[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 63 (Friday, April 1, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19065-19066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06882]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest; Montana; Telegraph 
Vegetation Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a draft supplemental environmental 
impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Helena Ranger 
District, Montana, intends to prepare a draft supplemental 
environmental impact statement for the Telegraph Vegetation Project. 
The Telegraph Vegetation Project was approved by Helena-Lewis and Clark 
Forest Supervisor William Avey on January 9, 2017. When analyzing the 
wildland urban interface within the Telegraph Vegetation project, the 
Forest used the Region 1 Healthy Forest Restoration Act wildland urban 
interface boundary definition, rather than the 2005 Powell County 
Community Wildland Protection Plan, which defined the wildland urban 
interface differently. In addition, the Forest conducted 8.4 acres of 
treatments in lynx habitat under the assumption they were located in 
the wildland urban interface. However, they were outside of the 2005 
Powell County Community Protection Plan wildland urban interface 
boundary. To address these discrepancies, a supplemental environmental 
impact statement is being prepared to assess what action should be 
taken. The draft supplemental environmental impact statement will be 
circulated.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by May 2, 2022. The draft supplemental environmental impact statement 
is expected April 2022 and the final supplemental environmental impact 
statement is expected June 2022.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Telegraph Vegetation Project SEIS, 
Helena District Ranger, 2880 Skyway Drive, Helena, MT 59602. Comments 
may also be sent electronically to [email protected], with ``Telegraph Vegetation Project SEIS'' in the 
subject line or via facsimile to (406) 449-5740.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy Bushnell, Helena District 
Ranger,

[[Page 19066]]

(406) 495-3747 or [email protected]. Additional information 
concerning this project may be obtained at https://www.fs.usda.gov/helena.
    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 Telegraph Vegetation Project Record of 
Decision was signed by Helena-Lewis and Clark Forest Supervisor William 
Avey on January 9, 2017 and with it, the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement was released to the public. The District Court for the 
Federal District of Montana rejected a legal challenge to the Telegraph 
Vegetation Project and that ruling was appealed to the Ninth Circuit 
Court of Appeals where the case was affirmed in part and remanded 
without vacatur to allow the Forest Service to reconsider the scope of 
the project-area wildland-urban interface. Before the Court issued a 
decision, a discrepancy was identified between the wildland urban 
interface boundary used for project analysis and the 2005 Powell County 
Community Protection Plan wildland urban interface boundary. This 
discrepancy resulted in 50 acres being analyzed as within the wildland 
urban interface when they were in fact outside of the 2005 Powell 
County's Community Protection Plan's wildland urban interface boundary. 
In September of 2019, the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest 
completed pre-commercial thinning on Telegraph units 102 and 107 which 
contained 8.4 acres of early stand or stand initiation lynx habitat 
that were within the project wildland urban interface but outside the 
wildland urban interface under the 2005 Powell County Community 
Protection Plan.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The original purpose, to improve the resiliency, diversity, and 
reforestation within the Telegraph Vegetation Project, area remains the 
same. The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement will 
update, review, and correct the project analysis and evaluate making 
changes to the project, including dropping planned treatment acres that 
are outside the Powell County wildland urban interface and droppings 
treatment acres to protect lynx habitat within the lynx analysis unit.

Proposed Action

    The original proposed action for the Telegraph project remains the 
same; the 2017 Record of Decision is not vacated nor withdrawn. The 
draft supplemental environmental impact statement will update and 
review the effects of the wildland urban interface boundary differences 
as well as the treatment of 8.4 acres of pre-commercial thinning within 
lynx habitat that did not fall under the Northern Rockies Lynx 
Management Direction exemption. In addition, the draft supplemental 
environmental impact statement will analyze removing units 129 and 164 
from treatment, which combined amounts to 30.9 acres. These units, 129 
and 164, are located within the same lynx analysis unit as the 8.4 
acres of precommercial thinning.

Impacts Under Review

    The intent of the draft supplemental environmental impact statement 
is to review, update, and evaluate dropping treatment units which were 
analyzed under the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Therefore, the 
effects of the proposed action are expected to be less than originally 
analyzed.

Responsible Official

    Helena-Lewis and Clark Forest Supervisor.

Scoping Process

    A notice of intent published on November 12, 2009 initiated the 
scoping process for the Telegraph Vegetation Project. The start of a 
30-day scoping period began on November 13, 2009. The Project was re-
scoped in July of 2012 and a corrected Notice of Intent was published 
on July 20, 2012. In accordance with 40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4), no scoping 
will be conducted for this supplemental environmental impact statement.
    The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement will be 
available for public comment as required by 40 CFR 1503.1. The Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement will be announced for 
public review and comment in Federal Register, on the Forest's website 
https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/helena/landmanagement/projects, and in 
the Helena Independent Record.

Authority

    This Notice of Intent is being published pursuant to regulation (40 
CFR 1508.22) implementing the procedural provision of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The January 2017 Record of Decision is not being vacated. The Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement will supplement the 
Telegraph Vegetation Project Final Environmental Impact Statement. The 
Forest will solicit public comment on its suggested remedy and the 
associated effects of using units 129 and 164 to remediate the 
treatment of 8.4 acres within lynx habitat.

    Dated: March 11, 2022.
Barnie Gyant,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2022-06882 Filed 3-31-22; 8:45 am]
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