[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 121 (Monday, June 23, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35408-35409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-14159]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[OR932-6334-DF-062H; HAG-0125]
Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for Vegetation Treatments Using Herbicides on BLM Lands
in Oregon
AGENCY: USDI, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon/Washington State
Office.
ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS).
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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 102(2)(C) of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the BLM in Oregon is beginning
preparation of a programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to
analyze the use of 18 nationally approved herbicides to control noxious
weeds; to treat invasive plants and other weeds in administrative
sites, recreation sites, and rights-of-way; to treat forest pests and
diseases; and to meet non-commodity landscape health objectives across
nine BLM Districts in Oregon.
This EIS will tier to, and adopt procedures from, the programmatic
Vegetation Treatments Using Herbicides on BLM Lands in 17 Western
States EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) completed by the BLM in 2007
for the same 18 herbicides. The EIS will not amend existing District
Resource Management Plans (RMPs).
DATES: Publication of this notice initiates a scoping period that runs
through July 28, 2008. Written or e-mailed comments are being sought to
help identify the relevant issues and environmental concerns, identify
possible alternatives, and help determine the scope of the EIS. During
the scoping period, the BLM will hold public scoping meetings in
Oregon, at or near each of the nine BLM District Offices and in Klamath
Falls and Baker City, to describe the proposal and solicit ideas for
issues and alternatives to be considered in the EIS. Times and
locations are included in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below and will be
announced through local press releases, advertisements, and the project
Web site.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, to be placed
on the mailing list, or to provide written comments, send e-mail to
[email protected] or contact Ken Denton, EIS Team Leader, OR/WA
Bureau of Land Management-932, PO Box 2965, Portland, OR 97208;
telephone (503) 808-6443. Additional information is also available on
the project Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/vegtreatmentseis.
Comments received will be available for public inspection at the
Bureau of Land Management Oregon State Office reading room, located at
333 SW. First St., Portland, OR 97204. Before including your address,
phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly
available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so. The minutes and list of
attendees for each scoping meeting will be available to the public and
any participant who wishes to clarify the views he or she expressed may
do so through the end of the scoping period.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BLM manages 15.7 million acres in Oregon.
Invasive plants (including noxious weeds) affect over a million of
these acres and are increasing at an estimated 10 to 15 percent per
year. Invasive plants degrade soil and water quality, displace native
vegetation, and negatively alter habitat for fish and wildlife. Noxious
weeds, invasive plants, and other weeds also encroach on rights-of-ways
and administrative and recreation sites. Currently, the BLM utilizes an
integrated pest management approach for invasive plant and other weed
management; which includes education, early detection and prevention
measures, as well as manual, mechanical, cultural, biological, and
chemical vegetation controls. However, chemical control on BLM lands in
Oregon is currently limited to the use of four approved herbicides, and
those are limited to treatment of federal-, state-, and county-
designated noxious weeds (a subset of the invasive plants).
To improve the overall effectiveness of Oregon BLM's integrated
pest management program, there is a need for access to a broader array
of herbicides that are generally less toxic, more target-specific, and
more effective at controlling noxious weeds, invasive plants, and other
weeds.
[[Page 35409]]
The BLM in Oregon will analyze the use of up to 18 herbicide active
ingredients approved for use in the national Vegetation Treatments
Using Herbicides on BLM Lands in 17 Western States EIS and ROD
completed by the BLM in 2007. The purpose of the Oregon EIS is to:
Evaluate the effects of using up to 18 nationally approved
herbicide active ingredients for treatment of noxious weeds; for
treatment of invasive vegetation and other weeds in administrative
sites, recreation sites, and rights-of-way; for treatment of forest
pests and diseases; and to achieve non-commodity landscape health
objectives.
Incorporate the Risk Assessments, Standard Operating
Procedures, and Mitigation Measures for herbicide application outlined
in the National Programmatic EIS.
Provide the necessary context and analysis of
environmental effects that will enable each of the nine BLM Districts
in Oregon to prepare National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses
on site-specific projects and treatments.
The EIS will not evaluate herbicide use directed specifically at
commodity production such as livestock forage production and timber
production.
The National Programmatic EIS and Environmental Report completed in
2007 for the 17 western states (http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/veg_eis.html ) provided a programmatic analysis of the effects of
using herbicides for treating vegetation on BLM lands in the western
U.S., including Alaska. That EIS did not specifically address which
herbicides, and in what quantities, would be used in Oregon. The Oregon
EIS will tier to the National EIS. The Oregon EIS will, however,
identify which herbicides will be available for use in Oregon and how
those herbicides will be used as part of an integrated vegetation
treatment program and provide Oregon-specific environmental effects of
their use. Subsequent project-specific NEPA analyses will be conducted
at the field-office level before individual projects are carried out.
The BLM has initially identified the following issues for analysis
in the Oregon-wide programmatic EIS:
Effects to fish and other non-target aquatic organisms;
Effects to water quality;
Effects to wildlife and other non-target terrestrial
organisms;
Public and worker health and safety;
Treatment-effectiveness; and,
Cost-effectiveness.
Meetings
Oregon Meeting Schedule
Date and Time--Location--Key Contact
July 7, 5-7 p.m.--Baker BLM Resource Area Office, 3285 11th Street,
Baker City--Mark Wilkening (541) 473-6218.
July 8, 6:30-8 p.m.--Vale BLM District Office, 100 Oregon St., Vale--
Mark Wilkening (541) 473-6218.
July 9, 5:30-7 p.m.--Harney County Senior Center, 17 S. Alder Ave.,
Burns--Tara Martinak (541) 573-4519.
July 10, 8-10 a.m.--Lakeview BLM Office, 1301 S. ``G'' Street,
Lakeview--Scott Stoffel (541) 947-6237.
July 10, 1:30-3:30 p.m.--Klamath Falls, 2795 Anderson Avenue, Bldg.
25, Klamath Falls--Scott Stoffel (541) 947-6237.
July 14, 6:30-8 p.m.--North Bend Public Library, 1800 Sherman Ave.,
North Bend--Megan Harper (541) 751-4353.
July 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m.--Medford BLM Office, 3040 Biddle Road,
Medford--James Whittington (541) 618-2220.
July 16, 6:30-8 p.m.--Umpqua National Forest Supervisor's Office, 2900
Stewart Pkwy, Roseburg--Robert Hall (541) 464-3245.
July 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m.--Harris Hall, Lane Co. Building, 125 E. 8th
Ave., Eugene--Doug Huntington (541) 683-6415.
July 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m.--Downtown Hilton, Director's Suite, 921 SW. 6th
Ave., Portland--Maya Fuller (503) 808-6437.
July 21, 6:30-8 p.m.--Salem BLM Office, 1717 Fabry Rd. SE., Salem--
Trish Hogervorst (503) 375-5657.
July 22, 6:30-8 p.m.--Saint Joseph's Parish Hall, 200 East 1st St.
Prineville--Teal Purrington (541) 416-6772.
Dated: June 13, 2008.
James G. Kenna,
Associate State Director, Oregon/Washington.
[FR Doc. E8-14159 Filed 6-20-08; 8:45 am]
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