Clearwater National Forest; ID; Selway Bitterroot Wilderness Invasive Plants Management Project, 64509-64511 [06-9016]
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64509
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 71, No. 212
Thursday, November 2, 2006
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 appearing in this
section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Docket Number FV–06–301]
United States Standards for Grades of
Mixed Commodities
AGENCY:
Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) of the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is establishing
voluntary United States Standards for
Grades of Mixed Commodities. The
standards will provide industry with a
common language and uniform basis for
trading, thus promoting the orderly and
efficient marketing for fresh fruits and
vegetables that are mixed in a package.
DATES: Effective Date: December 4, 2006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cheri L. Emery, Standardization
Section, Fresh Products Branch, Fruit
and Vegetable Programs, Agricultural
Marketing Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave.,
SW., Room 1661, South Building, Stop
0240, Washington, DC 20250–0240,
(202) 720–2185, fax (202) 720–8871, or
e-mail Cheri.Emery@usda.gov.
The United States Standards for
Grades of Mixed Commodities is
available either from the above address
or by accessing the AMS, Fresh
Products Branch Web site at: https://
www.ams.usda.gov/standards/
stanfrfv.htm.
Section
203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act
of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621–1627), as
amended, directs and authorizes the
Secretary of Agriculture ‘‘To develop
and improve standards of quality,
condition, quantity, grade and
packaging and recommend and
demonstrate such standards in order to
encourage uniformity and consistency
in commercial practices.’’ AMS is
mstockstill on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:49 Nov 01, 2006
Jkt 211001
committed to carrying out this authority
in a manner that facilitates the
marketing of agricultural commodities
and makes copies of official standards
available upon request. The United
States Standards for Grades of Fruits
and Vegetables not connected with
Federal Marketing Orders or U.S. Import
Requirements, no longer appear in the
Code of Federal Regulations, but are
maintained by USDA, AMS, Fruit and
Vegetable Programs.
AMS is establishing voluntary United
States Standards for Grades of Mixed
Commodities using the procedures that
appear in Part 36, Title 7 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (7 CFR part 36).
Background
AMS previously published a notice in
the Federal Register (71 FR 3816–3817),
on January 24, 2006, soliciting
comments on the proposed voluntary
United States Standards for Grades of
Mixed Commodities. The proposed
standards contained the U.S. Mixed
grade. In addition, there were ‘‘Sample
Basis,’’ ‘‘Tolerances,’’ and ‘‘Application
of Tolerances’’ sections. AMS also
defined ‘‘Mixed,’’ ‘‘Injury,’’ ‘‘Damage,’’
and ‘‘Serious Damage.’’
In response to the notice, a comment
was received from an individual asking
‘‘ * * * how would commodities with
tolerances of less than 10% be
handled?’’ The total tolerance in the
United States Standards for Grades of
Mixed Commodities would be 10
percent. Therefore, when commodities
are being certified under the mixed
commodities standards the 10 percent
tolerance would apply regardless of the
tolerances in the individual standards.
Additionally, the commenter asked,
‘‘Can commodities under a Marketing
Order (with less than 10% tolerance, i.e.
onions from Idaho and Eastern Oregon)
be packed under this standard?’’
Marketing orders are issued under the
Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act
of 1937 (7 U.S.C. 601–608) and
commodities regulated under such
orders must meet handling requirements
that may include tolerances that differ
from the 10 percent tolerance that
appears in the mixed commodities
standards. The voluntary mixed
commodities standards are issued under
the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946
and the 10 percent total tolerance for
such mixed commodities would be
applicable to grading and certification
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
under this program. Certification under
the U.S. mixed commodities standard
would not meet the requirements of the
marketing order program.
The adoption of the U.S. grade
standards will provide the mixed
commodity industry with U.S. grade
standards similar to those extensively in
use by the fresh produce industry to
assist in orderly marketing of other
commodities.
The official grade of a lot of mixed
commodities covered by these standards
will be determined by the procedures
set forth in the Regulations Governing
Inspection, Certification, and Standards
of Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, and Other
Products (Sec. 51.1 to 51.61).
The United States Standards for
Grades of Mixed Commodities will be
effective 30 days after publication of
this notice in the Federal Register.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621–1627.
Dated: October 27, 2006.
Lloyd C. Day,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing
Service.
[FR Doc. E6–18514 Filed 11–1–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Clearwater National Forest; ID; Selway
Bitterroot Wilderness Invasive Plants
Management Project
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The project proposes to
contain and control the spread of nonnative invasive plant species within the
Selway Bitterroot Wilderness and nonWilderness lands forming the margins of
the Wilderness. Chemical and biological
treatments are proposed along with
other site-specific methods such as hand
pulling and grubbing. All treatments
would be ground-based.
DATES: Comments concerning this
analysis must be received by December
1, 2006. The draft environmental impact
statement is expected in October, 2007
and the final environmental impact
statement is expected April, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Written comments
concerning this notice or a request to be
placed on the project mailing list should
E:\FR\FM\02NON1.SGM
02NON1
64510
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 212 / Thursday, November 2, 2006 / Notices
be addressed to: Chad Benson
(cbenson@fs.fed.us), district Ranger,
Powell Ranger Station, Lolo, MT 59847.
Electronic comments may be submitted
to: comments-northernclearwater@fs.fed.us. If you choose to
comment by e-mail, please include your
name and regular mailing address with
your comment. The subject line must
contain the name of the project for
which you are submitting comments
(i.e. SBW invasive Plants Project).
Acceptable formats are MS Word,
WordPerfect, or RTF.
