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000819 the existing leases have not, by definition, already disqualified the area from wilderness consideration. Of course, the Secretary must assure that any new operations on existing or new leases are conducted in such a manner that the area's wilderness characteristics will not be jeopardized. Somewhat different considerations are raised when the Secretary consid- ers whether to issue federal leases or prospecting pe~its for minerals different fro~ those which have already been leased in a specific road- less area. Yet here again the Secretary would have to exa~ine each perticular case in light of the effect the operations would have on the area's wilderness characteristics. In some situations the Secretary may decide he can issue the lease or permit, by imposing such restrictions as are necessary to assure the protection of the area's wilderness char- acteristics. In others, he may decide that extraction of previously unleased minerals (e.g., coal for surface extl~ction) would have much greater impacts on the area than extraction ot the winerals already being leased. (e.g., oil and gas), and could not be m.tigated so as to protect an area's wilderness characteristics, in which case he should refuse to issue the lease. It deserves special emphasis that.leasing typically re"ains totally within the discretion of the Secretary under existing leasing laws, and the secretary may decide not to lease particular lands for any reason unrelated to wilderness. IV. SEerICN 603(c)' s EHEer CN ACCESS TO PRIVATE T '\.".'DS In general, access across public lands can only be gra,ted under Title V of FLP~~, and the granting of this right of way is discretionary with the Secretary. Section 603 limits the discretionary authority of the Secretary by allowing him to grant access only when it will not impair the suitability of the area under review for wilderness designation. See also section 302, which provides, in pertinent part: Except as provided in . . . Section 603 . . . and in the last sentence of this paragra?h, no provision of this section or any other section of this Act shall in any way amend the Mining Law of 1872 or im?air 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. Currently, the Solicitor's Office is preparing a memorandum involving the Secretary's authority to regulate access to and from mining claims. In regard to existing access across wilderness study lands to private 11