Section 251.53 - AuthoritiesSubject to any limitations contained in applicable statutes, the Chief of the Forest Service, or other Agency official to whom such authority is delegated, may issue special use authorizations for National Forest System land under the authorities cited and for the types of use specified in this section as follows:
(a) Permits governing occupancy and use, including noncommercial group use, under the act of June 4, 1897 (16 U.S.C. 551 );(b) Leases under the Act of February 28, 1899, 30 Stat. 908 (16 U.S.C. 495 ) for public sanitariums or hotels near or adjacent to mineral springs;(c) Permits under the Act of June 8, 1906, 34 Stat. 225 (16 U.S.C. 431 , et seq.), for the examination of ruins, the excavation of archaeological sites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity in conformity with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and War, December 28, 1906 (43 CFR part 3);(d) Term permits under the Act of March 4, 1915, 38 Stat. 1101, as amended, 70 Stat. 708 (16 U.S.C. 497 ) for periods not over 30 years and (1) for not over 80 acres for (i) hotels, resorts, and other structures and facilities for recreation, public convenience, or safety;(ii) industrial or commercial purposes, and(iii) education or public activities; and(2) for not over 5 acres for summer homes and stores;(e) Permits or easements for a right-of-way for a pipeline for the transportation of oil, gas, or oil or gas products, where no Federal land besides National Forest System lands is required, and permits for the temporary use of additional National Forest System lands necessary for construction, operation, maintenance, or termination of a pipeline or to protect the natural environment or public safety under section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act, 41 Stat. 449, as amended (30 U.S.C 185 );(f) Permits, term permits, and easements in the National Grasslands and other lands acquired or administered under title III, Act of July 22, 1937, 50 Stat. 525, as amended, (7 U.S.C. 1011(d) );(g) Permits under section 7 of the Act of April 24, 1950, 64 Stat. 84 (16 U.S.C. 580d ) for periods not over 30 years for the use of structures or improvements under the administrative control of the Forest Service and land used in connection therewith;(h) Permits, term permits, leases, or easements as authorized by the Act of September 3, 1954, 68 Stat. 1146 (43 U.S.C. 931c , 931d ), to States, counties, cities, towns, townships, municipal corporations, or other public agencies for periods not over 30 years, at prices representing the fair market value, fixed by the Chief, through appraisal for the purpose of constructing and maintaining on such lands public buildings or other public works;(i) Permits under the Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964, 78 Stat. 890 (16 U.S.C. 1131-1136 ) for temporary structures and commercial services and for access to valid mining claims or other valid occupancies and to surrounded State or private land within designated wilderness (see part 293 of this chapter);(j) Temporary or permanent easements under the Act of October 13, 1964, 78 Stat. 1089 (16 U.S.C. 532-538 ) for road rights-of-way over lands and interests in land administered by the Forest Service (see § 212.10 of this chapter);(k) Special recreation permits issued under section 803(h) of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6802(h) ), for specialized recreation uses of National Forest System lands, such as group activities, recreation events, and motorized recreational vehicle use.(l) Permits, leases and easements under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, 90 Stat. 2776 (43 U.S.C. 1761-1771 ) for rights-of-way for: (1) Reservoirs, canals, ditches, flumes, laterals, pipes, pipelines, tunnels, and other facilities and systems for the impoundment, storage, transportation, or distribution of water;(2) Pipelines and other systems for the transportation or distribution of liquids and gases, other than water and other than oil, natural gas, synthetic liquid or gaseous fuels, or any refined product produced therefrom, and for storage and terminal facilities in connection therewith;(3) Pipelines, slurry and emulsion systems, and conveyor belts for transportation and distribution of solid materials, and facilities for the storage of such materials in connection therewith;(4) Systems and related facilities for generation, transmission, and distribution of electric energy, except that the applicant, in addition to obtaining a Forest Service special use authorization, shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under the Federal Power Act of 1935, as amended, 49 Stat. 838 (16 U.S.C. 791a , et seq.);(5) Systems for transmission or reception of radio, television, telephone, telegraph, and other electronic signals and other means of communication;(6) Roads, trails, highways, railroads, canals, tunnels, tramways, airways, livestock driveways, or other means of transportation except where such facilities are constructed and maintained in connection with commercial recreation facilities;(7) Such other necessary transportation or other systems or facilities which are in the public interest and which require rights-of-way over, upon, under, or through National Forest System lands; and(8) Any Federal department or agency for pipeline purposes for the transportation of oil, natural gas, synthetic liquid or gaseous fuels, or any product produced therefrom;(m) Permits under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, 93 Stat. 721 (16 U.S.C. 470aa ).(n) Operation of nordic and alpine ski areas and facilities for up to 40 years and encompassing such acreage as the Forest Officer determines sufficient and appropriate as authorized by the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 (16 U.S.C. 497b ).(o) Leases governing occupancy and use of Federally owned historic properties under section 111 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 306121 ).45 FR 38327, June 6, 1980; 45 FR 43167, June 26, 1980, as amended at 49 FR 25449, June 21, 1984; 53 FR 16550, May 10, 1988; 54 FR 22594, May 25, 1989; 70 FR 70498 , Nov. 22, 2005; 74 FR 68381 , Dec. 24, 2009; 88 FR 84707 , Dec. 6, 2023