[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29332-29333]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-13691]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Colville Confederated Tribes Integrated Resource Management Plan, 
Colville Indian Reservation, Ferry and Okanogan Counties, Washington

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for an Integrated Resource 
Management Plan (IRMP) for the approximately 1,392,265 acre Colville 
Indian Reservation, as directed in BIA Manual 30, Supplement 10. The 
planning area is located within both Ferry and Okanogan Counties, 
Washington. A description of this area and of the proposed action 
follows as supplementary information. This notice also announces a 
public scoping meeting for the content of the EIS.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope and implementation of this 
proposal must be received by June 30, 1999. The public hearing will be 
held on June 15, 1999, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to John St. Pierre, IRMP Team Leader, Natural 
Resources Department, Colville Confederated Tribes, P.O. Box 150, 
Nespelem, Washington 99155, telephone (509) 634-2324. The public 
scoping meeting will take place at the Nespelem Catholic Longhouse, 
Nespelem, Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John St. Pierre, (509) 634-2324.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Colville Indian Reservation is home to 
the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which include the 
Colville, Lakes, San Poil, Nespelem, Southern Okanagan, Moses/Columbia, 
Palus, Nez Perce, Methow, Chelan, Entiat and Wenatchi Tribes. The 
reservation is bounded on the west by the Okanogan River, on the south 
and east by the Columbia River, and on the north by a line separating 
townships 34 and 35 of the Willamette Meridian. Land on the reservation 
is divided between fee (20 percent) and trust (80 percent) status. 
Major land uses include forest (63 percent), open rangeland (20 
percent), forest rangeland (10 percent) and agriculture (6 percent). 
Timber revenues have historically provided from 80 to 90 percent of the 
tribal budget.
    The proposed action is to adopt standards and guidelines, developed

[[Page 29333]]

through an IRMP, over a range of outputs and levels of output for 
resources located on the Colville Indian Reservation. The decision to 
be made is what standards and guidelines, if any, to adopt for the 
management of these resources. The proposed action and alternatives 
must feature the same emphases as the Guidelines for Integrated 
Resource Management Planning in Indian Country, namely, that each tribe 
should decide on the resource management philosophy which best fits its 
needs and develop an appropriate approach to creating its own IRMP. The 
proposed action and alternatives must also be consistent with the 
Confederated Tribes' Holistic Goal, enacted by Colville Business 
Council Resolution Number 1996-23 on January 18, 1996.
    Possible alternatives to the proposed action include (1) no action 
and (2) an alternate plan that meets the emphases of both the 
Guidelines for Integrated Resource Management Planning and the Tribes' 
Holistic Goal. Other alternatives, which must respond to specific 
conditions on the Colville Reservation, may emerge during the scoping 
process for the EIS.
    Resource management issues so far identified include (1) forms of 
production, (2) sustaining a future resource base, (3) maintaining and 
building a quality of life based on a unique set of traditions, 
culture, environment and economy, and (4) creating an environment where 
members of the tribes can work together to develop an innovative 
resources management approach.
    The BIA invites federal, state, and local agencies, and individuals 
and organizations who may be interested in or affected by the proposed 
action to offer information, comments, and assistance in the scoping 
process for the EIS. This process will include (1) identifying 
potential issues, (2) identifying issues to be analyzed in depth, (3) 
eliminating issues that are not significant or that have been covered 
by a previous environmental process, (4) exploring additional 
alternatives, (5) identifying potential environmental effects of the 
proposed action and alternatives, and (6) determining potential 
cooperating agencies and task assignments.
    This notice is published in accordance with Sec. 1503.1 of the 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500 through 
1508) implementing the procedural requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), 
and the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the 
exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian 
Affairs by 209 DM 8.

    Dated: May 25, 1999.
Kevin Gover,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-13691 Filed 5-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-02-U