§482 — Title 16 Conservation | U.S. Code

Summary

The Interior Secretary can recommend that parts of a national forest be returned to the public domain if those areas are found to be better for mining or farming than for forest use. The President must approve the recommendation. Before that happens, sixty days' notice must be printed in two newspapers that serve the State or Territory and are near the forest. A qualified person the Interior Secretary appoints must personally inspect the land first. Mineral lands inside a national forest that are or can be shown to be mineral and are open under the United States mining laws and rules must remain open for location and entry, even though other parts of the law (sections 473 to 478, 479 to 482 and 551) might say otherwise.

Title 16, §482

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the President, after sixty days’ notice thereof, published in two papers of general circulation in the State or Territory wherein any national forest is situated, and near the said national forest, any public lands embraced within the limits of any such forest which, after due examination by personal inspection of a competent person appointed for that purpose by the Secretary of the Interior, shall be found better adapted for mining or for agricultural purposes than for forest usage, may be restored to the public domain. And any mineral lands in any national forest which have been or which may be shown to be such, and subject to entry under the existing mining laws of the United States and the rules and regulations applying thereto, shall continue to be subject to such location and entry, notwithstanding any provisions contained in sections 473 to 478, 479 to 482 and 551 of this title.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification “National forest” substituted in text for “forest reservation” twice and “reservation” once, on authority of act Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2907, 34 Stat. 1269, which provided that forest reserves shall hereafter be known as national forests.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Transfer of Functions

For transfer of certain functions with regard to the administration of national forests from Secretary of the Interior to Secretary of Agriculture, see section 472 of this title.

Executive Documents

Enforcement

functions of Secretary or other official in Department of Agriculture, insofar as they involve lands and programs under jurisdiction of that Department, related to compliance with provisions of section 473, 474 to 482, and 551 of this title with respect to pre-

Construction

, and initial operation of transportation system for Canadian and Alaskan natural gas transferred to Federal Inspector, Office of Federal Inspector for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, until first anniversary of date of initial operation of Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, see Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1979, §§ 102(f), 203(a), 44 F.R. 33663, 33666, 93 Stat. 1373, 1376, effective July 1, 1979, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Office of Federal Inspector for the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System abolished and functions and authority vested in Inspector transferred to Secretary of Energy by section 3012(b) of Pub. L. 102–486, set out as an Abolition of Office of Federal Inspector note under section 719e of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. Functions and authority vested in Secretary of Energy subsequently transferred to Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects by section 720d(f) of Title 15.

§482 Mineral lands; restoration to public domain; location and entry

Summary

Title 16, §482

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Transfer of Functions

Executive Documents

Enforcement

Construction

Construction

Citations & Metadata