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§ 1732. Management of use, occupancy, and development of public lands

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Release point 119-83 · current through 04/13/2026

§ 1732.

Management of use, occupancy, and development of public lands

(a)

Multiple use and sustained yield requirements applicable; exception

The Secretary shall manage the public lands under principles of multiple use and sustained yield, in accordance with the land use plans developed by him under section 1712 of this title when they are available, except that where a tract of such public land has been dedicated to specific uses according to any other provisions of law it shall be managed in accordance with such law.

(b)

Easements, permits, etc., for utilization through habitation, cultivation, and development of small trade or manufacturing concerns; applicable statutory requirements

In managing the public lands, the Secretary shall, subject to this Act and other applicable law and under such terms and conditions as are consistent with such law, regulate, through easements, permits, leases, licenses, published rules, or other instruments as the Secretary deems appropriate, the use, occupancy, and development of the public lands, including, but not limited to, long-term leases to permit individuals to utilize public lands for habitation, cultivation, and the development of small trade or manufacturing concerns: Provided, That unless otherwise provided for by law, the Secretary may permit Federal departments and agencies to use, occupy, and develop public lands only through rights-of-way under section 1767 of this title, withdrawals under section 1714 of this title, and, where the proposed use and development are similar or closely related to the programs of the Secretary for the public lands involved, cooperative agreements under section 1737(b) of this title: Provided further, That nothing in this Act shall be construed as authorizing the Secretary concerned to require Federal permits to hunt and fish on public lands or on lands in the National Forest System and adjacent waters or as enlarging or diminishing the responsibility and authority of the States for management of fish and resident wildlife. However, the Secretary concerned may designate areas of public land and of lands in the National Forest System where, and establish periods when, no hunting or fishing will be permitted for reasons of public safety, administration, or compliance with provisions of applicable law. Except in emergencies, any regulations of the Secretary concerned relating to hunting and fishing pursuant to this section shall be put into effect only after consultation with the appropriate State fish and game department. Nothing in this Act shall modify or change any provision of Federal law relating to migratory birds or to endangered or threatened species. Except as provided in section 1744, section 1782, and subsection (f) of section 1781 of this title and in the last sentence of this paragraph, no provision of this section or any other section of this Act shall in any way amend the Mining Law of 1872 or impair the rights of any locators or claims under that Act, including, but not limited to, rights of ingress and egress. In managing the public lands the Secretary shall, by regulation or otherwise, take any action necessary to prevent unnecessary or undue degradation of the lands.

(c)

Revocation or suspension provision in instrument authorizing use, occupancy or development; violation of provision; procedure applicable

The Secretary shall insert in any instrument providing for the use, occupancy, or development of the public lands a provision authorizing revocation or suspension, after notice and hearing, of such instrument upon a final administrative finding of a violation of any term or condition of the instrument, including, but not limited to, terms and conditions requiring compliance with regulations under Acts applicable to the public lands and compliance with applicable State or Federal air or water quality standard or implementation plan: Provided, That such violation occurred on public lands covered by such instrument and occurred in connection with the exercise of rights and privileges granted by it: Provided further, That the Secretary shall terminate any such suspension no later than the date upon which he determines the cause of said violation has been rectified: Provided further, That the Secretary may order an immediate temporary suspension prior to a hearing or final administrative finding if he determines that such a suspension is necessary to protect health or safety or the environment: Provided further, That, where other applicable law contains specific provisions for suspension, revocation, or cancellation of a permit, license, or other authorization to use, occupy, or develop the public lands, the specific provisions of such law shall prevail.

(d)

Authorization to utilize certain public lands in Alaska for military purposes

(1)

The Secretary of the Interior, after consultation with the Governor of Alaska, may issue to the Secretary of Defense or to the Secretary of a military department within the Department of Defense or to the Commandant of the Coast Guard a nonrenewable general authorization to utilize public lands in Alaska (other than within a conservation system unit or the Steese National Conservation Area or the White Mountains National Recreation Area) for purposes of military maneuvering, military training, or equipment testing not involving artillery firing, aerial or other gunnery, or other use of live ammunition or ordnance.

(2)

Use of public lands pursuant to a general authorization under this subsection shall be limited to areas where such use would not be inconsistent with the plans prepared pursuant to section 1712 of this title. Each such use shall be subject to a requirement that the using department shall be responsible for any necessary cleanup and decontamination of the lands used, and to such other terms and conditions (including but not limited to restrictions on use of off-road or all-terrain vehicles) as the Secretary of the Interior may require to—

(A)

minimize adverse impacts on the natural, environmental, scientific, cultural, and other resources and values (including fish and wildlife habitat) of the public lands involved; and

(B)

minimize the period and method of such use and the interference with or restrictions on other uses of the public lands involved.

(3)
(A)

A general authorization issued pursuant to this subsection shall not be for a term of more than three years and shall be revoked in whole or in part, as the Secretary of the Interior finds necessary, prior to the end of such term upon a determination by the Secretary of the Interior that there has been a failure to comply with its terms and conditions or that activities pursuant to such an authorization have had or might have a significant adverse impact on the resources or values of the affected lands.

(B)

Each specific use of a particular area of public lands pursuant to a general authorization under this subsection shall be subject to specific authorization by the Secretary and to appropriate terms and conditions, including such as are described in paragraph (2) of this subsection.

