[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58029-58030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-28895]


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 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 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 219 / Tuesday, November 12, 1996 / 
Notices  

[[Page 58029]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Deadman Creek Timber Sales, Colville National Forest, Ferry 
County, WA

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, USDA, will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) on a proposal to harvest and regenerate timber for 
twenty million board feet on one or more timber sales and to construct 
and reconstruct roads in the Deadman Creek area. The Proposed Action 
will be in compliance with the 1988 Colville National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) as amended, which provides the 
overall guidance for management of this area. The Proposed Action is 
within portions of the Deadman Creek watershed on the Kettle Falls 
Ranger District and scheduled for implementation in fiscal year 1999. 
The Colville National Forest invites written comments and suggestions 
on the scope of the analysis. The agency will give notice of the full 
environmental analysis and decision making process so interested and 
affected people may be able to participate and contribute in the final 
decision.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received 
in writing by December 15, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions concerning the 
management of this area to Meredith Webster, District Ranger, 255 West 
11th, Kettle Falls, Washington 99141.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the Proposed Action and EIS should be directed to 
Meredith Webster, District Ranger or to Mike Porter, Planner, 255 West 
11th, Kettle Falls, Washington 99141 (phone: 509-738-6111).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Action includes harvesting 
timber and constructing roads through one or more timber sales.
    The timber sales would be located approximately seven miles north 
of Washington State Highway 20 and nine miles west of Washington State 
Highway 395. The proposed sales would harvest approximately twenty 
million board feet on about 4000 acres through commercial thinning, 
individual tree selection, partial overstory removal and shelterwood 
harvest methods. Twenty-eight (28) miles of new road would be 
constructed.
    The Deadman Creek timber sales are proposed within the Deadman 
Creek watershed on the Kettle Falls Ranger District. This analysis will 
evaluate a range of alternatives for implementation of the timber 
sales. The area being analyzed is approximately 40,800 acres. The 
Proposed Action includes portions of the Twin Sister Inventoried 
Roadless Area and the Hoodoo Inventoried Roadless Area which were 
considered but not selected for Wilderness designation.
    The Draft EIS will be tiered to the Forest Plan. The Forest Plan's 
Management Area direction for this analysis area is approximately 51 
percent Wood/Forage Emphasis (Management Area 7), 10 percent Semi-
Primitive Non-Motorized Recreation (Management Area 11), 8 percent 
Scenic/Timber (Management Area 5), and lesser amounts of Winter Range 
(Management Area 8), Semi-Primitive Motorized Recreation (Management 
Area 10), Old Growth Dependent Species Habitat (Management Area 1), 
Recreation (Management Area 3A), and Scenic/Winter Range (Management 
Area 6). There is also 11 percent in other ownership within the 
analysis area.
    No harvest and no road construction will be proposed within the 
Semi-Primitive Motorized Recreation areas or the Semi-Primitive, Non-
Motorized Recreation areas. The other ownership areas are included only 
for analysis of effects.
    Preliminary issues identified include:
    1. Timber harvest and road construction within Forest Plan 
Inventoried Roadless areas and other unroaded areas greater than 1000 
acres;
    2. Creation of Lynx foraging habitat may conflict with Historic 
Range of Variability direction found in Eastside Screens Forest Plan 
amendment;
    3. Forest Health is a concern due to overstocked conditions which 
increase the possibility of insect and disease problems;
    4. The projects must be compatible with existing recreational uses; 
and
    5. State Water Quality Standards must be met in Deadman Creek, as 
well as other waters in and downstream from the planning area.
    A range of alternatives will be considered, including a no-action 
alternative. Based on issues identified to date, alternatives to be 
considered include: (1) the number, sizes, and locations of areas 
considered for treatment; (2) the amount of road constructed for 
access; (3) the type of harvest and post-harvest treatments prescribed; 
and (4) the number, types, and locations of other integrated resource 
projects.
    Initial scoping began in May, 1996. The scoping process will 
include the following: identify and clarify issues; identify key issues 
to be analyzed in depth; explore alternatives based on themes which 
will be derived from issues recognized during scoping activities; and 
identify potential environmental effects of the Proposed Action and 
alternatives.
    An informal public meeting is planned to be held at the Kettle 
Falls Ranger District office during November, 1996. The date, time, and 
location of this meeting will be announced at a later date. The Forest 
Service is seeking information, comments, and assistance from other 
agencies, organizations, Indian Tribes, and individuals who may be 
interested in or affected by the Proposed Action. This input will be 
used in preparation of the draft EIS. Your comments are appreciated 
throughout the analysis process.
    The draft EIS is to be filed with the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and to be available for public review by April, 1997. At 
that time, copies of the draft EIS will be distributed to interested 
and affected agencies, organizations, Indian Tribes, and members of the 
public for their review and comment. The EPA will publish a Notice of 
Availability of the draft EIS in the Federal Register. The comment 
period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA notice 
appears in the Federal Register . It is important that those interested 
in the management of the Colville National Forest participate at that 
time.

[[Page 58030]]

    The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers 
notice at this early stage of several court rulings related to public 
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of 
draft EIS 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 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 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 EIS. 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 at 
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
    The final EIS is scheduled to be available by September, 1997. In 
the final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to substantive 
comments received during the comment period for the draft EIS. The 
responsible official is Colville National Forest Supervisor, Edward L. 
Schultz. The responsible official will decide which, if any, of the 
alternatives will be implemented. The decision and the rationale for 
the decision will be documented in the Record of Decision, which will 
be subject to Forest Service Appeal Regulations (36 CFR Part 215).

    Dated: October 25, 1996.
Edward L. Schultz,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 96-28895 Filed 11-8-96; 8:45 am]
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