Implementation of the alternatives would result in some public lands being opened, segregated, or withdrawn from locatable mineral entry under the mining laws. Such actions could affect the ability of potential mining claimants and/or exploration and mining companies to explore and develop locatable minerals on some public lands in the Planning Area. Management actions that restrict access include short-term actions, such as 2-year land segregations, or long-term actions, such as seeking and obtaining 20-year withdrawals from the operation of the mining laws, subject to valid existing rights. In these instances, only valid, existing mining claims may be developed. Subject to such valid existing rights, exploration, staking of new mining claims, development, or mining on segregated or withdrawn federal mineral estate is prohibited. Mining claimants or operators must submit a plan of operations if they propose operations that would exceed casual use on withdrawn lands, regardless of the acreage proposed for surface disturbance. The BLM must first determine the validity of preexisting mining claims in withdrawals before approving plans of operation.

Mining claimants or operators also must file a plan of operations before beginning operations that exceed casual use in areas in the NWSRS and areas designated for potential addition to the system; designated ACECs; designated wilderness areas; areas closed to motorized vehicle use; any lands or waters known to contain federally proposed or listed threatened or endangered species or their proposed or designated important habitat, unless the BLM allows for other action under a land use plan or threatened or endangered species recovery plan; and BLM-administered National Monuments and National Conservation Areas. Based on this regulatory framework, management actions that result in lands being placed or removed from any of these land-status categories either will restrict or will remove limitations on access in cases where proposed exploration for locatable minerals would otherwise be performed under a notice, without the need for prior approval from the BLM (43 CFR 3809.11 and 43 CFR 3809.21).

Adverse impacts to locatable minerals include management actions that segregate, withdraw, or limit the development of locatable minerals. Beneficial impacts to locatable minerals result from management actions that open access to federal locatable minerals, including allowing withdrawals or segregations to expire without seeking new withdrawals. Direct impacts to locatable mineral operations result from management actions or statutory or regulatory limitations that open or restrict the exploration for or development of these minerals. Examples of direct impacts include segregations or withdrawals from locatable mineral entry, or compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to prevent adverse impacts to threatened or endangered species or their habitat. No indirect impacts to locatable minerals are identified.