[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38869-38871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13218]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Craig Ranger District, Tongass National Forest; Alaska; 
Scratchings Timber Sale EIS

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, Craig Ranger District will prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider a proposal to harvest 
timber from Suemez Island, located on the Craig Ranger District, 
Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska. The proposed action 
would harvest up to 40 MMBF of timber from approximately 5,000 acres. 
Approximately 16.5 miles of road construction is planned. About 3.5 
miles of this road would be temporary construction.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received 
within 45 days from the date of this notice. The draft environmental 
impact statement is expected to be completed by October 31, 2005 and 
the final environmental impact statement is expected to be completed by 
March 31, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Planning Staff, Thorne Bay Ranger 
District, Attn: Scratchings Scoping; P.O. Box 19001; Thorne Bay, AK 
99919-0001. Comments can also be faxed to 907-828-3309 or e-mailed to 
[email protected], subject line: Scratchings 
scoping EIS comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mail correspondence to Planning Staff, 
Thorne Bay Ranger District, Attn: Scratchings Scoping; P.O. Box 19001; 
Thorne Bay, AK 99919-0001. The Craig and Thorne Bay Ranger Districts 
are served by a single, zoned Planning Staff.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed timber sale would occur on 
Suemez Island in southeastern Alaska. Suemez Island is located west of 
Prince of Wales Island and southwest of Craig, Alaska. The proposed 
project lies within Tongass National Forest Value Comparison Units 633, 
634, 635, 636 and 637. Land Use Designations (LUD), for the project 
area, include Timber Production, Modified Landscape, Old-growth Habitat 
and Special Interest Areas. A few potential sale units may be located 
within the Inventoried Roadless Area 502. No timber harvest is 
planned in Old-growth Habitat or within the Special Interest Area.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of and need for the Scratchings Timber Sale project is 
to provide timber harvest opportunities suitable for large and possibly 
small timber purchasers, mill operators and the value-added wood 
product industries in southeast Alaska in accordance with Forest Plan 
direction. The Forest Supervisor will decide whether or not to harvest 
timber from the Scratching Timber Sale project area, and if so, how 
this timber will be harvested. The decision will be based on the 
information that is disclosed in the Environmental Impact Statement. 
The responsible official will consider comments, responses, the 
disclosure of environmental consequences, as well as applicable laws, 
regulations, and policies in making the decision and will state that 
rationale in the Record of Decision. The Scratching Timber Sale would 
move the project area toward the desired condition described in the 
Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan (TLMP) or Forest Plan). The 
following Forest-wide goals and objectives as applied to the 
Scratchings Timber Sale project area include:
    (1) Improve timber growth and productivity on suitable timber lands 
made abailable for timber harvest, and manage these lands for long-term 
sustained yield of timber.
    (2) Contribute to a timber supply from the Tongass National Forest 
that seeks to meet annual and Forest Plan planning cycle market demand.
    (3) Provide opportunities for local employment in the wood products 
industry that would in turn contribute to the local and regional 
economies of southeast Alaska.

Proposed Action

    The Craig Ranger District is considering a proposal to harvest 25 
to 40 million board-feet (MMBF) of timber from approximately 5,000 
acres resulting in a variety of large and small timber sales. A 
combination of harvest methods may be used. Harvest prescriptions would 
be written to meet Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines. This will 
result in units with smaller openings and more partial-cut harvesting 
than has historically occurred within the Project Area. Approximately 
16.5 miles of road construction is planned. About 3.5 miles of road 
would be temporary construction.

