[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 76 (Friday, April 19, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19388-19389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-9609]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Payette National Forest, Idaho, Middle Little Salmon Vegetation 
Management Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revised notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement.

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

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to 
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Middle Little 
Salmon Vegetation Management Project in the Federal Register on 
February 12, 1999 (Vol. 64, No. 29, pages 7164-7165). A revised Notice 
of Intent is being issued due to two major changes (Forest Service 
Handbook 1909.15 part 21.2):
    1. It has been more than six months since filing the original 
Notice of Intent; and
    2. There has been a change in the proposed action.
    The USDA Forest Service will prepare the Middle Little Salmon 
Vegetation Management Project EIS. The proposed action in the EIS is to 
manage timber stands to improve their productivity and provide 
defensible space from wildfires on National Forest System Lands 
adjacent to a private land subdivision. Additionally, the proposed 
action is to obliterate roads to reduce sediment, and close other roads 
to reduce wildlife vulnerability. The Payette National Forest invites 
written comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis and the 
issues to address. The agency gives notice of the full National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and decision-making process so 
that interested and affected people know how they may participate and 
contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments need to be received by May 28, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Kimberly A. Brandel, District 
Ranger, New Meadows Ranger District, Payette National Forest, P.O. Box 
J, New Meadows, Idaho 83654.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
should be directed to Sue Dixon, Project Team Leader, at the above 
address, phone (208) 347-0300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Middle Little Salmon planning area is 
located in the Round Valley Creek and Upper Mud Creek subwatersheds on 
the New Meadows Ranger District. It is four miles north and west of New 
Meadows and is approximately 11,823 acres in size. The purpose and need 
for this activity is to (1) improve the existing condition of forest 
vegetation within the planning area to move toward the goals, 
objectives, and desired future condition for forest vegetation stated 
in the Payette National Forest Land and Resource Plan; and (2) lower 
the risk of crown fires and reduce fire severity on National Forest 
lands surrounding the Circle C subdivision.
    The proposed action includes a variety of activities to meet the 
purpose and need. (1) Harvest approximately 6.4 million board feet on 
686 acres, of which 361 acres are to reduce the fuels around the Circle 
C Subdivision. Harvest prescriptions would consist of shelterwood, 
commercial thinning, and patch clearcuts. Yarding systems would be 
primarily tractor, and 79 acres of skyline. (2) Reduce crown fire 
hazard and lower fire severity on 605 acres by commercial harvest (361 
acres stated previously), hand pile and burn 211 acres in riparian 
conservation areas, and prescribe burn an additional 33 acres. (3) 
Provide for conifer seedling planting and natural regeneration on 427 
acres. (4) Road management would consist of reconstructing seven miles 
of road, and decommissioning or closing 73 miles of road. There would 
be no new road construction. Seven miles of road would be reconstructed 
for hauling logs, and stream crossings would include graveling to 
reduce sediment. (5) Treat harvest generated fuels on approximately 685 
acres. A total of 929 acres would be treated with this proposed action. 
This proposed action would require four one-time, site-specific, non-
significant amendments to the Payette National Forest Plan.
    Preliminary issues for this project include effects on fisheries, 
wildlife, water quality, and effects of hazardous fuels reduction.
    A range of reasonable alternatives will be considered. The no-
action alternative will serve as a baseline for comparison of 
alternatives. The proposed action will be considered along with 
additional alternatives developed that meet the purpose and need and 
address significant issues identified during scoping. Alternatives may 
have different amounts, locations, and types of project activities.
    Comments received in response to this notice, including names and 
addresses of those who comment, will be part of the project record and 
available for public review.
    The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from other 
Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribal governments, organizations; 
and individuals who may be interested in or affected by the proposed 
action. This

[[Page 19389]]

input will be used in preparation of the EIS.
    Comments will be appreciated throughout the analysis process. The 
draft EIS will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
and is anticipated to be available for public review by summer 2002. 
The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days. It is important 
that those interested in the management of the Payette National Forest 
participate at that time.
    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 016, 1002 (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 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 
raised by 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.
    After the 45-day comment period ends on the draft EIS, the Forest 
Service will analyze comments received and address them in the final 
EIS. The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in 2002. The 
Responsible Official is the Payette National Forest Supervisor. The 
decision will be documented, including the rationale for the decision, 
in a Record of Decision (ROD). The decision will be subject to review 
under the Forest Service Appeal Regulations at 36 CFR 215.

    Dated: April 11, 2002.
Robert S. Giles,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 02-9609 Filed 4-18-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M