[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39728-39729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19152]


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 Notices
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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 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 1, 2001 / 
Notices  

[[Page 39728]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Big Hole Timber Sale; Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Teton 
County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will 
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to document the 
analysis and disclose the environmental impacts of a proposed timber 
sale and road reconstruction on the east side of the Big Hole 
Mountains.
    The Teton Basin Ranger District is proposing to cut timber and 
reconstruct five roads on the east side of the Big Hole Mountain. A 
portion of this proposal is in the Garns Mountain Roadless Area. The 
proposed timber sale would remove small diameter and disease infested 
Douglas fir, lodgepole pine and subalpine fir in areas north of 
Packsaddle Creek, and between Henderson and Grove Creeks. Conifers 
would be removed from aspen and mature aspen would be cut to regenerate 
seedlings. This would be done to decrease fuel loads, provide products 
to the public and increase resiliency across the forested vegetation. 
Road reconstruction would occur on Forest classified roads 508, 543, 
544, 546 and 237. This would reduce impacts of roads to streams and 
fisheries.

DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described 
in this analysis should be received by September 17, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Teton Basin Ranger District, Attn: 
Liz Davy, P.O. Box 777, Driggs, ID 83422.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the proposed 
action and EIS should be directed to Liz Davy, Teton Basin Ranger 
District, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, phone: (208) 354-2312.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A watershed analysis determined desired 
future conditions (DFC) for forested vegetation and roads. The DFC for 
forested vegetation is to maintain conifers within seral stages of 20 
percent seedling/sapling/grass and 80 percent young to old forest. 
Aspen would be maintained with a diversity of age classes at levels of 
10 to 30 percent seedling/sapling/brush, 10 to 30 percent young 
vegetation, 20 to 40 percent mature forest and 20 to 40 percent old 
forest. Currently seral stages of conifers are 3 percent seedling and 
97 percent young to old forest. Aspen's current seral stages are 1 
percent seedling and 99 percent mature to old forest. This proposal 
would move the trend in forested vegetation closer to DFC.
    The DFC for roads is to minimize requirements for maintenance and 
construction. Re-engineering the five roads would allow for future 
maintenance and decrease sediment input to cutthroat trout streams.
    The decision to be made is whether to cut the timber and if so, 
where and under what conditions. The decision would also consider 
whether to reconstruct the classified roads. Public scoping will be 
completed through letters and news releases.
    Preliminary issues identified are:
    (1) Impacts of road reconstruction and timber cutting on roadless 
characteristics.
    (2) Impacts on wildlife in the timber sale areas.
    (3) Impacts on water quality and fisheries in the timber sale 
areas.
    (4) The effects on threatened, endangered and sensitive species 
from removing mature forest vegetation and reconstructing roads.
    (5) The effects on old growth from removal of mature timber.
    Other issues may be identified during the scooping period. Written 
suggestions and comments are invited on the issues related to the 
proposal and the area being analyzed. Information received will be used 
in the preparation of the Draft EIS and Final EIS. For most effective 
use, comments should be submitted to the Forest Service within 45 days 
from the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
    The Forest Service is the lead agency. The Forest Service estimates 
the draft EIS will be filed in May 2002 and the final EIS will be filed 
in September 2002. The Responsible Official is Jerry B. Reese, Forest 
Supervisor, Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the 
public record on this proposed action and will be available for public 
inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and 
considered: however, those who submit anonymous comments will not have 
standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR parts 215 or 
217. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27 (d), any person may request 
the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing 
how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality. 
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that under the 
FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited circumstances 
such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service will inform the 
requester of the agency's decision regarding the request for 
confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the agency will 
return the submission and notify the requester that the comments may be 
resubmitted with or without name and address within 10 days.
    The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will 
be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency's notice 
of availability appears in the Federal Register. It is very important 
that those interested in this proposed action participate at this time. 
To be most helpful, comments on the draft environmental impact 
statement should be as specific as possible and may address the 
adequacy of the statement or the merits of the alternatives discussed. 
(See the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing 
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 
40 CFR 1503.3).
    In addition, Federal court decisions have established that reviews 
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 reviewers' position and 
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 
553

[[Page 39729]]

(1978). Environmental objections that could have been raised at the 
draft stage may be waived if not raised until after completion of the 
final environmental impact statement. City of Angoon v. Hodel, (9th 
Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 
1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). The reason for this is to ensure that 
substantive comments and objections area made available to the Forest 
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to 
them in the final.

    Dated: July 23, 2001.
Jerry B. Reese,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 01-19152 Filed 7-31-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M