[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 222 (Thursday, November 16, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69282-69283]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29283]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Supplemental to Final Environmental Impact Statement for 
Uncompahgre National Forest Travel Plan; Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and 
Gunnison National Forests; Montrose, Gunnison, Mesa, San Miguel, Ouray, 
Hinsdale, and San Juan Counties, Colorado

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplement to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in conjunction with an amendment 
of the land and resource management plan for the Grand Mesa, 
Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests.

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SUMMARY: Over a six-year period the Forest Service, working with the 
public, developed the Uncompahgre National Forest Travel Plan and 
decision. The process included 38 open public meetings, a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement, a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
and a Record of Decision finally published in April of 2000 (published 
notices 62 FR 25162-25163, 63 FR 49911, 65 FR 26198). The Uncompahgre 
Travel Plan Decision of April 2000 was reversed on appeal. The issue of 
Forest Plan compliance with the standard for Habitat Capability was 
raised in the appeal. In his reversal decision, Deputy Regional 
Forester Tom Thompson instructed the Forest Supervisor to ``promptly 
begin a new decisionmaking process'' incorporating a ``procedural 
remedy of the NEPA/NFMA flaw'' discovered through the appeal. NEPA is 
the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires Environmental 
Analyses of proposed Federal actions; NFMA is the National Forest 
Management Act, which establishes Forest Plans.
    The Forest Service will prepare a supplement to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Uncompahgre National 
Forest Travel Plan. The supplement will examine a proposed amendment to 
the Land and Resource Management Plan for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, 
Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) to accommodate departure from the 
Forest Plan standards for Habitat Capability for an Uncompahgre Travel 
Plan Decision. Alternatives will be considered, including the No Action 
Alternative.
    Public Participation: Scoping is not a required part of the 
preparation of a Supplement to an EIS. However limited scoping was 
conducted, with a comment period from mid September through October 20, 
2000. There was an open public meeting at the Montrose Pavilion on 
September 27, to discuss this proposal.

ADDRESSES: To be included on the mailing list to receive copies of the 
Draft Supplement to the FEIS please send your address to: Uncompahgre 
Travel Plan, GMUG National Forests, 2250 Highway 50, Delta, CO 81416.
    Responsible Official: Robert L. Storch, Forest Supervisor of the 
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, 2250 Highway 50, 
Delta, CO.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Burch, Project Leader, at (970) 
874-6600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We expect to file a draft supplement to the 
final environmental impact statement with the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and make it available for public comment on December 2000. 
At that time, the EPA will publish a notice of availability for the 
DSEIS in the Federal Register. The comment period on the DSEIS will be 
60 days from the date the EPA publishes the notice of availability in 
the Federal Register. The agency expects to file a final SEIS in April 
2001.
    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 
the DSEIS must participate in the environmental review of the proposal 
in such a way that their participation is meaning full and alerts an 
agency to the reviewer's position and contentions; Vermont Yankee 
Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC. 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Is very 
important that those interested in this proposed action participate by 
the close of the 60 day comment period that will be provided for public 
review of the Draft Supplement to the EIS, 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 FSEIS.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns relating to the proposed actions, comments on the DSEIS 
should be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer 
to specific pages or chapters of the draft statement. Comments may also 
address the adequacy of the DSEIS or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the statements. In addressing these points, 
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.
    After the comment period on the DSEIS ends, comments will be 
analyzed, considered, and responded to by the Forest Service in 
preparing the Final Supplemental EIS. The FSEIS is scheduled to be 
completed in April 2001. The responsible official will consider the 
comments, responses,

[[Page 69283]]

environmental consequences discussed in the FSEIS, and applicable laws, 
regulations, and policies in making decisions regarding these 
revisions. The responsible official will document the decisions and 
reasons for the decisions in a Record of Decision. The decision will be 
subject to appeal in accordance with 36 CFR 215.

    Dated: October 30, 2000.
Robert L. Storch,
Forest Supervisor, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National 
Forests, Rocky Mountain Region, USDA Forest Service.
[FR Doc. 00-29283 Filed 11-15-00; 8:45 am]
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