[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 165 (Friday, August 24, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44590-44591]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21464]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
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
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 165 / Friday, August 24, 2001 /
Notices
[[Page 44590]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Forest Transportation System; Interim Direction
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: On January 12, 2001, corollary with adopting revisions to the
Transportation System rules at 36 CFR part 212, the Forest Service
adopted a revised administrative policy to guide transportation
planning, analysis, and management, especially road management in the
National Forest System. Following intensive training of field employees
on implementing the new policy, the agency has determined that allowing
only a six-month period, ending July 12, 2001, to prepare for use of
the roads analysis process is insufficient. Also, the agency has
concluded that decisions to extend the deadline for completing forest-
scale roads analyses are best made on a case-by-case basis by the
Regional Forester, not the Chief. These changes are embodied in Interim
Directive No. 7710-2001-1 which the Chief signed on May 25, 2001.
Because of the impending July 12, 2001, deadline, and the need for
orderly adjustments in the local programs of work, it was not
practicable to solicit public comment prior to implementing this
Interim Directive. However, public comments are now invited and will be
considered in developing any final policy.
DATES: Interim Directive No. 7710-2001-1 became effective May 31, 2001.
Comments must be submitted on or before October 23, 2001.
ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning this Interim Directive (ID)
should be sent to USFS CAT, Attention: Road Policy, P.O. Box 22914,
Salt Lake City, UT, 84122; via email to [email protected]; or via
facsimile to 801-517-1021, Attention: Road Policy.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Ash, Deputy Director, Engineering
Staff, 703-605-4646.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Current Rule and Policy
The Forest Service Road Management policy initiative resulted in
adoption of a final rule at 36 CFR part 212, on January 12, 2001 (66 FR
3219). This rule directs the Responsible Official of each national
forest, national grassland, experimental forest, and any other unit of
the National Forest System to perform a comprehensive roads analysis on
the transportation system within that unit and to document the forest
transportation system in a transportation atlas. Concurrent with the
rule, the Forest Service implemented an administrative policy that
gives Forest Service employees more detailed instruction on building
the road atlas and conducting road analyses. Issued as an amendment to
Forest Service Manual Chapters 7700 Zero Code and 7710, the policy
directs that decisions and final forest plan revisions or amendments
adopted after July 12, 2001, must be informed by a roads analysis.
Need for Revision
Since adoption of the policy on January 12, 2001, the Forest
Service has provided almost 1,000 employees in-depth training on how to
conduct the roads analysis process and how to build the road atlas.
Subsequently, many managers have informed the Chief's office that the
deadlines for compliance are unworkable considering the level of
detail, the variety of information required, and the amount of training
necessary before the analysis can begin. Moreover, conducting roads
analysis is often not compatible with meeting routine seasonal workload
demands, especially in light of the need for restoration work after
last year's devastating fire season. For these reasons, the Chief has
determined that it is necessary to extend the deadline by which project
and plan decisions must be informed by roads analysis from July 12,
2001, to January 12, 2002.
The administrative direction in FSM 7710 also directs all Forest
Service units to complete a forest-scale roads analysis of their entire
transportation system by January 12, 2003. As adopted, the policy
provided that extensions to that deadline could be approved only by the
Chief of the Forest Service. Requiring that only the Chief can approve
extensions for completing the forest-scale roads analysis is not only
inefficient but also inconsistent with the Chief's goal of encouraging
and relying on local expertise and authority over forest-level issues
as much as possible. The Chief has reconsidered this reservation of
authority and concluded that Regional Foresters, to whom Forest
Supervisors report, are in a better position to make judgments about
local forest programs of work than the office of the Chief. Therefore,
the Chief has redelegated to the Regional Foresters the authority to
approve requests for extensions of forest-scale roads analysis beyond
January 12, 2003. These changes have been issued in an Interim
Directive to Forest Service Manual Chapter 7710, the text of which
appears at the end of this notice.
