Current through October 31, 2024
Section 2655.3 - Determination procedures(a) The State Director shall make the determination pursuant to the provisions in this subpart. Where sufficient information has not already been provided, the State Director shall issue written notice to any Federal agency which the Bureau of Land Management has reason to believe might be a holding agency. The written notice shall provide that the information requested be furnished in triplicate to the State Director within 90 days from the receipt of the notice. Upon receipt of information the State Director will promptly provide affected Native corporations with copies of the documents. Upon adequate and justifiable showing as to the need for an extension by the holding agency, the State Director may grant a time extension up to 60 days to provide the information requested in this subpart.(b) The information to be provided by the holding agency shall include the following for each tract which is subject to determination:(1) The function and scope of the installation;(2) A plottable legal description of the lands used;(3) A list of structures or other alterations to the character of lands and their function, their location on the tract, and date of construction;(4) A description of the use and function of any unaltered lands;(5) A list of any rights, interests or permitted uses the agency has granted to others, including other Federal agencies, along with dates of issuance and expiration and copies of any relevant documents;(6) If available, site plans, drawings and annotated aerial photographs delineating the boundaries of the installation and locations of the areas used; and(7) A narrative explanation stating when Federal use of each area began; what use was being made of the lands as of December 18, 1971; whether any action has taken place between December 18, 1971, and the end of the appropriate selection period that would reduce the area needed, and the date this action occurred.(c) The State Director shall request comments from the selecting Native corporation relating to the identification of lands requiring a determination. The period for comment by the Native corporation shall be as provided for the agency in paragraph (a) of this section, but shall commence from the date of receipt of the latest copy of the holding agency's submission.(d) The holding agency has the burden of proof in proceedings before the State Director under this subpart. A determination of the lands to be retained by the holding agency under section 3(e) of the Act and this subpart shall be made based on the information available in the case file. If the holding agency fails to present adequate information on which to base a determination, all lands selected shall be approved for conveyance to the selecting Native corporation.(e) The results of the determination shall be incorporated into appropriate decision documents.