--ie Colorad o
r,.~;,,:r~. c r 1c o:' r;.J~_1_,.:i-,;l ?""sou rc es c..nd the Colo::.·acio l·;fr}::::d L:::nd R2cl2-:-.:=:.tion
;1 ~::1·u1 Y--:o;~-c,·-l i ~CJ •-r('.:> .,.;-,i' li' '."'"'7 ot-crn ---;;""""\T ~;ovc1 -1'T .-:."!'[~ ~o ~-· . .-r~rci'--o tl--.•e '7~-;,..;:;.JV•.. --<..::o '--)---o L.,~ ='--" --J '-'L.u l--_1 0 -'-'-" --L c.____ ::Oc J1 -Gl LLl 10 ;·u ··"-=~-rccc;ni2ed at C.R S. 1973, 34-32 -109 (6 ), i..'1 lizJ 1t 0£ t:he 2::i-p2.r21v ::
1,::.·c) .; L:: ~i o-;1 on l occ.: p,::or:,i c ting cont:c~"l e d in the s <:,ic::::: s =>ction.
J L l '.: thC:' ~olic y 2nd i _:::te:rpret :!ti.on o f the D2;:;c.r;__ ~nt of l\2~21 ResoL":r"c e s :::nd
l) !C:->'.i _;-;(::] L:~;d Recl2L'.:l[i 071 DO.Jrd th.::i.t any COt m ty r:.1y '?.."'..ercise it s zoning ~e.;er
[:,rc,\:')1 ~p,cj;!l use ~>L ·1ir;it~. conditional use pc::.1:1.ics or t:Ses by right or by
(·:·:c cp;__ i c~, p::.·cviced c:i2c L.he z on.i.1g proceci:ir-e (1) ci ccs noc rc:qcire me po sL:in[;
c1.L ~;u:-eLy for recL::.::::,cion , (2) d oes no t 2dc,__ress the reclc::::--:..ecion perfoc--~,ce
St "·1rl::.Yd 0 S"'-r forth "----, .,~-J?-11 o' ("') +-h.,..ouch (~) ~n·'"' (3) ri"0 s r-o~ ,..,,,.,_.,..,o--,---• re.. u..: •• '---' <..::----·-.Lu ..J ---~ Ll'--1. S'· .L , Cl u '-''-'~ 11 '--r '-'--'-;J ·-L
Lo ::ut.~;oci.::;9 i1L~J1ing opcr2ticr.s v,'it:..i~out -ci1e isst:ar1cc of the 2ppropri2:e :~c::;:r;-Li.!::
f1 cm Lhr-.: E-o.-::rd. lnJ ess 2 coG1L7 zoning procc:ss vi.o1c..tcs one of the 2.bove
'20'.1clj tic1;s , c.i1:e D.::p2rL--:.cnt .:=nd tl1c: Bo2rd consider cG;;ilic...-,ce with the county
;-_0 :1 i r1~; µruccss pre2:"£2quisi;:c to issU?..nce of c.ny mining pc::;:;-;-:,it.
·1:1c JJ..-:cis of this Of'j niu11 is fO\_md in 34--r-J09 (6 ) <L:d (8) 2-.i.'!C 34-32-115 u~)
;
1:1d (11) (c). _~.J l of -!:c ci~c-d sections p r ovic~e i!l one \,'ay o:-Cf',other Lh2!: :::in ':~f'. <::?c.J i·eclr::·:.::;;:_-jcn }l \'-cTrl[S IT'..S.Y not be gr(..'.l!tc-d Dy t.c'ie 0..Jard if the
,Pi")~ic.:n.i C1 n is _":·:jnco:·1sist:c~t wic..lt. 11 or " ... i.r;. violatim of ... " c0U21ty
:
1 .orn1:;:;, or su1 1chvi_s2.on rc:;uJ3tions.
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1'.ontc P~0.scoe
Executive Di:::-cctor
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Oi v id l~rs n1 l 1 ~n tJ~e p rop0 38 d ~_;u:Jd .i vi '.j io n is
~ . . .
s .1 0u1 v 1 '..)lon, '.>'ill :
l lJi:>O i l I•-.:c~ipt of s uo di vi sion fili n <;s r c f e rre:d by U -,e Comity ,
initia:·c: ~>rorr:pt rev i e lV .
o. ;.,':wn: !10 si<pificant ir;;!)cict is )de;ntified
on '.iJ.tion11 l Resource La:1ds or on '1".incra l
r i r:;' ; t_ s or o r ho r r .i g ll t s re so rvr: d to t h e
Cu u ::Ly \·lill r.;C :;o advised ·..i :lt]·,in Oll ·2 i,>ee f:
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ot_:.er faciJi'.:.ies ;
3) '_')1.3L 3.:i '.::nviron1ccntol :;;:;.,:c t St<itE:::~r:::nt
CO l!l)C'Ct) on su~•division
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of L nj 11s e pl .:ns i c,r S!.Y ·rends, 2ss i s t in rPsolvin~ in-
._-2nd fJro vide f c,r ::.i:ilrr i 119i u ) rublic in·1cl'.'C-r.·O'llt of Co u n~y
c,ifi ci2ls in L:,j u~c di·ci s ions for pub lic 12r.ds, in-
cl uc' i ~. :: ccrly ;'cl~ l i c riot i ce of proposed rll:'c i > i o ;is 1-1h i ch
;~cy ~I._;\:(: ~ i s :~ 1 f i ~ 2 fl ~ i .:~;:i<:: r L on Co:rn ty l 2;ids.
r ~ ~ :: , , t h d l ; and us (' ;112 n~ fer r:~b l i c l irnds 2 re cuns i sten t
h1t h c~ t n1~y r1t~.1s to
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p r l o r t o ~. t.: c ~.
o• .. fitr .:oc~~;r;e:nt of cc n\'CJ~!)(~ f ur such l;;nds .·
, J. C0:..;cr ct? \-:ith the Covnty ~n ~Tic cn~orccr.:ent of :he
-::1 )'.
/ 1 ~
i~:~~cts of l2nd us e ~c~iv~:irs on fe deral l2n~s ~~c ~ith
r ~a rd Lo f e:: c r 3 l ::-1 i r1 c r A 1 r i 9 ht s .
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l l ! . C .-. rf i r-1 c C:;u r. ty 1-,· i 1 1 :
: c ;; : r i ~ , c r rev ~ '.... i c· 1~ s ~ ~.;: 1 et o . for 1 i: n d s i n G (! r ~ i c I C Cc~ :1 t y .
non-·:ot in<;
1 tn '::cr~.f.1p o r: t;ic C.::-.· .. 1nr.y ~l;~n:-.ing (c,: .. ;i)~sion .
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t i c.~}•.'.'.iJn by l:i t ~1(:1 · i·Uty.
;..,.c ~:~~cr.ts or S '.J ;J~·,c-:::c'nls to this 2.gre:!::-.2 n t rr.i'.y :,<: pr c ;:-:is cd by
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or ccnvey 2 nce facilities.
~-Solid w2ste dispo~al si:es and sc~age trralment sites
;:ithin one· r.i ilc of ru:)lic Lands or that r..ay in1pact Public
L "nds.
6. f .. :,y 1:1ineral devel o 11::"'nl s on privc~E l~nds.
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Wednesday
November 26, 1980
Part II
\•
' '
Departm_en
nterio
of the
Bureau of Land ·Man'agement
Surface Ma~ageme-nt ·af · Pub ll c
Under U.S. Min.frig ·Laws:. , ·
' -.
: :
,···,·
• j' ·! . ' ' . . . ' ~ -.... _ 1·
Lands
. ~,
_;. ~
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\ .. · ··;.,." .. ..: .-1 ~-·:·· .... . . '
--~ ":. • ......... ,~.,. ,·.·, .·-.-· ,-: ·._-I·
... ··~ .... ~ .. --.. ~: -~-.~-::::~~ .. ~ :·-:, :·}' ~;~::._: ~ ~:-~~<=:~
• .... ~( .. :·'-;: ...... "r"
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,:-.. : ~ .. ..:~·{ ? .... . ' : ... ,
;....n ~·, .":\ -J -;. I
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7 B!l02
.-------
DCPAATMENT OF THE I NTERIOR
B ur e;:i u o f La nd Management
43 CF R Part 380 0
I Circ ul::ir No. 2400 ]
S urf ;,c e r.i:::i n-age m e nt of Pub li c Lands
Under U.S. Mi ning Laws
J.GEt;cv ; Bureilu ~f Land 1'fonagement,
l 11ll:r1ur. 'f
1.CTION: Final rulernaking.
sur.'.rt.AnY: The Federal L and Policy and ~
\L1n;1~:r·me nl Ac t of October 21, 1976,
<t::;r ·11rll'tl the mining l uws by directing
the· Sc·ci c:tary of the lnlerior, by
1~g::lul i on or otherwise, lo take any
;ic.liu11 1w c ess11ry l o pre1 ·enl unnecessury
or u11rlul' cfr g racl<il ion of the Lrnds. This
fil.id ri1kmak ing im p le me nts that
1l'q11irl'ment and a mo ng othr.r thi ngs
11·c p1i1Ps min ing clairnunls lo comp lete
11.:;1~>1in1 1 Llv rt;clamnl ion on Fvdera l
L:nd~ 1H~niini~t crcd by th e Dure<Ju of
L111d "-1anugem enl d uri ng and u pon
lc ·1111in;1t ion of e:-.plorat ion 11n d mining
;ic li1 ·i tics under the mining l uws. This
rul1·rnuki11g pert11in s l o lo c<J t able
111inc ·rals s uch as go l d, l ead , s il ver,
u1an iu m. e tc. I t tRJes no t p _ert a in lo coal.
oil. g 11 s. phosphate or othe r lcas a b le
rnincruls or s a l ab l e m inerals s uch as
i;;1 nd and grnvcl.
ErfECT I V E DATE: Jan u a r y 1 , 198'1.
t.UDRESS: S~nd s u ggest ions or inquiri es
to: D ir cc tor (520). Dure a u of Lilnd
l\fo1 1;1 g 1·1Jl Cll l, moo c S tre et . Dl.W.,
\'V;1$hing to n . D.C. 20210
FOR FURTHER IN FORMATI ON CONTACT:
E11gPne Carla! (202 ) 343-£537 or Ro b ert
M. A n <lcrson (20 2 ) 343-£537 ' ·
S UPPLE MCNT ARlo:JNFORMA TION: Proposed
rulenwklng v.'as published on December
6, 197G, in tJ1e Federal Register (41 FR
53128 ). As a resu lt of changes made in
respome lo the more than 5.000 • -
comments received on the initial
publication, a second proposed .
rul,.nwking wus publi s h ed in the Federal
Regi s t er on March 3, 1980 (45 FR 13959).
A total comment p e riod of 135 days was
ullowed in co nnection with the second
µro po se d rulemaking . a nd public
meetings were hel d in Denver, Colorado
n nd Reno . Nevada. T hi s public exposure_
result e d in more thiln 360 written
co mm en ts. 111C wri tt e~ comments came
from vurious sources, with 83 coming
f1:om co m panies w ith mining interests,
· 173 from indiv~ua l s, 10 from
environmen t al groups, 33 from mining _
gro uµi; und association s . 2.9 from S t ale·
and l oca l governments , 7 from a t t orneys
uc ti ng in the ir own b e h a lf, and 31 from
Fcdc,ru l agenc ies . A l s o r ece ived were
fi1 ·e pet iti on~ w ith s om e 1,131
s ig n a tu res, th a I commen te d on various
uspcc t s of the rulem ak ing. P ublic
comments were ul so nbtilined a l
m ee t ings wi th in ler c:s l groups ;ind nn
/ Rules and Re gul a lions
=---t'~--..-----
Dureau hns worked with a ll segmen ts of
th e publi c in nn e ff ort lo devel o p a
rul e m nk ing th at w ill m ee t its goa l. This
effort o f working wi_th !l ie publi c wi ll
co ntinu e in the future in 211 a tt em pt to
obtain the coo perati on of th e mining
induslry und th e re s t of the pub li c in
__ meeting th e goa l s and ob jec li ves of th e
final ru lemak ing .
O\'c!r s ig h t hearing L efo re th e
Subcommittee on Mine s and !\1i ning of
th r. I l o use Comm itt ee on Jn lcr ior nn d
I n s ul a r A ff a irs. A ll of lh c c omments
ha\·c be en g iven ca re ful consider;1ti on
rrnd th e fina l rulemaking rr~n1 !c t s many
of th e c h anges suggesli!d l;y the
CQmm ents.
T lic ob jecti ve of the de,cisionmak in g Ge n eral Commen t s /
process on th e fin a l rulem;1king was to Gene r a l comments on th e proposed
en;1blc the Durcau o f Lnnd J\fon ;.,gemc nl ru l cmak ing ra n ged fr om cp1cst ion in g th e
to ensure that th e Fctlern l lnnds nre au th o rity for iss ui ng th e proposed
pro t ec t e d from u nnccl'ssary and und11e rulernaking to sup porling the action and
d eg rndution and to ensure th a t recommend in g th a t th e r ulc1m1k in g be
rcusonable reclamation will be strengthened. Many general commen t s
compl e t rd on arr.;is disturbed d u ring the objected t o th e iss uance of a rulcmaking
search for an d extraction of minera l th a t c h ange d the way mining ac ti v ity
rt:so u rccs. Another objec li\'C \\'as th e h as been c<Jrr ied on for over il l1undred
ob t ;ii ni ng of in formal ion that would / ye ars under th e 1872 Mi ni ng Law . A
<J l!ow ll}c Dur ca u of L;ind J\1an;1gemcnt large number of commen ts s trongly
to know w here minin g op e ra t ions a r c ob jected to comb ining the regulations on
occu r r in g on Fcdcra l 'l;md s and some "Expl oration and Mining. W il de rness
knowledge of th e exte nt of !ho se Rev i ew Prog rum". (43 CFR 3802)\.vith
opera ti ons. The knowledge of where thi s rul e m aking . The at tempt t o
mining opern l ion s under the mini ng l u \\'B con solidate th e t wo regulations was
ar c being conduct e d nnd th eir e>.t en1 confusing t o th e publi c because of the ·
will a l s o be us e d in making lo ng term diffi c ulfy in dis tin guishing b e t;.-vec n th e
phnn ing decisi o ns an d mu lt ipl e u se requiremen t s fo r land s not under
tra'de offs for all r eso urce va lu es nnd lo wi l derness review and th ose for l ands
e n sur e th a t are as th o l, in fac t. h ave under wilderness review. To elimina t e
p.O l en l ia l for minera l va lue s are n o t thi s confu s ion, a ll references lo l ands
indi scrc t cly precl uded from mineru l under w il de rn ess review ha ve been ' ..
<lcve l opmen t. de l e t ed from this ru le m a king. The .
T he fin a l rulemaking in corpor<Jtes int erim fina l rul emakin g, 43 CFR 380 2,
three distinct lev e l s of l im ilillion s that covers minin g on l ands in v olved in
depr!nde nl upon th e level of min in g , -th e wild e rness review progrnm and was
nc t i v i ty thut th e opera t or proposes to. pub li she d in th e Federal Reg is ter on .
con du c t qn his/her area of opera ti ons. Mar.ch 3, 1980 (45 FR 13974), w ill
For exa mple, at th e low es t l eve l of continue in effect after thi s rulemaking
activi ty, prospecto rs or p art-tim e miners becomes final. It will not be d e le t ed, as
who ca u se only negligible s ur face was s t ated in the preamble lo th e
disturbance w ill not need t o con t act th e proposed rulemak ing. · ·
.Bureau of Land Manogeinenl. Except . _ Numerous co~mcnts questioned the
when he /sh (! is conducting mining ab ility of th e Bureau 6f Land ·.
operations on special category land s, an Management to respond within the
opera tor who exceeds this neglig ible · limes speci fied to the large numb er of .
surface distu1banc·e, but keeps his/her plans of operations lhal would ha ve .{.
dis turbance to an a'rea of five acres or been generated by the proposed '.:J ..
less per year, will be required to fil e rul e making. This concern has been met · ;
only a notice. Notices will not require._· · in l arge measure by changes in the fi _nal 1
approval or bonding. rulemaking. The changes are discussed ·.;
Operators proposing mining · .. later in th e preamble ond will reduce · ~
operations causing surface d isturnance siggiflcantly the number of plans o~ .. ~.
to more than five acres in one year are operations th at will be filed . · _· ~ ·· . '.~
req ui red lo file a plan of op era tions Another general concern of the · · 1 ·
which sets o ut the d e t ails of tho se comments was th e ·advers·e imp ac t of the· '4;
operations. It is our opinion th at a large rul emnking on th e small operator. Many f
portion of the min ing operations on · ~ ._of.the comments· s ugg este d that th e · ·,.i
Federal lands will fa ll und er the first : · proposed_rulemaking would limit · · t
two categories and will proceed with ,· activi ti es on the Fede r a l l an d s by the · .. ~~
minimal cont act w ith tJ1 e Burea u . . smaller op erators, an d would res ult in -· . .'
Th e goa l of this final ru l emuki ng is to their b eing put out of business. The final · 1
a ffor d n deq ua te pro t ec ti on lo F e deral ,. 'rul ern_ak ing re li eves. th e s mall opera t6r I . r
lands from unn ecessary nnd undue ._, · ~ .of many of the requ irements fhal were i
dcgrada li i:m a1 th e l e as t poss ibl e bur den co~t?i~cd in l~~ propo~ed rulemaking. '!>
to the mi n ing indus try a nd to th e Unit ed · · Tius w ill be discus sed rn more det a il r
Stales. It has b een in thi s spirit th at th e -· .l a t ed~ the preamb l~·: ·
/ . . ,.; .· " ~ . ,' ',' '1
.·
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Fedornl-Rcgistcr / Vol. 45, No. 23 0 / \Vcdncsdny, No\'i~mhcr 26, 1980 / Rul es an d Regulat i ons 78003
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F in;;lly, many of th e comm ents
l':-.Jlr('sscd the vi ew th a t th e final
ruler.iak ing for th e Dure nu of Land
1'1;in;igernen t sho uld be sim il ar t o the
11·gu l ations on thi s sub j ecl publ is hed by
the U .S. Forest Se rvice. The fi nal
rule1n ;i ki11g follows as closel y as
1,o;s i\J lc th e provis ions of th e exis ti ng
l!.S. Fo11:s t Ser\'ice re g ul a tions, wit h the
1:.ajo r d iff e r('nce bf!ng th e threshold
conc ept tliol has been in c luded in the
1:0 \ic f' pro\'ision of this finci l rulemaking.
S1 ·vP ral co mm f'nls reque s ted !}1at th e
!~111 1 ·a 11 of L in d :!\fa n a gement study the
"l110,ti l 11li o n;i\ Approuch" that was
1!.-"u iL1 ·d o n page 2G3 of th e report
"S 11 rfac:e Mining of Non -Coal Min c rnls"
111• p ;11e d Ly the Nutional A c udemy of
~;r:i 1 •nc e s in 1U7 9 . 11 10! report s ug gests
tit;!! s tr ic t Jl'g ulatory me c h an is m s arc
J.•il rH c 1 ·c~<1ry to achiev e il n end r e sult.
Tl.1 • fin;i l 1 u lem ak in g is a n effort lo
1,.,\i 1c e the rq;ulcitory burden for both
t l.L· rr·g ubt ed p 11bli c an d tho s e
1 , .. p(Jns iblP for ca rrying o ut th e
1 u:1·111;1 king .
fl , fo1 1: di sc u s sion of the s pec ifi c
1 1111 .:;,1·11ls. u s ur.im2 ry of the signi fican t
1•·1 i!.im ~s m;JCle in this final ru lemuking
1n.;1' lJl' h e lpful. Basirnll.y , th e final
11 i11»m aking chnngcs th e thre shold a nd
I» ill J l'CJ Uir C the suLmi tt a l of plans of .
•'!"'';!l io ns on 5p e ciu l ca t egory l n nds or
if !.11 rL1ce di s t urLa n ce r es ulti ng from
1:.in i11 g o p <"ra t ions exceeds five acres.
l'u 1 o;,1·1 <Jlions dis turb in g five acres or
l•·:;s . ;i rw lir.c w ill be required of the
"I" ,,11 ,,r . Opnators su li m itting noti ces
1" d i 111J l l;t: sulij cc t to Lon ding nor wi ll
":'I" u 1 al o f the notice be required.
