[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 39 (Monday, February 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-4420]


[Federal Register: February 28, 1994]


                                                    VOL. 59, NO. 39

                                          Monday, February 28, 1994
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


South Manti Timber Salvage; Manti-La Sal National Forest, Sanpete 
and Sevier Counties, UT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental 
impacts of proposed actions to salvage harvest timber and improve 
productivity of stands of trees in portions of the Muddy Creek, 
Twelvemile Creek, Sixmile Creek, and Ferron Creek Drainages. The 
project is located approximately 10 air miles southeast of Manti, Utah.

    The entire proposal area involves some 30,000 acres of which 
approximately 10,000 acres is forested with an Engelmann spruce cover 
type. A bark beetle epidemic has affected the major portion of this 
type. the need for the proposal is established by the silvicultural 
condition of the affected timber stands and forest goals as outlined in 
the Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.
    Six areas that were inventoried as roadless as part of the RARE II 
evaluation are adjacent to and in some cases overlap the proposal. 
These areas were released back to full Multiple Use management by the 
Utah Wilderness Act and were evaluated for a variety of designations in 
the Forest's analysis during the Forest Land and Resource Plan process 
which was completed in 1986. The current analysis will document effects 
that would substantially alter the undeveloped character of these 
areas.

DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described 
in this Notice should be received on or before March 30, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Manti-La Sal National Forest, 599 
West Price River Drive, Price, Utah 84501.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions concerning the proposed action and EIS should be addressed to 
Arthur J. Vasten Jr., Project Timber Staff, Manti-La Sal National 
Forest, phone (801) 637-2817.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This EIS will tier to the final EIS for the 
Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest 
Plan). The Manti-La Sal Forest Plan provides the overall guidance 
(Goals, Objectives, Standards, and Management Area Direction) to 
achieve the Desired Future Condition for the area being analyzed, and 
contains specific management area prescriptions for the entire Forest.

    A National forest Management Act Analysis for this proposal was 
completed in 1993. As a result of that analysis and additional scoping 
the Manti-La Sal concluded the proposal may have a significant effect 
on the roadless character of some of the surrounding areas, and because 
of the scope of the project size it was decided to prepare this EIS. 
The previous scoping and analysis also identified the following 
potential issues related to the proposed action:
    What will be the effects of the proposal on the habitats, behavior, 
and local population of certain wildlife species?
    What effect will the proposed activities have on the access, 
quality, and safety of the recreational opportunities of the area?
    How will the proposal alter the present visual quality?
    What will be the effects of the proposal on cultural resources?
    How will potential build up of dead, down, woody, ground fuels be 
effected by the proposal?
    How will the proposal contribute to a healthy, productive forest 
that will economically provide timber for the market place on a 
sustainable basis for the present and the future?
    What effect will the proposal have on the transportation systems 
presently serving the area?
    What will be the impacts on wetlands, and riparian areas?
    What will the impacts be on the water quality and chemistry?
    What will be the economics of the proposed action?
    How will the proposal affect the roadless character of certain 
areas?
    How will the local economies be affected by the proposal?
    The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from 
Federal, State, and local agencies as well as individuals and 
organizations who may be interested in, or affected by the proposed 
action. The Forest Service invites written comments and suggestions on 
the issues related to the proposal and the area being analyzed. 
Information received will be used in preparation of the Draft EIS and 
Final EIS. For most effective use, comments should be submitted to the 
Forest Service within 30 days from the date of publication of this 
Notice in the Federal Register. Preparation of the EIS will include the 
following steps:

1. Define the purpose of and need for action.
2. Identify potential issues.
3. Eliminate issues of minor importance or those that have been covered 
by previous and relevant environmental analysis.
4. Select issues to be analyzed in depth.
5. Identify reasonable alternatives to the proposed action.
6. Describe the affected environment.
7. Identify the potential environmental effects of the alternatives.

    Steps 2, 3, and 4 will be completed through the scoping process.
    Step 5 will consider a range of alternatives developed from the key 
issues. One of these will be the ``No Action'' alternative. Other 
alternatives will consider various methods, levels and locations of 
harvest, regeneration, and related road development/improvement in 
response to issues, and non-timber objectives.
    Step 6 will describe the physical attributes of the area to be 
affected by this proposal, with special attention to the environmental 
factors that could be adversely affected.
    Step 7 will analyze the environmental effects of each alternative. 
This analysis will be consistent with management direction outlined in 
the Forest Plan. The direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of each 
alternative will be analyzed and documented. In addition, the site 
specific mitigation measures for each alternative will be identified 
and the effectiveness of these mitigation measures will be disclosed.
    The approximate boundary of the area covered for this analysis will 
be from the southern Forest boundary along White Mountain north along 
Skyline Drive to the Ferron and Sixmile drainages.
    The proposed management activities would be administered by the 
Sanpete and Ferron Ranger Districts of the Manti-La Sal National Forest 
in Sanpete and Sevier Counties, Utah.
    Agency representatives and other interested people are invited to 
visit with Forest Service officials at any time during the EIS process. 
Two specific time periods are identified for the receipt of formal 
comments on the analysis. The two comment periods are, (1) during the 
scoping process, the next 30 days following publication of this Notice 
in the Federal Register, and (2) during the formal review period of the 
Draft EIS.
    The Draft EIS is estimated to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in June, 1994. 
At this time the EPA will publish an availability notice of the Draft 
EIS in the Federal Register.
    The comment period on the Draft EIS will be 45 days from the date 
the Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability appears in 
the Federal Register. It is very important that those interested in 
this proposed action participate at that time. To be the most helpful, 
comments on the Draft EIS should be as specific as possible and may 
address the adequacy of the statement or the merits of the alternatives 
discussed (See The Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental 
Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3).
    In addition, Federal court decisions have established that 
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 reviewers' position and 
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 
553 (1978). Environmental objections that could have been raised at the 
draft stage may be waived if not raised until after completion of the 
final environmental impact statement. City of Angoon v. Hodel, (9th 
Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 
1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). The reason for this to ensure 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.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns related to the proposed action, comments on the Draft EIS 
should be as specific as possible. Referring to specific pages or 
chapters of the Draft EIS is most helpful. Comments may also address 
the adequacy of the Draft EIS 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, 40 
CFR 1503.3, in addressing these points.)
    The final EIS is expected to be released September 16, 1994.
    The Forest Supervisor for the Manti-La Sal National Forest, who is 
the responsible official for the EIS, will then make a decision 
regarding this proposal, after considering the comments, responses, and 
environmental consequences discussed in the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The reasons 
for the decision will be documented in a Record of Decisions.

    Dated: February 17, 1994.
George A. Morris,
Forest Supervisor, Manti-La Sal National Forest.
[FR Doc. 94-4420 Filed 2-25-94; 8:45 am]
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