[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 242 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78503-78504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31951]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Colville Indian 
Reservation Integrated Resource Management Plan, Colville Confederated 
Tribes, Colville Reservation, Washington

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA) intends to file a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS) for an Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP) for the 
Colville Indian Reservation, Washington, with the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, and that the FEIS is now available for public 
review. The proposed action is BIA approval for the Colville 
Confederated Tribes to implement the IRMP for the period 2000-2014. 
Brief descriptions of the proposed action and seven alternatives are 
provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

DATES: Written comments must arrive by January 15, 2001.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Jim Orwin, 
Acting Superintendent, Colville Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs, P.O. 
Box 111, Nespelem, Washington 99155-0111.
    Persons wishing copies of this FEIS may contact the Colville 
Confederated Tribes, P.O. Box 150, Nespelem, Washington 99155-0150, 
Attention: William Nicholson, Acting Executive Director, telephone 
(509) 634-2238. Copies of the FEIS have been sent to all agencies and 
individuals that participated in the scoping process and to all others 
who have already requested copies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Orwin, (509) 634-2308, or William 
Nicholson, (509) 634-2238.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BIA is proposing to approve an IRMP for 
the management of natural resources on the Colville Indian Reservation 
for the period 2000-2014. This FEIS analyzes the impacts of seven 
alternatives, as follows:
    Alternative 1, no action, would continue the existing management 
plan. About 1,071.2 million board feet (MMBF) of timber would be 
harvested across 157,573 acres, and the range management units and 
allotments on the reservation would be managed as they are now.
    Alternative 2 calls for the harvesting of about 953.1 MMBF of 
timber across 156,989 acres and for a 15 percent general reduction in 
range use.
    Alternative 3 calls for the harvesting of about 818.7 MMBF of 
timber across 119,683 acres and for the withdrawal of about 269,000 
acres of range allotments.
    Alternative 4 emphasizes intermediate harvesting to move the 
structural stage class of stands on the Reservation towards the desired 
future conditions. About 757.9 MMBF of timber would be harvested across 
157,573 acres and allowable animal unit months (AUMs) would be doubled 
to 121,800.
    Alternative 5 emphasizes regenerative harvesting in order to reduce 
the existing impacts of insects and disease. About 1,421.4 MMBF of 
timber would be harvested across 157,573 acres and AUMs would increase 
by 50 percent to 91,350.
    Alternative 6 emphasizes forest and watershed health as well as 
fish and wildlife habitat. About 1,105.1 MMBF of timber would be 
harvested across 123,556 acres and AUMs would be reduced by 50 percent.
    Alternative 7, the preferred alternative, is the IRMP. This 
emphasizes desired future conditions for all resources, including 
forest health, watershed health, range management, fish and wildlife 
management and land revenue goals. About 1,164.5 MMBF of timber would 
be harvested across 125,680 acres and AUMs would increase by 50 percent 
to 91,350.

Public Comment Solicitation

    As an alternative to submitting written comments regarding the FEIS 
to the location identified in the ADDRESSES section, interested persons 
may instead comment via the Internet to [email protected]. 
Please submit Internet comments as an ASCII file, avoiding the use of 
special characters and any form of encryption. If you do not receive 
confirmation from the system that your Internet message was 
successfully received, contact us directly at (509) 634-2308.
    Comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the mailing address shown in the 
ADDRESSES section during regular business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may

[[Page 78504]]

request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name and/or 
address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. We will not, however, consider anonymous comments. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Authority

    This notice is published pursuant to Sec. 1503.1 of the Council of 
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. 437 et seq.) Department of 
the Interior Manual (510 DM1-7) and is in the exercise of authority 
delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.

    Dated: December 6, 2000.
Kevin Gover,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 00-31951 Filed 12-14-00; 8:45 am]
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