Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall announced proposed rules today that would help several Pueblo Indian tribes in central New Mexico block up their land holdings and improve their livestock operations.
The new rules would carry out exchange provisions of a law passed last September. That law transferred 69,700 acres of the national land reserve to eight Pueblo Indian tribes in New Mexico.
The Indians have grazed livestock on the lands for the last two decades. The new rules would help the Pueblos consolidate the 69,700 acres into one management area by permitting the Bureau of Land Management to exchange public lands anywhere in New Mexico for non-Indian lands within the pueblo's management area.
The consolidation will take place in central New Mexico near Albuquerque. Benefitting from the consolidation will be the pueblos of Santa Ana, 2ia, Jemez, San Felipe, Cochiti, Isleta and San Ildefonso.
The Bureau of Land Management will exchange lands from the national land reserve outside the consolidation area for inho1dings now belonging to others. BLM is also authorized by the act to use tribal lands for exchange with inho1ders, subject to approval of tribal councils.
The text of the proposed amendments to 43 CFR, Part 149 will be published in the Federal Register. The Department is providing the public 30 days in which to comment on the proposal. Written comments should be sent to the Director, Bureau 0.1. Land Management Department of the Interior, Washington 25, D. C.
