[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51180-51181]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18519]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Lower Joseph Creek Restoration Project, Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan Amendment for Research Natural
Area Establishment
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of objection filing period.
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SUMMARY: James Pe[ntilde]a, the Regional Forester for the Pacific
Northwest Region, has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (ROD) for the establishment of two
Research Natural Areas (RNA) as part of the Lower Joseph Creek
Restoration Project. The draft ROD authorizes establishment of both the
Horse Pasture Ridge and Haystack Rock RNAs.
The FEIS and draft ROD are available on the forest's Web site at
http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=43379. A hardcopy of the
document(s) and/or further information is available by contacting the
person listed under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section below.
The draft ROD is subject to objection under 36 CFR part 219, subpart B.
A written notice of objection, including any attachments, must be
submitted (regular mail, express delivery, messenger service, fax,
email, or hand delivery) within 60 days of the publication date of the
notice in the newspaper of record, the Oregonian. The newspaper notice
is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection
(36 CFR 219.56(b)(3)). An electronic scan of this notice was posted on
the Web site noted above. Those wishing to object to the draft ROD
should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any
other source.
Any objection must be submitted to Glen Casamassa, Associate Deputy
Chief, who is the Objection Reviewing Officer, at one of the addresses
listed in the ADDRESSES section below.
The objection process provides an opportunity for members of the
public who have participated in the planning process for the forest
plan amendment to have any unresolved concerns reviewed by the Forest
Service prior to a final decision by the Responsible
[[Page 51181]]
Official. Under 36 CFR 219.53(a), objections will be accepted only from
those individuals or organizations who have previously submitted
substantive formal comments related to this amendment of the Wallowa-
Whitman National Forest Plan during previous opportunities for public
comment provided. Objections must be based on previously submitted
substantive comments attributed to the objector, unless the objection
concerns an issue that arose after the opportunities for public comment
(36 CFR 219.53(a)). In addition, objections must meet the content
requirements of 36 CFR 219.54(c), which can be found in SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
All objections are open to public inspection and will be posted to
the Forest Service Web site (http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=43379). A notice of objections received will be published in
the newspaper of record, the Oregonian, within 10 days after the close
of the objection filing period.
DATES: The objection filing period began upon publication of the notice
in the newspaper of record (publication occurred on July 15, 2016 in
the Oregonian) and ends 60 days thereafter.
ADDRESSES: Objections must be submitted to one of the addresses below:
1. Postal Delivery: USDA Forest Service Attn: Objection Reviewing
Officer, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., EMC-LEAP, Mailstop 1104,
Washington, DC 20250.
2. Express, Messenger, or Hand Delivery: USDA Forest Service, Attn:
Objection Reviewing Officer, 210 14th St. SW., EMC-LEAP, Mailstop 1104,
Washington, DC 20250. The main phone line for carrier deliveries is
202-719-8488.
3. Electronically Filed: Email; [email protected]; Please
put Objection and Lower Joseph Creek Restoration Project, establishment
of Haystack Rock and Horse Pasture Ridge Research Natural Areas in the
subject line. Fax: (202) 649-1172
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Darcy Weseman, Plan Amendment Project
Manager, 72510 Coyote Rd. Pendleton, OR 97801, (541) 278-3755, or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The office business hours for those
submitting hand-delivered objections are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Eastern Standard Time), Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. Electronic objections must be submitted in a commonly used
format such as an email message, plain text (.txt), rich text format
(.rtf), or Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx). For electronically mailed
objections, the sender should normally receive an automated electronic
acknowledgment from the agency as confirmation of receipt. If the
sender does not receive an automated acknowledgment of the receipt of
the objection, it is the sender's responsibility to ensure timely
receipt by other means. The regulations prohibit extending the length
of the objection filing period.
Any objection must include the following (30 CFR 219.54(c)):
1. The objector's name and address, telephone number or email
address if available. Include the identification of the lead objector,
when multiple names are listed on an objection.
2. Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a
scanned signature is allowed for electronic mail);
3. The title of the plan amendment, and the name and title of the
Responsible Official;
4. A description of the issues and/or parts of the plan amendment
to which the objection applies;
5. A brief statement explaining the objection and suggesting how
the draft plan amendment decision may be improved. If the objector
believes the plan amendment is inconsistent with law, regulation, or
policy, the reasons should be included;
6. A statement that shows the link between the objector's prior
substantive formal comments and the content of the objection, unless
the objection concerns an issue that arose after the opportunities for
formal comment.
Attach documents referenced in the objection except as noted at 36
CFR 219.54(b). The objector is responsible for ensuring the timely
filing of written objections. Timeliness will be determined as
indicated in 36 CFR 219.56(c).
The Reviewing Officer will provide written acknowledgement of
receipt of the objection, if requested by the objector.
Dated: July 20, 2016.
James Pe[ntilde]a,
Regional Forester, Pacific Northwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-18519 Filed 8-2-16; 8:45 am]
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