[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 211 (Wednesday, November 1, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55538-55540]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26985]



 ========================================================================
 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
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 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. 60, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 1, 1995 / 
Notices  

[[Page 55538]]


DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Indian River Timber Sale(s), Tongass National Forest, Chatham 
Area, Sitka and Hoonah Ranger Districts, AK

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement to disclose the environmental impacts of 
proposed actions within the Indian River project area. The proposed 
action provides for:
    (1) Construction of approximately 10.5 miles of new road from a 
road pool of 23.9 miles, and reconstruction of approximately 23.5 miles 
of existing road in conjunction with two or more timber sales; (2) 
harvest of 91 units covering 2,358 acres of timber from a unit pool of 
178 units containing 70.7 million board feet net sawlog volume over 
3,355 acres, and regeneration of new stands of trees; and (3) re-
construction and use of log transfer facilities located at Sunshine 
Cove (terminus of Forest Development Road 7500) and development of a 
new log transfer facility in the Ten Mile area (terminus of Forest 
Development Road 7502). This level of development would result in the 
harvest of approximately 34 million board feet of sawlog and utility 
timber volume over a three year period following approval of this 
document and award of contract(s). The proposed action is one 
alternative to achieve the purpose and need for the project. A map of 
the unit and road pool, and proposed action is available from the 
address provided.
    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 December 8, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Indian River Planning Team, USDA 
Forest Service, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, Alaska 99835.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Linn W. Shipley, Team Leader, USDA Forest Service, 204 Siginaka Way, 
Sitka, AK 99835, (907) 747-6671.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    This environmental impact statement will tier to the 1979 Tongass 
Land Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement, including the 
1985-86 and 1991 amendments. The Tongass Land Management Plan 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 Indian River Project Area is located about 56 air miles north 
of Sitka, Alaska, 22 miles south of Hoonah, Alaska, and 2 miles from 
Tenakee Springs, Alaska on the northeastern part of Chichagof Island.
    The Project Area encompasses all or part of Value Comparison Units 
204, 216, 220, 221, and 222 as designated in the Tongass Land 
Management Plan. These Value Comparison Units are located within 
Management Areas C29, C30, and C32 as described in the Tongass Land 
Management Plan. The project area is administered by the Sitka and 
Hoonah Ranger Districts of the Chatham Area, Tongass National Forest, 
Alaska.

Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action

    The purpose and need for the Indian River project is to implement 
the Tongass Land Management Plan by making 25 million board feet to 45 
million board feet of sawlog and utility timber volume available from 
the project area; to provide a sustained level of wood products to meet 
local, national, and international demand; and to improve the timber 
productivity of the project area. A comparison of the desired future 
condition for the project area (as identified in the Tongass Land 
Management Plan) 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. This environmental impact 
statement may result in two or more timber sales under the independent 
sale program or in offerings to the Ketchikan Pulp Company under the 
terms and conditions of its long-term timber sale contract.

Decisions To Be Made

    Gary A. Morrison, Forest Supervisor, Chatham Area, is the 
Responsible Official and will decide whether or not to authorize timber 
harvest within the Indian River 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 Tongass Land 
Management Plan; (2) how much timber volume to make available; (3) the 
location and design of the collector and local 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.

Management Objectives

    Management objectives that the Proposed Action is designed to 
address:
    1. Ecosystems--Design timber management and associated activities 
to minimize disturbance in existing ecosystems and maintain viable, 
well distributed populations of desired vertebrate species. Unit and 
road designs may include partial harvest prescriptions that imitate 
natural disturbance patterns, silvicultural thinning plans to maintain 
structure and plant communities within managed units, and avoidance of 
sensitive areas within the Project Area.
    2. Critical Deer Winter Range--Design timber management and 
associated activities to minimize disturbance in critical deer winter 
range within the Project Area.
    3. Subsistence--Design timber management and associated activities 
to maintain opportunities to use subsistence resources by minimizing 
reductions in the abundance and distribution of harvestable subsistence 
resources, maintain reasonable access 

[[Page 55539]]
and use of subsistence resources in an effective and efficient manner, 
and minimize competition between users within the Project Area.
    4. Karst and Cave Resources--Design timber management and 
associated activities to protect and maintain, to the extent practical, 
significant caves and karst resources that are vulnerable to 
disturbance within the Project Area.
    5. Social and Economic--Design timber harvest and associated 
activities to maintain or enhance social and economic values of local 
residents of Tenakee Springs and nearby communities.
    6. Visual--Design timber harvest and associated activities to 
maintain inventoried visual quality objectives as seen from Tenakee 
Inlet near the mouth of Indian River, the area known as the mouth of 
10-Mile Creek, and the coastline near Tenakee Springs.
    7. Cumulative Impacts--Design timber harvest and associated 
activities to mitigate cumulative resources impacts of this project and 
other related management activities and adjacent to the Project Area.

Permits

    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); the Environmental Protection Agency 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, (18 ACC 60.230)) and the Certificate 
of Reasonable Assurance (section 401 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 Environmental 
Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will participate 
as cooperating agencies in preparation of the environmental impact 
statement. We are requesting authorization from the City of Tenakee 
Springs for use of an existing log transfer facility site located on 
city-owned tidelands at Sunshine Cove.

Process Steps

    Preparation of the environmental impact statement will include the 
following 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 significant issues related to the 
proposed action to be analyzed in depth; (3) development of a 
reasonable range of alternatives to the proposed action which meet the 
stated purpose and need for the proposed action and address significant 
issues; and (4) identification of the potential environmental effects 
of the alternatives.
    For step 1, scoping announcements will be published during the week 
of October 29, 1995 in the Juneau Empire and Sitka Daily Sentinel, 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 Tenakee Springs, Angoon, and 
Hoonah, Alaska in November 1995.
    For step 2, the Interdisciplinary Team will review comments 
received during the scoping period to determine issues which are 
significant and within the scope of this project.
    Step 3 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.
    In step 4, 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.

Public Participation Encouraged

    In addition to commenting on the proposed action and the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement 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 Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be filed 
with the Environmental Protection Agency in June 1996. The comment 
period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be 45 days from 
the date the Environmental Protection Agency 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 alters 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 Impact 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 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 and respond to them 
in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on 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 document. 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 Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision is 
expected to be released in December 1996. The Forest Supervisor for the 
Chatham Area of the Tongass National Forest will, as the responsible 
official for the environmental impact statement, make a decision 
regarding this proposal considering the comments, responses, 

[[Page 55540]]
and environmental consequences discussed in the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The 
decision and supporting reasons will be documented in the Record of 
Decision.
Gary A. Morrison,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 95-26985 Filed 10-31-95; 8:45 am]
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