[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 109 (Friday, June 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33906-33907]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-14269]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Bonner County, Idaho and Pend 
Oreille County, Washington; Chips Ahoy Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to 
prepare and environmental impact statement for the Chips Ahoy Project 
in the Federal Register on December 6, 2002 (Vol. 67, No. 235, pages 
72635-72637). A revised Notice of Intent is being issued due to two 
major changes (Forest Service Handbook 1909.15 part 21.2):
    1. There will be a delay of more than six months in filing the 
final EIS;
    2. There has been a change in the project's proposed action and 
purpose and need.
    The Priest Lake Ranger District on the Idaho Panhandle National 
Forests will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on a proposal to 
treat forest vegetation over approximately 2,000 acres. The treatments 
are being proposed to restore forest communities to a more historical 
composition and structure and to re-introduce fire into these 
ecosystems. Treatments will include regeneration harvest, thinning, and 
underburning. A Roads Analysis Process will be completed as a part of 
the Environmental Impact Statement. The Roads Analysis may suggest 
changes in the administrative and recreation use of roads and trails in 
the analysis area to protect forest and watershed resources.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the project analysis must be 
received within 30 days from the date of this notice in the Federal 
Register and during the Draft Environmental Impact Statement comment 
period of 45 days. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected 
in September 2003 and the Final Environmental Impact Statement is 
expected February 2004.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Chips Ahoy Project, Attn: David 
DelSordo, Priest Lake Ranger Station, 32203 Highway 57, Priest River, 
ID 83856.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David DelSordo, Project Leader, Priest 
Lake Ranger Station, 32203 Highway 57, Priest River, ID 83856, by 
calling 208-443-6809, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area is located within Bonner 
County, Idaho, and Pend Oreille County, Washington. The project area is 
located approximately twenty miles north of the community of Priest 
River, Idaho. A past bark beetle outbreak, in combination with root 
diseases, other insects and diseases, and winter storm damage has left 
many of these stands in poor condition and with hazardous fuel loads. 
This Notice Of Intent reflects changes in the Purpose of the Action 
based on comments received over the last six months.

Purpose for Action

    The purpose for this action is to improve the health, resilience, 
diversity, and productivity of terrestrial ecosystems by advancing 
species composition, forest structures, and patterns toward desired 
conditions; reduce fire risk in these ecosystems; and increase the 
amount of wet forest communities that are dominated by western white 
pine and western larch trees. Another purpose for the project is to 
help restore aquatic resources to a more healthy condition.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is separated into three categories, vegetative 
treatments, fuel treatments, and road treatments. The proposal is to 
treat forest vegetation over approximately 2,000 acres within the 
project area. Different types of treatments would be used depending 
upon the existing condition of the forest stands. These treatments 
include regeneration treatments on approximately half of the acreage 
and commercial thinning on the remaining acreage. After the tree 
cutting operations are complete, most of the vegetative treatment areas 
would be underburned to reduce the fuels, prepare the sites for 
reforestation, and to allow wildland fire to resume a more natural 
role. In order to access some of the proposed vegetative treatment 
areas, approximately 3.5 miles of temporary road would be constructed. 
These temporary roads would be recontoured following their use. 
Resource protection measures will be included to protect snags, soils, 
heritage resources, water quality, wildlife, and other resources. The 
arrangement and management of classified and unclassified roads and 
trails in the area may be changed to improve watershed quality, protect 
other resources, and enhance recreation opportunities. Approximately 8 
miles of road are planned to be decommissioned. Construction of an 
alternate snowmobile use route is proposed to mitigate for planned road 
decommissioning.

Responsible Official

    Ranotta K. McNair, Forest Supervisor, Idaho Panhandle National 
Forests, 3815 Schreiber Way, Ceour d'Alene, ID 83815

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests will 
decide whether or not to implement this project, and if so, in what 
manner.

Scoping Process

    The agency invites written comments and suggestions on the scope of 
the analysis. In addition to this notice, a revised proposed action 
letter will be sent to interested government officials, agencies, 
groups, and individuals on the Chips Ahoy mailing list. Please contact 
the Priest Lake Ranger Station at 208-443-2512 if you are interested in 
being added to this mailing list. No public meetings are planned at 
this time.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Specific written 
comments on the proposed action will be most helpful.

Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review

    A Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for

[[Page 33907]]

comment. 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 meaningful 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 Final 
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 Final 
Environmental Impact Statement or the merits of the alternative 
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.
    Comments received, including the names and address of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, section 21.)

    Dated: June 2, 2003.
Ranotta K. McNair,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 03-14269 Filed 6-5-03; 8:45 am]
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