Environmental Impact Statment: Sanders and Flathead Counties, MT, 70111 [05-22911]

Agencies

• Federal Highway Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 223 (Monday, November 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 70111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-22911]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statment: Sanders and Flathead Counties, MT

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); Department of 
Transportation.

ACTION: Rescind notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that the 
FHWA is rescinding the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) for proposed improvements to the 
Thompson River Road (also known as Forest Highway 56), a county road 
located near Thompson Falls, Montana.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terri Thomas, Environmental Manager, 
Federal Highway Administration, 610 East Fifth Street, Vancouver, 
Washington 98661-3801. Telephone: (360) 619-7700. E-mail: 
Terri.Thomas@fhwa.dot.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the U.S. 
Forest Service (USFS) and the Montana Department of Transportation 
(MDT), is rescinding the NOI published in the Federal Register (Volume 
67, Number 236, page 73004-73005) on December 9, 2002, to prepare an 
EIS for proposed improvements to the Thompson River Road (Forest 
Highway 56) near Thompson Falls, Montana. The NOI is being rescinded 
due to social, environmental, and political issues associated with the 
proposed improvements. These issues include problems managing access to 
properties with the elimination of portions of the current dual road 
system, social and economic impacts on surrounding communities, and the 
lack of available ``take'' of the depleted grizzly bear population in 
the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem.
    Benefits of the proposed improvements identified through public 
comments and preliminary studies included potential for improving fish 
and wildlife habitat within the Thompson River drainage. The proposed 
improvements included a plan to eliminate portions of the dual road 
network, which would potentially reduce river sediments and benefit 
recovering bull trout. An additional goal was to replace the high-speed 
logging road alignment with a lower-speed curvilinear alignment to 
reduce mortality of carnivores and other species resulting from vehicle 
collisions. However, the combined issues of property access, social and 
economic impacts, and potential impacts on the depleted population of 
grizzly bear in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem were considered more 
significant than the combined potential benefits of the project. 
Therefore, the decision was made to stop the project and remove it from 
the Transportation Improvement Plan.
    Notices of the decision were sent to all cooperating agencies on 
October 18, 2005. A press release was issued on October 18, 2005. 
Public involvement meetings were held in Thompson Falls, Montana on 
October 19, 2005, and Libby, Montana on October 20, 2005, to inform the 
public of this decision. No significant opposition to stopping the 
project was received.
    Comments or questions regarding this action should be addressed to 
the FHWA at the address and phone number provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations 
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental 
consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this 
program.)

    Dated: Issued on: November 7, 2005.
Ricardo Suarez,
Acting Division Engineer, Western Federal Lands Highway Division, 
Federal Highway Administration, Vancouver, Washington.
[FR Doc. 05-22911 Filed 11-18-05; 8:45 am]
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