J.,, ;1•.ona lile re c l a m a tion is required, as
fc1i l ur l' to r e c !Lii m may consti tute
1::.Jll ·u ·ssary o r undue d c,"ra dation of the
I ,i!Jl ic lands. ·" ..
T he imple m e nt a tion of this final
1 .iii m;1 k ing w ill inv o lve monitoring and
;, 1.oopl·r ;il ive e ff ort by th e Bureau of
I ·1 11d 1-.fa n ;ige m c nt, th e mining indus try
.111d th" p u b li c to ens u re th a t there is no
1.:.:11'< t'!.b<Jry o r u nd u e d eg r a d a ti o n of th e
1·,.1!1·1a l l3 n ds . C lose cooperation
!,, !1-.1 1·n the Durcau a nd th e mining
1.1r 11:' try w ill r ed uc e th e pos sibility of
f;,; ti<Jn an d c r eJte a wo r k ing
1r J.<1itJ11sh ip tli at w ill lead to gre a ter . _
l!illtu a l understanding . If, a t the e n d of
11-. o yt>.:1r6 , th e Bureau d e t ermin·e s th a t
tliii. fi n a l rulema ki ng is neithe r working
11u: mee ti ng th e S ecre t a ry's .
11·1.i1on:.il iilit y to p re v e nt unne c e s sary or
J11d u e d Pg rndation of the public lands, ,
1111 · rl'gu lu lion s will be r e a s-gf!s sed and
·Jll l'11 d ed a s nr.c c s s ary . ·
•l"":i!i c Comments
l 'r 11 posc-N ear ly a ll of the comme nt s
,;,d e rdcrcnce t o the "impairment of·
;Jd 1·rne s s suitability" phrase in th e
1.pos cd rulernnking a~d tl1 e fac t thatU
' ,-,
s hould n o t be u se d wi th r espec t t o th e
public lands tha t do not h a 1·e wi l derness
char;1ctc ri s tic s or arc n o t w ithin an ;irca
t:nder wild e rn ess rc\'icw. /\II refi:renccs
lo "impJirmcn t " hnve been deleted. This
sec ti o n hns Leen rewritten lo confo rm
wi th th e nuthority nnd responsihility se t
forth in s ection 302(b ) of the F e deral
Lund Po li cy and }-fanngemcnt Ac ! of
1976.
Obje ctives-S e vera l comm e nts
s ug g e s ted s u bstituting the word
"pro\'idc" for the wo :·d ";i\low," th 11s
indicating that miners h3vc n right and
not a mere privi l ege to m ineral e ntry on
F e der3l lands. This sugg e s ted change
h ;:i s been ma d e . A l s o, nll reference s to
"impairment" of w il derne s s va lu es have·
b e en d e l et e d. One comment e x pres s'r:d
t h e vi e w th a t the phrase "s c e n ic nnd
scientific" is not appropria te and
exceed s the responsibility of the
Secretary of the Int e rior und er secti o ns
302(b ) and 503 (c) of th e Federal Lilnd
Policy and Management Act. A lth ough
th is may b e tru e as to tho se sec ti ons ,
thi s rulernaking a l so implements section
G01(f) of the Act r elat ing to the ·
Cnlifornia Desert Cons erva tion Area.
T he r efore, th e word ing has not been
changed.
One comment was of the v iew th a t
the Bureau of Land M a nagement should
h ave a t eam of knowledg e able p ersons
traveling lo every office to explain lh c
rulemaking. One of the keys to the
s uc cess ful implr:men ta li on of this
rn l emok in g is consisten t application and
understanding of the rulemnking by th e
Dureau's fi e ld personnel. Every effort
wi ll be made to accomp li s h th is e nd,
including regiona l workshops ·for Bureau
employees .. and the preparation of
m a nual sections for fie ld guidance.
Authority-Several comments
indicated that the 1872 Mining Law
should not be used as authority for the
rul e makin.g. TI1is aothority will remain
because it gives the Secr~tary of the
Interior a u thority to issue r e gulations
r e l a tin g .to activities authorized under
the mining laws. Furth e rmore, since part
of the aulhoiity the States have to
r e gulate' mining a ctivity is de l eg'ated by.
Congres s in the mining law, th a t
deleg a t e d authority serves as one basis
for pos s ibl e State/Federal agreements
for the uniform implementation of their
respective surface protection
regul ations.
Additional authorities have been
added t o this section, some in response
to suggestions in commen ts. . .
Sec ti on 9(a) of th e Wild and Scenic ~
Rivers Act h as also been added b eca use
it au th orizes the Secretary of th e Interi or
·10, among olher'lhings, promulga te: -
regul a tio ns lo "provide safeguards · _ .
agains t poll ution •. • ~. i:nd unnec essary
irnpoirmi~n t of the r,ce n ery w ithin ' ' •"
w ild a nd sceni c riv e r ar e as.
Definitions-Severa l comments we re.
confused over the u se of th e t erm
"minin g op era tions." In response to
the se comments, th e t erm has been
cha ng ed to "operations" in th e fina l
rulemaking rathr!r th an "mining
operations " as it appeared in the
proposed rulcrnaking. ;rnd the definition
h n s been changed. As suggested in one
commen t, th e definition of the t erm
"opera tion s" now in cludes ;isscssmen t
work.
The defini ti on "mining cl;iims" has
been ch;inged t o inclu de filing s under
the "mining luws" rath e r than the 1872
Min in g Law specificu ll y. The definition
has been expanded to include those
mining cluims and mill si t es in the
Cali fornia Desert Conserv<Jlion Area
which have been or wil l be paten ted ·
subsequen t to the the enac t ment of th e
Federal Lrnd Policy and M anagemen t
Ac t.
Reference lo the "mining l aws" ra th er
thnn t he 1872 Mining Law c l ears up the
comment th<Jl placer mining claims are
not cove red under tl1c 1872 Mining Law.
One commen t observed th a t Lhe
de finiti on of the t erm "mining
opera ti ons " was unclear ns to "wn e th er
th e opera ti ons t ake place on or off the
claim" and indicated that no significant
activit ies s hould toke ploce off the
mining claim unless nu th orizcd by some
other l aw. This is not t echnically
correct. One docs not need a ~in in g
c l aim t o prospect for or even mine on
un<J ppropria led Federal l ands. The . ·
defini lion was des igned to include tho s e
operations on a mining claim and uses ·
incidental the'reto on Federal lands, and
does not inhibit "tl1e miner's right to
conduct initial prospect ing prior to
discovery" as one conune.nt sugg e ste d,
or prior to location. ·
Mnny comments add.fessed the
definition of the t e rm "reel a ma lion" in .
the proposed ·rulemaking. In response to
those comment:s, the term "re clamation"
has been redefined to include the
requirement to return disturbed lands to
an a ppropriate con tour a nd tO .. -~
revegetate with a diverse vegetative
cover, if feasible and reasonable. :· .. .,
The t erm "unnecessary or und~e ;
degrada lion" has been redefined since a
num b er of comments found the
definition in the .proposed rulemaking
to o confusing. Severa1 commen ts sai d
that the Federal Land Pol ic y an d _
_Man ag e me nt Act does not require
rccl<Jma lion. Ari--e-xpl a nation of 'th e
Departmen t oT the Interior's po s ition on
Iha l ma l te r i s fo°und under bonding in .
this pre a mble. ·. , . . . . . . .
Many commen t s inadc th e poin t that
th e .definit ion of th e term "unnecessary '.
!
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• !!'! en~.
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fed er a l Reg i ster / Vol. 45. N o. 230 / Wednesday . November 28 . 1980 / Ru les a n d Regu l a t ions
;i nd undue dr·grnda tio n" goes beyond a
rt'lloon;iLle interpre \;J!ion o f the bw.
O ne c o mrnenl Gtate:d that ii wa s a
"L1m iliar e\'as ive t ac ti c of m ak in g
11:fuen c e t o no n -meaningful standards."
T!ie definition h as Ut!cn r e\'ise d in th e
fin /j l ru l ernaking lo del e te th e part s th at
UJU s t·d the ob j ec ti ons. Recl;rninlion
11.:q u irernt!nls an&thc need t o cons id er
oilier re s ource va lue s a nd u ses of th e
Feueral l ands h ave been ad ded. A
c:lau ~c ~ to cover other s t utu lory authority
Ji;,5 e bo UPen auded.
S c\'l·ral commen ts suggesleu tha t th e
d d rni li u n of the t er m "enviro nment" ha s
little nH !ilning for the purposes of the
ru lema king. The final rulemaki n g
l'l imin<Jli:s the n eed to d e fine the te r m
''t·111 ·i 1u n mpnt" n nd it h as b een uelctc<l.
ll 1·c ;1 us t· th e \<:rm "federal l unds"
il J'fJl'il rs sev eral times in th e rulcmaking
;i n d it s rn l'aning is no! clear. that t erm
Ji ;,s l H·en ddinf!d. Thi s n ew definition
~lr o uld cl arify tl1e scope of the
rul1.:rn ;i k in g. fu_rthcr. th e t erms "ro ad,"
"l'>ildPrness ," "wild erne s s s tud y nrea ,"
"wilJrrnP s s in\'c ntory ," "i mpn irrncnt of
!; ui t<J bi Ii ty ," "s ub s t an ti nlly
u nn otic<:ub le " aad "valid existing
r ig ht b" hu,·e b t'Cn de l e t ed fr om the final
1ulc-nrn k i11g b ecau se the y arc no l onger
111,eded. They continu e to be app li ca bl e
to th e r egu lations for l a nds und er
1-.·ilderness review (43 CFR Part 3802)
im pl(·m en ted on Apri l 2 , 19!30.
Sn·era l co mmen ts express ed fear th at
tlrc , ;iul lJ<nizP d o ffi ce r cou ld Le nn
unq u al i fied person w ith lit tl e know l Prlge
o f m ining und minerals probl e ms and
con c erns. Some of th e comment s a l so
m ade the poi nt that th e a uthori zed
o ffic e r could a 9i;sc his/h e r discretionary
1.rnthority. The 'definition hos not been
changed . It is intended th at the d istrict
m an a ger will be tlrn authorif e d officer ·
for a ppro v al of plans of operations and
1rny u pp e al s. Di s trict managers have -
p('r s on n el on their staff w ho are
l-.n ow lccl g e able of m ining a nd mineral ·
proLl e m s a nd their ad v ice will be
a\'Hi l uLl e to the district manager as p art
of th e decis ionmaking process.
Gui d a n ce w ill b e provided to the fie ld
th u t will en s u re consist e ncy and
fo irncss in th e implem e ntation of the
fin a l rul e making , th u s reducing the
p o ss ibility of abus e of d iscretionary'
uuthority . Any a s soci a ted problems wlll
be hundl e d on a case-by-case-basis. The .
final actions .flf the au th orized officer are
subject to the administrative review •.
-proce s s prodded.in this rulcmukin.g and
13 CFR Part 4. .
A n ew t e rm. "cas u a l u se ," ha s been '
a d ded t o th e defini tion se ction. Th is
n ew term i s needed to specify those
ncth·iti es th a t may b e engaged in
w ith out any con tac t w ith the Bureau of
Land Man~geme nl. "Casua l u se" is P.art
of th e new threshold concep t thn l has
b c t'n incl udc·d _in th e fina l ru l cma king.
l'o!icy-Scvcro l c o !llrne nls addres se d
th e c onfusion cn u se d by c o mbining
provisions of the "wildern ess review"
re g ublions with thi s rul c inaking. Again.
refere nces to im pa irm en t hu\'e b ee n
remo ve d. The sec ti on h as been rC\'i sc d
to cl arify the p o s it ion of the D epiir t men t
of the In t er ior in m ee ting it s
rcsponsiliili li es under sec tion 302(b) of
the Federal Lan d Policy and
Managemen t Act..
Section 2 of the l\,1inin g ;111d l\1 in era l s
Policy Ac t of 1970 h ns b e en added
becu u se that section prov ides for.
among other th in gs, the development of
econom ica ll y sound nnd stabl e dom es ti c
mining. mi n ern l s, metal and minera l
r ccLim at ion indu s tries nnd th e
r e c lamnlion of m ined l nnds. S c,c tio n
102(a)(1 2) of the Fc dcrn l Land Pol icy
and Management Act, \\'h ic h m<lkcs it a
pol icy of th e United Sl;ites to i mp l em e n t
th e Mining and Minerals Po li cy of 1970,
has b een add e d . ,
Scope-Numerous co m m ent s
s ugges ted that it was improper for th e
Dure a u of Lan d Ma na ge ment to r eg ul a t e
mining activities on l ands pat en t e d
under th e s to ckrn i s in g homes te ad l aws
where th e minerals are reserved to th e ··
United Stat es . Mining operatio n s on
the s e lands are adeq ua tely covered by ·
ex is tin g laws (4 3 U .S .C . 299 and 30
U.S.C. 54) and re g ul a tion s (43 CFR Part
3El14) and the deletion of this s ec ti on
remove s th e m from thi s rulcmnking.
One comment s t ate d that the
rulcm ak ing s houl d b e clarifi e d to apply
t o "sp ill over imp acts" on Fe d e ral l ands
from mining operati ons on p a t en ted
lands. "Spillover impacts," such as dust
a nd wa t e r pollution, w ill b e monitored
in accord ance wi th appli cabl e federa l
_and S t ate law. In addition, a ll
· "sp ill overa" will be monitore d by the
Durca u of Land Mana.gement to ensure -
that unnecessary 9r undue degradatio~ ,
is not occurring.
The scope section in the final
rulemakin.g has been deleted because· _
the definition of the term "Federal · ·
lands" now incudes all of the exclu~io ns
that were listed in the scope section of
the proposed rulemak ing . Th is deletion :
nnd change in lhe definition clarifies the
final rulcmaking by setting out in one
section w h a t land s are covered by the
fina l rulemaking. --·
Plan of pperalions:_As a result of the
numerous comments on this section, the
level of activity requiring a pl a n of -
opera lions to be filed w ith th e Dureau of
Land Manngement has been changed.
On lands other th an spe cial category
l an ds, th e new th.resho l d allows mining
activities, inclurling access, to take p l ace'
witho u tfi ling a p l an o,f opera t ions lf five
'
~--
1Jcres of l ess o f Federa l i'nnds are
disturbed by those opcrntions. su bj ec t to
the requ ir em en t tha t the opera tor fil e a
no t ice . The no ti ce requires the operator
to furnish sufficien t informat ion to a ll ow
the Dureau t o get a good fix on the type
of op era tions that w ill be o cc ul'!'ing. and
if ncccs sal-y, make a determination as to
w h e th er unnecessary and undue
df!grodation is occurring. The n o tic e is
no t sub j ec t to approval nor is bonding
r e quired for the act iviti es 'covered by the
notice. R ecl ama ti on is required for oil
operations. The new five -acre th resho ld
w ill ullow most explora ti on activit i es
an d some ex trac tio n activit ies to tak e
p l ace w it hout a p l an of opera tions -
ha ving t o b e filed a nd pro cessed,
provid e d th a t lands th at are disturbed
are rec laime d by th e operntor.
Adcl itio nn ll y. th e prospe c tor who causes
only n egli gible d a mage t o f edcrn l lands
wil l b e covered u n d er th ·e "casua l use"
provision an d wi ll nol be rrquired to
make any con t act wi th the Burenu of'
Land Manngement.
Reta ined as part of the fi na l
rulcmaking i s th e proce dure for a plan of
operations for those operations that
cause s urface disturban ce in excess of
fi ve acres a nd for min ing ac tiviti es
located on certain cat ego ries of Federal -.
l an ds.
Tne plan of opera lio ns se ction of tiie
propo s ed rulern aking drew se v eral
comments suggest ing th a t th e aut hori ze d
officer s l1ould no t be r cspo n siblo for
d eve lopin g mi liga tin g mcil surcs or
r eclamation plans for th e mining . _
indu stry. This section of the ru l emaking
was de sign ed to ass ist th e small
opera tor who oft en la cks th e t echni'cal
resources to d evelop reclama lion
measures in the prep a ration o f his /h er
plan of operations and t o make it
-optiona l for the industry as a who l e to
submit re cl am a lio n meas ures. The
sec ti on had been amended in the final
rulemak in g to req uire th e operator to
'submit recluma lion measures unle'ss the
operator can show that he/ sh.e does not'
have the reso urces to comply, in which .-
case the authorized officer w ill ass ist
the opera t or in' p r eparing such measures.
Many of the corrunents expressed tl1B
v iew that the au th orized officer was
given too much time to approve a plan
of operations and that unnecessary time
delays w ould ~esult that woul d be cos tl y·_
to the mining industry an d might '. .
jeopar dize explorati on pro jects.· : · · '
Addi tio nal comments on this section of
the propo sed rulemaking discussed th e
mining industry's reluctance to 1
comme nce op er.ations if th e authorized .
officer does not tak e action on a · pl an of
operations.ir1 a timely manner. The -·
comments indica t ed th~t ll was _toQ risky
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Federa l Re gi s ter / Vo l. 45, No . 230 / W c dncsclny.:.2:~~~080 / Rul es a nd Regu l a ti ons 78 905
to c on duc t an ex.pensive expl ora ti on
opernt ion under an unappr o v e d p lan of
oprra ti ons which the Dureau o f La nd
1'bn:1gcmcnt could subs e quen t ly r eject.
Tl"· finu l rn lemnk in g has b een c h anged
to ,·i rtually eliminate these problems.
The rc\'iscd th res hold w ill o ll ow most
1:> p luiation opera ti ons t o commence
withou t delay aft er th e fi l ing o f a noti ce
with the Bur eau 15 days in advance of
r 0 1rn 11cn cing opern tio~. Unless th e
;icli\·iti es exceed the thre sho ld or lak e
pL1ce on spt~c inl ca te gory hrn d s. no
;,;iprova l or bonding is required. Th e
••;·;>ro rnl p1ou:s~ for a p l a n of
"i 1·1 ;;lions . includ in g th e tim e sequence,
11·1:1:, ins U11r.lwngc:d in th e final
'"'""'aking. However. like the
1 q·11h tions o f l he U .S. Forest Serv ice (36
U H Part 252) where n p l an of
ri 1;1·1.1tions is required. ll1e final
1u!•·1J .:d,ing conta ins no provis ion·
,,!)1,1-. ing an operation to begin without
1J.,. 1·\p!ici t approval of the plan.
'.l . .i1 y comnH:nts sug,ses t ed lhal lh e
o11J ll 10r!i'l'd officer h<J s t oo much power
,,;,cl 11 ulc.J he dic t n turial TI1e chnnges in
1L1· !.1::,I rul1·ni:1)...ing shou ld reduce thi s
!•"'·' ilii lity i;ignil!can tly . In ucl dition . the
L r lc.J offices will b e mo nit o r ed to ens ure
!l1.i l the rulcmaking is coriSis tenlly
:q1pli ,.J uncl th a t fo ir and re aso n a ble·
11.·ci,irrns ;ire made to rne~t the
')r'l.J el :1ry of the Int erior's r esponsi bili ty
11 111 \er !oec tion '.:lOZ (b) of th e Federa l Land
) l'ulic y an d Mam1ge1nl'nl Ac t a nd th e
/ 'l111ing ;rn c.l Minerals Policy Act o f 19 70.
~;1!1 1 ·ra l com ments m ;i d e the point that
• ul l111ul ;111d c·11tL111ger e d i;pecics ,
.. 11·nlorif's a nd compli a nce w ith l aws
1, ! . .ti,1g to these ma tt ers m ay be reason _
lu "!.ip or s ig nificantly delay a mining
•1111·ra tion. Under the final rul ema king,
11·,,.,,l. in\'enlories will be r~uired only
... J. .. n a plan of operations is s u bmitted.;
l\1·r .111oe of the new th resho ld level th at
, jdtJl'irll'd in the final rulemaking, this
· !.1 .. ilc.J u1usP delay in only a few ··
,,,, ta11l.f'S. lf there is an unavoidable
1 ··1:0i1 I w ith an endangered i;pecies
l.;dil t.Jt, a plan could be rejected bnsed
'·"' un :,1·ction 302[b) of tl1e Federal Land
''u licy und Man<Jgemcnt Act, but on
1 1 lion 7 of th e Endangered Species Acl
f. upon compliance with the National
L:,lo ric P1cservation Act, the cultural
, '1J1J1<..f's cannot be salvaged or damage
, tl 11·m mitiga ted, the plan must be.
pprcn ed. Essentially, us the comments
•u;1·;1c.!d , these laws may s low the plan
;i provul process; one law may stop a
· u jr :ct wh il e lh e other may °'1.ly delay
The lan2uage of th e finai'rulemakin.g
s l1ecn clarified as lo lh e party who
:, !hP respons ibility l o pay for CUJlura)
. 1·11lo r ies u nd salvage. F urth er, the
p li ca nt is now g iv e n th e option to
.proceed w ith th e in ve nt ory or rn ili gn tion
al hi s /her expense in order to cxp e<li te
the approva l pro cPss.
