[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 127 (Friday, July 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43183-43184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15353]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Environmental Impact Statements: Tongass National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan Amendment

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Objection Filing Period.

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    Title: Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 
Amendment.
SUMMARY: M. Earl Stewart, the Forest Supervisor for the Tongass 
National Forest, Alaska Region, has prepared a Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (ROD) for the 
Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan Amendment. 
The draft ROD selects Alternative Five.
    The FEIS, draft ROD, and Forest Plan are available on the forest's 
Web site at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/R10/Tongass/PlanAmend. A 
hardcopy and further information is available by contacting the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

[[Page 43184]]

    The draft ROD is subject to objection under 36 CFR part 219, 
subpart B. A written notice of objection, including any attachments, 
must be submitted (regular mail, express delivery, messenger service, 
fax, email, or hand delivery) within 60 days of the publication date of 
this notice in the newspapers of record, the Juneau Empire and the 
Ketchikan Daily News. The newspaper notice is the exclusive means for 
calculating the time to file an objection (36 CFR 219.56(b)(3)). An 
electronic scan of this notice will be posted on the Web site noted 
above. Those wishing to object to the draft ROD should not rely upon 
dates or timeframe information provided by any other source.
    Any objection must be submitted to the Alaska Regional Forester, 
Beth Pendleton, who is the Objection Reviewing Officer, at one of the 
addresses listed in the ADDRESSES section below.
    The objection process provides an opportunity for members of the 
public who have participated in the planning process for the forest 
plan amendment to have any unresolved concerns reviewed by the Forest 
Service prior to a final decision by the Responsible Official. Under 36 
CFR 219.53(a), objections will be accepted only from those individuals 
or organizations who have previously submitted substantive formal 
comments related to this amendment of the Tongass Forest Plan during 
the opportunities for public comment provided for this amendment. 
Objections must be based on previously submitted substantive comments 
attributed to the objector, unless the objection concerns an issue that 
arose after the opportunities for public comment. (36 CFR 219.53(a)). 
In addition, objections must meet the content requirements of 36 CFR 
219.54(c), which can be found in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    All objections are open to public inspection and will be published 
in the newspapers of record and posted to the Forest Service Web site 
(http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/R10/Tongass/PlanAmend).

DATES: The period for objections begins upon publication of this notice 
in the newspapers of record and ends 60 days thereafter.

ADDRESSES: Objections must be submitted to one of the addresses below:
    1. Postal Delivery: USDA Forest Service, Alaska Region; Attn: 
Tongass Objections; P.O. Box 21628; Juneau, AK 99802-1628.
    2. Express, Messenger, or Hand Delivery: USDA Forest Service, 
Alaska Region; Attn: Tongass Objections; 709 W. 9th Street; Juneau, AK 
99801-1807.
    3. Electronically Filed: Email; [email protected]; Fax: (907) 586-7840.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Howle, Plan Amendment Project Manager, 
Tongass National Forest, Federal Building Ketchikan, AK, 99901-6591, 
(907) 228-6340, or [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The office business hours for those 
submitting hand-delivered objections are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Alaska 
Standard Time), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. 
Electronic objections must be submitted in a commonly used format such 
as an email message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or 
Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx). For electronically mailed objections, 
the sender should normally receive an automated electronic 
acknowledgment from the agency as confirmation of receipt. If the 
sender does not receive an automated acknowledgment of the receipt of 
the objection, it is the sender's responsibility to ensure timely 
receipt by other means. The regulations prohibit extending the length 
of the objection filing period.
    Any objection must include the following (36 CFR 219.54(c)):
    1. The objector's name and address, telephone number or email 
address if available. Include the identification of the lead objector, 
when multiple names are listed on an objection.
    2. Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a 
scanned signature is allowed for electronic mail);
    3. The title of the plan amendment, and the name and title of the 
Responsible Official;
    4. A description of the issues and/or parts of the plan amendment 
to which the objection applies;
    5. A brief statement explaining the objection and suggesting how 
the draft plan decision may be improved. If the objector believes the 
plan amendment is inconsistent with law, regulation, or policy, the 
reasons should be included;
    6. A statement that shows the link between the objector's prior 
substantive formal comments and the content of the objection, unless 
the objection concerns an issue that arose after the opportunities for 
formal comment.
    Attach documents referenced in the objection except as noted at 36 
CFR 219.54(b).
    The objector is responsible for ensuring the timely filing of 
written objections. Timeliness will be determined as indicated in 36 
CFR 219.56(c).
    The Reviewing Officer will provide written acknowledgement of 
receipt of the objection, if requested by the objector.

    Dated: June 21, 2016.
M. Earl Stewart,
Forest Supervisor, Tongass National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2016-15353 Filed 6-30-16; 8:45 am]
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