McKelvie Geographic Area Rangeland Allotment Management Plans on National Forest System Lands on the Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest, Bessey Ranger District in Nebraska, 27986 [06-4518]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 93 (Monday, May 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 27986]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4518]


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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 93 / Monday, May 15, 2006 / Notices

[[Page 27986]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


McKelvie Geographic Area Rangeland Allotment Management Plans on 
National Forest System Lands on the Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest, 
Bessey Ranger District in Nebraska

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
in conjunction with the revision of allotment management plans.

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SUMMARY: Revise Rangeland Allotment Management Plans (RAMP) for all 
allotments within the McKelvie Geographic Area and analyze continuation 
of grazing within the constraints of the Revised Nebraska Land and 
Resource Management Plan (NLRMP).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. The draft 
environmental impact statement is expected February 2007 and the final 
environmental impact statement is expected May 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Michael E. Croxen, 
Interdisciplinary Team Leader, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 39, Halsey 
Nebraska 69142.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael E. Croxen, Interdisciplinary 
Team Leader, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 39, Halsey Nebraska 69142. 
Phone (308) 533-2257.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Purpose and Need for Action: The purpose of the EIS is to determine 
current conditions, analyze environmental consequences of actions to 
those conditions, and assist the decision maker in selecting 
management/monitoring strategies consistent with meeting desired 
conditions in the NLRMP. The need for the action is to ensure that 
authorized uses and associated management activities move them towards 
or maintain desired NLRMP conditions.
    Proposed Action: The Bessey Ranger District proposes to implement 
best management practices and activities with adaptive management and 
monitoring strategies to ensure compliance between current conditions 
and NLRMP desired conditions.
    Possible alternatives: No-Action Alternative is to not change 
current permitted uses. No-Grazing alternative is to eliminate any 
grazing on the project area.
    Responsible Official: Patricia D. Barney, District Ranger, Bessey 
Ranger District, P.O. Box 39, Halsey Nebraska 69142.
    Nature of Decision to be Made: The decision to be made is whether 
or not to continue permitted uses within the project area. If uses are 
permitted, then adaptive management strategies and monitoring will be 
identified to ensure compliance with desired NLRMP conditions.
    Scoping Process: The agency sent a letter to interested parties on 
May 19, 2006 requesting comments concerning the scope of the analysis. 
Comments were due by June 19, 2006.
    Release and Review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: The 
draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) is expected to be filed 
with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for 
public comment by February 2007. At that time, the EPA will publish a 
notice of availability for the DEIS in the Federal Register. The 
comment period on the DEIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA 
publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
    Reviewers of the DEIS must structure their participation in the 
environmental review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and 
alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and contentions; Vermont 
Yankee Nuclear Power Com. v NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also, 
environmental objections that could be raised at the DEIS stage but are 
not raised until after completion of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) may be waived or dismissed by the courts; City of 
Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F. 2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin.
    Heritages, Inc., v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 
1980). Because of these court rulings, it is very important that those 
interested in this proposed action participate by the close of the 45 
day comment period so that substantive comments and objections are made 
available to the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully 
consider them and respond to them in the FEIS.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed actions, comments on the DEIS should be as 
specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific 
pages or chapters of the draft statement. Comments may also address the 
adequacy of the DEIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated and 
discussed in the statements. Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council 
on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in 
addressing these points.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21.

    Dated: May 5, 2006.
Patricia D. Barney,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 06-4518 Filed 5-12-06; 8:45 am]
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