One c~irnrnen l alleged Iha ! the flurcau
o f Land 1'bnage rn ent l acked the
authority lo protecl c ult ura l re s ources
und e r sectio n 106 of !he Na ti ona l
Historic Pre serva ti o n Act, s taling Ih a!
sec tion 106 app li es only where there is
<Jn expend iture of Federal fun ds or
Federal licensing. Tiie rcg ulnti ons
implementing the National l li s to ri c
Prese rvation Act d efine the phrase
'Tcdcrol l icense" as th ose activ iti es
"carried out pursuant to 11 Federa l l ease,
permi t , li cense, certific nle, app rova l. or
other forms o f en t itl emen t or
permission " (36 CFR 3U 00.2(c )(3)). Till!s,
the approvn l of a plan of opera t ions,
w h ere required, cons tit utes a Federa l
undert a king w ith in th e purview of tl1e
li censing n uthority of section 10G and,
where n ecess ary, requires comp l iance
wi th the procedures of th e Not ional
His t ori c Preservation Acl
One commenl s tated that lh e flureau
of Land Manageme nt did not h ave to
comp l ete a n environmental impact
statement on a plan of op erati ons since
th e Secretary of the Interior h as no
authori ty t o di sn pprov e a ny p l an which
does not res ult in unn ecessary or undue
de g radation -of lhe Federa l l a nd s . Hence,
the Secrelary's ac ti on in npproving s uch
a pla n is not a discre t ionary acl. The
purpose of an env ironmental assessment
or en vironmrn l nl impnct statement ls to
inform th e authori z ed offic er of th e
e nv irori m en ta l conseq u ences of h is /h er
actions. There m a y exist several .
a lt erna tive wnys lo achieve a particular
res ult wh ich are reasonable and prudent
from a business standpoint. However,
an environmei:t a l assessment or .. ·. · ,
environmental impact s tate m ent may
show the authorized officer that the first
alternative wo uld have significant -·
detrimental environmental impacts not :
associntec;l with the second alt ernativ.e.
Since botJ1 a lt ernatives are reasonable
-a nd prn_ctical. lt would either be ..
necesssary to adopt the second, or _the
authorized officer would altach'
conditions to his approval of the plan of
operations on lmplemen l ation of the
first alterna ti ve so th at the detrimental ·
impacts woul d not occur. S im il ar
renson in g applies wilh respect to
determining wheth er a propo sal will
cause unn ecessary or undue .
degradation. F urthermore, the issi:1e of
w h e th er an act is discre tionary or non-
di scr e tion ary does not precl u de the
Secre t ory from employing Na li onal
Env ironmental Poli cy Acl procedures in
de t ermining whether a proposed activi ty
exceeds th e sta tut ory proh ib ition · '
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ag a inst unnecessary o r un d u e
degrada ti on.
Se vera l comments expressed concern
for t ime ly comp li ance wilh requiremen ts
of Federal nnd Sta t e l aws s u ch as
:lssess men t work. d iscovery work,
sinking of lornt ions, e tc. One comment
s ugges ted lha t a m ining claim operator
has an unre stric ted ri g ht lo conduct :
discovery an d o th er activities in
accordnnce with Slate laws. A l though
this may h ave been the fa c t at on e tim e,
it is no longer tr u e. Section 302 (b) o f th e
Federal I.an d Policy and Management
Act exp re ssly nrnends the 1 872 Mining
Law t o provide constraints on min in g
opera lio ns in order t o prevent ·
unnece ss:iry or und ue d egrada tion .·
Since the mining l aws are th e source of
a S t a te's authority lo regul ate
acquis iti on of Federa l minerals and
po sses:.o ry rights on Federal l ands . a ny
nmendmen l lo the Federa l mining h1ws
requires an adjustment in laws and .
regulations flo w ing therefrom -wheth e r
they are State l aw or tl1e custom of the
local mining district. Section 30 2 (b ) of
lhe Acl doe s not e li minale th e need t o
comply w i th Stale l aws , nor do e s this
fina l rulemaking preemp t Sta le law.
However, activ it ies d one in compl iance
w ith S tate l aw m u s t l ikewise satisfy th e
r e q ui reme nt s o f section 302(b ) of t h e
Act.
The fina l rul emaking con t ain s n ne w
sec tion thn t provides gu i d;ince on the
fil ing of a no ti ce in connection wilb
lho se mining activi ties tha t come within
lhe new threshold e s tablished in the
rulemaking. 'Die new section sets out the .
conditions und er w hich the notice ls to
be filed, the p-lace where it is to b e filed
and the information that i s required.
Special emph as is is placed on th e -
location and type of acc~ss rou t e or
rou t es that may be required. This
emph asis reflec ts tl1e importance of .
routes of access and the impacts they
can have· on the Federal l ands."In many ·
ins tances, the route of access has lhe
potential to ca u se more unnecessary
and u nd u e degrada ti on than those
-activiti es directly related to the mining
opera lions.
The notice !s "10 b~ filed 1.5 days p;ior
to the commencement" of a ny op era li ons
covered by the notice. This 15-<lay ·
pe riod will give the authorized-offlcer , .
a nd his/her s taff an opportunity to •· -··
eva luat e the proposed operations to ·
determine whe ther a p articul ar location
contains soai"e s pedal resource va lu e
that co uld be avoided by tl }e oper ation.
If specia l valu es nre discovered , the
au lhorize·d officer could bring tha t t o the
a tt e nti o n of th e o perator and discuss ·
poss ib l e a lt ernatives with the a im of
avo i d ing r e.~o urc e u se c o n fli c t s . This. i.s
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Vol. 4~~ No. 230 / \'\ledr.csday, Nove111 lJ cr 2B .~J~ / Ru l es and Hcgulalions 7WJDG Federa l ~cgi~t cr /
i.lll area w h ere coopera ti o n be t ween the
Durl'a u o f Lind )\fonagcmc nt and th e
111ining indus try will lead lo prokc l ion
c,f federal lands from those m ining
<•J":nt io ns that mi g ht o th erw ise
in;,J\'crtently cnuse dnrnuge lo those
J;,ncls. The location of a rou t e of access
is an c>-nn1p lc of the type of mnt lers that
11.igh t be dist:uss~ during th e 15-day
pt:ri o cl. The autht'.irized officer might
h al'e informa tion as to specia l resource
\ ;,Ju1·s in ;1n area th e route of access is
tu cru '..s. If a slight change in th e rou te of
;ic u ·~.s would prese:rve the special \'illue; -
th r· ;.ulhu1 ized officer and the mining
1 111·1,do r could rc<ich lln ngreernenl to
i::;;kt: r.i 1r:h a ch<inge,
i:nl'irunmen!ol Asses sment -Many of
tlic cumnwnts s upported the need for
! 11vironmen tal pro tection but were
fe.11 ful th e t thC: strict environmenta l
;t;incl«1 els which apply to th ose lands
un ch 1 w ildi~rness review would .a lso
i!]'fJ ly lo the lands not under wilderness
1 c\·icw. As s lat ed earlier, a ll reference
to b11c.ls und er wilderness re\'iew and lo
l~ie rq;uLilions on i::x plora ti on and
Mining , \Vilderness Review Program (43
CFR Part 31302 ) ha s bee n d eleted from
thr. finul rulemnlf'.lng. · .
A rwmLer of commcnls .c>-pressed
rn11u:rn abo ut the ad d iti onal lime
gr;11it cd for puLl ic in\'oh·emen t in A plan
c1f tJp1:rotiuns and e n vironmenta l
assc :s!.i :1t ·n l w h ere subs~an ti al public
intc11:~,t cx if;ts. Since th e thresho l d hos
IJ!'t ·n chang!!U, so that a maj o rity of
OJll:rntions c<tn Le carried ou t w i thout an
1,pprov1·d p l;i n of opnrn t ions , th ere wi ll
be a n1inimum of delay or interference in.
11pprova l of p lans of opern tions because
of puL lic invo l vement Further, it is the
Bureau of Lanqit,1anagemenl's in t en lion
to closely monitor the limeframes
established in this final rulenrnking for
re\'iew of a p l an of opera lions lo assure
th a t, wherever possible, delays b eyond
the 30-day review period are tbe
e >-cep lion rather than the rule, Indefinite
delays l.ieyond the 90'-<lay Dpproval
period may occur when an ·
en vironmental impact statement ia
req u ired for a· project or when
complinnc~ with section 106 of the ,
National Historic Preservation Act or
bection 7 of the Endangered Species Act
is req uired.
A number of editori a l changes hDv c
been made for clarification of th e
sect ion in re s ponse lo comments
received.. ~
Other Requirements for
Environmcnlol Proleclion -Thc deletion
of all r e ference to lnnds und er
wilderness review in thi s section of the
, final rulemaking will a ll ev iate many of
the concern s expresse d in the
r:omm e nts . Some comments mi1de th e
po i ~! that rill of th e requ ir,cmc nts set
for th in thi s sec ti on were r e quired by
ot h e r l aws nnd re gu l<Jl ions a nd
rept·nting th em in th is rul em;iklng wns
. no t n eccssnry, Many of th e pro\·is ion s
h;1vc been kep t in th e final ru lcm;iJ.,i ng
t o emp ha s ize th a t th e DfH'rat o 1"s
act i v it ies are subject to oth er ;1 ppl irnbl e
Federal and S tate l aws, Seri ous r:onnicts
Dre not expected to urise becnuse other
age ncies ore involved ·with different
aspec t s of env i ronmentn l proler:l ion,
Severn! comments COJT!,ctly observed
that mining opern t ions in LJrcils of
criticn l env ir onmen t al concern c;rnnol
be precl uded because of pclcntiul
irreparab le damage, Sect ion 302(b] of
the Federal Land Policy nnd
Management Act nrnendP.d the 1872
Mining Law not to prc\'cn l irr epa rable
dam1Jge, but to prevent unnecessary or
und ue degradation, Limitations pl n ced
on mine oper:itors in th e Californ ia
Desert Conservation Aren by G01 (f) of
the Ac l or in areils undt,r wilderness
rev iew of sec ti on G03(c ) are not
appl icable to nre;is of critical
envi r onmenta l concern. Howe\'C~r . all
uc li vil i es with in an <.1rea of cr i tica l
environmen t n l concern wi ll n:quire the
s ub mis;;ion and approl'al of u plan of
operill i o n s , · /
One commen t s ugges ted th a t th e · . ·
Durea u of La nd Management require ,
harmony with. vi s ual resources. The
!Ju r e;:iu ag r ees th a t thi s should he d o n e,
b u t on ly to th e ex t e nt prac ti cable ,
Hovve\'er, th e provi s ion co ver ing \'isuol
rr:so ur ces h os been d e l eted from thi s
section of th e finnl ru lcmaking .L ecu u l;e ,
it is covered under the· sec lion relating
to prevention of unnecessary or undue
degradation .. · -· · ·
Numerous comments were made on
endangered species and cultural o r '.
paleontological resources. Discussion of
how these resources are handled
appears in the discussion of the section , "
on plan arproval set out above,
· Severa comments suggested .
developing guidelin es for defining -"'
significant paleontologicnl resources.
The Bureull of Land Management is in
the process of doing just _that in another
rulemaking that will be published in
proposed form s ometime in the next ' -
several months:· · '•
Another comment ask~d if the Bureau
of Land Manag e ment would be
adequately funded to investigate and
·_salvage cult ural reso urc es, The Bureau
w ill mitigate to _the ex tent possible, but
significantly increased funding for thiB .
progra-in is not expected in the. n ear
future, Ano th er comment sugges ted
a l le rna li ve wo rdi ng for th e li me period
in w hi c h th e a uth orized office r is
req uired to respond to a ·c ultu ra l or .
pa leo nt o logical d iscove ry made by.an ...
opera tor. As a resu l t of th is commerrt, ·
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th e word in g o f the se ctio n has been
chnnged,
T h e comrnr.n t was made th a t th ere is
no <Ju th orit y to pro t ec t survey
'monumen t S-s uch DS section corners
whether the y are rock o r brass-cap.
Exis ting law (18 U.S.C. HJ5U) provides a
$250 fine for tl1e destruction or removal
of any U.S . Governmen t s urvey ·
monument The S e cretnry o f the Interior .
has incorporat ed this prol'ision in the
final ru lemaking as part of the exercise
o f his n ulhorily to protec t th e la n ds,
Another comment expressed th e view
that the <Ju th orized officer s hould
require th e operntor t o m;.iinlain records
on th e quality and quan tit y of waler.
This does no t fall within the authority
express ly granted by the Federal Land
Policy and Manugemenl Act, but if a
p;-oblem exists, other Fedr:ral agencies
wil l be respor.sible for monitoring and
enforcement. .
A comment was made thu l the
rulemak ing shou ld not apply to areas ,..
dis lurued befo re it s effective date. The
final ru l emak ing docs not apply t o those
arens th ;it were dis turb ed prior to the
effeC'tive dale of this fimil ru le making
un less ope_ra li ons contin u e or begin
again in the s ame .project area , a t erm
de fi ned in th is rul cm1Jk ing. In th n t even t,
the provisions of thi s rulcmaking will .
app ly, ·
Nunwrous comm ent s s u gges ted that ·
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thi s ru l e making s h o uld b e consis tent /"""
with th e reg ul a tions of the U.S. F:orest , (-
Serv ice on this su bject so as lo bring "'--
"some k in d o f uniform it y lo go v ernment
regulations." Numerous other comments
-·Indicated th a t the Fores t Service
·regu la ti ons were un workable and that _
many small operators shy away from _ -·
Forest Service lands becnuse of th e need
to comply with their regulations, An _
effort has been made lo be as consistent
as possible wi th the Forest Service ·:· ·
regulations; however, a major difference
is that the threshold l evel ·an Federal
lands for opera lions, where a plan of -·
operations is not required, has been ,
raised in this final rulemaking lo permit _
,disturbance of up to five ~cres·wilhout
the filing of a plan of operntions, The ..
Forest Service regul ation9' do not ·
incorporate the.corrcept of a threshold·
level. Thus". most exploration activities·
may s tart by filing a notice with the
Bureau of Land Management wnich will
not require appi·ovaL It is estima ted !hot
there are two or three times the number
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of mining claims on Bureau _
administered l ands th a n on lands u nder
the juri sd iction of th e U.S. Forest
Service, Whether the Bureau has budget
and staff or the capab il ity lo a dmini s t er ·
the ru!emak in g as it was propose d in
March 1980 is questionable , but the B ur ea~1 sho~l ~-~e .ab l e to a?m in!~.~~r -·~,e (
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pro t~rn m es lab li s h ed by this fi na l
rul1•milking. In addition. th e rulema\..ing
f;hou ld no t prove l o be a gn·al burd en on
the min i ng indus try, ye t ii w ill all ow the
Sr ·cr1,1ary of lhe l n tC'rior lo nwel hi s/her
rco.pu n ~ibi l il i cs und e r th e F1!Jcr:il Lund
Policv and l\l;:inng1 ,me nt Ac t.
Sc·~·1·r3 J rommcn l s sug&es le d a
threshold fi im:lilr l o th e one th at has
b e r.n udopl'l'd in this final rulcm;1king .
One curnmc nl s111::3es tcd !hut th e
thwshold l e\·e l be se t a t 10 nr:rrs ;ind
!ha t r.n plan of operat ions be rr •qu ir ed
unt il that ]e,·cl had been rr:ached. but
a l so su ;'.g1:sl1 ·d th at rcc l nrnnt ion be
rr:r .1uifl:d o n n il ac ti vi ti es on !he p 11bli c
L1nJg. TIH !S e concL:pts , w ith
rnodificatioris, lrnve been i ncorpora ied
inlo lhc finu l r ul cmak in g.
1-.L,ny of the commen ts r:xprcssl'd
\ ir ·ws concerning va l id ex is ting rights ,
gr.indL1lhe 1ed r igh ts and impuirmen l as
tlli'y perlain to l <1nds under wi l ck rne ss
1 e\·i1~w. Since a ll references lo l ands
un dl'r \\·ild1~rncss re\"iew und th e
:1ssr )c:i;.tr-J krms h nve been del eted
fr 0111 this finn l ru lcnrn kin g, th e
cuu1:til'n ts arc no l onger llpplicab l c.
J Jo wcv1,r, th e rcg 1rl fl li ons on Exploralion
;1111J !\lining ,.\'V ild c rne ss Re vi ew·
P1u grnm that became effec tiv e on April
2 . 1 (1£\0, do incorp or;i le the s e conccp la
;,nd r1•rnfl in in e ff ect.
One comment obse rved the di l emma
uf th P assessmen t w o r:.: requ ir e men t on
l al)(ls unrle r w ilderne ss rev iew by
s t:1ting "{J)t wou l d tend lo cnuse some
i11 d i\ idu:il s lo Li rcak on e lu w
[i111p:iirn1erit ru l es) to meet the
rcquiremcnls o f ano ther (assPshme nt
work)." Dccnuse of the poss ibili ty of
these conflic ts , considerution is b e ing .
given to req.ll'!s tin g legislation th at
would grunt th e Secretary of th e Jnlerior
some flexibility in granting deferra l s .
a :tel, fut ther, in ;ill owing suspension of
11nrrnal assessment work.
/\fo d1 fi col ion of p lan-Numerous
comments were made concerning the
:idJitio!1al time delays that could be
inher!'n l in the modification of a plan of
o p C'r.tl iun s. Also, the need to be flexible
in an exploru tion pro ject to permit ·
adju s li11c nt lo mee t specific geolog ic and
lopogru phic· conditions was identified in
some of th e comments. Commen ts were
of t])e opinion th at it was unnecessary to
modify a plan to cqver such incidental
chnngr!s. The 11rng u age in this sec ti o n of
-th e final rul e making has been c h a n ged
lo more acci!I'\l te ly reflect the Burea u of
Lnnd Manngemen t's responsibilities
und er th e unn.ecessary an d undu e
dq;:rndat ion concept. Only s ign ifi ca nt
mod ific a tion s w ill now require an .
app rova l. The basi c proced u re r e main s
unclrnr.gc d . Decnuse the thres hold l evel
h as been revised lo th e five acre l im it,
fewer conn ic t s arr. ('):pec tc d to re s ult
from plan modific;itions.
Existing O;)[:mlions-M os l o f the
c o mments on thi s sec tion o f the
pro posed ruk m;i \..i ng d1·;i lt with
ac ti \'i li es ossocialr!cl w i th Lrnd s und e r
w ildern ess review . Again. al l r rfe rcnccs
to ac ti v ities on l:rn d s 111H k r wi ld c:rnPss
rev iew have b ren deleted f1um th is finul
ru lemaking . The s 1·ctic1n hns b een
rev ised to accomrnmL1 te u cnncnn that
the Burea u of Land 1-.fo n crgcmen l was
to o s tri c t in us ing such w ur ds as
"i mmediate ly" insleild of "rC';is onably."
The intent is not lo shu t down exis tin g
opera l ions or in any w;1y ta k e away
ri ghts gr•rn trd under the mining l aws.
