[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 25, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8497-8499]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-3878]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Tonka Timber Sale Project Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposal to harvest timber 
for the Tonka Timber Sale EIS on the Lindenberg Peninsula, Kupreanof 
Island, on the Petersburg Ranger District, Tongass National Forest. The 
proposed action is to harvest approximately 60 million board feet 
(mmbf) of timber from about 3,500 acres of forested land. An estimated 
11 miles of new road is associated with this proposed action. A range 
of alternatives, responsive to significant issues, will be developed 
and will include a no action alternative. The existing marine access 
facility, (MAF) located along the eastern shore of Lindenberg 
Peninsula, in the Wrangell Narrows, would be used and further 
development of the MAF is included in the proposed action. This 
development would facilitate the transport and scaling of logs for this 
proposed project and future long-term production of young-growth from 
the project area. This project is within the MitkofYKupreanof 
biogeographic province. The Record of Decision will disclose whether 
and where the Forest Supervisor has decided to provide timber harvest 
units, roads and associated timber harvesting facilities.

DATES: A scoping letter will be mailed out in December 2008. 
Individuals who want to receive a copy of this mailing or who want to 
be on the project mailing list should contact the Petersburg Ranger 
District at the address below. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
is projected to be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
in the summer of 2009 and will begin a 45-day public comment period. 
The Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision are 
scheduled to be published the spring of 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may comment on the project in the following ways: Send 
written comments to the Petersburg Ranger District, Tongass National 
Forest, Attn: Ben Case Tonka Timber Sale Project EIS, P.O. Box 1328, 
Petersburg, AK 99833, or hand deliver them to the Petersburg Ranger 
District, 12 N Nordic Drive, Petersburg, Alaska. The FAX number is 
(907) 772-5995. Send e-mail comments to: [email protected] with Tonka Timber Sale Project EIS in the subject 
line. Include your name, address and organization name if you are 
commenting as a representative.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposal and ElS 
should be directed to Christopher Savage, District Ranger, Petersburg 
Ranger District, Tongass National Forest, P.O. Box 1328, Petersburg, AK 
99833, telephone (907) 772-3871, or Ben Case, Team Leader, Petersburg 
Ranger District, P.O. Box 1328, Petersburg, AK 99833, telephone (907) 
772-3871.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: The proposed Tonka Timber Sale Project Area is 
approximately 62,150 acres and falls within the Tongass Land Management

[[Page 8498]]

