[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 27, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3940-3941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-1795]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR-930-6333 PH COMP, HAG 04-0075]


Notice of Availability of the Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for Management of Port-Orford-Cedar in Southwest Oregon

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service (FS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
have prepared a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
(FSEIS) for management of Port-Orford-cedar in southwest Oregon. The 
Agencies are supplementing the analyses contained in the Final EISs for 
the Resource Management Plans for the Coos Bay, Medford, and Roseburg 
BLM Districts (1995) and the Land and Resource Management Plan for the 
Siskiyou National Forest (1988), generally federally managed 
forestlands in southwest Oregon.
    The FSEIS is now available to the public. Requests to receive 
copies of the FSEIS should be sent to the address listed below. 
Alternately, the FSEIS is available on the Internet at http://www.or.blm.gov/planning/Port-Orford-cedar_SEIS/. Copies are also 
available for inspection at FS and BLM offices in southwestern Oregon 
and northwestern California, public libraries within the range of the 
cedar, and in the BLM Oregon State Office reading room at 333 SW. First 
Avenue, Portland, Oregon. All submissions from organizations or 
businesses will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety. Individuals may request confidentiality with respect to their 
name, address, and phone number. If you wish to have your name or 
street withheld from public review, or from disclosure under the 
Freedom of Information Act, the first line of the comment should start 
with the words ``CONFIDENTIALITY REQUESTED'' in uppercase letters in 
order for BLM to comply with your request. Such request will be honored 
to the extent allowed by law. Comment contents will not be kept 
confidential.

DATES: Publication of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Notice 
of Availability and filing of the FSEIS in the Federal Register 
initiates a 30-day Protest Period for the Bureau of Land Management 
(see 43 CFR Sec. 1610.5-02) . The EPA Notice of Availability appeared 
in the Federal Register on January 23, 2004. An appeal period for the 
Forest Service will be initiated with the signing of the Record of 
Decision.

ADDRESSES: To request copies of the document, or to add your name to 
the mailing list, contact: Port-Orford-Cedar SEIS Team, P.O. Box 2965, 
Portland, Oregon 97208; or e-mail to [email protected]; or FAX to 
(503) 326-2396 and specify POC SEIS Team.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Denton, SEIS Team Leader, P.O. Box 
2965, Portland, Oregon 97208; telephone (503) 326-2368.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Port-Orford-cedar is killed by an exotic 
root disease (Phytophthora lateralis) that is linked, at least in part, 
to transport of spore-infested soil by human and other vectors. 
Waterborne spores then readily spread the disease down slope and 
downstream.

[[Page 3941]]

    Six alternatives are considered in detail in the FSEIS. Alternative 
1, no action, continues the current direction of implementing available 
disease-management practices based on site-specific analysis. 
Alternative 2 uses the same management practices but adds a risk key to 
clarify the environmental conditions that require implementation of 
additional site-specific practices, and identifies and emphasizes 
protection within uninfested 7th field watersheds. Alternative 3 
includes almost all elements of Alternative 2 and adds additional 
protections for 32 currently uninfested 6th field watersheds. 
Alternative 4 removes existing disease management practices but 
accelerates the resistant breeding program to provide resistant stock 
for all areas within ten years. Alternative 5 also removes existing 
disease management practices and stops development of resistant seed 
for remaining undeveloped breeding zones. Alternative 6 incorporates 
all elements of Alternative 2 and adds additional protections for 
uninfested 7th field watersheds. The preferred alternative is 
Alternative 2. A decision to select one of the action alternatives 
would amend the management direction in one FS Land and Resource 
Management Plan and three BLM Resource Management Plans in the planning 
area.
    The FSEIS addresses deficiencies identified in a February 12, 2003, 
U.S District Court decision, which held the Resource Management Plan 
EIS for the Coos Bay District and a related project Environmental 
Assessment did not adequately analyze the cumulative effects of 
management activities on the health of Port-Orford-cedar outside the 
project area.
    The analysis considers the entire natural range of Port-Orford-
cedar, but only plans within the Oregon portion of the range are 
proposed for amendment at this time. The responsible official for lands 
administered by the Forest Service is the Forest Supervisor for the 
Siskiyou and Rogue River National Forests. The responsible official for 
public lands administered by the BLM is the State Director, Oregon 
State Office.

    Dated: January 15, 2004.
A. Barron Bail,
Associate State Director, Oregon and Washington, Bureau of Land 
Management.
[FR Doc. 04-1795 Filed 1-26-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P