[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 125 (Monday, June 30, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35145-35146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-16985]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement;
Finger Mountain Timber Sale(s), Sitka Ranger District, Tongass National
Forest, Chatham Area, Sitka, AK
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: 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 to disclose the environmental impacts of
proposed actions within the Finger Mountain Project Area, which is
located on Chichagof Island in South-east Alaska. The proposed action
provides for: (1) Timber harvest and subsequent regeneration of
approximately 1872 acres of forested land. This harvest would result in
the production of approximately 49 million board feet of sawlog and
utility timber. (2) Construction of approximately 50 miles of permanent
and temporary road and reconstruction of approximately 1 mile of road.
(3) Construction of one log transfer facility and use of two existing
log transfer facilities. This proposed action is one alternative for
meeting the purpose and need for the project.
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 August 15, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Finger Mountain Planning Team,
Sitka Ranger District, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Winn, Team Leader, Sitka Ranger
District, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835, phone (907) 747-6671, fax
(907) 747-4331.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Environmental Impact Statement for the Finger Mountain Project
will tier to the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Tongass
National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan of May 1997. The Land
and Resource Management Plan provides the overall guidance (goals,
objectives, management prescriptions, standards and guidelines) to
achieve the desired future condition for the area in which this project
is proposed.
The Finger Mountain Project Area is located about 38 air miles
north of Sitka, Alaska, 24 air miles of northeast of Angoon, Alaska,
and 3 air miles southwest of Tenakee Springs, Alaska on the
southeastern part of Chichagof Island. The Project Area covers
approximately 73,000 acres and extends from Peril Strait on the south
to Tenakee Inlet on the north. In includes all of Management Area C34
and encompasses six Value Comparison Units (230, 231, 232, 233, 234,
and 246) as described in the 1979 Tongass Land Management Plan. These
Value Comparison Units include the watersheds of In between Creek,
Saltery Bay, Crab Bay, Fog Creek, Broad Finger Creek, and Broad Creek.
The Project Area is administered by the Sitka Ranger District of the
Tongass National Forest, Chatham Area, Sitka, Alaska.
Purpose and Need
The Finger Mountain Project is being scheduled at this time to
provide supplemental analysis for six Value Comparison Units within the
1992 Southeast Chichagof Project Area. This supplemental analysis is
undertaken to meet the terms of the Settlement Agreement (filed May 16,
1996) for Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association v.
Morrison, Case No J94-033. It is intended to supplement the analysis
contained in the Final Environmental Impact Statement and the Record of
Decision for the Southeast Chichagof Project Area, published in
September 1992.
The purpose and need for the Finger Mountain Project is: (1) To
implement the direction contained in the Tongass National Forest Land
and Resource Management Plan of May 1997, including goals, objectives,
management prescriptions, and standards and guidelines; (2) to maintain
wood production from suitable timber lands, providing a continuous
supply of wood to meet society's needs; (3) to help provide a stable
supply of timber from the Tongass National Forest which meets existing
and potential market demand and is consistent with sound multiple use
and sustained yield objectives; and (4) to help meet the desired future
condition of the landscape as described by the Land and Resource
Management Plan.
The Finger Mountain Project Area is expected to provide between 20
and 60 million board feet of timber to the timber industry in one or
more timber sales.
Public Comment
Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as individuals and
organizations
[[Page 35146]]
who may be interested in, or affected by, the proposed action are
invited to participate in the scoping process. This process will
determine the scope and significant issues to be analyzed in depth in
the Environmental Impact Statement.
Following the publication of this notice, a scoping document will
be mailed to interested people and organizations. The document will
briefly describe the project and project area, the purpose and need for
the project, the proposed action, and will invite public comment.
Scoping meetings will then be held in Sitka and Tenakee Springs,
Alaska. Locations and times of the scoping meetings will be announced
in local newspapers and on local radio stations.
Following scoping, the Interdisciplinary Planning Team will review
comments received during the scoping period to determine which issues
as significant and within the scope of this project. The team will then
develop a range of alternatives to address the significant issues. One
of these will be the ``No Action'' alternative, in which no additional
timber harvest or road construction is proposed. Other alternatives
will consider various levels and locations of timber harvest in
response to-issues and non-timber objectives. The team will then
prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement which will display the
alternatives and the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of each
alternative.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be filed
with the Environmental Protection Agency after March, 1998. 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. 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 write to or speak with Forest Service officials at any time during
the planning process.
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 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 an 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.
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 will not have
standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Parts 215 or
217. 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 the name and address.
Decisions To Be Made
Gary A. Morrison, Forest Supervisor of the Chatham Area, is the
Responsible Official and will decide whether or not to authorize timber
harvest within the Finger Mountain Project Area. In addition, if timber
harvest will occur, he will determine the following: (1) Is the design
of the timber sales consistent with meeting resource protection
standards and guidelines in the Land and Resource Management Plan? (2)
How much timber volume is to be made available and what are the effects
of the planned activities? (3) What is the location and design of the
timber harvest units, log transfer facilities, and road system needed
to develop the project area? (4) What mitigation and monitoring
measures are required for sound resource management? (5) Is there a
significant possibility of a significant restriction on subsistence
uses?
The Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision is
expected to be released by August, 1998. The Responsible Official will
make a decision regarding this proposal after considering public
comments, and the environmental consequences displayed in the Final
Environmental Impact Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and
policies. The decision and supporting reason will be documented in the
Record of Decision.
Dated: June 23, 1997.
Gary A. Morrison,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 97-16985 Filed 6-27-97; 8:45 am]
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