Conclusion
The Forest Service is committed to providing adequate opportunities
for the public to comment on all administrative directives that are of
substantial public interest or controversy. However, because of the
impending July 12, 2001, deadline, it was important to provide Forest
Service units with sufficient advance notice of the changes so that
they can adjust their plans of work in an orderly way. Accordingly, the
agency issued the Interim Directive and made it effective immediately.
However, as provided for in 36 CFR 216.7, the Forest Service is also
requesting public comment on the Interim Directive. All comments will
be reviewed and considered in determining a final policy.
Dated: June 28, 2001.
Dale N. Bosworth,
Chief.
Note: The Forest Service organizes its directive system by
alphanumeric codes and subject headings. Only those sections of the
FSM that are the subject of this notice are set forth here. Those
who wish to see the entire chapter to which the Interim Direction
(ID) applies may do so at http://www.fs.fed.us/im/directives.
FSM 7700--Transportation System
Chapter 7710--Transportation Atlas, Records, and Analysis
Interim Directive No.: 7710-2001-1.
Effective Date: May 31, 2001.
[[Page 44591]]
Duration: This interim directive expires on 11/30/2002.
Approved: Dale N. Bosworth, Chief.
Date Approved: 5/25/2001.
Posting Instructions: Interim directives are numbered consecutively
by title and calendar year. Post by document at the end of the chapter.
Retain this transmittal as the first page(s) of this document. The last
interim directive was 7710-99-2 to FSM 7710.
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New Document id__7710-2001-1 2 Pages
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Superseded Document(s) None........................
(Interim Directive Number
and Effective Date).
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Digest:
7710.42--Delegates to the Regional Forester the responsibility
previously reserved to the Chief to approve a Forest Supervisor request
for additional time to complete forest-scale roads analysis (para. 6).
7712.15--Extends the deadlines for requiring roads analysis for
road management decisions (para. 1a and 1b) and forest plan revisions
or amendments (para. 2a) from July 12, 2001, to January 12, 2002. For
clarity, subdivides paragraph 2a (as it appears in Amendment No. 7700-
2001-2) into two paragraphs to distinguish deadlines applicable to
those units that will complete a plan revision or amendments by January
12, 2002 (para. 2a) from those that have begun such amendments or
revisions but will not be completed by January 12, 2002 (para. 2b). In
new paragraph 2c (formerly para. 2b), permits Forest Supervisors to
request that the Regional Forester grant an extension for completion of
forest-scale roads analysis.
FSM 7700--Transportation System
Chapter 7710--Transportation Atlas, Records, and Analysis
7710.42--Regional Forester
6. Authority to approve, on a case-by-case basis, Forest Supervisor
requests for additional time to complete forest-scale roads analysis.
7712.15--Deadlines for Completing Roads Analysis
1. Analysis Needed to Inform Road Management Decisions. Section
7712.13 identifies proposed road management decisions other than forest
plan revisions or amendments that require roads analysis and provides
guidance on the scope and scale of various levels of analysis that
might inform those decisions. The following deadlines govern the
application of roads analysis to the proposed road management decisions
identified in sections 7712.13 through 7712.13c:
a. Decisions made before January 12, 2002, do not require a roads
analysis.
b. Decisions made after January 12, 2002, must be informed by a
roads analysis.
2. Forest-Scale Road Analyses. Every National Forest System
administrative unit must have a forest-scale roads analysis completed
by January 13, 2003, except as follows:
a. Those units that will complete a forest plan revision or
amendment by January 12, 2002, do not need to complete a forest-scale
roads analysis (FSM 7712.1) prior to adopting the plan revision or
amendment. However, these units are still required to complete a
forest-scale roads analysis by January 13, 2003.
b. Those units that have begun revision or amendment of their
forest plans but will not adopt a final revision or final amendment by
January 12, 2002, must complete a roads analysis prior to adoption of
the final plan revision or amendment.
c. Where additional time is needed for completion of forest-scale
roads analysis, a Forest Supervisor may request approval from the
Regional Forester for an extension. In making such a request, the
Forest Supervisor must provide a statement of the reason(s) the
extension is needed.
[FR Doc. 01-21464 Filed 8-23-01; 8:45 am]
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