Direct Sale of Public Lands in Lyon County, NV

Primary source

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Published

February 23, 2026

Issuing agencies

Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau

Abstract

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Sierra Front Field Office, proposes a non-competitive (direct) sale of 2,062.42 acres of public lands to Atlantic Richfield Company (ARC) at no less than fair market value (FMV). The direct sale includes the underlying mineral estate. The BLM administers these public lands, which are located within and adjacent to the Anaconda Copper Mine Site (ACMS). The BLM will conduct the sale under applicable provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA) and BLM land sale regulations. The FMV is $760,000 as appraised under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) for the sale parcels. The FMV presented in the appraisal is less than current remediation expenditures and the future remediation cost forecast. The conclusion is the subject has no market value based on the most reliable information provided.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 35 (Monday, February 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 35 (Monday, February 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8504-8506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03464]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[A2407-014-004-065516; #O2509-014-004-125222; NVN-097801]

Direct Sale of Public Lands in Lyon County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of realty action.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Sierra Front Field
Office, proposes a non-competitive (direct) sale of 2,062.42 acres of
public lands to Atlantic Richfield Company (ARC) at no less than fair
market value (FMV). The direct sale includes the underlying mineral
estate. The BLM administers these public lands, which are located
within and adjacent to the Anaconda Copper Mine Site (ACMS). The BLM
will conduct the sale under applicable provisions of the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA) and BLM land sale
regulations. The FMV is $760,000 as appraised under the Uniform
Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) for the sale
parcels. The FMV presented in the appraisal is less than current
remediation expenditures and the future remediation cost forecast. The
conclusion is the subject has no market value based on the most
reliable information provided.

DATES: Submit written comments regarding this direct sale until April
9, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to the BLM Carson City District
Office, District Manager, 5665 Morgan Mill Rd., Carson City, NV 89701.
Comments may also be emailed to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#523936363d2512303e3f7c353d24"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b2d9d6d6ddc5f2d0dedf9cd5ddc4">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Feitz, Realty Specialist, BLM
Sierra Front Field Office, telephone (775) 885-6194; or email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bed3d8dbd7cac4fedcd2d390d9d1c8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bfd2d9dad6cbc5ffddd3d291d8d0c9">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States. You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FMV as appraised under the USPAP for the
sale parcels is $760,000. The sale parcels were appraised as if
unimpaired by prior or existing mining operations, land disturbances,
or environmental contamination. Thus, for purposes of the appraisal,
the sale parcels were considered to be vacant, undisturbed land.
ARC is responsible for specific remedial actions at the ACMS under
the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability
Act (CERCLA) as a potentially responsible party. Conveying these lands
would assist ARC to facilitate the remediation of health and safety
hazards on the ACMS.
Because the USPAP appraisal did not account for the cost of
remediation or contaminated condition of the site when considering the
value of the sale parcels, the BLM sought an opinion on valuation
considering the current contaminated condition of the property from the
Appraisal and Valuation Services Office (AVSO). AVSO did not conduct
another appraisal in accordance with USPAP standards, but did opine
based on the facts that FMV of $760,000 is less than the current
remediation expenditures, concluding that the subject property in its
current condition has no market value. Thus, considering the effect of
the contamination on the marketability of the parcels, the BLM proposes
to convey the property for $0 as a more appropriate FMV.
ARC has also agreed to indemnify the BLM from past, present, and
future use or occupancy of or operations on the sale parcels, subject
to certain limitations, and to include a covenant not-to-sue the BLM in
connection with the investigation and remediation of environmental
conditions on or affecting the sale parcels.
Authorizing the proposed action (Serial Number NVN-097801) requires
amending the 2001 Carson City Field Office Consolidated Resource

[[Page 8505]]

