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Show this chapter. In the opinion of the Commission 10 years is a reasonable time for a review of all existing withdrawals and rejustification for renewal of those found to be required. Consequently, we recommend that all existing withdrawals terminate at the end of a 10-year period unless expressly effected as new withdrawals under the laws and procedures we recommend. Reclamation and Petroleum Withdrawals In order to carry out the recommendations we make in Chapter Ten relative to the retention and management or disposition of public lands for intensive agriculture use, we recommend that priority be given to the review of reclamation withdrawals in situations where land may be needed for intensive agriculture and the land is arable under existing physical and hydrological conditions. The Bureau of Reclamation conducts many programs in the western states to bring supplemental water supplies to private lands already farmed and, to a limited extent, to develop Federal lands not currently under cultivation. Some of the lands withdrawn for proposed reclamation projects may be desired now for private development with existing water supplies. A choice must be made between developing the lands at public expense in the future or making them available for private development and use at private expense now. If all such withdrawn lands are made available for immediate private development only the best lands might be used and the remaining inferior lands may make the proposed reclamation project economically infeasible. These conflicting factors should be evaluated by an accelerated withdrawal review program. This would guard against extended withdrawals of land for proposed projects whose possible benefits cannot be realized, if at all, until so far into the future that they cannot match the benefits readily available from disposal of selected lands to private agricultural development. In the process of reviewing all existing withdrawals, attention will be given, of course, to a review of the need for the naval petroleum reserves. We believe, however, that early consideration should be given to a review of Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 on the North Slope of Alaska under the same procedures that are established for reviewing other withdrawals. BLM Classification We have also found that the actions of the Bureau of Land Management under the Classification and Multiple Use Act of 1964 have paralleled to a considerable extent the liberal use of the withdrawal power by the public land agencies. In less than four years, under the 1964 Act, as of April 1, 1970, it classified 154.4 million acres of public land for retention and either classified or "identified" about 4.5 million acres for disposal. These classifications have a very substantial effect on land uses in the future. Despite the obvious need for careful planning, it is apparent that they were made in a hurried manner on the basis of inadequate information. It was found that, for various reasons of expediency, the Bureau concentrated on large scale retention with little land use planning on its part and virtually none on the part of local and state planning authorities (although coordination was effected with them). Thus, the classifications were not preceded by necessary comprehensive efforts to gather information pertinent to resource capabilities and future development probabilities or by systematic attempts to state alternative uses within the context of regional or state development goals. The Commission recognizes that BLM acted under a congressional mandate to make its classifications "as soon as possible," pursuant to an authority of temporary duration. Moreover, the agency was attempting to develop a comprehensive planning approach, which it previously lacked, concurrently with its disposal-retention classifications. Furthermore, the Bureau did consult with local interests and was, at least to some extent, responsive to the immediate desires of local agencies and inhabitants. Nevertheless, the extensive acreage classified for retention within the relatively short time involved is in itself evidence that the classifications were not preceded by comprehensive land use planning. Fortunately, such classifications are not irrevocable. They can and should be changed as BLM's planning system becomes more refined and extensive and new development pressures arise. Moreover, Congress can change them anytime it sees fit. In any event, as an initial and necessary step in the implementation of the Commission recommendations on land use planning, the classifications under the 1964 Act should be carefully reviewed by both the Congress and executive branch. Classification of National Forest and BLM Lands Recommendation 7: Congress should provide authority to classify national forest and Bureau of Land Management lands, including the authority to suspend or limit the operation of any public land laws in specified areas. Withdrawal authority should no longer be used for such purpose. Land use "classifications" are currently a confusing amalgam of: (1) legislative and executive 53 |