36 CFR § 254.8 - Notice of exchange proposal.

§ 254.8 Notice of exchange proposal.

(a) Upon entering into an agreement to initiate an exchange, the authorized officer shall publish a notice once a week for four consecutive weeks in newspapers of general circulation in the counties in which the Federal and non-Federal lands or interests proposed for exchange are located. The authorized officer shall notify authorized users, the jurisdictional State and local governments, and the congressional delegation and shall make other distribution of the notice as appropriate. At a minimum, the notice shall include:

(1) The identity of the parties involved in the proposed exchange;

(2) A description of the Federal and non-Federal lands being considered for exchange;

(3) A statement as to the effect of segregation from appropriation under the public land laws and mineral laws, if applicable;

(4) An invitation to the public to submit in writing any comments on or concerns about the exchange proposal, including advising the agency as to any liens, encumbrances, or other claims relating to the lands being considered for exchange; and

(5) The deadline by which comments must be received, and the name, title, and address of the official to whom comments must be sent and from whom additional information may be obtained.

(b) To be assured of consideration in the environmental analysis of the proposed exchange, all comments must be made in writing to the authorized officer and postmarked or delivered within 45 days after the initial date of publication.

(c) The authorized officer is not required to republish legal descriptions of any lands that may be excluded from the final exchange transaction, provided such lands were identified in the notice of exchange proposal. In addition, minor corrections of land descriptions and other insignificant changes do not require republication.