[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 130 (Wednesday, July 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36873-36874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17986]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Skipping Cow Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forset Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the proposed Skipping Cow Timber Sale. The timber 
sale is located in the Tongass National Forest, Stikine Area, Wrangell 
Ranger District, on Zarembo Island, within Value Comparison Units 
(VCU's) 458 and 459. The Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan 
(1997) provides the overall guidance (land use designations, goals, 
objectives, management prescriptions, standards and guidelines) to 
achieve the desired future condition for the area in which this project 
is proposed. This Forest Plan allocates portions of the project area 
into three management prescriptions: Timber Production, Modified 
Landscape, and Scenic Viewshed.
    The purpose and need for the project is to respond to the goals and 
objectives identified by the Forest Plan for the timber and move 
Skipping Cow Project Area toward the desired future condition. The 
Forest Plan identified the following goals and objectives: (1) manage 
the timber resource for production of saw timber and other wood 
products from suitable timber lands made available for timber harvest, 
on an even-flow, long-term sustained yield basis and in an economically 
efficient manner (Forest Plan page 2-4); (2) seek to provide a timber 
supply sufficient to meet the annual market demand for Tongass National 
Forest timber, and the demand for the planning cycle (page 2-4); and 
(3) maintain and

[[Page 36874]]

promote industrial wood production from suitable timber lands, 
providing a continuous supply of wood to meet society's needs (page 3-
144). The Skipping Cow Timber Sale will be designed to produce desired 
resource values, products, and conditions in ways that also sustain the 
diversity and productivity of ecosystems (page 2-1).
    The Skipping Cow Timber Sale is expected to provide a range of 
volume to the timber industry from 20 to 30 million board feet. The 
range of alternatives to be considered in the EIS will be determined 
during analysis and reflect issues raised during scoping.
    The Proposed Action provides for: (1) construction of approximately 
15.5 miles of specified road and additional temporary road; and (2) 
harvest between 900-1300 acres. The existing log transfer facility at 
Deep Bay Harbor will be used to transfer volume to the water. A variety 
of systems would be used for yarding, including helicopter, cable, 
skyline and shovel yarding systems.
    A number of public comments have been received on this project. 
Based on comments from the public and other agencies during the 
preliminary scoping effort, the following issues have been identified. 
How will the design of the sale affect: harvest economics, access road 
management, Wind ecology (large scale blowdown), and winter deer 
habitat? These issues and other issues discovered during further 
scoping will be used to design alternatives to the proposed action and 
to identify the potential environmental effects of the proposed action 
and alternatives.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of this project should be received 
by August 24, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning the scope of this project should be sent 
to Jerry Jordan, ID Team Leader, Wrangell Ranger District, Tongass 
National Forest, Stikine Area; Attn: Skipping Cow EIS; P.O. Box 51, 
Wrangell, Alaska, 99929, phone (907) 874-2323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation

    Public participation will be an integral component of the study 
process and will be especially important at several points during the 
analysis. The first is during the scoping process. The Forest Service 
will be seeking information, comments, and assistance from Federal, 
State, local agencies, individuals and organizations that may be 
interested in, or affected by, the proposed activities. The scoping 
process will include: (1) identification of significant issues: (2) 
identification of issues to be analyzed in depth; and (3) elimination 
of insignificant issues or those which have been covered by a previous 
environmental review. For the Forest Service to best use the scoping 
input, comments should be received by August 24, 1998.
    Based on results of scoping and the resource capabilities within 
the project areas, alternatives including a ``no action'' alternative 
will be developed for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft 
EIS). The Draft EIS is projected to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) in January 1999. Public comment on the Draft 
EIS will be solicited for a minimum of 45 days from the date the EPA 
publishes the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The Final 
EIS is anticipated by June 1999.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns of the proposed action, comments during scoping and 
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 alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the document. Reviewers may wish to refer 
to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for 
implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental 
Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
    In addition, Federal Court decisions have established that 
reviewers of Draft EIS 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 concerns. Vermont 
Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553, (1978). 
Environmental objections that could be raised at the draft 
environmental impact stage may be waived if not raised until after 
completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement. 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). 
The reason for this is to ensure that comments and objections are made 
available to the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully 
consider and respond to them in the Draft EIS.
    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 project 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 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. 
Requesters should be aware that, under FOIA, confidentiality may be 
granted in only very limited circumstances, such as protected 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 name and 
address within 7 days.

Responsible Official

    Carol J. Jorgensen, Assistant Forest Supervisor, Stikine Area, 
Tongass National Forest, P.O. Box 309, Petersburg, Alaska 99833, is the 
responsible official. The responsible official will consider comments, 
responses, disclosure of environmental consequences, and applicable 
laws, regulations, and policies in making a decision and stating the 
rationale in the Record of Decision.

    Dated: June 24, 1998.
Carol J. Jorgensen,
Assistant Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 98-17986 Filed 7-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M