[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 249 (Friday, December 29, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61744-61745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-28134]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Amendment of the Land Management Plan for Santa Fe National 
Forest

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of the opportunity to object to the Forest Plan 
Amendment for Geothermal Leasing on the Santa Fe National Forest prior 
to approval of Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Santa Fe 
National Forest Geothermal Leasing Project.

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SUMMARY: The Santa Fe National Forest, located in New Mexico, prepared 
a significant, programmatic forest plan amendment to allow geothermal 
leasing to accompany its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 
and a Draft Record of Decision (ROD) for Geothermal Leasing. This 
notice is to inform the public that a 60-day period is being initiated 
where individuals or entities with specific concerns on the Santa Fe's 
Forest Plan Amendment for Geothermal Leasing may file an objection for 
a Forest Service review prior to the approval of the Record of Decision 
for Geothermal Leasing.

DATES: The Santa Fe's Forest Plan Amendment for Geothermal Leasing, 
FEIS, Draft ROD, and other supporting information, will be available 
for review at http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/santafe/landmanagement/projects starting December 29, 2017.
    A legal notice of the initiation of the 60-day objection period is 
also being published in the Santa Fe National Forest's newspaper of 
record, which is the Albuquerque Journal. The date of the publication 
of the legal notice in the Albuquerque Journal will determine the 
actual date of initiation of the 60-day objection period. A copy of the 
legal notice that is published in the Albuquerque Journal will be 
posted on the website listed above.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Santa Fe's Forest Plan Amendment for 
Geothermal Leasing on Santa Fe National Forest, the FEIS, and the Draft 
ROD can be obtained online at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/santafe/landmanagement/projects; or by visiting or mailing a request to the 
Forest Supervisor's Office at the following location:
     11 Forest Lane, Santa Fe, NM 87508 (Telephone: 505-438-
5443).
    Objections must be submitted to the Reviewing Officer:
     Regional Forester, USDA-Forest Service, ATTN: Objection 
Reviewing Officer, 333 Broadway Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102 (Fax: 
505-842-3173).
    Objections may be submitted electronically at [email protected].
    Note that the office hours for submitting a hand-delivered 
objection are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding 
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[supreg] (.doc or .docx).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Gore, Geologist, Santa Fe 
National Forest at 575-289-3264, ext. 2149. Individuals who use 
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m. 
and 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time), Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest Service, Southwestern Region, 
Santa Fe National Forest, prepared a Forest Plan Amendment for 
Geothermal Leasing. This notice is to inform the public that a 60-day 
period is being initiated where individuals or entities with specific 
concerns on the Santa Fe's Forest Plan Amendment for Geothermal Leasing 
may file an objection for a Forest Service review prior to the approval 
of the ROD for the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Geothermal Leasing Project.
    The publication date of the legal notice in the Santa Fe National 
Forest's newspaper of record, the Albuquerque Journal, will initiate 
the 60-day objection period and is the exclusive means for calculating 
the time to file an objection (36 CFR 219.16 and 219.52). An electronic 
scan of the notice with the publication date will be posted on the 
Santa Fe National Forest's website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/santafe/landmanagement/projects.
    The objection process under 36 CFR 219 subpart B, provides an 
opportunity for members of the public who have participated in the 
planning process for the Forest Plan Amendment for Geothermal Leasing 
on Santa Fe National Forest to have any unresolved concerns reviewed by 
the Forest Service prior to a final decision by the Responsible 
Official. Only those who provided substantive formal comments during 
opportunities for public comment during the planning process are 
eligible to file an objection. Regulations at 36 CFR 219.62 define 
substantive formal comments as:

    ``Written comments submitted to, or oral comments recorded by, 
the responsible official or his designee during an opportunity for 
public participation provided during the planning process, and 
attributed to the individual or entity providing them. Comments are 
considered substantive when they are within the scope of the 
proposal, are specific to the proposal, have a direct relationship 
to the proposal, and include supporting reasons for the responsible 
official to consider.''

How To File an Objection

    The Forest Service will accept mailed, emailed, faxed, and hand-
delivered objections concerning the Santa Fe's Forest Plan Amendment 
for Geothermal Leasing for 60 calendar days following the date of the 
publication of the legal notice of this objection period in the 
newspaper of record, the Albuquerque Journal. It is the responsibility 
of the objector to ensure that the Reviewing Officer receives the 
objection in a timely manner. The regulations prohibit extending the 
length of the objection filing period.
    Objections must be submitted to the Reviewing Officer, who will be 
the Regional Forester for the Southwestern Region, at the address shown 
in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
    An objection must include the following (36 CFR 219.54(c)):
    (1) The objector's name and address along with a telephone number 
or email address if available--in cases where no identifiable name is 
attached to an

[[Page 61745]]

objection, the Forest Service will attempt to verify the identity of 
the objector to confirm objection eligibility;
    (2) Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a 
scanned signature for electronic mail may be filed with the objection);
    (3) Identification of the lead objector, when multiple names are 
listed on an objection. The Forest Service will communicate to all 
parties to an objection through the lead objector. Verification of the 
identity of the lead objector must also be provided if requested;
    (4) The name of the forest plan amendment being objected to, and 
the name and title of the Responsible Official;
    (5) A statement of the issues and/or parts of the forest plan 
amendment to which the objection applies;
    (6) A concise statement explaining the objection and suggesting how 
the proposed plan decision may be improved. If the objector believes 
that the forest plan amendment is inconsistent with law, regulation, or 
policy, an explanation should be included;
    (7) A statement that demonstrates 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; and
    (8) All documents referenced in the objection (a bibliography is 
not sufficient), except that the following need not be provided:
    a. All or any part of a Federal law or regulation,
    b. Forest Service Directive System documents and land management 
plans or other published Forest Service documents,
    c. Documents referenced by the Forest Service in the planning 
documentation related to the proposal subject to objection, and
    d. Formal comments previously provided to the Forest Service by the 
objector during the plan amendment comment period.

Responsible Official

    The responsible official for the Santa Fe's Forest Plan Amendment 
for Geothermal Leasing on the Santa Fe National Forest is James 
Melonas, Forest Supervisor, Santa Fe National Forest, 11 Forest Lane, 
Santa Fe, NM, 87508.

    Dated: December 15, 2017.
Glenn P. Casamassa,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2017-28134 Filed 12-28-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3411-15-P