[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 31, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-21436]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: August 31, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Northwest Baranof Timber Sale(s), Tongass National Forest,
Chatham Area, Sitka Ranger District, Sitka, AK
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revise the July 12, 1993 notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental
impacts of proposed actions within the Northwest Baranof project area.
This notice is an amendment to the original notice of intent for this
project, published July 12, 1993. The proposed action provides for: (1)
Construction of approximately 28 miles of new road, and reconstruction
of approximately 7 miles of existing road in conjunction with up to
seven timber sales; (2) harvest of approximately 1,800 acres of timber,
and regeneration of new stands of trees. This level of development
would result in the harvest of approximately 58 million board feet of
sawlog and utility timber volume; (3) 1,000 foot uncut timber buffers
along Nakwasina Passage, St. John Baptist Bay, and the north side of
Fish Bay for the protection of wildlife and subsistence uses; (4) log
transfer facilities in Nakwasina Passage and Nakwasina Sound, St. John
Baptist Bay (barge facility), Schulze Cove, and Rodman Bay; (5) no
clearcut harvest in areas which are visible from the Alaska Marine
Highway route (6) no harvest in VCU 289 or 290; and (7) no harvest in
the Rodman Creek drainages and limited harvest in Fish Bay drainage.
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.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received
in writing by October 21, 1994.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Northwest Baranof Planning Team,
USDA Forest Service, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, Alaska 99835.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gordon Anderson, Team Leader, USDA Forest Service, 204 Siginaka Way,
Sitka, AK 99835, (907) 747-6671.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This EIS will tier to the 1979 Tongass Land
Management Plan (TLMP) EIS, including the 1985-86 and 1990 amendments.
The TLMP provides the overall guidance (Goals, Objectives, Standards,
and Management Area direction) to achieve the desired future condition
for the area in which the project is proposed.
The Northwest Baranof Project Area is located about 10 air miles
north of Sitka, Alaska, and 30 miles east of Angoon, Alaska, on the
northwestern part of Baranof Island. It encompasses ten Value
Comparison Units (VCUs) including 287 through 292, 299, 301, and
portions of 300 and 302 as designated in the TLMP. These VCUs are
located within Management Areas C40 and C41 as described in the TLMP.
VCUs 310, 312, and 313 were dropped from the project area following
initial field review. The project area is administered by the Sitka
Ranger District of the Chatham Area, Tongass National Forest in Sitka,
Alaska.
The purpose and need for the Northwest Baranof project is to make
30-100 million board feet of timber available through up to seven
independent timber sales or offerings to the Ketchikan Pulp Company
under the conditions of its long-term timber sale contract. This timber
is needed to provide a sustained level of wood products to meet local,
national, and international demand; and to provide local employment in
the wood products industry. A comparison of the desired future
condition for the project area (as identified in the TLMP) with the
existing condition shows the need to convert suitable stands of old-
growth timber to managed productive stands capable of long-term timber
production.
Gary A. Morrison, Forest Supervisor, Chatham Area, is the
Responsible Official and will decide whether or not to authorize timber
harvest within the Northwest Baranof Project Area. He will decide (1)
If the design of the timber sale offerings are consistent with meeting
resource protection standards and guidelines in the TLMP; (2) how much
timber volume to make available; (3) the location and design of the
arterial and collector road system needed to develop the project area;
(4) the location and design of timber harvest units and log transfer
facilities; (5) mitigation and monitoring measures for sound resource
management; and (6) whether there may be a significant restriction on
subsistence uses, and if so, other determinations required by section
810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
Issues are expected to revolve around: (1) Management of wildlife
and fish habitat; (2) subsistence needs; (3) location, design and
impacts of log transfer facilities; (4) recreation and visual impacts;
and (5) the economic health of Southeast Alaska.
To proceed with the timber harvest as proposed, various permits
must be obtained from other agencies. The agencies and their
responsibilities are as follows: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the
responsibility for approval of discharge of dredged or fill materials
into the waters of the United States (Section 404 of the Clean Water
Act), and approval of construction of structures or work in navigable
waters of the United States (Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act
of 1899); EPA has responsibility for the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System review (Section 402 of the Clean Water Act). Other
agencies which will participate are as follows: State of Alaska,
Department of Natural Resources has responsibility for authorization
for occupancy and use of tidelands and submerged lands; State of
Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation has responsibility for
the Solid Waste Disposal Permit (Section 402 of Clean Water Act) and
the Certificate of Reasonable Assurance (Section 404 of Clean Water
Act); U.S. Coast Guard has responsibility for Coast Guard Bridge
Permits (in accordance with the General Bridge Act of 1946) required
for all structures constructed within the tidal influence zone. Both
the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will participate as
cooperating agencies in preparation of the EIS.
Preparation of the EIS began with public notification and scoping
in June, 1993. EIS preparation will continue with the following
additional steps: (1) Public notification and scoping (approximately 45
days beginning on the date of publication of this Notice in the Federal
Register); (2) identification of issues related to the proposed action
(significant issues) and a discussion of reasons for not considering
other issues (non-significant issues) in this analysis; (3)
identification of issues to be analyzed in depth; (4) development of
reasonable alternatives to the proposed action which meet the stated
purpose and need for the proposed action and address significant
issues; and (5) identification of the potential environmental effects
of the alternatives.
For step 1, scoping announcements will be published in the Sitka
Daily Sentinel newspaper on or about August 26 and September 14, 1994,
and copies of the announcement will be mailed to interested persons.
This announcement will describe the timing and location of the proposed
project and will request comments. It will also contain specific
information about the location and timing of public involvement
meetings. Scoping meetings will be held in Sitka, Alaska on September
21 and October 6, 1994, in the Maksoutoff Room of the Centennial
Building from 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., and Angoon, Alaska September
28 through 30, 1994. Exact locations and times of the Angoon scoping
meetings will be announced in local newspapers and on radio station
public service announcements.
For steps 2 and 3, the Interdisciplinary Team will review comments
received during both scoping periods to determine issues which are
significant and within the scope of this project.
Step 4 will consider a range of alternatives developed to address
significant issues. One of these will be the ``No Action'' alternative,
in which there is no harvest or road building activity. Other
alternatives may consider various levels and locations of harvest and
regeneration in response to issues and non-timber objectives.
Step 5 will analyze the environmental effects of each alternative.
The direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of each alternative will
be analyzed and documented. In addition, site specific mitigation
measures for each alternative will be identified and their
effectiveness evaluated.
In addition to commenting on the proposed action and the Draft EIS
when it is released, agencies and other interested persons or groups
are invited to contact Forest Service officials at any time during the
planning process.
The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the EPA during the
summer of 1995. The comment period on the Draft EIS will be 45 days
from the date the EPA publishes the notice of availability in the
Federal Register.
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 EIS stage but that are not raised until after completion of the
final EIS 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 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 EIS.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the Draft EIS should
be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to
specific pages or chapters of the Draft statement. 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 and Record of Decision is expected to be released in
the winter of 1995-96. The Forest Supervisor for the Chatham Area of
the Tongass National Forest will, as the responsible official for the
EIS, make a decision regarding this proposal considering the comments,
responses, and environmental consequences discussed in the Final EIS,
and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The decision and
supporting reasons will be documented in the Record of Decision.
Dated: August 22, 1994.
Carl M. Burgeson,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 94-21436 Filed 8-30-94; 8:45 am]
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