[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 6, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67598-67599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-28150]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Fuels Management Treatment Within the Main Boulder River 
Drainage, Big Timber MT, Gallatin National Forest, Sweet Grass County, 
MT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an environmental impact

[[Page 67599]]

statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of overstory and 
understory canopy thinning, prescribed burning, wildlife habitat 
enhancement, and hazardous fuels reduction located in the Main Boulder 
River drainage, Gallatin National Forest, Big Timber Ranger District, 
Sweet Grass County, Montana.
    The Gallatin National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 
(Forest Plan) provides overall guidance for land management activities, 
including vegetation, natural fuels and road management, within the 
area. The proposed actions of overstory and understory canopy thinning, 
prescribed burning, and hazardous fuels reductions are being considered 
together because they represent either connected or cumulative actions 
as defined by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.25). 
This EIS will tier to the Gallatin Forest Plan Final EIS (September, 
1987) as well as the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Fire Management 
Guidebook (1993).

DATES: Written comments and suggestions should be received on or before 
December 6, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposed 
management activities or a request to be placed on the project mailing 
list to Bill Avey, District Ranger, Big Timber Ranger District, 
Gallatin National Forest, PO Box 1130, Big Timber, Montana, 59011-1130 
(phone 406-932-5155).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A variety of fuel management treatments are 
proposed on approximately 1000 acres of forested land in the Main 
Boulder River drainage.
    The Gallatin Forest Plan provides the overall guidance for 
management activities in the potentially affected area through its 
goals, objectives, standards and guidelines, and management area 
direction. The primary goals of this project are to: (1) Reduce fuel 
loadings, where possible, along the corridor, to be more consistent 
with natural presuppression levels; (2) reduce fire hazard along the 
river corridor to provide evacuation staging areas and the maximum time 
possible for public evacuation in the event of a wildfire; and (3) 
provide maximum fire fighter and public safety. Secondary goals include 
improving wildlife habitat and improving fire protection in the 
wildland urban interface located within the Main Boulder River 
drainage.
    The project area consists of approximately 2500 acres of National 
Forest land located in T3S R12E, T4S R12E, T5S R12XE, and T6S R12E P.M. 
MT. The majority of the fuels treatments would occur within the Main 
Boulder River drainage and outside of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness 
Area.
    The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of 
these will be the ``no action'' alternative, in which none of the 
proposed activities would be implemented. Additional alternatives will 
examine varying levels and locations for the proposed activities in 
response to issues and other resource values.
    The EIS will analyze the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
environmental effects of the alternatives. Past, present, and projected 
activities on both private and National Forest lands will be 
considered, including the effects caused by recent and past harvesting 
and road construction on public and private lands. The EIS will 
disclose the analysis of site-specific mitigation measures and their 
effectiveness.
    Public participation is an important part of the analysis, 
commencing with the initial scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7), which will 
occur during October 2002. In addition to this initial scoping, the 
public may visit Forest Service officials at any time during the 
analysis and prior to the decision. The Forest Service will be seeking 
information, comments, and assistance from Federal, State, and local 
agencies and other individuals or organizations who may be interested 
in or affected by the proposed action. No public meetings are scheduled 
at this time.
    Comments from the public and other agencies will be used in 
preparation of the Draft EIS. The scoping process will be used to:
    1. Identify potential issues.
    2. Identify issues to be analyzed in depth.
    3. Eliminate insignificant issues or those which have been covered 
by a relevant previous environmental analysis, such as the Gallatin 
Forest Plan EIS.
    4. Identify alternatives to the proposed action.
    5. Identify potential environmental effects of the proposed action 
and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects.
    6. Determine potential cooperating agencies and task assignments.
    The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in October 
2004. At that time, the EPA will publish a Notice of Availability of 
the Draft EIS in the Federal Register. The comment period on the Draft 
EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA's notice of availability 
appears in the Federal Register. It is very important that those 
interested in management of the Main Boulder River project area 
participate at that time. The Final EIS is scheduled to be completed by 
December 2004.
    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, 
533 (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 30-day scoping 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 developing issues and alternatives. To assist the Forest 
Service in identifying and considering issues, comments should be as 
specific to this proposal as possible. 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.
    I am the responsible official for this environmental impact 
statement. My address is Big Timber Ranger District, PO Box 1130, Big 
Timber, MT 59011-1130.

    Dated: October 16, 2002.
William Avey,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 02-28150 Filed 11-5-02; 8:45 am]
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