Public Participation

    Public participation is an important part of the analysis process 
and will

[[Page 38870]]

continue to be especially important at several points during the 
analysis. The USDA Forest Service will be seeking additional 
information. A legal notice for this project will be published in the 
newspaper of record in addition to this Notice of Intent. Publication 
is expected in the newspaper of record, The Juneau Empire, July 7, 
2005. Written scoping comments are being solicited through the scoping 
letters that are anticipated to be mailed to individual and 
organizations on the Craig Ranger District public involvement list July 
7, 2005. The scoping process includes the following: identification of 
potential issues; identification of issues to be analyzed in depth; and 
elimination of non-significant issues or those which have been covered 
by a previous environmental review. Alternatives including ``No-
Action'' alternative will be developed for the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement based on the results of scoping and resource 
capabilities within the project area. Subsistence hearings, as provided 
for in Title VIII, Section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands 
Conservation Act (ANILCA), are planned during the comment period on the 
Draft EIS. The comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection 
Agency published the notice of availability in the Federal Register.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. 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, (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. A Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement will be prepared for comment. 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. 
Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
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 pursuant to 36 CFR parts 215 or 217. Additionally, pursuant to 
7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may require the agency to withhold submission 
from the public record by showing how the Freedom of Information Act 
(FOIA) permits such confidentiality. Requesters should be aware that 
under FOIA confidentiality maybe granted in only very limited 
circumstances; for example, to protect trade secrets. The Forest 
Service will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding 
the request of confidentiality. The agency will return the submission 
and notify the requester that the comments may be resubmitted with or 
without name and address within seven days, should the request be is 
denied. To be more helpful and timely, scoping comments should be 
received within 45 days of the publication of this Notice of Intent.

Preliminary Issues

    Based on preliminary analysis, we have developed two initial 
significant issues to be analyzed in the EIS: (1) Designing an 
economically viable timber sale that would benefit local communities in 
the form of additional employment opportunities and income; and (2) 
addressing cumulative impacts in the Port Dolores watershed from road 
building and timber harvest.

Possible Alternatives

    In addition to a No Action alternative, three preliminary action 
alternatives have been developed. The three preliminary alternatives 
are (1) Timber harvest of approximately 40 MMBF from approximately 
5,000 acres, maximizing harvest within TLMP Standards and Guidelines; 
(2) timber harvest of approximately 24 MMBF from approximately 931 
acres, emphasizing development of economically viable timber sales; and 
(3) timber harvest of approximately 24 MMBF from approximately 983 
acres, addressing cumulative impact to the Dolores watershed resulting 
from past harvest and road construction. The Old Growth (OGR) strategy 
will be considered in the various action alternatives.

Permits or Licenses Required

    Permits required for implementation may include the following:
    1. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
    -- Approval of discharge of dredged or fill material into the 
waters of the United States under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
    -- Approval of the construction of structures or work in navigable 
waters of the United States under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor 
Act of 1899.
    2. Environmental Protection Agency.
    -- General National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit 
for Log Transfer Facilities in Alaska.
    -- Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan.
    3. State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation.
    -- Tideland and Permit and Lease or Easement.
    -- Certification of Compliance with Alaska Water Quality Standards 
(401 Certification) Chapter 20.
    4. Office of Project Management & Permitting (DNR).
    -- Coastal Zone Consistency Determination concurrence.

Responsible Official

    Forest Cole, Forest Supervisor, Tongass National Forest; 648 
Mission St., Federal Building; Ketchikan, AK 99901-6591 is the 
responsible official.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor will decide whether or not to harvest timber 
from this area, and if so, how this timber would be harvested. The 
decision will be based on the information disclosed in the EIS, and the 
goals, objectives and desired future conditions as stated in the Forest 
Plan. The responsible official will consider the comments; response; 
disclosure of environmental

[[Page 38871]]

consequences; and applicable laws, regulations and policies; in making 
the decision and stating the rational in the Record of Decision. 
Alternatives would be developed to meet the objectives and criteria for 
small old-growth reserves. Four of the five VCUs in the project area 
requires small old-growth reserves. The effect of past and future 
harvest activities, along with existing and planned transportation 
routes would be studies.

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

    Dated: June 24, 2005.
Forrest Cole,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 05-13218 Filed 7-5-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M