[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 222 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63006-63007]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30160]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 222 / Thursday, November 18, 1999 /
Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Myrtle-Cascade Timber Sales
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the potential environmental effects of
timber harvest, prescribed burning, mechanical treatments,
precommercial thinning, road reconstruction, and watershed improvement
projects on National Forest lands in the Myrtle and Cascade drainages
of the Bonners Ferry Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
DATES: Written comments and suggestions should be received on or before
December 29, 1999. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
to be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
available for public review in late January 2000. A Final Environmental
Impact Statement will be published no sooner than May 1, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposal or
requests to be placed on the project mailing list to Elaine Zieroth,
Bonners Ferry Ranger District, Route 4, Box 4860, Bonners Ferry, Idaho
83805-9764, e-mail address: ezieroth/[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Behrens, project leader, Bonners
Ferry Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Route 4, Box
4860, Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805-9764, e-mail address: pbehrens/
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The existing condition of the forested
vegetation in the project area will be compared to conditions that
occurred historically in the area to determine potential treatment
opportunities (timber harvest, prescribed burning, mechanical
treatments, precommercial thinning, etc.). Many ecological factors have
combined to develop our forests as we see them today. Fire is the
primary ecological factor that influences forest development. Over
seventh years of fire suppression by Federal and State agencies has led
to changes in structure and composition of these forests. Specifically,
the forests are more densely stocked with trees today since fires have
not thinned out the smaller trees. This creates more competition for
water and nutrients and stresses the trees. Consequently, the risk of
severe fire, and insect and disease outbreaks, is greater than it was
historically.
One of the primary objectives of the timber sales will be to
restore composition and structure of the forested ecosystem. In the dry
forest types ponderosa pine and western larch are being overcrowded by
Douglas-fir and grand fir. Treatments would be designed to favor the
development of large, open-grown stands of ponderosa pine and western
larch. In the mixed conifer and subalpine forests there is very little
size and age class diversity. In addition, western white pine, once a
significant component of the mixed confer forests in north Idaho, is
gradually dying out because of white pine blister rust. Some of the
subalpine forests also contain a high percentage of lodgepole pine at
high risk to maintain pine beetle infestation. Treating these stands
prior to a beetle epidemic would significantly reduce fuel loadings and
therefore reduce the risk of severe fire in these forest types.
Preliminary issues include water quality, forest health, timber
supply and demand, Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive wildlife, fish
and plant species.
The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of
these will be the ``no action'' alternative, under which thee would be
no change from current management of the Forest. Additional
alternatives will represent a range of strategies to accomplish the
goals of this project. The Idaho Panhandle National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan provides the guidance for management
objectives within the potentially affected area through its goals,
objectives, standards and guidelines, and management area direction.
Inland Native Fish Strategy guidelines (USDA Forest Service, 1995)
supercede Forest Plan guidelines established for riparian areas. The
public is encouraged to visit with Forest Service officials during the
analysis and prior to the decision. The Forest Service is also seeking
information, comments, and assistance from federal, state and local
agencies and other individuals or organizations that may be interested
in or affected by the proposed actions.
The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be filed
with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and available public
review in late January 2000. At that time, the EPA will publish a
Notice of Availability of the draft environmental impact statement in
the Federal Register. The comment period on the draft environmental
impact statement will be 45 days from the date the EPA publishes the
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. A final environmental
impact statement will be published after all comments are reviewed and
responded to. A Record of Decision will be published at that time.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978)). Also environmental objections that could be raised at the
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental statement may be
waived or dismissed by the courts (City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490
F.Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, it
is very important that those interested in this proposed action
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period so that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in the final environmental impact statement.
[[Page 63007]]
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns regarding the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the
draft environmental impact statement. Comments may also address the
adequacy of the draft environmental impact statement or the merits of
the alternatives formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers
may wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations
for implementing the procedural provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
Public scoping for this project was initiated in April 1997 with a
proposed action to treat roughly 6,600 acres. At this time the project
was titled the Myrtle-Ball Environmental Assessment (EA) and the
assessment area encompassed nearly 49,000 acres. In October 1997 the
assessment area was reduced to 31,000 acres, the proposed treatment
area reduced to 3,700 acres, and the project renamed the Myrtle-Cascade
EA. Based on scoping and changes in Agency direction the Forest Service
believes an EIS is now the appropriate level of documentation. Any
comments received in response to previous solicitations regarding this
project will be considered during the environmental analysis and will
be part of the public record. Anyone on the previous mailing list will
be added to the EIS mailing list.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names
and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the
public record on this proposed action and will be available for public
inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and
considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments may not have
standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR part 215.
Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the
agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing how
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality.
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the
FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited
circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service
will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the
request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the
agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the
comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within a
specified number of days.
I am the responsible official for this environmental analysis. My
address is Bonners Ferry Ranger District, Route 4 Box 4860, Bonners
Ferry, ID 83805-9764.
Dated: November 10, 1999.
Elaine J. Zieroth,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 99-30160 Filed 11-17-99; 8:45 am]
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