Acreage Limitation Rules and Regulations

On December 18, 1996, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) published in 61 FR 66827, Dec. 18, 1996, an advance notice of proposed rulemaking requesting public comment on possible revisions to existing rules and regulations regarding the acreage limitation provisions of the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA). During a recently completed RRA rulemaking activity, 61 FR 66754, Dec. 18, 1996, the Department of the Interior (Department) received a number of comments regarding the compliance of certain large trusts with the acreage limitation provisions of the RRA. Comments expressed a variety of viewpoints, including the assertion that some trusts with landholdings (owned and leased land) in excess of 960 acres may circumvent the requirements of Federal reclamation law. To help facilitate the examination of the application of the acreage limitation provisions to trusts with large landholdings, Reclamation will host a meeting at which interested parties will convene in a round table arrangement to explore this issue. The public is invited to attend this session. This meeting is not intended as a formal hearing for the submission of comments. Rather, it is intended as an informal discussion so that those in attendance will be better prepared to submit comments on the advance notice of proposed rulemaking. To further facilitate the submittal of comments, the comment period has been extended to April 17, 1997.

Agency Contact: Steven Richardson, Bureau of Reclamation, Mail Code W-1500, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240, telephone (202) 208-4291.