This below question was asked on another forum where the example POST NOTICE was posted as well, followed by reply:
winners58 wrote:
"what’s your understanding of mining claims on BLM administered lands?
This is what I found and appears to be BLM’s understanding of surface rights
United States Statutes at Large, Volume 69, 84th Congress, 1st Session ... -Pg367.pdf (page 369 section 5)
DETERMINATTION OF SURFACE RIGHTS UNDER PUBLIC LAW 84-167 (1955)
Prior to 1955, claimants had certain surface rights associated with their mining claim. Public Law 84-167 required BLM to publish each township in each state where the United States wished to acquire complete surface management rights. Most townships were published between 1955 and 1968. The Master Title Plat for a particular township (and the Historical Index) will show if the township was published, give the date of publication, and list the claims( by claim name) that responded or were adjudicated surface rights under this Act. To maintain these surface rights under this determination, the chain of title cannot be broken.
USE AND OCCUPANCY—Use and occupancy inquiries should be directed to the appropriate field office.
Staking or operating a mining claim does not give the claimant exclusive rights to the surface resources
(unless a right was determined under Public Law 84-167). the right to establish residency. or block access to other users.
Regulations managing the use and occupancy of the public lands for development of locatable mineral deposits by limiting such use or Occupancy to that which is reasonably incidental are found in 43 CFR3 715.These regulations apply to public lands administered by BLM. They do not apply to state or private lands where minerals have been reserved, nor do they apply to Federal lands administered by other agencies (such as the Forest Service)."
Reply:
Specific to your question, limited to “mining claims”, with respect to what the BLM would be speaking to as an ongoing authority over the public land it has authority to manage, you are asking about Saleables and Leaseables on public land. These are disposed by contract or lease, not by grant. Part 3715 regulations would be included in those contractual agreements.
Not that you necessarily intended it, but Your question is a bit of a trick question if I am anticipating your actual inquiry as it relates to a Locateable mineral deposit. BLM administers to all public land, but no appropriations/disposals on public land are managed by the BLM. These appropriations may be monitored but not managed. And where, as in a Locatable mineral deposit claims, the title is held in trust the BLM administers the muniments of title but does not manage these.
The CFR, rule, implements a United States Code, “law”. In practice, an agency will send a notice including a CFR section It claims you "must" follow. Read back through the authorities for 3715. You'll find 3809 and that is answered the same as before by reading the Scope and Purpose of 3809 to see whether those rules apply to a Locatable mineral deposit location where you have located it. Most likely probably not. EXCLUSIVE USE and OCCUPATION, i.e., possession and use, is Granted, not managed by the agencies. Go find those Terms in the Mining Law. Grantees do not maintain an occupancy of public land but are granted Occupation of the public domain.
So “DETERMINATTION OF SURFACE RIGHTS UNDER PUBLIC LAW” for Locatable minerals was done in 1872, which included the entire surface within the limits of the claim, not in 1955 as the BLM will get you to believe. The 1955 Act limited surface and property rights to common mineral material mining claims, not Locatable mineral deposit claims, i.e., 'Locatable minerals'. The BLM necessarily limits its authority to 1955 and does not include the 1872 or the 1947. The BLM hides this fact of limited authority in plain sight only mentioning mining claims after 1955, but never actually refers to Locateable mineral deposits. A locateable mining claim is NOT a Locateable mineral deposit.; Very slick deception by the BLM here. The BLM gets you to believe the limitation applies to everything, but this is a deception a subtle fraud by omission. And you need to read those acts to know this for yourself. Then you'll understand better why the 3809/3715's don't apply to Locateable mineral deposits in unappropriated public land, and as the expressed exception makes certain in 30 USC 612 (b), and as you can plainly read for yourself in the 3809 pamphlet.
Not being under BLM public land management authority though administered by the BLM, under the 1872 Mining Law, amending, a Locatable mineral deposit is located where?