[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 14 (Friday, January 21, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3278-3279]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01165]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 14 / Friday, January 21, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 3278]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


National Forests in North Carolina; Revision of the Land 
Management Plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of opportunity to object to the revised Land Management 
Plan and the Regional Forester's list of species of conservation 
concern for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is 
revising the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests' Land Management 
Plan (Forest Plan). The Forest Service has prepared a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for its revised Forest Plan, and 
a draft Record of Decision (ROD). This notice is to inform the public 
that the National Forests in North Carolina is initiating a 60-day 
period where individuals or entities with specific concerns about the 
Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests' revised Forest Plan and the 
associated FEIS may file objections for Forest Service review prior to 
the approval of the revised Forest Plan. This is also an opportunity to 
object to the Regional Forester's list of species of conservation 
concern for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.

DATES: The publication date of the legal notice in the Nantahala and 
Pisgah National Forests' newspaper of record, Asheville Citizen Times, 
initiates the 60-day objection filing period and is the exclusive means 
for calculating the time to file an objection (36 CFR 219.52(c)(5)). An 
electronic scan of the legal notice with the publication date will be 
posted at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/nprevision.

ADDRESSES: The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests' revised Forest 
Plan, FEIS, draft ROD, species of conservation concern list, and other 
supporting information will be available for review at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/nprevision.
    Objections must be submitted to the Objection Reviewing Officer by 
one of the following methods:
     Via regular mail to the following address: National 
Forests in North Carolina, ATTN: Objection Coordinator, 160 Zillicoa 
St., Suite A, Asheville, NC 28801.
     Objections may be submitted electronically at https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public/CommentInput?Project=43545 with 
subject: Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Plan Revision Objection. 
Electronic submissions must be submitted in a format (Word, PDF, or 
Rich Text) that is readable and searchable with optical character 
recognition software.
     By Fax: 828-257-4863. Faxes must be addressed to 
``Objection Coordinator.'' The fax coversheet should include a subject 
line with ``Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Plan Revision 
Objection'' or ``Nantahala and Pisgah NFs Species of Conservation 
Concern'' and specify the number of pages being submitted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Forest Planner, Michelle Aldridge at 
(828) 707-8391 or [email protected].
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf/hard-of-
hearing (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-
8339, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The decision to approve the revised Forest 
Plan and the Regional Forester's list of species of conservation 
concern for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests will be subject 
to the objection process identified in 36 CFR part 219 Subpart B 
(219.50 to 219.62).

How To File an Objection

    Objections must be submitted to the Reviewing Officer 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 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 plan, plan amendment, or plan revision being 
objected to, and the name and title of the responsible official;
    (5) A statement of the issues and/or parts of the plan, plan 
amendment, or plan revision to which the objection applies;
    (6) A concise statement explaining the objection and suggesting how 
the draft plan decision may be improved. If the objector believes that 
the plan, plan amendment, or plan revision 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 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 proposed plan, plan amendment, or plan revision 
comment period.
    It is the responsibility of the objector to ensure that the 
Reviewing Officer receives the objection in a timely manner. The 
regulations generally prohibit extending the length of the

[[Page 3279]]

objection filing period (36 CFR 219.56(d)). However, when the time 
period expires on a Saturday, Sunday, or a Federal holiday, the time is 
extended to the end of the next Federal working day (11:59 p.m. for 
objections filed by electronic means such as email or facsimile 
machine) (36 CFR 219.56).

Responsible Official

    The responsible official who will approve the ROD and the revised 
Forest Plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests is Forest 
Supervisor James Melonas, National Forests in North Carolina, 160 
Zillicoa Street, Suite A, Asheville, NC 28801, and Phone: (828) 257-
4200. The responsible official for the list of species of conservation 
concern is Regional Forester Ken Arney, USDA Forest Service Southern 
Region, 1720 Peachtree Road NW, Suite 760S, Atlanta, GA 30309.
    The Regional Forester is the reviewing officer for the revised 
Forest Plan since the Forest Supervisor is the responsible official (36 
CFR 219.56(e)). The decision to approve the species of conservation 
concern list will be subject to a separate objection process. The Chief 
of the Forest Service is the reviewing officer for species of 
conservation concern identification since the Regional Forester is the 
responsible official (36 CFR 219.56(e)(2)). This authority may be 
delegated to an individual Deputy Chief or Associate Deputy Chief for 
National Forest System, consistent with delegations of authority 
provided in the Forest Service Manual at sections 1235.4 and 1235.5.

    Dated: January 14, 2022.
Barnie Gyant,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2022-01165 Filed 1-20-22; 8:45 am]
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