O n e co;nmenl pointed ou t that
operntions ex is ting prior to October 21,
1076, may have valid cxis 'ing righ ts
under sec tion 701 (h) of lhe feel cm I I.nnd
Po l ic y und ~vf :rn:ig emc·n l /\ct nnd bh o ul d
no t be regu l <1l e d nt ni l. The cxis trn ce of
a rn lid ex is ting r ight or ln ck thereof,
)10w eve r, is irnrnulr!rial to th e exe rcise o f
the Secretary of th e Int erior'r, r eg ulatory
a uthority. This ru !emnk ing d ocs not
ex t in guis h nny posscssory r igh ls tha t an
individua l mny h ave under the m ining
l aws. Th o se r ights, how ever, are subject
to the r eas onable regu l ations mand a ted
by the Federa l Lnnd Pol icy nnd
Man a g~ment Act. ·
B ond R cq uircin ents -E xce p l for the '
p l an approva l sec tion o f the propo se d
ru lcni ak in g, thi s section dr ew the m os t
comme nt s. Pcr hnps it is the mos t
controversin l bccuuse of the d ifficulty _
by most opera tors. especia ll y sma ll
operators, b e lie ve th ey w ill ha ve in
obtaining a bond. Several commen ts
stated th a t the Conference Commi ttee
Wh ich WllS appointed to resolve
d iffere n ces b e tween th e Sena te and
House-passed versions of tlie bill s that
b ecame the Federal Lnnd_Po l icy and
Management Act "id en tified no basis for
a definitive recommendati on," on
requiremen ts for reclamation and
bonding. 111e Sena te version had a
provision directing the Secretary of the
Interior to require appropriate land
recl amation as a condition of u ses likely
to entail s ignifi .cant ais tur bance to ·or,,·.~
alteration of the public lands. The · ·
conferees did not adopt this prov i sion~
One commen t wen t on to s ta te "of
course, with no requirement for,
· reclamation. th ere is no ne ed for a .
pe rformance bond." Die policy reflected
in thi s final n,ilemaking is th at th e re is
no mandatory bonding ; ra th er, it is
discre tionary. With th e n e w th r eshold ·
level con t ained in th e fi n al ru l emak ing, ·
mos t exp l ora ti o n and some extrac ti on
acti viti es wo ul d no t b e b onded. If a
propo se d activ i ty excee d s the th reshoi d
and require_s a p l an of opera ti ona,·
b (l ndin g is th en d iscre tiona ry w ith th e
nuthor ized offi c er. Esse ntia ll y , the
Congress did no t se e th e imm ed ia te
ner.d for m;;ncl<Jtory bonding in a ll coses,
bu l ne i ther did Con gress deny !h at .
option to th e Secre t<1ry o f tlt e !n lerior.
Ha tit e r, it left o p e n the di scr e tion to
impose st andards for bonding.
The prob lems of bo nciing . especiillly
for th e sma ll opcr:i lor, nre recog ni ze d .
As il resu lt , guicl~nce wil l be giv en the
Durcnu of Land l\lanngemen t's field
offices that bonding w ill be im posed
only when nP.cessary to pro te c t the
p ublic lands from unncc~ssary or undue
de grada tion and w h en im p osed , it wi ll
be handled in a fair manner. Other
comm en ts on thi s section co nc erned
dup lir:a ti on ofbrinding w hrn other
regulntory agencies are involved. The
intent i s l o a\'riid duplica ti ve
enforcement and Londing in th e
adm in is tr a ti on o f the rrgul<itions. The
Director of the Durp;1u s t;ited to the
Subr:ommiltce on Mi nes ond MCning o f
the H ouse Com m it tee o n Interior and
In s ul ar Affairs during it s ov ers igh t
he a ri ngs th nt it wou l d be the Bureau's
policy no t to r equ ire dupl ica te bondin g
when S tate bonding requi remenl.B
pro v id e d adequ a te protec tion , and the
fina l ru l e ma k ing so provides.
The wording o f the bond!ng sect.ion
h as bee n rev ised in th e fina l ru l emak ing
to make it more underst an dab le an d to .. _
c l ar ify the ap p li cJ bi l it y of n<Jlionwide
and sta tew id e bonding.
/\s men ti oned e;irlier, numerous
c o mments stated th a t au th ority to
requ ire reclnmation, li ke b onding, was -
tnke n out of th e Federul Land Po li cy and
' Management Ac t by the Conference
Commi tt ee and. th erefore . shou ld not be
req uir ed by th is rulemaking .
Reclamation is an integral part of any
effort to preven t unnecessary or undu e
degradation of the la nd s. Failure to
require th e reclama ti on of disturbed
areas may lead lo scars on the l ands
that may remain for years. Likewis e,
failure to revege tate th e ' surface of th e-
lands may cause increased erosion of ·:
wa tersheds and l ead to si lt ation and ·'
pollution of streams and other wa t er -
resources . 'The fa il ure to use reasonable --
means to reclaim the lands and
eliminate these d ist urba nc es may ,
constitute unnec essary or undue -
degradation and, thu s, co n sti tute a
direct v iola ti on o f section 302 (b) of the
Federa l Land Policy and Management ;
Act. In ·addition, th e Bureau of Land
Managemen t is a lso re s ponsibl e for .
implementing the M ining and Minerals ·
·.Po licy Act which requires reclama l ion of
m ined area s.·
Operations W i lhin Bureau of L~nd .
Man agement W ildern ess Areas-Th ere
was cons idc:ra bl e con fus ion among
l
/!l'.1 00 -·£-------------------
thns e w ho co r~men t c d on thi s ~ection o f ·
tht: propc;scd ru lc rnak ing u s l o wlH~lhcr
"wildt:rncss n rca s " m ean t th e l ;in d s
;1d1:1ini s t t:red by th e Bure au of Land
!\Linugt·mcnl !ho t arc t111 Jcr wildernci;s
1c1·icw o r wi l dernl'i;s a r p;1s t h;it h :n ·e
l 1l'en offici;il ly dt·~ign il t cd by Co11g1c:sG
;is p;1rt of the Nii ti on;i l \Vilde rnes s
Prcscrl'alion System. In ::icc ord ilnce
w ith sec tion (i03(c) of the Fl:dcral Lan d
l'ulicy a nd Ma11ilgcmcn t Act, once an
ur·1·a is rlcsig1111ted by Congress as part
o f the 1'\ational W il derness Prc:sc n·ation
S\'s tc•m, the provisions of th e
\\'ildl'11H·ss /\cl of 1%-1 upp l y. Thal /\cl
i.t;itt·s th at re;1sonnblc reg ul a ti ons to
i;Ol'l'f'll ing r ess nnd egress may be
prt ·scrilicd consisten t w ith the use of the
L!llds fur minera l opera lions and
"rt ·storal ion ns near as practicable of
llit: ~urL1cc ." 'l11e \\'ilderness Act-also
pro1 ides that the m ir1in g l aws sha ll
i>p]i ly lo dcsign;itcd wilderness nreas
until miJnight Dcccrnbcr 31, 1983. To
;n·oid fur thc :r confusion . this sec tion has
!1(·1·11 d ektl'd from th e finnl rulemaking. ·
J !0 11 ·1 ·n :r. th e fina l rulemaking makes ii
clc·<11 th nt any min ing opcrntions, other
tlii1n casu a l 11~;r !. proposed for a
df'~!gnu tPd ll'ilderness urcn will requ ire
1u1 nppro1·cd p lan of opr.rn lio ns before
opern t ions can.-~ommence.
Ap1ilicubilily of Stale Law-
Cl'm:rully . th e commen t s o n thi s sec ti o n
11·t·re favorub le b ecause the la nguage of
the:: propu scd ru lr:mnk in g ull e mpl cd lo
amid dupl ic atio n of effo rt. prin c ip a lly in
;1rt ·as of li o nding nnd enforcemen t
~;t.:l'era l comrnen t s exp r e~sr:d concern as
to'' hether or no t the S tales had
juri ~,diction on Fedt.:rul l;rnds , us defined
in this ru le mnk ing . It has been the l'iew
of the Department of th e Interior that
1rnder sec tion 3 of the 1872 Mining Law
(:lO U.S.C. 2G),,"1e Slates may assert
juri sd ict ion over mining activities on
Frdero l l ands in connec tion wi th their
01Yn Stu le laws. This may be done as
long as the laws of the Sta l e are not in
connicl or inconsi s tent with Federal
l aw . The ad o ption und implementation
of this final ru l cmaking is not intended
to pre -emp t the continued application
und e nforcem e nt of Stale l aw and
regula lions governing the conduct. of
activi ti es pursuant to the Uni t ed S tal es
mining laws.
The language -of this section h as been
clrnnged to allow more flexibility for th e
Director, IJureau of Land Management..
und th e respect ive Slates in entering
into working agreements concerning the
udministrutiontef their respective laws
and regulat ions. . _
One comment question e d w h ether the
United S tu tes coul d a ll oca t e mon ies to
Stoles wh ic h h ave s igned agreemen t s to
admin is t er the Dure a u of La n d
,, .. 'fono / Rul es nn d Rr·gubtions
1--Lin;igcnw nt's rt :g 1il<Jlion s. This
qu e s ti o n is be ing s t u d ied in recogni ti on
of th e fact tl rnl il is in the be s ! intt:res l of
ul l conce rnt?d lo a void. lo t he exten t
p ossib le. e xccss i1 ·c b urd1~11s crp ;.it(•d by
dupli c ation of e ffort.
Noncompliance-N u mero u s
comme n t s s t <ited th a t th e 30 dnvs
prol'ided in th e proposed nil cm.aking for
comple ti ng corrective action in c:iscs of
noncompl i ;i nce is t oo short. In the li gh t
o f these comments . thi s ser:t ion h;rs been
c h;in ged'lo require thut action t o correct
llll!St be slluted w ith in 30 days. Several
comments suid that the noncomplinnce
&ec tion s ho u ld inc l ude prol'is ions for
cease nnd desist orders and for fines.
The Dureau of Lirnd 1--!nnagemenl wi ll
cooperate with nn opera t or to the ex tent
possible in rectifying s itu a tion s thnl are
causing unnece ssary or undue
degradation . In ex treme cases. where nn
operator will not coopcrntc, injunct ive
procedures can be initiated and a
restraining order requested. F'<.iilure to
comply w i th an injunction wil l make un
opera tor s ubject l o such pen nlt y as a
court may impose . An impor tant
provi s ion added lo thi s sec ti on is tha t a ll
·opera ti ons fa ll und er th e provisions of
th e non c omplian-ce sec tion w h e ther th e
opera ti ons are (1) cnsua l u se , not
re q uiri ng any no ti ce, [2 ) below the
t hresh o ld l evel, or [3 ) under plnns of
opera li ons because in each case th ey
must not cause unnecessary or u ndue
de grada ti on. On e co mm e nt fenred th a t
th ere wou l d be no "b enchm ark" for
measurin g noncomp li ance nn d lho t s u ch
de t e r minations may be nr bil rary nnd
ca pri ciou s. For o ll prnclica l purposes,
th e "benchmark" w ill b e whether th ere
i s unnecessary or undue degradation oT
Federal lands. A ll phases of th e final
rulemoking w ill be monitored lo ensure
that all operations are trea t ed equi tably.
'Access~orrime nt s -on thi s section
centered around concerns that the
a u!h orized officer had too much
discretion in specifying when and whcr6
access would be atlowed. ·in response to
thes e comments, the threshold in the
final rulemnking has been increased.
The changes made in this final
rulemaking should allevia t e the -·
concerns. The au th orized officer's
discretion."when a plan of operations is
submitt ed, is limited to determinjng
w hether or not unnecessary or undue
degrade ti on will be caused. One
comment sa id that Ingress and egr ess
are r ights under the m ining l aw and
ca nnot be interfered with. Al though
bas icall y-1rue , section 302 (b) of the ·_
Federa l Land Policy and Management
Act amend e d th e mining law by
req uiring that a ll m ining a cti v iti es,
including acc ess , must be carri e d o ut i n
a manner lhnt prc1·r.n ls unnccess ci ry or
undue d egra d ;i ti on.
An o th er comme nt raisr.d ll1e iss ue of
"n on-exclu s ive " access a nd th e fact th a t
d eg rad a ti on m ay be caus ed by
re crea ti on vehicles. o r perhi-1ps a
compet it or. The wo rd "non-excl usive "
l1;i s bee n dele t ed fro m th e sec ti on in th e
finnl rulemaking. Ho wever, cnse l uw hns
cst;ib li s h ed tha t the public ca n use.
Federal lcrr1ds, including the surface or
unpaten t ced m in in g claims . as l ong as
lhr.ir presence docs not materially
interfere wiih mining opera l ions . On the
question of dcgrndation Cilused by
recrea tion \'Chicles . sec t ion 302(b ) of th e
1\ct npp li es lo al l us ers of Federa l l an ds.
Therefore. every user must t ake the
necessary precaut ions to prevent
unnecessary or undu e degradation of
Federa l lands.
Another comment was concerned
whether rights -o f-way for access lo
mining c l nims would require upproval
under T i tle V o f the Federal Land Policy
nnd Management Act. Access for all
purposes of ingress and egres s lo
unpa l en t ed min ing c laims w ill no t be
reg ul ated under the p ro1·is ions of Title
V. O ne coinmenl sugges ted s tronger
control s o ver access includin g
main t enance fees and use of ex is ti ng
roads. \'\'11en non-exclusive uccess is
invol ved , tl1e Burea u of L2nd
Management may not c h arge a fee for
access . Thi s re l a t e s b ack t o the mineral (
l aws th emselves w hi ch s tal e tha t
Federa l lands s hall b e "fr ee and open."
Use o f ex isting access w ill b e
enco u raged lo th e greatest ex t ent
pos si ble. Failure t o use ex is ti ng access
may resu lt in building an unnecessary
road and, thus, creating unneces sary or
undu e degrada t ion. I n accordance wi th
the provisions of th e fina l rulcmaking,
oll roads constructed, whether und er a
notice o-r a plan of opera ti"on s, nre
required to be rec1aimed by the
operators. In addi ti on, the Bureau w ill
work as c1osely as possible with · ·
opera tors to assist th em in road lo ca tion
or other facets of their operations, with
th e overall goal of preventing
unnecessary or undue degradation to
Federal lands. Maximum inierchange
between Bureau field offices ·and the
mining industry will be enco uraged so
that each will apprecia t e and
understand the o·b j eclives of the other. _
· Multiple Use Conflicts-The ' ,
comments on this section indicated that
, it was confu sing. Aft er careful s tudy, It
was determined that th e section was not
needed and it has be e n deleted from th e
·final rul emaking. · · ': --. -
Fire Prevention and Control-The
'c ommentS on this section were of a
general and s upportive n a fu re and -
suggest ed no c ha nge. Therefore , th e
a.:_ •· Federal Rrg is t cr / Vo l . 45 , No. 230 / \-Vcdnesd a y. Non·m h er 26 , 1080 / Ru l es nnd Regu l a ti ons 7flQ09 --
sc c..tion remain s unc han ge d in th e fina l
r ul i·mak in g.
Muintcnoncc and Public Saf cly--
S(:v 1·ra l co mments s ugges te d thnt th e
propo s e d ru l cm;1kin g might conOi c t w ith
ri·gulations of the Mi ne Safety a nd
J bilth /\dmini s tr ation. Af te r s tud y ing
thi s possilJi lity , it was de c ide d that no
c o "Oi c t exis ts u nd this sec tion o f the
fi n iJI nile m ilk in.Ji is unchanged.
Jn spcc tion-'fl'he comments objected
to this se c tion of the proposed
rulc1;1<!king u n the ba sis lh n t the
in' ;11·ct ion mi ght co me a t an
irH .onn:nicnl tim e and interfere with
O)ll'J :!lion s . The sec ti on remains in the
fi ll:d rulemaking in ord er to put
o pi:r.itors on notice tha t the nuthorized
o ffi n·r urn in s pect tl1eir opcrn ti ons to b e
c ~rt;,in tlrnl no a c ti v it y caus in g
urrn1 ·c es sary or u ndue degr;idation is
tllk i11 g place. In s pection w ill 1101m::illy
or.c ur during rP.gulnr bus in ess hours.
/\'ot icc of Suspen s ion of Operations
u nd Ce s sution of Opcra tion s-
!'\11 rnerous c omments s ug ges ted !hat it is
diffirnl t for opera tors to determine, with
ccrL,inty. w h 1!n oper::i tio ns will cense
due lo nuc l u a lions in price of the
mi rw ral in th e r.rnrkc tpl;icc . Therefore ,
th ey may \\·a nt lcrmainta in their
1·quipment a l the site. 111 e sec tion on
notice o f s us pens ion of op ernlions h::is
lwen delet ed from th e fina l rulemaking
lwc nuse th e r ecor da ti on require ments
imp osed by scc tion 314 of the Fed era l
!.:ind Poli c y and 1'fanagcmen t Act
p ro\·idc aclcqun lc covcruge of th e
miner's inlt,nl l o mn inluin th e c la im. 111e
s1·c liun on ce s s a ti on of 'operntions has
hl'c n revbed l o allow more flexibility us
to the remon1 l of s tru c tures and
c·q ui pm e nl. One commen t sa id th a t the
Du:-e ::i u of La n d 1'1,&n a gem e n t shoul d
1 eq uire a "d e tai l ed outline of how the
opt!ra l ion wi ll be dismcmtl e d at the e n d
of attidties." A n oth e r comment ask e d
"what },appens if the op e ra to r fai l s to ,
co mply wi th this paragraph?" A detailed
o utline of "di s man tli ng" is not necessary
i;ince fuilurc to r e move any structures
a nd to r ecla im th e s ite m a y create
u nnec e ss ary or undue degrudalion of .
Fe d e ra l land s. The noncompliance
s ection dis c usses th e consequences of
no ncompliance.
AppPals-Numerous comments said
thHt third parties s hould not be a ll ow e d
to appeal a d e cision issued under this
ru lemoking. In accordance with tho oe
commen ts , the final rulemuking ha s
been amended to µ.r,,ovi d e one type of
nd mini s lra tive review process for
opera tors , b ut preserves th e rights of ·
uffected p arti es under Part 4 of Ti lle 43
of the Code of Federal Reg ula lions
thr oug h u paragraph th a t h as been
Hdde d to this section in the fina l
rulcmak ing . One comment s uggested-·
--~~ ... ,,,,.._ __ _
-----------· -· ~ ·----·---------------------------
that th e fi n nl ru l cmilking con fo1m to th e
U.S. Forc:sl Serv ice rrgulati o ns
conci~rning th e time w ithin which to fi le
un appeal ond "rpq11 cs t for slay ." This
change h as been mnde in th e fin a l
ru l emnki ng. An in te rmediate
admi ni strnlive review s te p h as been
ri dded to tl1e fin ::i l ru l e makin g whereby
an opcrntor may 2ppcn l t o the S t::ite
Director. Th is new procedure is
des igned to resolve qu es tion s enrly in
th e <idm ini strn ti ve review pror.e ss and
thereby sh orten it. if poss ible, before
those questions become an issue on
Direc tor (520), Bureau of La nd
Manngcment, 1800 C S tree t, NW .,
W::ishing to n, D.C. 20240, or by ca llin g
202 -343-8537. The fina l environmen t::i l
impact sta temen t is a\'a ila b le a l a ll
State Offir.es of th e Durenu of Land
appea l.
Public Arni/ability of Information -A
l arge n11mber of com m e nt s express e d a
foar that th r. nuthorizcd officer may not
be qu::ilified to mnke a determination as
to what informat ion may or may n o t be
confident ial. This sect io n of th e fina l
rulemnking lrn s b ee n ame nd ed to give
th e operator th e right to d es igna te which
of th e s ubmitted inform::ition he or s he
r Pg ;irds as confidenl i::il, wi th any
requests from the publi c for confidential
Mana ge ment.
Under th e au th ority of sec tions 2319
(30 U.S.C. 22 ) and 2478 (43 U.S C. 1201 )
of the Re\·ised S tatut es and tl 1e Federal
L::ind Policy on d Manngemenl Ac t of
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 e l seq.), Pcirl 3800,
Group 3000, Subchapler C, Chcipler II,
Tit l e 43 of th e Code of Federa l
Regulations is r ev ised by ::idding a new
S ubpurt 3809 as se l forth below.
Guy R. Marlin,
A s sis tan t Secretory of the Interior.
No \'cm b cr 19, 1900.
PART 3800-M INING CLA IMS UNDER
THE GENERA L MINI NG LAWS
General
Subpart 3ll 09 -Surfac e Manageme nt
ma leri::i l being mnde nnd lrnndlecl under S ec. 1 the provisions of th e Freedom of 3fl09.G-1 Purpose.
Inform a li on Act pro c edures . 3ll09.G-2 Objec ti ves.
Sp e cial Provisions Relating to the 3809.0--3 Au th ority.
Ca/1fornio Desert Conserva tion Are_a -3809.G-5 Definitions.
Severa l comments wern rece iv ed th at 3009 .()....{l Po li cy. 3809 .1 Opera tions. s uggested th e promu lga tion of a 3n09 .1_1 Reclama tion .
se parate rul emuking for th e Californ ia 3809.1 -2 Casua l use -negligible
; Desert Conserva ti on Arca. The fina l ' d isturbance.
rul e making includes provisions tha t will 3[lQ9.1 -3 No-lic [}-dis tu rbance or 5 aGcS or
afford th e area adeq u ate protection. less.
