[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 29, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71086-71087]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30393]


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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. 65, No. 230 / Wednesday, November 29, 2000 / 
Notices  

[[Page 71086]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID-918-01-1610-DH-UCRB]


Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project, Northern, 
Intermountain and Pacific Northwest Regions; States of Oregon, 
Washington, Idaho, Montana

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA; Bureau of Land Management, USDI.

ACTION: Amended notice of intent to conduct planning and prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement. Notification regarding the process to 
follow to request administrative review of the proposed decision for 
the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP).

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service are 
jointly engaged in a land use plan amendment process, developing a 
management strategy for lands they administer. Both agencies' 
regulations provide for administrative review of the proposed decision 
before it is recorded. The responsible officials for both agencies have 
agreed to use one administrative review process in order to simplify 
the process for the public and for the agencies. The responsible 
officials further decided to use, as the single review process, the 
Bureau of Land Management's protest process. Using this single process 
allows the public to seek review from both agency heads with one 
request.

DATES: Protests of the ICBEMP proposed decision must be filed within 30 
days of the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the 
notice of receipt of the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for 
the ICBEMP.

ADDRESSES: Protests of the ICBEMP proposed decision must be sent to the 
address that will be provided with the distribution of the final EIS 
and proposed decision. The final EIS and proposed decision will be sent 
to everyone who received or commented on the supplemental draft EIS, 
unless they ask to be removed from the mailing list. The final EIS and 
proposed decision will also be available via the internet (http://www.icbemp.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Giannettino, Project Manager, 
304 North 8th St., Room 250, Boise, Idaho 83702, phone (208) 334-1770; 
or Geoff Middaugh, Deputy Project Manager, P.O. Box 2295, Walla Walla, 
Washington 99362, phone (509) 522-4033.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest Service and Bureau of Land 
Management have been engaged in the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem 
Management Project--a land use plan amendment process--since 1994. The 
Bureau of Land Management planning regulations (43 CFR 1610) and the 
Forest Service planning regulations (36 CFR 219) both provide the 
public with the opportunity to request administrative review of a 
proposed land use plan decision. The Bureau of Land Management 
regulations describe a protest process (43 CFR 1610.5-2):
    Any person who participated in the planning process and has an 
interest which is or may be adversely affected by the approval or 
amendment of a resource management plan may protest such approval or 
amendment. A protest may raise only those issues which were submitted 
for the record during the planning process.
    The Forest Service regulations provide that (36 CFR 219.32(e)):
    Where the Forest Service is a participant in a multi-agency 
decision subject to objection under this part, the responsible official 
and reviewing officer may waive the objection procedures of this part 
to adopt the administrative review procedure of another participating 
federal agency, if the responsible official and the responsible 
official of the other agencies agree to provide a joint response to 
those who have filed for administrative review of the multi-agency 
decision.
    The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service are 
participating in a multi-agency decision. The responsible officials of 
the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have agreed to provide 
a joint response to those who file for administrative review of the 
proposed decision, which is scheduled to be distributed to the public 
in mid-December, along with the final EIS for the ICBEMP. The 
responsible officials of the Forest Service (the Regional Foresters of 
the Northern, Intermountain, and Pacific Northwest Regions) and the 
reviewing officer (the Chief of the Forest Service) waive the objection 
procedures under part 219.32 to adopt the administrative review 
procedure of the Bureau of Land Management. The reasons for this 
decision are as follows:
     The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management jointly 
share the lead for the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management 
Project.
     The two agencies have gone jointly to the public for 
scoping, information-gathering, and review since the inception of the 
Project.
     Using one administrative review procedure lets the public 
request review from both agencies at one time, rather than having to 
make two separate, potentially redundant requests.
     Using two separate administrative review procedures, 
including potential changes in the proposed Project decision, could 
result in the two agencies' recording two different decisions. This 
result would fail to meet the original purpose of this action, which 
was to develop and analyze a strategy for management of lands 
administered by both the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 
Management.
    To request administrative review of the proposed decision for the 
Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project use the following 
procedure:
     Put the protest in writing and file it with the Director 
of the Bureau of Land Management and the Chief of the Forest Service at 
the address that will be provided with the final EIS and proposed 
decision.
     The protest shall be filed within 30 days of the date the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of receipt of the 
final environmental impact statement in the Federal Register. (This 
publication is expected to be in mid-December, 2000. The exact date for 
protests will be identified at that time.)
     The protest shall contain:

[[Page 71087]]

    The name, mailing address, telephone number and interest of the 
person filing the protest.
    A statement of the issue or issues being protested;
    A statement of the part or parts of the amendment being protested;
    A copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues that were 
submitted during the planning process by the protesting party or an 
indication of the date the issue or issues were discussed for the 
record; and
    A concise statement explaining why the responsible officials' 
decision is believed to be wrong.
    The BLM Director and Forest Service Chief will promptly render a 
joint decision on the protest. The decision will be in writing and will 
set forth the reasons for the decision. The decision will be sent to 
the protesting party by certified mail, return receipt requested.
    The joint decision of the Director and Chief shall be the final 
decision of the Department of the Interior and the Department of 
Agriculture. Reviewers who do not request administrative review of the 
proposed decision may not preserve their standing to litigate the final 
decision.

    Dated: November 20, 2000.
Dale Bosworth,
Regional Forester, Northern Region, Forest Service.
    Dated: November 17, 2000.
Martha Hahn,
State Director, Idaho, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 00-30393 Filed 11-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-66-M