Value Comparison Units (VCUs) 4370, 4390 and 4470. These VCUs and the 
Tonka Project Area are entirely within the Phase 1 Adaptive Management 
Strategy area of the 2008 Forest Plan. The project area is within 
Townships 58, 59, 60 and 61 South, and Ranges 77, 78, and 79 East, 
Copper River Meridian. The area is partially roaded as a result of 
ongoing timber sales and past timber sales dating back to 1980. The 
Tonka marine access facility, and the associated road system, provides 
vehicle access to the project area.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose and need for the proposed action responds to the goals 
and objectives identified by the Tongass Land Management Plan, as 
amended, and helps move the area toward the desired conditions as 
described in the Forest Plan. The Forest Supervisor is the Responsible 
Official for this action and will decide whether or not to harvest 
timber from the Tonka 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, and applicable laws, regulations, and 
policies in making the decision and will state that rationale in the 
Record of Decision.
    The purpose of the Tonka Timber Sale Project is to:
     Manage the timber resource for production of sawtimber and 
other wood products from suitable lands made available for timber 
harvest on an even flow, long-term sustained yield basis, and in an 
economically efficient manner.
     Seek to provide a timber supply sufficient to meet the 
annual market demand for Tongass National Forest timber and the market 
demand for the planning cycle.
    Proposed Action: The Tonka Timber Sale Project proposes harvest of 
approximately 60 million board feet (mmbf) of timber from approximately 
3,500 acres of forested land. An estimated 11 miles of new road would 
be necessary for this timber harvest. This proposal includes further 
study and development of the marine access facilitie (MAF). The 
existing MAF located along the eastern shore of Lindenberg Peninsula, 
in the Wrangell Narrows, would be used to transfer logs into the water 
or onto barges for transport to a mill. Actions associated with this 
development of the MAE includes clearing five additional acres in close 
proximity to the Tonka MAF to accommodate log sorting, scaling and 
service equipment, and modifying the approach and turn-around that 
equipment uses to access the water or barges. Management activities 
will adhere to Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines and best management 
practices will be applied. Alternatives to the proposed action, 
including a ``no action'' alternative, will be developed for the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement. Subsistence hearings, as provided for 
in Title VIII, Section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands 
Conservation Act (ANILCA), will be conducted, if necessary, during the 
comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
    Public Participation: This project was placed on the 2007 Schedule 
of Proposed Actions. This notice of intent initiates the scoping 
process which guides the development of the environmental impact 
statement. Public participation has been an integral component of the 
study process and will continue to be especially important at several 
points during the analysis. The Forest Service will be seeking 
information, comments, and assistance from Tribal Governments and 
corporations, Federal, State, and local agencies, individuals and 
organizations that may be interested in, or affected by, the proposed 
activities. The mailing list will include: those who have requested to 
be on this project mailing list, or any timber harvest projects mailing 
list; those people who reside within the project area; outfitters/
guides who have permits within or adjacent to the area; and local, 
state, federally-recognized tribal governments, and federal government 
agencies. The Tonka project was presented to the public at two 
Petersburg Ranger District Open-houses; one held on May, 5 2008 in 
Petersbrurg, Alaska, and one held in Kake, Alaska on July 7, 2008. 
Public input on the project was received through written comments.
    The scoping package will be available at future Petersburg Ranger 
District open houses. The scoping process includes: (1) Identification 
of potential issues; (2) identification of issues to be analyzed in 
depth; and (3) elimination of non-significant issues or those which 
have been covered by a previous environmental review.
    Tentative Issues: Tentative issues identified for analysis in the 
EIS include the potential effects of the project on and the 
relationship of the project to: Deer habitat/deer subsistence use, 
timber supply and timber sale economics, and scenery. Based on results 
of scoping and the interdisciplinary development of significant issues, 
alternatives, including a ``no action'' alternative, will be developed 
for the Draft Environmental Impact.
    Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review: A Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be 
prepared for comment. 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. It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such 
times and in such a way that they are useful to the Agency's 
preparation of the EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to 
the close of the comment period and should clearly articulate the 
reviewer's concerns and contentions. The submission of timely and 
specific comments can affect a reviewer's ability to participate in 
subsequent administrative review or judicial review. Comments received 
in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of 
those who comment, will be part of the public record for this proposed 
action. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; 
however, anonymous comments will not provide the respondent with 
standing to participate in subsequent administrative review or judicial 
review. To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering 
issues and concerns of the proposed action, comments during scoping and 
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 Environmental Impact 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 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.

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

    Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; 
however, those who submit anonymous

[[Page 8499]]

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. Requesters should be aware that, under FOIA, 
confidentiality 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 7 days.
    Permits: Permits required for implementation include the following:

1. U.S. Army Corps 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 Harbors 
Act of 1899.

2. Environmental Protection Agency

--General National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit for 
Log Transfer Facilities in Alaska;
--Review Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan.

3. State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources

--Tideland 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.

5. State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation

--Solid Waste Disposal Permit.

    Responsible Official: Forrest Cole, Forest Supervisor, Tongass 
National Forest, Federal Building, Ketchikan, Alaska 99901.
    Nature of Decision To Be Made: The Forest Supervisor is the 
Responsible Official for this action and will decide whether or not to 
harvest timber from the Tonka Timber Sale Project project area, and if 
so, the amount, location and method 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, and 
applicable laws, regulations, and policies in making the decision and 
will state that rationale in the Record of Decision.

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

    Dated: February 17, 2009.
Forrest Cole,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E9-3878 Filed 2-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M