Scpnrute regu l utions ::ire no t wnrr;inted. 3flO!l.1 -4 Pinn of opcrnlion s-when req uired.
TI1e final rulemakin g requires the filing 3fl09 .1-S Fil ing and con tent s or plan of
of a pl an of op era ti ons for ony ac ti vi ty o pcrn lions.
In th e California Desert Conser\'o lio-n 3ll09 .1-6 Plan approva l.
Area b eyond that covered by casual use . 3ll09.1-7 Mo d ificnlion of pion.
1 3809.1-8 Exist ing opera tion s, The plan wou ld be eva ua ted lo ensure 3809 .1_.g Bond in g requirements.
pro tect ion against "undue im pa irment'' 3009.2 Preven ti on of unnecessary or undue
an d aga inst pollution of the streams a nd d egrada ti on. 1 • •
wa ters within th e Arca. A few 3ll09.2-1 Environmental ussessmenL
commen ts made the point th a t it was not 3009 .2-2 Olher requirements for ·-
clear w heth er this final rul emaking environmen tal protection ,
supersedes the mining regul a lio ns now 3009.3 Ge neral provisions .
in effect for the Ki ng Runge National 3009.3-1 App li cab ilit y of S ta te low .
Conserva tion Area. It docs not. There' 3009.3-2 Noncomp li ance.
have been no major chanBes in this 3!l09.3-3 Access. -
f h fl J l k 3809.3-4 Fire prevei;ition and con trol.
section o I e ma ru emo ing. 3809.3-S Maintenance and pu b lic safety.-.
Edi tori al changes and corrections 3809 .~ Inspection. : __ . '· ..
have been made ·as necessary .. : _ 3809.3-7 Period of No n-opera tio n.
The principal a uthors of this final 3809.4 Ap.peals. __ '-' -· ,
rulemaking ar~ Eugene Curlat and ' 3009.5 Pub li c availability of !nfonn at ion.
Robert M. Anderson of the Di vison of 3809.6 Special provisions rcloting to mining'. '
Mineral Resources, ass is te d by El ea nor claims patented within the bou ndaries or -...
R. Schwartz, Chief, Ofnce of Legislation· -· -the Ca li fornia Desert Cona erv'ation Area;·
and Regulatory Management, all o.f th e General ". -,. -.. 1· ,. · '
Bureau of Land Management; and ,', . · !'. ' '· · .-_ .._
Kenneth Lee, Office of the So1 icitor, Subpart 3809-Surface Manage m en't
Department of the Interior.
A regu l a Lo ry an a lysis and fina l § 3809.0-1 P urposa. .
env iron ment a l im pact s ta t eme nt were The purpose of this ·s ub part is to . ,
prepared in conjunctio n wi th \his final establish procedures to prevent · .. ~
rnlemaking. Coples of these decision . unnecessary o r uridue d egrada ti on of ·
documents m ay be obt a in ed from th e federal l a n ds wh icb may ' r esult from >-; '
"
/' -
''· ·,
..,....
'~~Federa l Re gi s t er / Vo l. 9.:~o . 2 30 / V\'e d n~~~~:_: 2 6, .; ~ Rul es a nd R eg u::l~J~l ~io~n~s~~~~
opera ti ons nuth o ri ze d b y th e m ini ng
la ws .
~ 3C09.0 -2 Obj ec ti ves.
Tl1e o bjcc ti \"es of th is reg u la ti on a re
tu:
(") P1 (1\"iJe fo r rn ineril l e n try ,
l"·Jilt >r <ilion, location , o pe ra li ons, an d
purt.h;,,!,£: pu~~uant lo the mining l aws in
i1 m;,;11:;:1 that w ill not u nduly hinder
/ ll l Ji ill ti1·itics Out wil l ilSSUJ"e tha t tJiese
uc l ivitil's are conchtt'led in a ma n ner
t!1:il \\"ill prevent unnecessary or undue
tl1 ·; ::!J ;1t i0n <11H.l provide pro tec tion of
1.•1 o1111int.:1al fl!SOurces of the federal
l.!i:ds; .
(!1) P:cn·iJe fur n·cli1m<1lion of
d•!,lu1 l11·J arc;,s; and
[c) Cu1JJdina te, lo the greil lPst ex t ent
)'"~1,ilile , witli nppropri;itc State
i1;:1·nric•s , procedures fo r prevention of
111.:11·cbsu ry or unrl u e d cg1i"ldi]tion with
11 ·• J 1·cl to minera l operations.
~ ~L0 9.0-3 Author i ty.
[ii) S c:c tion 23 19 of the f'.rvised
~;~.:tutf's (30 U.S.C. 22 el seq.) prov ides
t!1<it e:xploration, l ocu ti on and purchase
tJf 1·;;h1i1lJlc: minera-1 d e p osi t s , u ndl:r the
n1in ing L1ws, o n frdr.ru l lands s h a ll be
"u nd t:r regu l at ions prescri be d b y l aw,"
i1Il rl r 1:c lion ~~4 7 0 o f the R evised S tatut es.
;is <11nl'n ded (43 U.S.C. 1201 ), p r o\"ides
1l.<1t those rl"gu L1li ons s h a ll b e issued b y
the Sec1cL1ry.
[ii) Sc·c tions 30 2, 303 , 601, i]n d 603 o f
tlil: J"i:dcr i!l und Po licy und Ma r.ugement
/\t t o f HJ 76 (43 U .S.C. 1 7 01 et seq.)
11 'Jllire t hf' Scuc lary lo t :.1ke Rny ac tion,
f,y 1 q_;1d;llion o r o th er wise!, to prevent
i.111H"Lt.:ssi1 ry or undue dcg1Hda tion of the
f1·t!nnl Lmd6, provide for enforcrment
11f tho s e rrgulntions, and d irec t the
~~1·c:r c :ta ry to mannge the California
Dr ·s er\ Conservation Area under
11·a1.on;1l;le 1 egtilatio~s which will
p1 olf!cl the scenic, scien t ific, and
1 r1\·ironmen tal values against undue
i1npairn1cnt, an<l to assure against
l ullut ion of strenms and waters.
(c) The Act of July 23, 1955 (30 U.S.C.
(JJ2), providPs that righ ts under min ing
c l .. ims loca!Pd after July 23, 1955, sha ll
pnor to is~ui.lnce of patent therefor, be
s ulJject to.th e right of the United S t ates
to munnge and dispose of the vegetative
s urfa ce resources and to manage other
Rurface resources. The Act a l so provides
\hut "Any mining claim hereafter
I nca led under the mining lnws of the
United States s hall not be use d, pri or to
i~s uan ce to pa t en t t h erefor, for any
purposes other than 9rospectmg. mining
or p r ocess ing opera ti ons a nd u ses '
rpu r.on a bl y inciden t there t o.•
(d ) Sr·ct ion 9 of th e W ild and Sce ni c
J"{i l"ers Ac t (16 U .S.C. 1 2BO) pro v id es th at
n·gulations issued s h a ll,'a mon g o th e r
t hi ngs , provide sa f eguard s ag a in st
po lluti o n of th e riv e r s in vol v ed a nd
un ne cess ary im p i]ir m e nt of th e sce n e ry
w ithin th e a r e a d es ig nated for po lcntia l
11 d d it io n to, or an ac t ua l componc:nt of
the n nl ion il l w il d and scenic r i1 ·crs
sys te m .
§ 3009.0 -5 Dc nnltl ons.
As u s ed in this subp<Jrt, the term:
(a) "A u thorized of fi cer" means any
emp l oyee of the Durc<Ju of Land
Managemen t to whom au thor it y has
been de l ega t ed to perform the duties
descr ibed in t h is parL
(b) "CHsual Use" me <rns activities
ord inari ly resu ltin g in on ly neg li g ib l e
d isturbance of the federa l l ands und
resources. For example, ;ic livitir.s are
genernlly cons idered "rnsual use" if
they do no t im·olve the use of
mech anized c;1r !h moving equiprn(~n l or
exp l osives or do not involve the use of
motorized vehicl es in 1irens designated
ilS c losed or l imi t ed to off-road ve hi cles
<JS defined in subpar t 834 0 of th is t itl e.
(c ) "Fe d era l lan d s" means l unds
s u bjec t lo th e m in ing lilws incl ud ing , b ut
no t li mite d t o, th e certa in "p ub lic l a n ds"
d efin ed in se ct io n 103 o f U1e Fe de r a l
Lnn <l P o li cy n nd J\fa nnge m e n t A ct of
10 76. Fe d era l l a n ds do e s n ot in c l u d e
l a nd s in U10 Na tional P ark S ys t e m,
Na tion a l F ore s t S y s tem. a nd U1 e
N ati o n n l Wildlife Re fu ge System, n or
d oes it includ e acq uir e d l a nds,
S to ckra ising Ho mes t e ad lan ds o r lands
wh ere only th e mi neral int e r es t is
reserve d lo th e U n it e d St a t es or lands
u nder \l\/il de rn ess R ev iew a nd
u d mi ni s t cred b y th e Du r e au o f Land
Ma n age m e nt (th ese l a n ds are s ubj ec t t o
the 43 CTR Port 3B02 rc,gu l ations ).
(d ) "M in ing c l a im" mea n s any
unpalen t ed m ining cla im, m ill si t e, o r
tunnel si t e locnted under the m ining
laws ond U10se pa t ented m ining cla ims
and mil lsitcs located in U1e California
Desert Consen;a!ion Area which hove
been patented subsequent to the
enactment of the Federal Land Policy
and Manngcment Act of October 21,/
1976. . .
(e) "Mining laws" means the Lode
Law of July 26, 1S06, as amended (14
Stat. 251 ); the Placer Law of July 9, 1870,
us amendgd (16 Stat. 217); and the
M ining Law of May 10, 1872, as -
amended (17 Stat. 91); and all laws
s u pplementing and amending those .
l aws, including among others the
Duil d_ing S to n e Act of A u gust 4, 1892, al!
amended (27 Stat. 348);· and the Sal ine
Placer Act of Ja n uary 31, 1901 (31 Stal
745 ). ' . '
(f) "Opera li o n s" means a ll fu n c ti o ns ,
w ork, fac iliti es, an d activitie s in .-
co nn ec tion wi th p ros pecti ng, .di sco ve ry
a nd assess m e nt w ork , d e velo pm e nt,
e x traction, and processin g of min eral
dep osi ts l oc atabl e under the mining
luws und all other uses r e a so nably
incid l'nt th ereto , whether on a mining
c lai m or n o t, in c l u di ng b u t n o t limil e d to
the con.s lrn c tion o f ro;id s , trnn s mi ss ion
li nes , p ip e li nes , ;in d oth e r mea ns of
n c c esa for s upport fa c ilili e s a c ros s
fedend l ands su Lj cc t t o t hese
r eg u la Ii o n s.
(g ) "Opern t or" means a person
conduc ti ng or propos ing to con du c t
operu li ons.
[h) "Person" means any c it izen of the
United Sta t es or person w h o has
dcc liued the in ten tion to bPcome s u c h
and inc l udes any individua l,
par tnersh ip , corporn ti on , association, or
other l ega l enti ty.
(i) "Pro jec t area" means a singl e tract
o f land upo n w hi ch a n opern l or is, or
wi ll be, con cl ucl ing opera ti ons . It may
i nc lude one m in ing cla im or a g rou p of
min ing c l aims under one ownership on
which o pera tio ns are or w ill be
con d uc le d , as we ll as f edera l lands on
w hi c h a n opera tor is expl oring or
pro ~p e cli ng p rior to lo ca ling a mining
cl a im.
(j) "Recl a m a tion" me a ns t a k ing su c h
reaso n a bl e me asures ns will p re ve nt
un nece ssnry o r u n du e d egra d a ti on o f th e
fed era l lirnd s , inc luding r es h a ping hnd
d is tur b e d b y o pe rati ons to a n
appropri a t e contour <rn d , wh e r e
ne cessary , revege t a tin g di s t urbe d nre.as
s o ns to provide · a d iverse vegeta tiv e
co ve r. Hecl a mati o n mny n o l b e r e quir e d
w h ere the r et e nti on o f o s ta l.Jl c hi g h w oll
or oth e r m in e w o r king s is n ee ded t o
preserve ev id ence o f minera l iza ti on.
(k ) "Unnecessary or u ndu e
degrada ti onH means surface cUs turbnnce
grea t er than wha t would normally res ul t
when an activi ty is being accomp l ished -
by a prudent opera tor in usual, •
cus tomary, and profici e nt opera lions of
similar character and_t ak.ing into
consideration the effects of operations
on other resources and land uses,
Incl uding those resomccs and u·ses _ ·
outside the area of operations. Failure to
initiate and complete rensonab!e
mitigation measmes, including
recl ama ti on of dis turbed areas or
creation of a nuisance may canslitute
unnecessary or undue degradation.
Failure t o comply w i th applicable .
environmen t al protection s t a tut es and -__
regu l a tions th ereun der wi ll cons ti t ute
unnecessary or und u e degr a d a tion. .......
Where specific s tn lu tory au th ori ty
re qui res th e a t ta inment of a s ta t e d l evel
· of p r ote ction o r re cl ama ti o n , s uch as in
th e California Dcser1 Conserva Lion .
Are a, Wild and S cenic Riv ers, a nd other
s uch are a s, that l e vel of pro t e ction shall
be m et.".· :•'.c·". -' ..
-;
] I
c
,·
...
~ 3809.0-6 Poll ey .
Cons isten t w ith -sec ti on 2 of th e
Mining nnd 1'1 inera l Po li cy Act of 1!-170
il nd sec tion 102 [a) (7), (fl), und [1 2) of the
Federa l Lnnd Po licy nnd 1'1iinagr1rn:nt
Act , it i s the pol icy of the Dqi Mtnw n l of
the Interior to encournge the
d c '.e lopm e n t of federa l min era l
[1) Name n nd mai l ing nrldress of the
mining c lnlmnnt nnd o pPralor, if other
than the claimant. A n:" ch.1nge of
operiitor o r in th e m.1i ling nrldress of the
mining cl;.,"inrnnt or opl'rn to r :;ha ll be
rC'por tcd prom p tly to the ;rnthorize d
officer;
(iii) ?\1cnsures to iso la te , rrmove, or
conlrol toxic materia ls;
(iv ) Rc ,hiiping the area dislurbed ,
oppl ica tion of the t opsoi l. <rnd
r e \'cge ta t ion of di s turbed ;1reas, where
reaso nably practic ab le; and
(v) Hrh<1bil it alion of foheries and
wildlife h a l.iitat. reso urces and reclnmntion of dis t urhed
l andg . Unde r th e mini ng lows o person
h;is u htatu tory.i;ight . consistent with
Dr·pnrtmenta l rcgulil ti ons , t o go up o n th e
upen [unap p ropr ia t ed u nd unreserved)
feue1a l !1Jn d s fo r th e purpose of mineral
J HU~Jic;cting. exploration, de \'f:lopm e n t,
1·x ir;H:tion and other u ses reaso n a bly
incidl·n t !he re to. This sta t u t ory right
c;1rric:s with it the re s pon si l.ii li ty to
(2 ) \'l'hen appl ira b l e, th e n;nnr of th e
minin g chim(s ), nnd serial rrnrnbcr(s)
a ss igne d to th e mining c l11 im[s ) recorded
purs ua n l to subpart 3fl3 3 of thi s Ii/le on
\\'hich dis!urh a nre wil l li hcly t ;1ke p lace
<JS n resul t of th e opcrn tions;
(3) A sta te me nt clf'~cr ibing the
;1ctivi ti es pro po se-cl and th e ir loca ti o n in
s uffici en t detail lo lorn le the nct iviti es
on th e gro und, :i nd g ivin g th e
approx imate dale wh e n operations will
s tart. The s tat e ment s hall include a
descript ion and loc a tion of access
routes lo be const ni ctcd and the ty pe of
e quipment to b e USl'fJ in their
[5) When reclam;ifion o f lh e disl11rbed
area ha s been compl~ted, except lo th e
ext ent neces s ary lo preserve r.v idcn ce of
mi ncra li z nticin. t he authorizr.d officer
sh~ill be n o ti fied so th a t nn insp ec tion of
the nrea can be nrndc.
us;11 rc that opernt io ns include adequat e
and responsil.ile m eas ur es lo pre\'e;nt
1111n1'cessary or undue degradati o n of lhe
fc·rl ;·ra l lands nnd to provide for /
rc 'as01111b le recluma tion. cons tru c ti on. Acce ss routes s kill b e
p la n n ed for only th e m in imum w idth
needed for operation s and s hall follow
natural contours, w l1ere prnc ti cablc, to
~ 38 09.1 Operat io n s.
~ 3fJ 09.1 -1 Rec la m a tion.
/\II operntior_1s , whether casua l, under
il rwtice, or l.iy a plan of operations, sha ll
Le 11 ·c l:.iimed as r eguir,cd in thi s title .
minimize cu t and fill. V'/hen the -
cons truction of acces s routes inv olves
slopes which require cuts on the i nside
edge in excess of 3 feet, th e operator
~ 3809.1-2 Cas ua l_u se-ncg lig lb le
dist urba nc e. •
No notificat ion to or approva l by the
1wtl wr iz e d officer is requ ire d for cnsual
use o pe.rn ti o ns . I lowev e r, cnsun l us e
opc.:iutions nre s ub j ect to monitoring by
the nulhori zc d offi ce r t o en s ure th a t
11nnec1 ~ssar y or unrlu e dcgrn rlati on of
l1·d1·J11! J;n1ds \\'ill not occur.
~ 3C 09.1-3 Not i ce-di s turbanc e of 5 acres
or lesa. , ·
[a) /\II operu to rs on project a r eas
whose operat io ns, including access
;1cro~s federa l 1Hr1<1ts to the project area,
ca use a cumu l a ti ve s urfac e disturbance ·
of 5 ncrcs or less during any calendar .
yPar sha ll notify the Butho r ize d officer
in the District o ffice of the Dureau of
Land Manage ment ha vi ng juri sd iction
onr th r lan d in w hich th e c l aim[s) or
prujc.:ct area is lo ca ted. Prior to
cond uc tin g ad dition a l operations under
11 ht1bse quent notice, th e operator shall
h a 1·e completed re el a ma ti on of
operat ions wh ich were conducted un der
any previous no ti ce. Notifi cation of s uc h
Hc tiviti es , by th e operator, s h a ll be made
u t leas t 15 ca l endar days b e fore
commencing opera !ion s und e r thi s
subpart Ly a w ritt en notice or lctl er.
(b) Approva l of a· noti ce, by the
nu thorl ze d officer, ff not required.
Cons ult ation w ith the authori zed officer
may b e requ ired under§ 3009.1-3(c)(3)
of thi s sec ti on when the cons truction of
nccess routes arc invo lved. · '
{c) The no ti ce or l et ter .sh a ll In c lude :
may be required t o cons ul t \·vith the
authorize d officer concern ing th e most
appropriate locntio n of the access ro ut e
prior t o commenc ing opera ti ons;
(4) A statement tho ! re cl nmation of nil
areas dis t urbed will be compl e ted to the
standrird described in§ 3809.1-3[d) of
thi s section and that r easo nable
rn ens ur es w ill be taken t o prevent
unn ecessa ry or undue dr.g rndation of th e
federal land s during operations.
(d) Tnc following s t a ndard s govern
n c tivities conducted und er a noti ce:
(1) Access routes sha ll be p lanned for
only th e minimum wid th n ee d ed for
operations and sha ll follow natural
con lciu rs, where prac tic a ble to m ini m ize :
c ut and fill. · '
(2) All ta ilin gs , durnpa, de l eterious
materials or subst a nc es, a·nd oth er·
was te produced by th e operations sha ll
be dispo se d of so as to prevent '
unnecessary or un d ue degrada tion and
in accordance w ith appli cable Federal
. and State Laws. · -· . -, ·
(3) At th e earliest feasible time, th e ·
operator s hall reclaim the a rea
di s turb e d, excep t to the extent
n ecess ary to preserve e vidence of
minera li za tion, by ta k ing reasonable
m eas ures to prevent or control on -s it e
and off-site damage of th e federa l lands.,
(4) Rec la mafion sha ll in cl ud e, b ut
s hall no t be limit ed to:
(i) Saving of topsoil for final
applica lion after r es haping of disturbed
. areas have been comp le ted; -
(ii) Measures to control erosion,
landslid e s , and water runoff;,' ..
