Notice of Proposed Expansion, Extension, and Notification of a Public Meeting for the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range Withdrawal; CA

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Pursuant to section 808 of the California Military Lands Withdrawal and Overflight Act of 1994 (Act), the Department of the Navy (DoN), on behalf of the U.S. Marines, has filed an application to modify and extend the current legislative withdrawal of public lands from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws, for military use of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range (CMAGR) in Imperial and Riverside Counties, California. The lands are currently withdrawn under the Act, which is a part of the California Desert Protection Act, which reserves these lands for defense-related purposes for a period of 20 years. Unless Congress extends the withdrawal, it will expire on October 30, 2014. The extension application includes a request that additional Federal lands be withdrawn in aid of a proposed legislative adjustment to the boundary for the purpose of improving management. This notice gives an opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed withdrawal expansion and extension and announces the date, time, and location of a public meeting.