[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 61 (Thursday, March 29, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17137-17139]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-7728]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Monticello and Blanding Municipal Watershed Improvement Projects 
Manti-La Sal National Forest, San Juan County, UT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental 
impacts of proposed actions to:
    (1) Amend existing special use permits for the Monticello City 
Secondary and Culinary Water Systems to allow reconstruction of the 
collection and conveyance (pipeline) system (including clearing of 
vegetation and ground disturbance for construction equipment access 
along the pipeline and collection areas) to allow them to repair, 
replace, and relocate the system to correct sources of water loss and 
quality degradation in the system.


[[Page 17138]]


(Authority: Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLMP) of 1976 
(P.L. 94-579).)

    (2) In cooperation with San Juan County, improve approximately 16 
miles of Forest Road (FR) 50079 to provide improved and safer access 
for public use and management of the area and to provide a passable 
road for equipment needed for the reconstruction, care, and maintenance 
of municipal water systems and for implementation of proposed 
vegetation treatments.
    (3) Implement harvest treatments on approximately 2,000 acres of 
spruce, spruce-fir, and aspen forest to develop a more diverse, open 
ecosystem. Proposed harvest methods are approximately 65% helicopter, 
32% tractor and tractor-forwarder, and 3% cable. Allow construction and 
use of approximately \1/2\ mile of temporary road and clearing of two 
miles of forwarder skid trail needed to implement proposed vegetation 
treatments.
    The Monticello and Blanding Municipal Watershed Improvement 
Projects area includes portions of the North Creek, Bankhead Creek, 
Pole Creek, South Creek, Indian Creek, and Johnson Creek drainages in 
the Abajo Mountains and some adjacent area (Spring Creek) that has 
moderate levels of spruce beetle infestation with potential to 
contribute to insect population within the watersheds. These areas are 
managed as municipal watershed (MWS) under the Manti-La Sal National 
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (USDA, 1986). They are the 
primary water source for the communities of Monticello, Blanding, and 
their surrounding area. It is a scenic area that includes the Horsehead 
(an Engelmann spruce and aspen stand in the form of a horse head that 
overlooks Monticello), which has special scenic, historic, and cultural 
significance to the individuals that live in the area.
    Forest Road (FR) 50079 provides access through the area. It is the 
only direct mountain access between Monticello and Blanding and is 
important for tourism and day recreation use. It also provides access 
to private property within the Forest boundary. Much of the road is 
inadequate for use by larger vehicles, pickups with trailers, and some 
passenger cars due to tight curves/switchbacks and lack of turnouts. 
San Juan County has proposed that the road be improved to remove 
hazards, make public use easier, improve safety, reduce maintenance 
costs, and improve access for management of water systems.
    The City of Monticello's water collection and pipeline system is in 
need of extensive repair and replacement due to leakage, contamination 
areas, and poor placement in relation to the road.
    An outbreak of spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) has 
recently occurred in and around the area. High levels of Engelmann 
spruce mortality within the area are imminent. Spruce beetle 
populations are expected to expand and may reach epidemic levels. If 
this occurs, most of the larger spruce component on the Abajo Mountains 
could be lost.
    Because of the dependence of the local communities on this area and 
the importance of its resources, Monticello City, Blanding City, and 
San Juan County government officials have requested that we begin 
efforts to address the concerns identified. This proposal has been 
developed through consultation with them, Forest Service specialists, 
and other individuals and agencies with interest in the resources of 
the area. The Purpose and Need of the Proposed Action is as follows:
     Purpose #1: Cooperate with local government agencies to 
permit them to provide continued and more efficient collection and 
removal of water to the Monticello and Blanding municipal water systems 
for public uses.
     Purpose #2: Improve the transportation system to provide 
dependable public access on FR 50079, and to reduce sedimentation/
erosion occurring on portions of FR 50079.
     Purpose #3: Move towards restoration of the ecological 
structure, function, processes, and composition of the spruce and aspen 
component of the landscape.