-'
(c) Opera tions condu c te d p11rsunnl to
th is sul.J p a rl arc subject to monitoring by
!h e nu th orized officer to ensure that
operators nre conducting opcrnlions in a
mann e r w hi ch w ill not cause
unnec r.ss ary or undue degrndn tion.
[f) F n ilu re of the operalor lo comp lete
rec l nmn li on lo th e st a rid 0r d s d escrib e d
in this s ubp a rt may cau se the opera tor
lo be sub ject to n notice of
noncomplinnce as d escribed in § 3809.3-
2 of tl1i s Part.
§ 3809.1-4 Plan of operatlons --when
required.
-Ari npprov e d p lan of opera tions is '
requ ired prior t o comm e ncing: ·
(a ) Operations w hi c h exceed the
dis t u rbance level [5 acres) described in
§ 3809 .1-3 of this Part.
[b ) Any operation, except casual use;
in the fol lowi<ig designated ar e ns:.
(1) Ca lifo rnia Des ert Con ser\'ation
Arca; -·
(2) Arens des ignated for pol cn tiul
addi tion lo . or nn ac t ual componen t of
the na ti ona l wi ld and sceni c r ivers
~ system,
(3) Des ignated Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern; ·
(4) Areas designated as part of the
Na ti on a l Wilderness Prcserva ti on
System an d admini stered by lhe Bureau
of Lund Manngcment;
(5) Areas.withdrawn from operation
of the mining faws in wh ich va lid _
exi s tin g rights are being exercised; and
{6) Areas desi gna led as "closed" or
"limite d" to off-road ve hicl e use as
defined in s ubp a rt 834D of this title ~ ...._ ' ·
§ 3809.1-5 Flllng· a nd contents of plan of
operations. ·
[a) A plan of operations mus t be filed
in the District Office of the Bureau of
Land Manage ment ha ving jurisdiction
over the federal lancl s in which th e
claim(s) or prof eel area is lo ca led. · .
[b ) No specia l form Is r e quire d for .
fi ling a plan. -· ·
(c) The plan shall include:
(1) The name and mai lfo g Address of
the opera t or (an d clafrnan t if no t the
opera t or): Any change of opera tor or
change in th e mai li ng address s h oll b e '
'
. t
70 0 12 Fudml Reg;<te< / V.5. No. 23 ~'::".:~'.':1.".!'.:..!:'.:~~~ Rulu ~;~~io'.'.'.'.'.n'.'.'.'.'.s~~~
prom ptly rt,ported to th e authori ze d
office r;
[2 ) A rnap, prrfernbly a lo po grcip h ic
nii1 p, or s\._et c h s ho w ing existing rrnd/or
p1opos t!d 1ou t cs of access, a ir cra ft
I.1nding a re as , or other rnenns of access ,
;,nd size of each areil whe re s urfac e
r!i ot urliance will occur;
[3) W hen npplicabl e , the n ;ime of the
min ing c la irn(s ) and ln inin g cl aim seria l
numbers assigned to th e mining c l<Jim(s)
rrcorded pu1 .s u!in t t o s ubpart 3il33 of
this title.
[4) l nform;:i ti on sufficien t to de scribe
or idl'1 itify the type o f opcrn ti ons
p 1 o p ose d, how they w ill b e conduc t ed
;,nd th e period dur ing which the
prup use d ;:icti\'ity will take place;
[5) l\le;isures t o be tn\._en to preven t ,
u11 11 1•cess;1ry or undue degradation nnd
m1•;1sures lo recluirn di s :urb ed aref.IS
re s ul ting froJT. the p1oposed ope r a li o ns,
including th e s lnnda r ds li s t e d in
§ :JW9.1 -3(d ) of thi s Part. Where 11n
opcr;i tor advises th e aut h o ri zed officer
1h;t1 hc/5he docs not ha ve th e necessary
l1·c hnical r esources to develop such
1111·<1~u1es th e ;111th orizcd offi cer w ill
<:s~i~t the o µera tor in deve l oping such
1;1c·asu1Ts. If a n opera tor subm it s
r cclf.lma l ion meas u res, th e uutho i·ize d
officer wil l ensCre th a t th e operutor's
pl ;i n is su ffici ent to prevent unne cessary
or u nd u e dl'grod;i tion. A ll r e cl a ma t ion
measures dev e lope d by th e operntor, or
by th e au thori ze d officer in con junction
1-.·i1h the opera tor. sha ll becom e a pa rt of
the· p\;i n of opern li o n s. ·
[fi) ~fr;1sur1.:s lo b e tn hn durin g
n,t endr~<l periods of nonopernlion to
maint a in the area in u sa fe a nd c l ea n
rn;1nner and to recl;iim th e l and lo avo id
erobion ond other adverse impacts. If
not filed a t th e ti me of plan submittal,
this info rma tio'h sha ll be flled w ith the
authorized officer whenever the
ope1 a lor 1rnt ic ipates u period of .
non opera I ion:
§ 3809.1-6 Plan approvaL
(o) A proposed plan of operations
bii<ill lie submit t e d to the au thorized
offic e r , who shall promptly acknow ledge
receipt thereof to the operator. The
authorized officer sh;:ill , wl th in 30 days
of such receipt, nnalyze the propo s al in
the contex t of the requ irement to
prevent unnecessary or undue -
degrudf.llion and provide for rea so nable
reclamation, and shall not ify the ·
opera tor: .-.
(1) That the p l an is approved; or _
(2) Of any-cha nges in or additions to
the plan necessary to meet th e
requi rements of th ese regulationi;; or
(3) That th e plan is being reviewed.
but th at a s pecified amow1l of lime, not
lo e xceed an additional BO days, is · ·
necessary to. comple te th e r.eview,
_.I .,. .. -:~• .. .-o.-... .,...,..,_, , .. t -
set li ng forth the circumstances w hich
jus tify n <l d i tional tim e for review.
I l ow ev er, days d11r in g w hi c h th e a ren of
opera ti ons is in access il.Jlc for in sp ec ti on
s ha ll no t b e coun t ed when co rnp11ting
th e GO day p eriod ; or
(4 ) T l1at the plan cnnnot be Rppro\·ed
unt il 30 <la y s ;:iftc;r a fin al emironmenl o l
s ta te ment has bt·cn p repnrcd and filed
wi th th e Environmc:ntal Pruleclion
Agency; or
[5 ) Tha t the p l an can not b e npproved
unt il th e authorized offi cer has compli e d
w ith sec tio n 106 of th e N at iona l I fistoric
Preservation Act or sec tion 7 of th e
Endangered Species Act.
(b) The aut h o ri zed officer s h a ll
consult wi th th e u ppropriatc official of
the bureflu or agency having su rf;ice
ma nngemcnt respo n sib ili I ies w h e re such
respon s ibilit y is no t exe r cised by th e
Durenu of Land Mnnagemenl. Pr ior to
plan np pro vnl th e author ized officer
shill ! obtain the concurrence of such
appropria t e officinl to the t erms and
cond ition s thnt muy be nee d ed to
pre,·e nt unn ecessary an d undu e
dC'gr uda ti on.
(c) The nuthor ize d office r s h nl l
11 n dcr t a~e an ap proprint e level of
cultura l re source in ven t ory of the area
to be disturb ed. TI1e inv e ntory s h a ll be
comp le t ed within th e ti me nl lowed by
these regulati o ns for approva l of th e
p l un (30 clays ). The opera t or is not ·
requ ired t o do the in ven tory bu t may
hire an a rcha e ologi s t approved by the
Durcau of Ln nd Manageme nt in .order l o
c omple t e the in ven t ory more
exped itiou s ly . ·n1e r espo nsibility for nn<l
cos t of s;:i lv age o f cu ltura l reso ur ces
di scovered during th e inventory shall be
th e Federal Governmen t's. The
responsibility o f av oiding adverse
impacts on tho'se c ult ura l resources , .
discovered during th e inven tory shall be
the o pera to r's. .
(d) Pending flnal approva l of the plan.
the authorized officer sha ll approve any
opera ti ons that may b e necessary for
timely compliance with requ iremen ts of
Federal and Sfo te l aws, Bulijecl to any
·terms and conditions .that may be
needed lo prevent unnece ssary or undue .
degradati on. ·
[e) In the event of a change .of _
opera t ors involving an approved plan of
operations, th e new opera to r shall
sa ti sfy the requiremen t s of § 3809.1-9 of
this Part as it re l a t es to bonding ..
approved by the au thorized officer in
th e some manner as Lhe initial plan.
[c )(1) If. whrn requested to do so by
the uulhori ze d officer, th e opera to r docs
not furni s h a propo s ed modifica ti on
within a reilsonnb l e ti m e . u s u<Jlly 30
days , the authorized officer may .
recomm e nd to th e State Direc t or that the
operutu r be r equ ir ed to sutim it a
proposed modification .of the plan . TI1e
recommendation of th e authorized
officer s liall b e accompanied by a
sl<itement se tti ng forth the fact s and t.h e
rens ons for lhe r ecommenda tions.
(2) In a c lin g upon such
recommenda tion s th e S t a le Director
shn ll de term in e, within 30 dnys,
whether:
(i) All reasonabl e measures we re
t nken by th e authorized offi cer at the
li me th e plan was approve d t o ensure
tha t th e proposed o pe rations wo uld not
ca u se unn ecessary or undue degrada lion
of the federnl land;
(ii) TI1e d is turb ance from th e ·
opera tions of th e pl a n as approved or
from unforeseen circ ums tances isor
may. b eco me of such significance that
modification of the plan i s ess e ntial in
order to prevent unneces s ary or undue
degradation; and _
(iii) The d isturbance can be minimized
using reas o nab l e means.
(3) Once th e matter has been sent lo
the State Director, an operator is no.l
required lo subm i t a proposed
mod ifi cation of an approved plan until a
determination is m a de by th e S t a te
Director. W11ere th e Sta t e Dire c to r
deierrnines Lh<J t o plan shnll b e
modified, th e opera tor s hnll timely _
s ub mi t u modifled p lan lo the authorized
officer for rev iew and app roval.
(4) O pera li ons may continue in
accordance wi th the approved p l an until
a' modified plan is approved, unle ss the ,
S t a l e Director determines tha l Lhe ·
opera lions are causing unnecessary or ,, .
undue degradation to Lhe land. The Stale
Director shall advise the operator of
those reasonabl e measures needed to·
avoid such degradation and the operator "
shall immedia t ely t ale a ll n~cessary
s t eps to implement those measures
w ithin a reasonabl e period establi shed
by U1e S tate Director. '.• ·
§ 3809, 1-8 E~l ~tlng operatlo_n~
(a) Persons conducting opera lio ns on
§ 38 0 9.1-7 Modification or p fan.
(a ) At any time during operations
under on approved plan, th e operator on
his /her own initi ati ve may modify th e
plan or th e au th orized officer may .:
req u est the operator to do so.
th e effective dale of th ese regula tions, ..
'·: : who would h e required to s ubmit a
noti ce under § 3809,1-3 or a plan of ....
operations tinder § 3809.1-4 of this Part .:
may continue· opera li ons but shall, ,,, .,
(b) A signific;:int modifica tion of an ·
approved p _lan must. be reviewed and
w ithin: ~ · ·
(1) 30 days s ubinit a notice with
required information outlined in .
§ 3a00.1-3 of lhLs Part for opera ti o m .· :.: . .. . . ''· . . . 1 ·
,,'• .. ' .
--" Federal J~egistcr I Vol. 45 . No. 23 0 I Wednesday. NO \'f'.rnbcr 26 , rnn o I Rul e s a nd Rc g ulolioris 713913
w hr 're 5 ac res o r l ess wi ll b e di s tu rlied
during a ca l e ndar year; or
(2) 120 cl o y s su bmit a pl un in th o9e
nreas irl e n tificd in § 3fl09 .1--4 of this
Port. U pon a s h ow in g of good cause. the
«u lh or ized o ffi ce r nrny grant ::rn
extension of tim e . no t to-excee d an
:iddilionnl HlO d ays . t o s ub m it a plirn.
(b) Opcrntions muy continue
accord ing to th~ subm itt ed p l an during
its n ·\·iew. If the au th or ized officer
drtrrmincs th at oper<.J\i ons :ire c;ius in g
unnccr·ss:,ry or undue dcgrcidation of th e
fr ~dcrnl land s i nvo lved. the ciuthor izcd
offir:r.r shn ll advise th e opera tor of tho se
re:1~onalJle measures needed to avoid
such dt>grodat ion , and the op e rator s h a ll
t:i\..c a ll nece ssary steps to i mp l eme nt '
tho ~e mensures within a reasonable
l imr recommended by th e a uthori ze d
officer. During th e period of an appea l. if
;11 1y , operations may con tinu e without
< hangr. sub jec t to o th er applicab l e
!'edual anJ Sl;il c laws .
(c) Upon nppro val of a p l a n b y the
:~u l h or ized officer, opcrnt ions sha ll b e
CCJllriucted in accordance w ith the
«J1pronil pl<rn. ·
~ 3809 .1-9 Bo ndin g r eq ui remen t s.
{o) No \JOnd s hall b e requi red for
opern lion s th a t cons tit ute cas u a l u se
( § '.lBfJ(l .1 -2 ) or th a t arc condu c ted und er
n notice(§ 3809 .1 -3 o f this Part).
[li ) A ny opcrn tor who conduc ts
upC'rations u nder a n op p rovc d p l a n of
oper;1t io ns as de sc ribed in§ 3509.1-5 of
thi n l\1 rt m ny , o t th e di scre ti on o f th e
uu lh o r ized officer, Le requ ire d to fu rn ish
u bond in an 11moun t sp.eci fi ed by th e
;,1Ithorizcd officer. The a uthori zed
officer may de termine not to require a
b o nd in ci1 cu mstances where opera lions
\\'Ould cnuse only•minimal disturbance
to the lilnd. In determining th e am ount
of the bond, th e authorized officer shall
consider th e estimated cost of
reosonu\Jle sta bilizati on and
coverin g s tat ew ide o r natiom·;ide
opera ti o n s mily b e fu rnUihcd ;1l the
option of th e op e ra tor , if the \1 'rrns und
c on d i ti ons, as d e tc rmi nf'd by th e
aut h orized officer, are sufficien t lo
comp ly \\·i th the se rrgula t ions.
(c ) In th e eve nt th a t an app10\·ed p l an
i s modified in accordnncc wi th § 3fl09.1-
7 of this Pa rt, th e nutho rize d officer sha ll
review the init!nl bond for <idcquacy
and . if necessary, ;id just the nmoun t of
th e bond to conform to the pl:rn us
mod ifi e d .
(f) When a ll or nny po r ti on of the
rec ln mn l io n h as been completed in
nccor dance with th e approved pl;rn , the
op c r<ltor may notify tl1e author ized
officer th at such rcclnmation has
occ u rred nnd that she/he s c,ek s a
reduc ti on in b ond or Dme;iu npprov;i l of
the ndec]lrncy of th e rcc loma tion, or
both. Upo n any s u ch notifica ti on, th e
a uth orize d officer sh all promp11y inspect
th e reclaimed area w it h th e opera tor. ·
The au tho r ized officer sha ll th e n notify
th e op era tor, in wri tin g. whe th er the
r ecl a mati on is acceptabl e . \'\'hen the
a uthor iz ed officer h as accep ted as '
complet e d any portion of th e
r ec l ama tio n , th e authorize d offi ce r shall
aut h o ri ze th a t th e bond b e reduced
proporti o n ally to cover the rema ini ng
reclnmCltion to be acco mpli s h e d .
· (g) \\Then a m ini ng cl a im i s paten ted,
th e au thorized officer s h a ll r e lease th e
operator from th nt po rti o n of th e ·
pcrformn n ce bond w hi ch app ll es to
o p era ti on s w ithin th e bound aries of th e
pa te nt ed l a nd. The a utho rized offi cer
sha ll release th e op era to r from th e
rema in der of the perfonnance bond,
Including the portion covering approved
means of access outside the boundaries
of the m ining c_l a im, w h en th e opern tor
has compl eted a_cceptable reclamat ion.
However, existing access to patented
mining claims, if across Federal lands
sha ll continue to be regul ated under the
approved plan. The provisions of th is
rcclumation of ureas disturbed: In lieu of
the ' submission of a separate bond, th e
authorizPd officer may accept evidence
of un existing bond pursuant to State
law or regulutions for the same area
covered by the plan of operations, upon
ll determination that the coverage would
Le equivHlent to that provided in this
section.
· subsection do not apply to patents
issued on mining claims within the ·
boundaries of the Clilifornia Desert· ..
Conservation Area (See § 3809.6 of this
(c) In lieu of a bond, the operator may
dPposit nnd maintain in a Federal
dqios it ory account of the Unit ed S tut es
Treasury, as directed by th e a uthori zed -
officer, cash in an ifmou nt eq u a l to the .
required dol!Hr amo unt of the bond or
negotiable securities of the Unit ed
S ta tes huving a marke t vu lu e a t th e tim e
of deposit of not l ess th un th e required
do ll ar am ount of th e bond.
( d ) In p l ace of the Indi v id ua l b o nd on
e uch separa te opera ti on, a blanket bond
Part): ·
§ 3809.2 Prevention of unnecessary or '
.undue degradation.
§ 3809.2-~ Envtronm ental assessment
(a ) W1lcn an opera t ~r flies a plan .o f · ·
operations or a s ignificant modification
w hich enco mpasses land not previously
covered by an ap proved p l an, th e
au th orize d officer s h a ll m a ke an
e nv ironrnen tal a ssessmen t or a
s uppl e ment therc,to to ide ntify the
impact s of the proposed operations o n ...
th e l ands and to d e t e rmine w h e th e-r an
en vir onmen tal i mpact sta temen t is
r e quire d .
(b ) In con ju nc ti on w ith th e o pera to r,
the au th orize d officer s hall u se th e
e nvrio n men ta l assessm e n t to detcrri1ine
th e adequacy oJ miti ga tin g measures
'and recl ama ti on procedures in clud ed in
th e p l an fo in s ur e th e pr eve ntion of
unnecessnry or undue d eg radat ion of th e
land. If an ope ra tor advi,es th e
au th orize d officer th a t he/s h e is un ab l e
to prepnre mit iga tin g mc;1sures , th e
a uthori zed officer, in conjunc tion wi th
th e opera tor, sha ll u se the
environmen tal assessme nt as a b asis for
ass isting th e opera tor i n developing such
measures.
(c) If, as a resu lt of th e environmental
assessmen t, the au th orized offi cer
de termi ne s th at th ere i s "su bstan tia l
pu\Jlic int eres t" in th e plan, the
a uth ori zed office r s h a ll not ify th e .
ope rnt or , in writing. that ;rn a dditi ona l
period of time, not to exceed the·
add iti ona l GO days provided fo r approval
of a plan is § 3809.1-6 (a ) of thi s part, is
req ui red to consider publi c comment s on
th e environmen t a l assessmen t.
§ 38 09.2-2 Oth er req ulr emen t s f or
environm ental protec t i on.
A ll opera tions , in cludi ng casua l use
nn d ope rations un der eith er a noti c e
(§ 3809.1 -3) or a p l an of opcrn li ons
( § 3fl09 .1 -4 of thi s Part), s h a 11 be
conduc ted to preven t unnecessary or
11ndue dr.gradal ion of the federa l la nds
and sha ll comp ly w i th a ll perti nen \
Fe d era l nnd S ta te l aws, inclu ding but ·
not limited to th e fo ll owing: ·
. (a ) Air Quality. A ll op era tors sha ll --
comply wi l9 app li cnbl e Federa l and
Stole nir quality s tandards, including th e
Cl ean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 1857 et seq.).
(b) Waler QuaJity. A ll operators s hall
comply with applic abl e Federal a n d ·
State :water quality standards, including
t11e Federal Water Polluti on Control Act.
as amended (30 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.). -
(c) Solid Wast~. A ll operators shall
comply with applicabl e Feder_al and
State s tandards for the disposal and ·
trea tment of solid was tes, including .
regul a tions issued p ursu ant to the Solid
Was te Disposal Act as amended by the
Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.). All garbage: .
refu se or was te s hall neith er be removed
from th e affected lands or disposed of or
treated to minimize, so far as is · ·
practicable, it s impa ct on th e l ands.
