[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 186 (Thursday, September 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55368-55369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-24269]



[[Page 55368]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Rising Cougar Project, Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Bonner 
County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to document and disclose the potential environmental 
effects of proposed activities on National Forest lands near the 
communities of Hope and Clark Fork, Idaho. The proposed activities for 
the Rising Cougar Project are located in the Sandpoint Ranger District, 
Idaho Panhandle National Forests, 25 miles east of Sandpoint, Idaho.
    Goals of the proposed activities include: (1) Maintain or restore 
the characteristics of ecosystem composition and structure within the 
range of variability that would be expected to occur under natural 
disturbance regimes. More specific objectives include: (a) Decrease 
fuel loadings on National Forest lands along the wildland urban 
interface to reduce the threat of uncontrollable wildfire to life and 
property, (b) restore big game winter range conditions and promote the 
long-term persistence and stability of wildlife habitat diversity, and 
(c) re-establish structural diversity of forest stands and decrease the 
proportions of Douglas-fir and grand fir, creating favorable conditions 
for the growth and establishment of ponderosa pine, white pine and 
larch. Another goal of the proposal is (2) manage motorized access and 
road densities in the roaded portion of the project area to benefit 
watersheds and grizzly bear habitat recovery goals.
    Activities would include logging using a variety of yarding 
systems, slashing of brush and small trees, prescribed burning, and 
road management activities.
    The Sandpoint Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National 
Forests in Bonner County, Idaho will administer these activities. The 
EIS will tier to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests Plan (September 
1987).

DATES: Comments should be postmarked within 30 days after publication 
of this notice. Please include your name and address and the name of 
the project you are commenting on.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposed 
management activities or request to be placed on the project mailing 
list by writing to: Rising Cougar Project, Attn: Judy York, Sandpoint 
Ranger District, 1500 Hwy 2, Suite 110, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy York, Project Team Leader, 
Sandpoint Ranger District at 208-265-6665 or by e-mail at 
[email protected].
    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. 
For persons requesting such confidentiality, it 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    More information about the Rising Cougar Project can be found on 
the Internet at http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/eco/manage/nepa/index.html.
    The legal description for the project area includes all or portions 
of sections 30-32 in T57N, R2E; sections 1, 3-5, 9-14, 16, 17 and 24 in 
T56N; R2E; sections 6, 7, 19, and 30-33 in T56N, R3E; section 1 in 
T55N, R2E; and sections 3-7 and 10 in T44N, R3E.
    The Forest Service will be preparing an environmental impact 
statement for the following proposed activities and alternative courses 
of action based on public comments.
    Treatment in Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs): Portions of the 
project lie within the Beetop and Scotchman IRAs. To achieve our 
ecosystem objectives in the inventoried roadless areas, helicopter 
logging and prescribed burning activities would be used on about 4,080 
acres.
    Treatment Outside Inventoried Roadless Areas: To achieve our 
ecosystem objectives in the south portion of the project area, 
helicopter and road-based logging systems, and prescribed burning would 
be used on about 1,965 acres. In areas where we need to promote the 
regeneration of white pine, ponderosa pine, and larch, openings would 
be planted with these species. In addition, about 0.5 mile of temporary 
road would be constructed on Sugarloaf Mountain to access stands for 
treatment using road-based logging systems.
    To achieve our watershed and grizzly bear habitat recovery goals, 
road management activities would include putting 5.7 miles of gated 
road into storage, decommissioning 3.4 miles of road, and transferring 
the motorized access point of an unclassified road to a classified road 
with 0.2 miles of new road construction.
    Preliminary issues identified relate to effects of the proposed 
activities on: roadless area characteristics, public road access, water 
quality, fish habitat, risk of fire, air quality, noxious weed spread, 
visual quality, noise, soils, heritage resources, old growth, finances, 
and threatened, endangered and sensitive fish, wildlife and plants. 
Current alternatives consist of the proposed action and no action.
    Two periods are specifically designated for comments on this 
analysis: (1) During the scoping period which is 30 days from the date 
of this notice in the Federal Register and (2) during the draft EIS 
comment period. In accordance with 36 CFR 215.5, as published in the 
Federal Register, Volume 68 no. 107, June 4, 2003, the draft EIS 
comment period will be the designated time in which ``substantive'' 
comments will be considered. The mailing list for this project will 
include those individuals who have expressed interest in this project 
as well as adjacent landowners and those responding to this NOI or to 
the Idaho Panhandle National Forests Quarterly Schedule of Proposed 
Action. In addition, the public is encouraged to contact or visit with 
Forest Service officials during the analysis and prior to the decision. 
The Forest Service will continue to seek information, comments, and 
assistance for Federal, Tribal, State, and local agencies and other 
individuals or organizations that may be interested in or affected by 
the proposed actions. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service will 
be consulted concerning any effects to threatened and endangered 
species. The agency invites written comments and suggestions on this 
action, particularly in terms of identification of issues and 
alternative development.
    Comments from the public and other agencies will be used in 
preparation of the Draft EIS to identify potential issues and concerns, 
potential alternatives to

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the proposed action and to promote communications with members of the 
public or other agencies. The draft environmental impact statement 
(DEIS) will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and 
made available for public review in spring of 2004. The final 
environmental impact statement is expected to be completed in fall of 
2004. 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 and 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 statement stage but that are not raised until after 
completion of the final environmental 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 meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the final 
environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
related to 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.
    The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 
discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national 
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital 
or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of 
communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, 
etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and 
TDD). To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340 
(voice) or 202-720-1127 (TDD), USDA is an equal employment opportunity 
employer.
    The Idaho Panhandle National Forests Supervisor will make a 
decision on this project after considering comments and responses, 
environmental consequences discussed in the Final EIS, and applicable 
laws, regulations and policies. The decision and supporting reasons 
will then be documented in a Record of Decision.

    Dated: September 17, 2003.
Ranotta K. McNair,
Forest Supervisor, Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
[FR Doc. 03-24269 Filed 9-24-03; 8:45 am]
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