(4)

Issuance of a general authorization pursuant to this subsection shall be subject to the provisions of section 1712(f) of this title, section 3120 of title 16, and all other applicable provisions of law. The Secretary of a military department (or the Commandant of the Coast Guard) requesting such authorization shall reimburse the Secretary of the Interior for the costs of implementing this paragraph. An authorization pursuant to this subsection shall not authorize the construction of permanent structures or facilities on the public lands.

(5)

To the extent that public safety may require closure to public use of any portion of the public lands covered by an authorization issued pursuant to this subsection, the Secretary of the military Department concerned or the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall take appropriate steps to notify the public concerning such closure and to provide appropriate warnings of risks to public safety.

(6)

For purposes of this subsection, the term “conservation system unit” has the same meaning as specified in section 3102 of title 16.

Source(Pub. L. 94–579, title III, § 302,
Oct. 21, 1976
, 90 Stat. 2762; Pub. L. 100–586,
Nov. 3, 1988
, 102 Stat. 2980.)
Notes

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsec. (b), is Pub. L. 94–579,
Oct. 21, 1976
, 90 Stat. 2743, known as the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.
The Mining Law of 1872, referred to in subsec. (b), is act May 10, 1872, ch. 152, 17 Stat. 91, which was incorporated into the Revised Statutes of 1878 as R.S. §§ 2319 to 2328, 2331, 2333 to 2337, and 2344, which are classified to sections 22 to 24, 26 to 28, 29, 30, 33 to 35, 37, 39 to 42, and 47 of Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining. For complete classification of such Revised Statutes sections to the Code, see Tables.

Amendments

1988—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–586 added subsec. (d).

Statutory Notes and Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

For transfer of authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the Coast Guard, including the authorities and functions of the Secretary of Transportation relating thereto, to the Department of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 468(b), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of
November 25, 2002
, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6.

Pilot Program for Native Plant Species

Pub. L. 117–328, div. DD, title I, § 101,
Dec. 29, 2022
, 136 Stat. 5574, provided that:
“(a)

Definitions.—

In this section:

“(1)

Invasive species.—

The term ‘invasive species’ means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, a nonnative organism, the introduction of which causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human, animal, or plant health.

“(2)

Locally adapted.—

The term ‘locally adapted’ means, with respect to plants, plants that—

“(A)

originate from an area that is geographically proximate to a planting area; and

“(B)

are environmentally adapted to and likely to become established and persist in that planting area.

“(3)

Native plant species.—

The term ‘native plant species’ means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, a species that, other than as a result of an introduction, historically occurred or currently occurs in that ecosystem.

“(4)

Nonnative.—

The term ‘nonnative’ means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, an organism, including the seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material of the organism capable of propagating that species, that occurs outside of the natural range of the organism.

“(5)

Plant material.—

The term ‘plant material’ means a plant or the seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material of a plant capable of propagating the species of the plant.

“(b)

Establishment.—

Not later than 180 days after the date on which funds are made available to carry out this section, the Secretary [of the Interior] shall, in accordance with any existing laws and management policies, carry out a pilot program to prioritize the use of native plant species within geographically diverse units of the National Park System and public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

“(c)

Implementation.—

In carrying out the pilot program under subsection (b), the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable—

“(1)

give preference to the use of locally adapted native plant materials where appropriate;

“(2)

incorporate efforts to prevent, control, or eradicate the spread of invasive species;

“(3)

incorporate efforts to use native plants in areas that have experienced a recent wildfire event; and

“(4)

identify situations in which the use of non-native plants may be warranted.

“(d)

Coordination.—

The Secretary shall, in carrying out the pilot program under subsection (b), coordinate activities with—

“(1)

the National Seed Strategy of the Bureau of Land Management;

“(2)

the Plant Conservation Alliance; and

“(3)

the Plant Materials Centers of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“(e)

Termination of Authority.—

The authority to carry out the pilot program under subsection (b) terminates on the date that is 5 years after the date on which the pilot program is established under that subsection.

“(f)

Report.—

Not later than 1 year after the date on which the authority to carry out the pilot program terminates under subsection (e), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing—

“(1)

the results of the pilot program carried out under subsection (b); and

“(2)

the cost-effectiveness of using native plants in units of the National Park System and public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.”

Management Guidelines To Prevent Wasting of Pacific Yew

For Congressional findings relating to management guidelines to prevent wasting of Pacific yew in current and future timber sales on Federal lands, see section 4801(a)(8) of Title 16, Conservation.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

Enforcement functions of Secretary or other official in Department of the Interior related to compliance with land use permits for temporary use of public lands and other associated land uses, issued under sections 1732, 1761, and 1763 to 1771 of this title, with respect to pre-construction, construction, and initial operation of transportation systems for Canadian and Alaskan natural gas transferred to Federal Inspector, Office of Federal Inspector for the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, until first anniversary of date of initial operation of Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, see Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1979, §§ 102(e), 203(a), 44 F.R. 33663, 33666, 93 Stat. 1373, 1376, effective
July 1, 1979
, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Office of Federal Inspector for the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System abolished and functions and authority vested in Inspector transferred to Secretary of Energy by section 3012(b) of Pub. L. 102–486, set out as an Abolition of Office of Federal Inspector note under section 719e of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. Functions and authority vested in Secretary of Energy subsequently transferred to Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects by section 720d(f) of Title 15.

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