Management Plan (CRMP). Of the 2,062.42 acres identified in the
proposed action for disposal, 2,002.42 acres were previously designated
for disposal in the CRMP and record of decision signed May 9, 2001. The
Anaconda Mine Site Conveyance Project Environmental Assessment and
Resource Management Plan Amendment (Yerington Anaconda RMP Amendment/
EA) (DOI-BLM-NV-C020-2025-0010-RMP-EA) analyzed the eligibility of the
additional 60 acres for disposal under FLPMA section 203(a)(1). The
Yerington Anaconda RMP Amendment/EA Decision Record, when signed, would
amend the CRMP to designate the additional 60 acres as suitable for
disposal by sale from Federal ownership under FLPMA section 203(a)(1),
which states that a tract of public land may be sold if the Secretary
of the Interior determines that: ``(1) such tract because of its
location or other characteristics is difficult and uneconomic to manage
as part of the public lands.''
The Yerington Anaconda RMP Amendment/EA can be found online at:
<a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2035766/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2035766/510</a>.
The disposal lands are comprised of five parcels that are west of
the City of Yerington and east of the community of Weed Heights, at the
eastern foot of the Singatse Range. The lands that the BLM is
considering for disposal to ARC, under applicable provisions of
sections 203 and 209 of FLPMA and the BLM land sale regulations at 43
CFR part 2710, are within and around the ACMS in Mason Valley, Lyon
County, Nevada.
The public lands proposed for direct sale are legally described as:

Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada

T. 13 N., R. 25 E.,
Sec. 4, SW\1/4\SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 5, lots 1 thru 3, lots 5 thru 7, and SW\1/4\NE\1/4\;
Sec. 7, E\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, and E\1/
2\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 8, lots 1, 3, and 4, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/
4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/
4\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
Sec. 9, W\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\,
N\1/2\NW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SW\1/4\, and
SE\1/4\;
Sec. 16, lots 3 thru 10, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, and N\1/2\NW\1/4\;
Sec. 17, lot 7, lots 13 thru 15, N\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/
4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, N\1/
2\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and W\1/2\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\;
Sec. 20, lots 2 thru 5, E\1/2\NE\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/
4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NE\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\,
SE\1/4\NE\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, and NE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 21, lots 1 thru 6, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, N\1/2\SW\1/
4\SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, and W\1/2\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 28, W\1/2\NE\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/
2\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/2\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, W\1/
2\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\NW\1/
4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, N\1/
2\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and N\1/2\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\.

The areas described aggregate 2062.42 acres, according to the
official plats of the surveys of said lands on file with the BLM.

