[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 4, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 47077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-17748]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 149 / Wednesday, August 4, 2004 / 
Notices  

[[Page 47077]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Forest-Wide Integrated Weed Management, Lolo National Forest; 
Missoula, Mineral, Sanders, Granite, Lewis and Clark, Flathead, 
Ravalli, Lake and Powell Counties, MT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to disclose the effects of Forest-wide Integrated Weed 
Management treatments that includes herbicide (aerial and ground 
application), biological, and manual control methods.

DATES: Initial comments concerning the analysis should be received in 
writing no later than September 20, 2004.
    Responsible Official: Send written comments to Deborah L.R. Austin, 
Forest Supervisor, Lolo National Forest, Building 24, Fort Missoula, 
Missoula, MT 59804.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andy Kulla, Forest Weed Program 
Manager, or Bruce Higgins, Project Leader at the Missoula Ranger 
District, Building 24A, Fort Missoula, Missoula, MT 59801, or at (406) 
329-3750. You may also contact them via [email protected] or 
[email protected].
    Project Description: The Lolo National Forest proposes to manage 
invasive plant species through the use of an integrated weed management 
approach that utilizes a variety of control methods. Treatments areas 
would be identified based upon specific representative site types, 
forest-wide priority screening criteria, and standardizes methodology 
for resource protection. The proposed action would treat a maximum of 
15,000 acres per year with herbicides (less than one percent of the 
Lolo National Forest acreage), using ground or aerial applied methods. 
No limit to the number of acres of biological or manual control methods 
is proposed. Prevention and education strategies will continue, as 
present, to be a key component of the overall management approach.
    The proposed action is in response to the need to respond promptly 
to new weed species invasions, the spread of existing infestations and 
to control existing weed infestations in areas outside of existing 
projects areas with NEPA decisions. Representative site types include: 
bunchgrass winter ranges, burned areas, areas of concentrated public 
use, administrative sites, disturbed areas along roads, trails, 
trailheads, power lines, right-of-ways, gravel and rock quarries, and 
fuels reduction projects.
    Effects of the proposed action on recreation, wildlife, native 
vegetation, human health, threatened and endangered species will be 
disclosed in the analysis. Alternatives to be considered in detail 
include the no action and proposed action. Additional alternatives may 
be identified during the public scoping process.
    The Federal Forest Service is the lead agency for preparing this 
EIS. They will consult with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
when making this decision. The responsible official who will make the 
decision is Deborah L.R. Austin, Forest Supervisor, Lolo National 
Forest, Building 24, Fort Missoula, Missoula MT 59804. She will decide 
on this proposal after considering comment, responses, environmental 
consequences, applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The decision 
and rationale for the decision will be documented in a Record of 
Decision.
    The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in May, 2005. 
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 of the EPA's notice of availability in 
the Federal Register. The final EIS is scheduled to be completed by 
October 2005. 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 it is important to give reviewers 
notice at this early stage 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. 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 
and concerns on 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.)

    Dated: July 28, 2004.
Deborah L.R. Austin,
Forest Supervisor, Lolo National Forest.
[FR Doc. 04-17748 Filed 8-3-04; 8:45 am]
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