· (d) Fisheries, Wildlife and Pl ant·
Ha bitat. The opera tor s hall t ake such
action as m ay be n eeded to preven t ·
advers e imp acts to threa tened or
endangered species , and their h a bitat
w hich may be affected by opera lion s.
(e ) C11lturol andPaleontolog ica! , ·
· Resources. (1) Operators sha ll n ot
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78014 Federal Register / Vo l. 45, N o . 230 / Wcd11esd ;1y, Novem b er 2G , 1980 / Rules and Regu l at ions
~~---· ,,,.__~~:'.'::~:=:'.~~~~~~-"'.:".':'.=~· .. ":'_'---~------·-____ ---_:..i..~~~~----------~
1-.nowingly dis turb, a lt er , in jur e, or
d";\1uy any scien tifi ca ll y imporlan\
pal1 ·onlol ogicil l remains or ;my
historical ur 3rchac o log ir:a l s i\c ,
;\rucl u re , u 11ild:ng or o lJjec l on fed e ral
lands.
[2 ) Opera \ors 5ha ll i111rnr:dia lcly br ing
lo \ht; all e ntinn of the au th orized office r
;111y cull urn l and/or pa l eon lo l ogica l
re ;ou 1cc; th a t mrgh t Le a lt ere d or
dc·stroycd on federal l ands Ly his/hc:r
UJH 'r<Jtion s , ;111d shal l leav e such
di ;co ,·cry i1J\a c t until t old to pro cee d by
the· iiulhuri~cd officer. The <Juthorizcd
offici:r sh;d J C\'<Jiunte the discoveries
J,rnu ght t o his/her attentio n, take action
lo prolr~cl ur remove the resource, and
idlow U)J<!rnl ions lo proceed w i thin 10
,.,·ur king days.
(3) Tlll! Fe deral Go\'ernmen t shn ll
h;,,·e \he rPsponsibility and bear_ the cost
of in,·1·s tigations and sillv;ige of culturil l
,, nd p~ Icon lo logy values discovered
nfle r a pl:1n of operolions has bcc:n
"i')'lo1·erl . or where a plan is not
im·o h ·cd.
[f) l'tUIL·clion of sun·cy monuments.
To tlie c.:xten t prac t icable, oll ope r ators
sho ll p1otect all survey mo n umen t s,
witness corners , reference monumr.nts,
\Jl'ar i11g ln!es and lin e tr ees ag~ins t
t111nC'ccssary or undt1e des lruclion,
ob l iler<J lion or d am<Jge. If, in th e course
of np1 ·rati ons . ilny monuments , corners,
or ;1 cc1•ssories nrc d es t royvd , oblil cra t cd
or tfom;ig cd by s1H.h opcralions , the
<J)J!!r .ilur ~h,i ll imnw dia!cly report lh e
11;a tl!!r t o the au thori zed officer. Tl 1e
authorized officer s hnll prescribe, in
\\'riling. the requirements for Lh e
r c~t o r;.t i on or reestabli sh ment of
mo numents, corners, benring and line . ~
tre es.
§ 3809.3 General provisions.
~ 3e::l9.3-1 Applic<Jbllity of State la w.
(a ) Nothing in this part shall be
cum tru ed to effec t a preemption of Stale
laws and r egu lations relating to the
co ndu c t of operations 'or reclamation on
ft:dernl l a nds under the mining law&.
(b] After the publication date of th ese
reg ul .itions the Direc tor, Bureau of Land
Ma n;i gemcnt. shall conduct a review of
St<J le law s and regulations in e ffect or
due to come into effect, re l a ti ng lo ·'
unnecessary or undue degradation of _
lands disturbed by exploration for, or
mining of. minerals local'!ble under the
mining laws. • • .
[cJ The Director may cons u lt w ith
uppropriate representatives of each
Stale to formulate and en ter into
ag reemen t s lo provide for a joint
Fede r a l -Sta l e program for
administration and enforcement. The
purpose of such agree men ls is lo
· pre vent unnecessary or undue
degradation of th e f cdcr;i l l ;rn ds from
operations whir:h arc conduc t ed under
th e mining laws, to preven t unn ecessary
adrn inistra l ive Jcl ay ;111d t o ilYoid
dup l ica tion of ;idminis l ralion and
en forcemen t of l ilws. Such .a g r ccrnen ls
may, whenever poss ible, pro\'idc for
S t a le <1dmin is lrat ion ;rnd enforcement of
such progrnms.
§ 3809.3-2 Noncompliance.
(a) Failure of an operntor t o filr! a
noti c e unclcr ~ 3809.1 -3 of th is Jl;1rl or a
pbn of operations under§ 380D.1-4 of
this Part \\'ill s:;bjcc t the operator, at the
discrelion of the nuthorized officer. lo
bein g served a noti ce of non -co 1n pli;ince
or enjoined from th e continuation of
such opt:ra l ions Ly a court order until
such time as a r.olice or plan is filed
wi th the ;JUthorized officer. The operator
sl1all also be responsible to re c l n im
opcrnlions conduclcd wi th ou t an
appro\'Cd phm of opera lions or p rior lo
the filing of a required n o ti ce.
(b ) F ni lurc to recl<Jim nrcas di s tmbed
by op<!ration s under § 3fl09 .1 -3 of !h i s
Part is a v i o la t i pn of_lhese regulat io ns.
(1) W h e r e nn operator is co nd uct ing
operu li ons covered b y 3809.1-3 (n o ti ce)
of thi s titl e a nd fails to comply wi th the
pro vis ions of th a t sect ion or prop e rl y
conduct r ecl a mat ion according to
stand a r d s se t forth in 3809.1-3[d ) of thi s
titl e, o notice of non co mpliance s hall be _
ser ved by delivery in per son to th e
opr.ra lor or hi s /h er a uthori ze d agF!nt, o r
Ly ccr t ifi(~d nrn il uddr esRcd lo h is /her
address of record.
(2) Operators cond u cting opera Lion s
under an approved plan of operations
who fails to follow Lh e approved plan of
ope.rations may be sub je ct to a notice of
noncompliance. A notice of
noncompliance shall be served in the ·
s ame manner us described in § 3809.3-·
2(b)(1) above. -. ,
(c) Al_I operators who conduct
opcrn lions under a notice pursuant to
§ 3809.1-3 and a plan pursuant lo
§ 3009.1 -4 of this Part on federal lands
without taking the actions specified in a
notice of noncomplianee within the tim e
specified there in may be enjoined by an
appropria le court order from· continuing
such operations and be liable for
d a rnai;:es for such unlawful acts.
(d) A notice of noncompliance shall
'specify in what respects the -operator is
fai li ng or has foiled to comply with the
requirements of applicabl e regu l ations,
and s h all specify the ac tions which are
in viola ti on of the reg u l a tion s and the -·
ac ti ons wh ic h sha ll be taken to correct
the n o ncom p lian ce and th e t i~1 c , no t to
exceed 30 day s, wi thin w hi c h corrective
ac tion s hall b e s ta r t ed.
(e) Failure of an opera t o.r to take
necessary actions on a notiCe o f ·
. .
noncompliance , may co ns tit ut e
ju s tifi ca t ion for requirin g th e submis s ion
of a p l an o f opera lio ns u nder § 3fl09.1-s
o f this P art, and ma nd;itory bonding for
subseq u e nt operations w hi c h would
o therw ise be conduc t ed pursuant to a
notice under§ 3009 .1 -3 of this Part. I .
§ 3809.3-3 Access.
(a) An opera t or is en titled lo access lo
his opera lions consis t ent wi lli
provisions of th e min ing laws.
[b) \A.i'here a notice or a pliln of
operations is required , it sha ll specify
ihc l ocnt ion of occess routes for
opcr;itions and other conditions
nccess<Jry to prevent unnecessary or
undue degradiltion. The au thori zed
officer may require th e o perato r to use
exist in g r oads to minimize the number
of access routes, an d, if pr;ictic;ib]e , lo
construe \ <!ccr.ss roR<ls with in a
designuted t ransportation or utility
corridor. When commercial hauling is
invo l ved and the use of 1111 existing road
i s required, th e authorized officer may
requi r e the operator to mcikc upp ro pri a t e
arrangemen t s for u se an d maintenance.
§ 3809.3-4 Fir e prevention and co ntrol.
Th e op e r a to r sha ll comply wi th all
ap plica bl e F edera l and Sta le fi re la ws
and regulations , and s h a ll t nke all
rcnsona b l e measures t o preven t and
suppress fires in th e area of operations>
§ 2809 .3 -5 Ma int ena n ce a nd publi c safety.
Durin g a ll opera lion s , the opera t or
s h all mai nt a in hi s struc tu res , equipment,
and o ther faci l ities in a snfe and orderly
·manner. Hazardous s it es or cond itions
resulting from opera lion s shall be . _
marked by s igns, fenced, or otherwise
identi fied lo a l ert th e p u blic in ,
accordance with app li ca bl e Federal and
Stale la ws and regulations . ,-
§ 3809.3~ · Inspection.
The a~thorized officer may
periodically inspect operations to .
determine. if the operator is complying
with these· regulation!!'. The 'operator
shall permit the authorized _9fficer
_access for _this purpose.
§ 3909.3-7 Periods of non -operatl~n..
All opera tors shall maintnin the site;-
struclures and other facilities of the
operations in a safe and clean condition
during any non-operating peri,ods. All
opera tors may be required.. after an
ex t ended period of non -operation for
oth er th a n season a l opera lions, to
re move a ll struct ures, eq.uipment and
other faci li ties and .reclaim the s il e of
ope ra tions, unles s he/sh e receives
permission, in ·writing. from th e
autljori7..ed officer to do otherwise.
·,.
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/
Fcdern l R e g ister / Vol. 45 , No . 230 / W e dn esda y , November 2G , 1880 / R ul es a nd Regul a ti ons 78915
w:w:an.w -:aw~ 'W'2.G!C'::.~~~'"'w""="-------.,_......,_, __ ..;;._..__._ ___ ;. § 3809.4 Ap pea ls.
r) lj
[n) Any operator ad \'er sely affec t ed
by o de c is ion of th e o u thori ze d officer
mudc pursuan t l o th e prov i sio ns of thi s
s 11b p;:ir ! sha ll h ave a ri g ht of appc<J ] t o
the S tale Direc tor, and th erea ft er to th e
Bo ard of Land App eal s , Offi ce of
Heari n gs and Appea l s, pursua nt l o Part
4 of thi s t itl e , i f th e S ta t e D irec tor's
decision is adv:rse lo th e appe ll ant.
(b) No appea1 sha ll be con sidered
un less it is filed, in writi ng, in th e office
o f th e authori zed officer w h o made th e
decision from which an appeal is being
takc:n , w it h in 30 d ays after the date of
the decision . A deci s i on of the
authorized officer from wh i c h an appea l
i s tnken to the Sta te Direc t or shall be
effec ti ve during the pcndency of an
Bppc!fl l. A req uest for a stay may
;1crnmpilny the appea l.
(c) Th e appea l to tl1e Stale Director
r.h1 dl contain:
(1) The name and mailing address of
the ;!pprl l an t ~
(2) When ilpp li cable, th e -name of th e
mining cl:i im(s)-and seria l numb er(s)
11ssigned to the mini n g c l aims r ecorded ·
pursuan t to s ubpart 3833 o f this titl e
w hi ch nre su bject to the appea l.
(3) A sta temen t of th e rea sons for th e
appenl and any argumen t s th e appe ll ;rnt
wis h Ps l o present w hich would ju s ti fy
reversal or mod ifi ca ti on of th e d eci s ion.
(dJ The S tnt e Director s lrnll pro mp tl y
render a decis io n on the appea l. The
d ecis i on shn ll be in writin g and sha ll se t
forth the rensons for the dec i sion. Th e ·
dc(;ision shall be sen t to the nppc ll nnt
by certifi ed mail, return receipt
requested. .
(e) Tiie decision of the State Director,
when adverse to th e appellant, may be
11ppealed to th e 13oa~d of Land Appenls,
Office of Hearings and Appeals, · .
pursuant to Part 4 of this title: ·
(f) Any party, other th 11n the operator,
1Jggrieved by a decision of the .
irnthoriz ed officer shall utilize the
u ppm l s procedures in Part 4 of this titfo.
The filing of such an appeal shall not
s top the authorized officer's decision.
from being effective. • ·
(g) Neither the decision of the .. . .
authori zed officer nor the State Director
s hall be construed as final ogency ac ti on -.
for th e purpose of judicial review of that
deci s ion ..
fl 3809.5 Public ava il ability ot Information.
(11 ) Informat ion and dato submitted
und specifi cally idenioifi ed by the -·
operator as conta in ing trade secrets or
confiden tial or privileged commercial or
financial information s h a ll riot b e .
avai lable for public examina ti on. Other
inform o ti on and data submi tt e d by th e
opern to r sha ll b e availoble for ..
examin a tion b y the public at the office -
\-
' /
o f th e authori ze d officer in ac c ordance
w ith th e pr~\'i s ion s o f the Freed om of
Informa ti on Act.
(bJ TI1e determ i nat ion concrrning
spec ific i nforma t i o n w hich m a y b e
w ithh e ld from pub li c exii mina t ion s h a ll
be m a d e in accordance w it h th e rules in
43 CFR P art 2.
§ 38 09.6 Specla l provisions re lat in g to
m in ing c laims patented within the
boundaries of the Ca l iforni a Desert
Conservation Area.
In accord<rncc with sec tion GDl(fJ of
the Fede r a l Lnnd Policy and
Managemen t Ac l of October 21. 1976, all
pa tents issued on m ining c laim s lo cated
wi th iii the bo u ndaries of the Cn li fornia
Dc:sert Conserv;ition /\rcn after the
cnilc l ment of th e ferlcrn ) La nd Policy
and Ma n agement Ac t shall b e s ubj ec t to
the reg ul at i ons in this pnrt , inr.luding th e
con!inua li on of a plan of operat ions ;ind
of bonding w ith rc~pect to th e la nd
cove r e d b y th e pa tent.
/FR Doc. OO-J&1Y7 Fill'd 11-'.!~-M, ll 45 um J
DIL LI NG CODE 4310-54-M
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ALLEN A. SCH A EFER
ATTORN E Y A T LAW
3 90 0 MORRISON R O AD
D E NV ER , COLORADO 802 19
PHONE g34 -1131 P ·
I
Board of County Comm issioners
Garfield County
Courthouse
Glenwood Springs, Colo ra do
March 29, 1982
81601
Re:
)_
Special Use Permit
Colora do Lien Company
He aring Apr il 5, 1982
As per the sugges tion in t he notice I re ce i v e d ab ou t t he above
matter, I am en closing wr itten ob jection s to the application. I
think that it is obv ious to anyone that is fa mil iar w ith t he lo -
cality where the pe r mit is re quested, tha t t he proposed operation
with its noise, dust, traffic and landscape wounds and scars is
objectionab le to the poin t of being repulsive to those in the area.
Please consider the obje cti ons I have made, inve stigat e the
same and deny the applic ation.
AAS/ko
Enclosure
CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN >RECEIPT REQUES TED
Very truly yori:s-,
( .. 1;{: : <-/f > ·1)~L~-i
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Allen A. Schaefer ;
Mr. Robert Sca rrow, Glenwood S p rings , Colora do, who o wns a
size able amount of proper ty in the area of t he application, is
authorized to represent me at the hearing of this matter i n my
ubsence.
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13oJrd of County Commissioners
Garfield County, Colorado
Courthouse
Glenwood Springs, Colorado 81G01
Re: Special Use Permit
Colorado Lien Company
April 5, 1 982 hearing
I received a notice of a public hea rin g on the application
of the Colorado Lien Company for a special use permit to extract
and min e limestone on properties bordering or near properties which
I own. I own the properties described in "Exhibit A" attached
hereto . You can readily see closeness of the proposed operation
to the approximately 2600 acres.
I obje ct to the issuance of the permit and express my views
for such objection as suggested in the notice as follows:
1. I own s izeable p roperties next to or close to the property
described in the application and such an operation will substan -
tially affect my property and will devalue my property greatly
as to p(esent and future values. .
2. My property, as well as other property in the area, has
natural vegetation, is a natural habitat for game and wildlife,
and is na turally beautiful. GaDe, wildlife and natural beauty
arc abundan t. The pro posed operation will interfere with and dam -
age the same. No doubt it will upset, dam0ge and destroy ecological
and environmental quali ties off my properties as well as other
property in the area. Generally, the proposed operation will ad -
v ersely affect the entire area and thereby harm and dest roy . These
t hing s cannot be replaced or reinstated.
3. Such an operation certainly will fOllute and d a mage the
air and ground quality of tbe area including that of my property.
'l'llis will in turn have aq adverse effect on the present activi -
ties con~ucted in the area and on my property~
4. The traffic created by such an op erat ion no doubt will
have a very adve rs e ef fect on the surrounding properties. It will
destroy, damage or alienate much of the character of the area. No
doubt, it will destroy much of the value of a $100,000.00 lodge
and activity on my propert ies.
5. The contempla ted operation probably will affect the amount
and quality of water availab l e to the area.
6. An examination of the area north of Ft~ Collins, Colorado
where the applicant operates a similar facility will substantiate
my object ions, assert ions and conclusions even though that area
is no t blessed with the kind of environment, beauty, terrain and
conditions that exist in the requested permit area in Garfield
County.
7. You are urged to give full and due consideration as to
what wi ll happen to the natural beauty, the wildlife and the life
style of this area if the application is granted for this activity.
8. I respect ful ly request that this objection be considered,
be made a part of the record and that the special use permit be
denied the applicant.
This matter was considered in September, 1980 by you and I
am informed a similar application was denied.
Resp~ctfull,~ ~-miiAte ,
I I ' , /( C \ w / l\llen A. 'schae er ,.
15 Yarrow Street /
Lakewood, Colorado 80226
See addendum
-;I .~:.:-:
EXHIBIT 1\
a , ~:
The following prope rty loc ated in the County of Garfield,
State of Colorado is titled in the name of Allen A. Schaefer:
In Section 8: NE14 and s~
In Section 9: All
ln Section 10; All
In Section 16: N~ and Nl:iS~ and S!-2S 12
In Section 17: N~
together with all sp ri ngs, we lls , ditches, water ri ghts and ULM
grazing rights appu rtenant and belongi11g t hereto, all in Township
4 South, Range 92 Wes t , 6th P.M .
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To further my objection to the issuance of the special
use permit, w11ich, in ei'1'e ct, is a rezoning or a change in
zoning, ~ wi sh to state th e following:
1. When I purchased the described p roperty and improved the
same I relied on the existing zoning regulations then in effect.
As far as I have been able t " ascertain ther e has been no material
change in the character of the neighborhood or community that
requires a change or rezoning to serve the public interest. I
believe I had a legal right t '...:· so rely and have a right not
to have the zoning change except to serve an urgent public need.
2. As I re call, the same matter was oe fore the Board in
4
September. of 1980 and the sp ecial use permit was turned down by you.
Since that time there has been n o change in the neighborhood or
community that would require a cr1ange in the zoning status of
eny part of the ccmmunity o r a chan6e in the master plan •
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EX. -:S
Colorado-Ute E lectric Association, Inc .
Te le phone (303) 249-4501
Mr. Paul Haerr
Colorado Lein Company
Box 1961
Fort Co llins, Colorado
Dear Mr. Haerr:
P. 0. Bo x 1149
Montro se, Co lorado 814 0 2
80522
TWX 91 0 -929 -69 24
April 2, 1982
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Pursuant to my telephone conversations during\, "~~~k of
March 29th, with your Mr. Brownhill, thi s l etter stMes
Colorado-Ute's position relate d to the limestone s u pp l y for
Craig Station Units 1 and 2. You have our permi ssio n to pro-
vide this in formation to t h e Garfield County Commission at your
h ear ing'D n Monday, Apri l 5 , 1982.
Colorado-Ute is preparing a bid request for limesto n e t o
be supp li ed for Craig Stat i on Unit s 1 and 2. Our c u rren t con-
tract expires this summer. Th e b id s will be evalua t ed based
on the quality of the limestone and the delivered price at
Craig Station, Cra ig, Colorado.
Please contact me if you have any q u estions.
' ..