The direct sale of the land to ARC would allow ARC to retain
significant control over the historic ACMS. The site is an abandoned
open pit copper mine and processing facility, located in Lyon County's
Mason Valley, in western Nevada. The majority of copper mining,
milling, and processing at the ACMS occurred between 1953 and 1978, and
secondary milling and processing of ores occurred between 1978 and
2000. Anaconda merged with an ARC subsidiary in 1977, which merged into
Atlantic Richfield Company in 1981.
ARC is the only private entity to which the BLM can convey the
lands, because ARC is identified as a potentially responsible party and
is already under an obligation (pursuant to the Interim Administrative
Order on Consent between the Nevada Division of Environmental
Protection (NDEP) and ARC, dated February 5, 2018 (NDEP, 2018)). A
direct sale would allow ARC to perform the CERCLA remedial action
selected in 2017 by NDEP, the BLM, and the Environmental Protection
Agency, for the Anaconda Copper Mine Site.
Upon publication of this notice in the Federal Register, the
described lands will be segregated from all forms of appropriation
under the public land laws, including the mining laws, except for the
sale provisions of FLPMA. Upon publication of this notice and until
completion of this sale, the BLM will no longer accept land use
applications affecting the parcels identified for sale. The parcels may
be subject to land use applications received prior to publication of
this notice if processing the application would have no adverse effect
on the marketability of title, or the FMV of the parcels. Subject to
limitations prescribed by law and regulation, prior to patent issuance,
a holder of any right-of-way within the parcels may be given the
opportunity to amend the right-of-way for conversion to a new term,
including perpetuity, if applicable, or to an easement.
The segregative effect of this notice terminates upon issuance of a
patent or other document of conveyance to such lands, or publication in
the Federal Register of a termination of the segregation, whichever
occurs first. The segregation period may not exceed 2 years unless
extended by the Nevada BLM State Director, in accordance with 43 CFR
2711.1-2(d), prior to the termination date.
The BLM will also publish this notice of realty action once a week
for 3 consecutive weeks in the local newspaper, Mason Valley News.
The public land would not be offered for sale to ARC prior to 60
days from the date of publication of this notice in the Federal
Register. The patent, if issued to ARC, would be subject to the
following terms, conditions, and reservations:
(1) A right-of-way is reserved for ditches and canals constructed
by authority of the United States under the Act of August 30, 1890;
(2) Subject to valid existing rights;
(3) The parcels are subject to reservations for roads, public
utilities, and flood control purposes, both existing and proposed, in
accordance with the local governing entities' transportation plans;
(4) An appropriate indemnification clause protecting the United
States from claims arising out of the patentee's use, occupancy, or
occupations on the patented lands;
(5) A covenant not to sue or assert claims or causes of action
against the United States Department of Interior Bureau of Land
Management, in connection with the investigation and remediation of
environmental conditions on or affecting the patented lands, and
(6) Any other reservations, terms, and conditions that the
Authorized Officer deems appropriate.
ARC will have until 4:30 p.m., Pacific time (PT), 30 days from the
date of receiving the sale offer to accept the offer and a completed
certificate of eligibility form. Failure to meet conditions established
for this sale will void the sale and any funds received will be
forfeited.
In accordance with 43 CFR 2711.3-1(f), the BLM may accept or reject
any or all offers to purchase or withdraw any parcel of land or
interest therein from sale within 30 days, if the BLM authorized
officer determines consummation of the sale would be inconsistent with
any law, or for other reasons as may be provided by applicable law or
regulations. No contractual or other rights against the United States
may accrue until the BLM officially accepts the offer to purchase and
the full price is paid.

[[Page 8506]]

To determine the FMV through appraisal, certain extraordinary
assumptions and hypothetical conditions may have been made concerning
the attributes and limitations of the lands and potential effects of
local regulations and policies on potential future land uses. Through
publication of this notice, the BLM advises that these assumptions may
not be endorsed or approved by units of local government.
No warranty of any kind, express or implied, is given by the United
States as to the title, whether or to what extent the land may be
developed, its physical condition, future uses, or any other
circumstance or condition. The conveyance of a parcel will not be on a
contingency basis.
It is ARC's responsibility to be aware of all applicable Federal,
State, and local government laws, regulations, and policies that may
affect the subject land, including any required dedication of lands for
public uses. It is also ARC's responsibility to be aware of existing or
prospective uses of nearby properties. When conveyed out of Federal
ownership, the land will be subject to any applicable laws,
regulations, and policies of the applicable local government for
proposed future uses. It is the responsibility of ARC to be aware
through due diligence of those laws, regulations, and policies, and to
seek any required local approvals for future uses. ARC should make
itself aware of any Federal or State law or regulation that may impact
the future use of the property. Any land lacking access from a public
road or highway will be conveyed as such and acquiring future access
will be the responsibility of ARC.
Information concerning the sale, encumbrances of record,
reservations, procedures, and conditions, CERCLA, and other
environmental documents that may appear in the BLM public files for the
sale parcels, is available for review by appointment only, during
business hours, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday, at
the BLM Carson City District Office, except during Federal holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personally identifiable information in your comment, you should
be aware that your entire comment--including your personally
identifiable information--may be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personally
identifiable information from public review, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so.
Any comments regarding the proposed sale will be reviewed by the
BLM Nevada State Director, who may sustain, vacate, or modify this
realty action in response to such comments. In the absence of any
comments, and following completion of appropriate land use planning,
this realty action will become the final determination of the
Department of the Interior.

(Authority: 43 CFR 2711.1-2(a) and (c))

Jon K. Raby,
Nevada State Director, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 2026-03464 Filed 2-20-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P

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This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.