DATES:  Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described 
in this notice should be received on or before April 30, 2001. The date 
planned for release of the final EIS is November 2001.

ADDRESSES:  Questions or written comments concerning the proposed 
action or requests for copies of the proposal should be addressed to 
Glenn P. Casamassa or Greg Montgomery at the following address: Moab/
Monticello Ranger District, Manti-La Sal National Forest, P.O. Box 820, 
Monticello, Utah 84535, phone: 435-587-2041.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  An Internet site is available that 
provides a detailed description of the purpose and need and proposed 
action. It includes maps and pictures of the area showing existing 
conditions, and copies of information available by mail. This 
information can be accessed on the Manti-La Sal National Forest 
Internet site
(http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/mantilasal/).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  This EIS will tier to the final EIS for the 
Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest 
Plan). The Manti-La Sal Forest Plan provides the overall guidance 
(Goals, Objectives, Standards, and Management Area Direction) to 
achieve the Desired Future Condition for the area being analyzed, and 
contains specific management area prescriptions for the entire Forest.
    Tentative or preliminary issues that have been identified include: 
Water resources; Visuals; Vegetation resources; Transportation; 
Recreation; Undeveloped Charter; Wildlife and Fisheries resources, 
Fuels and Fire Risk; Steep slopes; Economics; Cultural resources; and 
Air quality.
    Other tentative or preliminary alternatives that have been 
identified include: (1) Implementation of only the water system 
construction/reconstruction portion of the proposed action; (2) 
Implementation of only the road improvement portion of the proposed 
action; (3) Implementation of the water system construction/
reconstruction in conjunction with the road improvement portion of the 
proposed action; (4) Continuation of trapping and baiting treatments 
(timber harvest); and (5) No Action.
    The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from 
Federal, State, and local agencies as well as individuals and 
organizations that may be interested in, or affected by the proposed 
action. The Forest Service invites written comments and suggestions on 
the issues related to the proposal and the area being analyzed. 
Information received will be used in preparation of the Draft EIS and 
Final EIS. For most effective use, comments should be submitted to the 
Forest Service within 30 days from the data of publication of this 
Notice in the Federal Register. Comments should include your name, 
address, telephone number, organization represented (if any), title of 
the proposal, and specific facts and supporting reasons for us to 
consider in the analysis. Names and comments received are public 
information and will be released to those who request them. This will 
include names, addresses, and any other personal information provided 
with the comments.
    The proposed management activities would be administered by the 
Moab/Monticello Ranger District, Manti-La Sal National Forest, San Juan 
County, Utah.
    Agency representatives and other interested people are invited to 
visit

[[Page 17139]]

with Forest Service officials at any time during the EIS process. Two 
specific time periods are identified for the receipt of formal comments 
on the analysis. The two comment periods are: (1) During the scoping 
process, the next 30 days following publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register, and (2) During the formal review period of the Draft 
EIS.
    The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will 
be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes 
the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
    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 
draft environmental impact 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 
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the 
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised 
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may 
be waived or dismissed by the courts. 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). Because of these court rulings, 
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action 
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period 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 final environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft 
environmental impact statement 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 draft 
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the statement. 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 in addressing these points.
     The Forest Supervisor for the Manti-La Sal National Forest, who is 
the responsible official for the EIS, will then make a decision 
regarding this proposal, after considering the comments, responses, and 
environmental consequences discussed in the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The reasons 
for the decision will be documented in a Record of Decision. The Forest 
Supervisor's office of the Manti-La Sal National Forest is located at 
599 West Price River Drive, Price, Utah 84501, phone: 435-637-2817.

    Authority:  The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321-4346); Council on Environmental 
Quality of Regulations, Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 
1500-1508 (40 CFR 1500-1508); and U.S. Department of Agriculture 
NEPA Regulations, Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1b (7 
CFR 1b).

    Dated: March 23, 2001.
Elaine J. Zieroth,
Forest Supervisor, Manti-La Sal National Forest.
[FR Doc. 01-7728 Filed 3-28-01; 8:45 am]
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