RLB:dn
cc: R. W. Bryant
D. W. Wagoner •
Very truly yours,
Robert L. B~rnard
Electrical Engineer
'' •f ·•,
BUHEA U OF LAND MANAGEMENT
EXTRACTION PLAN
,• .
EXTRA CTION PLAN
RIFLE QUARRY
COLORADO LIEN COMPANY
1 . Descrip{ion of location and area to be affec ted by operations:
Lot 7, Lot 8, SE~ SW~, Sect. 15, T4S, R92W, 6th P.M., Garfield County,
Colorado.
2. Map and aerial photo -attached,
3. Brief description of surficial geology of the area and quantity a nd
quality of t h e material to be removed. Th e area under proposal h~s
be en quarried severa l years ago to provide stone for the Rifle Gap Dam ,
The exposed face is 40 to 60 feet in h ei ght with a stockpi l e area of
app ro ximately one acre.
The lim es tone to be re moved is in the re::;istant Leadville Limestone
(Mi ss issipi a n -Madison i n age ) forming a 160 foot b e d with a westerly
str ike and a so uth er ly dippin g slope. The Lead vil le Limeston e is a
Jark grey t o bl ac k mass ive limestone,containing occa ssi onal di scontin-
uou s s hal e and sandy hori z on s, in addi tion to chert a nd quart zi t e str eaks . .
The lim~s ton e is freq u e ntly dolomitized.
The pot e ntial mark ets in th e area for thi s lim es ton e inc lud e coal, so 2
scr ubbin g a nd rock dust. Both of th ese markets require chemical grade
l imestone wit h a Caco 3 value of 95% minimum and a Si0 2 valu e of 5% ma x-
im um. The expecte d market potential in the immediate futur e is app r o xi-
1na te ly 100,000 to n p er year. At a b ed d e p t h of 150 ft. this would requ ire
a total s u rface dist u r b a nc e o f 0 .18 acres per year or proj ec t e d over 100
yea rs would b e 18 acres. As it would be impractical to mine a n area 150 f t .
deep X 90 ft. X 92 ft, t h e major s ur face distu rba n ce would occur in the
first o n e-third of the mi ning operation due to the requirement to b e nch
the de~sit i n 3 0 to 40 ft. benches to meet c u rre nt safety re qui re ment s.
4. Method of Operation : The proposed q u arring method would b e open pit ben c hes
with 30 to 40 ft. benc h es progressing to the north . This wo uld require the
Jargest surface area to be disturbed in the first one ~t hird of the op erating
period to develope the benches from the top.
Proposed equipment would include drilling eq uipm ent (t ruck or track mounted,
portab l e cr u s hin g equi pment (jaw cr u sher, cone crusher, impact crusher, feed-
ers, screens and conve yors ) loaders an d trucks, Fo r the tonnage req ui red
the plant would b e operated three to four month s pe r year and then be pos-
sibly moved to a different loc ati on the remainder of the year. The expected
c ru s hing would b e d~n e sometime b etween May and Nove mb er of each year. No
permanent plant is to b e built on site. Possib l y a smal l shop and garage
to hous e the front e nd loader would b e co n str ucted to protect the eq u ipment
du ri ng ~t he winter months.
Access to the operation would b e fr om Colorado State highway 325 across a
s hort section of Color ado State recreation land (approx. 25 0 ft.) adjoining
the fis h h a tch ery and into t h e deposit. The existing r oad would be u se d upon
improveme nt to handl e truck tr affic.
Shippm e nt s from the quar r y will be don e 52 weeks per year, five days p er week
at an average of 384 ton per day. This will requi re approximat e ly 16 truck
load s per day, or over a 16 hour day , one truck per hour.
...
5.
e·, A.'i
Estimate of the quantity of water to be used and ~{utants which are
expected to e n ~er the water: The only water to be used will be for dust
control on the crushing and screening operation . The estimated useage
will be .00410 water /ff limestone. This amount of water will be totally
absorbed by the crushed limestone causing no runoff water. The total
area disturbed will be crushed and broken limestone which will cause no
erosion, sedimentation or pollution therefore impoundment and treatment
of runoff water from workings will not be n ecessary. Attached is a report
from the National Lim estone Association concerning the beneficial aspects
of l lfuesto ne in streams and rivers. Basically the presence of limestone
in otherwise hard rock environm en t s is beneficial to water li.fe and fish.
6, Description of preventive measures to be exercised concer nin g:
Fire -\n1ile fire is not a problem or concern in the actual q u arry area,
it is always possible that brush and timber fires can inaGvertently start
in the s u rrounding area. All operations will be conducted in such a manner
as to reduce exposure to brush and timber fires. Maintenance of eq u ipment
will be done in designated areas free from combustible materials. All
operations and activities will be done in areas free from brush a nd timber
as much as possible. '
Soil Erosion -As little to no soil is present and the rock base has already
been esta bl ishe d, the potential for soil er o sion is very minimal, The site
will be mon it or ed for any po ss ible erosion problems. If any is detected,
that a rea will be stabilized by grading and vege tat i on.
Pollutio n of Ground and Surf ace Wat er ~ No pollution is expected to occurr
because of th e nature of the activity proposed. In tl~e event pollution of
ground and surface waters results, activity causing the potential pollution
will cea se a nd corrective measure taken.
Damage to Fish an d Wildlife -As no pollution is expected, there should be
no damage to fish. As the state fish hatchery is in close proximity, coor~·
dination with the state game and fis h personnel will be undertaken to mini ~
mize any problems encountered due to the proposed activities~ Wildlife
ha b itat in the area s hould not lie significantly harm e d due to the limited area
dist u rbed. The most significa nt interference will be the harrassment factor
due to noise and ge n era l mining activity.
Hazards to Public Health and Safety .... The two greatest hazards to public h ealth
and safety will be blasting and hauling. The blasting hazard will be reduced
by careful control of the blast site. Warning signs will be posted along the
perimeter of the blast area, the area will be checked prior to blasting for
a nyone who may have strayed into the area. The final moment of initiation of
the blast will be controlled with radio communications to ensure that no one
enters the area after blasting initiation steps have proceeded. Dy this method
the actual blast can be stopped until the actual moment of initiat~on of the
powder. Haul.ing with heavy trucks over the state highway can be a potential
hazard. This will be controlled ~a reduce exposure by setting and-enforcing
weight-limitatipn and speed limitation on the trucks. Trucks hauling at reas-
onable speeds and weigh~s will cause no more of a potential hazard than the
existing vehicular traffic.
7. Pr~posed Life of· t h e Operation: The life of the operation coul d extend from
20 years to 3000 years depending on the ma rket requirements, But reasonably,
the life of the operation foreseen will be 50 t~ 75 years. Assuming 75 years
operation, the quarry will proceed in a northerly direction benching from the .
top down. As one bench is abanded the highwall will be slopeq to two to one
or less a nd revegetation will be attempted with see~ini pine t~ees. This will
continue throughout the mining operation and be completed no later than five
years upon te~mination on mining activities.
c (j L () f=i AD 0 s T /\ T t~ 0 [ i) ;\R T rvi L:: 1"1 T
D IV I S I ON o r= H I GH\NAYS
OF HI GhWAYS
2)0 IL1 nncy St.,
n0vis Farrar
~ss i stant Co un ty Pl anne r
Ga r f i e 1 r:: Co w1 t _11
:?J l~ L a~c Roe
Gle1':1oor l ~1 1r inri s, Colo. ~100 1
'"'car Da_v i s ,
g, L
I 'r.i so rry I can 't att2n::1 the r:ieet ing, but :'ave Ca -,p be~ l saH 1 e
"'o ulr! be .t he r e, and I •:1ill !Jive yo u my cosn21ts as to th2 use ofSH32 5.
,~. s you kn o :J the s u r face o f the road v1 as n ot o u i lt to il cc'.) n;o date
t h '.: t : ':-i e o f t 1 s e i t ·ti i 11 h 2 ~ et t i n s 1l1 2 n t h :: s c t r u d s s t ;:iri.:. h il u 1 i :i 'l. A s
I s~~~e<J, if yo u haul lc i:;il l ::i l! the \J ay, 11e c a rinot say a nyth inc:;. lb:1 e ve r
!':1 s 1ne t he roa(.:a :: •,.Jill shcJ':I ext r er:1e st r ess , and ·:12 ~on 't h,1v2 t i ~e
o r rr0 n ey to bring it u;> to starida ru this yea r .
IF tl12 1au l ~2 1 '.C>S :;lace, I 11o?e '.'OU v1ill '.::ie 3r •,-Jit1 u s !1n t i! ' . .'2
ca:i r'.'~a ir ;,l; t'1::: :~ad areas. I ~;:io\./ 11:1 2n they h a ul e~ fro:n the
~~:i.rry ]~fo1-2, o1e ~a:J tro uble k ee pin~ th.:: ro a rl i:l ~nod conc i t i'J:-i . T'li s
Jrea of har:.1 ay i s r:lso narro·;·/ anrl ha s n ur::e rou s c urves, so the t ruck
f:rive r s ·.voulc rieec to crive 1·1ith care.
Thank you vn.ry :iuc :1 for t he o;:i~ortunity to cor::1 c:1t, and if I
c::iuld :)e ::if a:-iy furt~er assistance, please contact '.Tie.
v~ry truly y::iurs,
R. A. ?ros2nce
District :=:n~in eer
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CO L CRADO ST ATE D E PARTiv1 ENZT .-f}f-:,H!G l -J v~A Y S
0 1v 1s 10 N OF H I G H W A Y '.J ~x _ M
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~tr. Davis S. Farrar
Assistant P1c:tn.ner
Garfield County Plarming D2pt.
2014 Bla'ke Avenue
Gl enwc:x:Xl Springs, CO 816 01
D::'ar Mr. Fu.rrar:
I am writing this in rcsr::onse to your July lG th l etter to Jack Kier
whj d1 requested ill1S \1 ers to quest ions ar i sir1g as a r C?s ult of the possible
rcopCJ1~1g of~the Colorado D2in quarry n orth of Rifle.
1. Present traf f ic vo l lITTl es a l ong the segment mos t e f fected
by th e prop::)sed hau l are in the range of 90 0 veffi.cl es
t->er cay. Vi e c ::ms ioer this a v e ry l ow voiun ie--·s·ec::On cicli-y
--rcad~--Even though the road is narrCNJ and is p::x:irly aligned,
its capacity for moving traffic .. is iar _in excess .of present
voh1:nes. The r _qad_ base is undoubted l y· '\..,cak , a;\d' eou ld be ·
ca.J1.aged extc::sively by repetitiye heavy 1oaas.·· Howeve·r,
any licensed vehiCle carrying a load of legal size 1 is en-
t}J:.led to use of the h ighway.
2. \·Je anticipate little change in present usage over the next
five years.
3. We have no planned improvements of the highv.·ay i.'1 our five
year construc~:ion plan. We plan to continue normal main-
tena.rice.
4. Yes, we can place additional warning signs should the haul
fran the quarry be initiated.
If we can offer additional information, please contact this office.
Rl'~: lmw
Very truly yours,
E. N. HAASE
OU.EF ENG11JEER
BY
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R . A. PROSEl~CE
DISTRICT ENG INEER
~ • I .! "' •
XC: Haas e w/c
Ki er w/c, f ile 61h1J1'/ If
H t i' l.(. COL ORADO Darle l C lnrk. S u p e rin l e nd e nt
625-1595
l <.11 <-H;gh Sc h oo l
J.n:!h(•...,.. V C hD1nb~r s.. Pr incip a l
6/S· 1596
D av i d R . Crab l ree, A»i>lan l S upe r in t e n c!e nl
625· 1 595
Roy D Moore , Prtncif;a l
876-2:J63
ti ··s ! D11v1 \. AP1 1.1s,1a n\ P rin c i r a l
f.2 5· 1 ~96
;<.11~ J.,n 1c.r Hi l)i'i Sc hool
Gr""' L . F i ~dl er , Princ rp a l .
625·177 6
NEW CASTLE, CO LOR ADO
R ;,~, slc1e J u ni o r Hi gh Sc h oo l
N ew Cas tl e E l emen t ary
George L . H es.e . Pr i ncipal
c .,,..., L .. w i 1 E l e m e nl a ry j
_,,..•rr•c• D Mc8 1io e, P tJnc 1p a l
6:l~·2438
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. ~ -.,'.![?. ~ .. -~
Mr. RLiy Bald .... 1 i n
Garfiel d County PJ ann er
2014 Blake Avenue
Glenwood Springs , Colorado 81601
Dear Hr. Baldwin:
The pur po se of this letter is to acquai n t yo u with the co n cern bo ar d
membe rs , ad1ninistrators, and others have for t he sa f ety of students
traveling by scho ol bus on the h i ghway to be t ra v ele d also by tr u cks
op e rate d by Colora do Lien and /o r any otl1 er truc k ing firm s that may
seek a uthority to opLrate in t his area. Highway 325 is narrow a nd
wi nding ~ Visibility is limit e d in many stretches of the road and
p ar ti c ~l ar ly so on cor ner s where trees and brush g r ow thickly .
: i: :... . -. ,. ... :.-···-~ d
lt is our unders ta nding that Colorado Li e n pl a n s t o haul limestone in
51 foot semis th a t when loaded will weig h 80 tons . Should a truck of
thi s size c oll i de with a sc h ool bus . ther e would . almost ., certainly be -.>,,
serious inj u ry or l oss of lif e. "
•1 ·--.~. ~:--.•-"1\·• 1··~
Un less a nd unt i l t h e road is wide n e d a nd otherw ise significantly im -
prove d it is our feeling t h e propo sed Colorado Lien operation pr esents
an un.:iG_-e.eptab le l eve l o f ha za rd to t h e youngsters wh o live in the area
served by Colorado llighway 325.
Even with improved conditions we think it prudent to have appropriate
Ruthorities reduce speed limits even f urth er than is now the case s hou l d
a study in d icate this to be advisable.
We recogn i ze th e need for the development of r eso u rces fo und in this pa rt
of Colorado but our position is that t h e d e v elopment sho uld take place
only as reasonable safe3uar ds exist to protect those living in the re-
source rich regi o ns.
Sincerely,
Dar iel Clark
Superintendent
cc: Garf i e ld County Commissioners
State Highway De p a rtment
Board of Educa tion
~x o
MEMO TO : Gar fi e ld County Pl a nning C omm i s~i o n ers
FROM: City of Rif l e Pl a nning Departme nt
;
DATE: August 11, 1980
SUBJECT: Comments on Garfield County Planning Conunission August 11, 1980 Agenda
COLORADO LJEN SPECIAL USE PERMIT :
Enclosed is a reso lution passed by the City of Ri fle Pl a nning Commi ss i on on
July 31, 1980, a nd adopte d by t he city council on August 6, 1980. The City
of Rifle ow ns and operates Rifle Mou ntain Park whic h is l ocated within two
miles of the proposed quarry. The onl y access to t hi s city park is via State
High 1·1ay 325. \·lhile t he city desires a nd supports t he l ocat i on of employment
opport~nit ies in th i s en d of the co unt y, t here is a grea t dea l of concern
regarding the safety of t he c i ty r esi de nt s wi shing to use t he park. Du e to
the numb er of s ha rp curves pr ese nt on State Highway 325 (p artic ul a rly t hat
stretch-r unnin g along side East Rifle Cre ek ), an d the incr ease d popul ation an d
~ecrea~i o n a l demands t hat Rif l e i s expe ri e nc ing an d an ticipating in t he ne ar
future, t he City of Ri f l e recomm end s denial of this spec i a l use permi t until
s uch time as t hi s road ca n be im proved to e lim inate t hese hazards.
The proposed use fa l ls within Rif l e's comprehens i ve plan g uide l ines for deve l op-
ment of the interstate i nterc hange area. Municipal sewer serv i ce i s ava il able
from the Rif l e Vi ll age Sout h Metropolitan District. Municipal water is ava il ab l e
from t~e City of Rifle. The City of Rif l e recommends acceptance of this proposal
and asks that the following co ndition s be incorporated i n that acceptance:
a) That Southside Center PUD obtain municipal sewer and water service from t he
above mentioned entities, and not duplicate existing delivery systems.
b) That in accordance with the City of Rifle's major street plan, that additional
right-of-way he dedicated along the north side of County Road 346 to bring
it up to sub -arterial status. This will require 40 feet north of the existi ng
centerline, a portio n of which already exists.
c ) That access to the project off of Cou nty Road 346 be limited to the proposed
public st r eets wit hin the project, with right-of-way ded i cated to al l ow for
f ull channe l izatio n of intersections. The proposed private accesses wi ll lead
to.a conjested situation on this highway particularly as t his area urbani zes.
Thi s road will become heavi l y trave l e d in t he f uture an d safety is of paramo un t
co ncer n .
337 East Avenue P.O . B ox 1908 Phone 625-2 121 Rifle , Co lorado 816 5 0
I
RESOLUTIO N
WHEREAS , the Colorado Lien Compa ny of Ft. Collins, Colorad ,
h a s applied to the Ga rfield County Commissioners for a special
use pe rm it to mine h i9h ca l cium limesto n e in Section 15, Tp. 4
S., R. 92 W., 6th Principa l Merirli a n, Garfiel d County , Colorado
a lo catio n located approximately one -half mil e West of the
Rif l e Falls Fish Hatchery, and
1.-./llEREAS , said location i s in th e vicinity of the Rifle
--Mountain rarK., Oh'ncd by the City of Rifle, Co lorado, and
WI IF.l<El\S , undc r the proposal submit tcd by said comp any to
the Co unty Commissioners , crushed stone will be hauled from
~a id sit e by truck via State Hig h way 325 to variou s markets,:.·
~nd -
1-.Jl lERLl\S , the frequ e ncy of said truck tr a vel mny be as
9reat as t·v-10 .r:o un d-trips per .,hour _ and that said _vehi <;:_lc_.s _e.seC.
w i 11 .. be l a HJ(' s c in i '-t.*i actor-tr "ci i l c rs'";'' I ci nd . ,, _., ,.:.,~," .... Ja.",'.~;":.;.<;;;·· .... :J\ >-.1.li;; ...... ,..,,, ' ~
\ m :::: R L!\ S , th c R i f l e P 1 an n i n g Co mm i s s ion f i n d s th a t S ta t e
Highway 325 is who lly inadequate to sustain this ty pe of use,
and t h at increase d maintenance of said road necessitated by
·~h is type of use will impose a n incrca sedand unnecessary burden
o n taxpayers, and
WHEREAS , although the Rifle Pl an n ing Commission recognizes
that said mining operation will benefit the County economically
the Commissio n believes that the cxccssjve truck travel on
State Jiighway 325 generated by said operation will impose an
extreme and unnecessary da nger to the ci tiz ens of Rifle and
others u si ng said h ighway ,
N0\"1 , TllEREf'ORE , DE J'P RESOLVED that th e Planning Commissio
of the City of Rif l e s t ro ngly 2.QP__Q$___C.S_ the grant· f a s Je · 1
use E~mit to the Colorado Li e n Company for a quarry at the
jl130Ve stated location, a nd furth er , urg es the Garfie ld Co unty
Commissioners to de ny sa id permit unless a road otJ-1~_._than
State Highw ay 325 is utiliti zed by th e .ColoraC-1o -Llen Compan y
for the h au ling of the crushed s tone from said site.
P asse d , adopted a nd approved at a regular meeting of the
Rifle Plannin0 Co mmission h e ld on July 3 1, 19AO.
Q~~~--
Pl annin g CominisSlOChairman
United States Department of the Interior
Ms. Terry Bo~nan
BUREAU OF L AND MANAGEMENT
Glenwood Springs Resource Area
P.O. Box 10 09
Gl e nwo od Springs, Col orado 81602
April 1, 1982
Garfield County Planning Department
2014 Blake Avenue
Glenwood Springs, CO. 81601
Dear Ms . Bowman :
I N REPLY REF ER TO
38 09
7-162
This is in reference to the Colorado Lien Company application for a special
use permit for a quarry operation .
--
The information contained in the special use permit application in dicates
the li mestone is metallurgical grade and is therefore considered a lo ca-
tab l e min era l. Conseque nt l y, t he proposa l is s ubj ect to the mining l aws
and 43 CtR 3809 regulations. Colorado Li en will be apprised of this requi -rement.
We hav e no other comments at this time. We appreciate t he opportunity to
review the proposal.
. " Sincere ly ,
--J1 AU~ ~:;o~'{ A ~ ~j/7 f~}red W. Wright /
"l v\'Area Manager