All comments, including names and
address when provided, are placed in
the record and are available for public
inspection and copying. The public may
inspect comments received at the
Powell Ranger District Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chad Benson, District Ranger, Powell
Ranger District. Phone: (208) 942–0307.
Additional information is also available
on the Forest Web site at https://
www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/Projects.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Project Area
The project area consists of the entire
Selway Bitterroot Wilderness (1,348,000
acres) as well as key areas adjacent to
the wilderness on the Nez Perce,
Clearwater, Bitterroot, and Lolo
National Forests in western Montana
and north central Idaho. Non-wilderness
areas involve portions of the road and
trail network leading into or passing
through the wilderness and other
specifically identified priority area. The
project area is approximately 1,398,000
acres in size.
mstockstill on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
Purpose and Need for Action
Non-native invasive plants are a
growing problem in the Selway
Bitterroot Wilderness and surrounding
areas. Without efforts to control these
weeds, they will continue to expand
into new areas and the number of new
weed species will increase. The purpose
of this project is to prevent the
establishment of new invaders and
reduce the impacts of established
invasive plants on native plant
community stability, sustainability and
diversity within the Selway Bitterroot
Wilderness.
Inside the Selway Bitterroot
Wilderness, approximately 111,000
acres are currently occupied to some
degree by spotted knapweek sulfur
cinquefoil, St. Johnswort (goatweed) and
oxeye daisy. Spotted knapweek
accounts for approximately 90 percent
of the occupied acres. Newer invaders
such as Dalmatian toadflax, musk
thistle, and meadow hawkweed occupy
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:49 Nov 01, 2006
Jkt 211001
very small acreages at the present time.
Outside the Wilderness but within the
project area, approximately 5,000 acres
are occupied by invasive species with
the potential to expand into new areas
of the Wilderness.
applied. Administrative actions to
monitor effects and effectiveness as well
as promote prevention through public
awareness and education would also be
specified. The anticipated life of the
decision would be 10 to 15 years.
Proposed Action
The National Forests of the Selway
Bitterroot Wilderness propose to apply
integrated and adaptive approaches to
reduce the effects of non-native invasive
plant species on natural plant
communities and ecosystems within the
project area. Approximately 500 to 1500
acres a year are proposed for physical
treatments including: chemical
treatments, hand pulling, and
revegetation with native plants.
Biological control organisms would be
applied to approximately 10,000
additional acres within the project area.
Aerial spray application is not
proposed. Grazing of domestic animals
to reduce weeds within the Wilderness
is not proposed. All treatments and
applications would be ground-based.
The emphasis of the treatments would
be to eradicate new invaders as they are
discovered and to contain the spread of
established non-native plants.
Scoping Process
Each of the National Forests managing
a portion of the Selway Bitterroot
Wilderness maintains a listing of
individuals and organizations that have
expressed an interest in being informed
of and providing input to projects
including these types of activities or in
this specific location. All of these
contacts will be sent the initial scoping
document. A legal notice describing the
scoping process will be published in the
paper of record for each of the National
Forests.
Possible Alternatives
The Forest Service will consider
alternatives to the proposed action
including a ‘‘no action’’ alternative in
which none of the proposed activities
would be implemented. Additional
alternatives being considered examine
varying levels and locations for the
proposed activities to achieve the
proposal’s purpose and need, as well as
respond to issues and other resource
concerns.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official is the Forest
Supervisor of the Clearwater National
Forest, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino,
Idaho 83544. The Responsible Official
will decide if the proposed project will
be implemented and will document the
decision and reasons for the decision in
a Record of Decision. That decision will
be subject to Forest Service Appeal
Regulations. The responsibility for
preparing the DEIS and FEIS has been
delegated to the District Ranger, Powell
Ranger Station, Lolo, MT 59847.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision would specify methods
and materials to be used or applied to
contain and control unwanted plant
species within the project area. The
decision would specify the areas to be
treated as well as the terms and
conditions under which treatment
methods and materials would be
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the
scoping process which guides the
development of the environmental
impact statement. Early Notice of
Importance of Public Participation in
Subsequent Environmental Review: A
draft environmental impact statement
will be prepared for comment. The
comment period on the draft
environmental impact statement will be
45 days from the date the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes the notice of availability in
the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this
early stage it is important to give
reviewers notice of several court ruling
related to public participation in the
environmental review process. First,
reviewers of draft environmental impact
statements 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 Corp. v.
NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also,
environmental objections that could be
raised at the draft environmental impact
statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final
environmental impact statement 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 45day 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 final
environmental impact statement.
E:\FR\FM\02NON1.SGM
02NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 212 / Thursday, November 2, 2006 / Notices
To assist the Forest Service in
identifying and considering issues and
concerns on the proposed action,
comments on the draft environmental
impact statement 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 draft environmental
impact statement or the merits of the
alternatives formulated and discussed in
the statement. 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: October 26, 2006.
Thomas K. Reilly,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 06–9016 Filed 11–1–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–M
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation
Service
Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural
Air Quality Task Force
mstockstill on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
SUMMARY: The Agricultural Air Quality
Task Force (AAQTF) will meet to
continue discussions on air quality
issues relating to agriculture.
DATES: The meeting will convene on
Tuesday, November 28, 2006, through
Thursday, November 30, 2006. Public
comment periods will be held on
November 29 and 30. Individuals
making oral presentations should
register in person at the meeting site and
must bring with them 50 copies of any
materials they would like distributed.
Written materials for the AAQTF’s
consideration prior to the meeting must
be received by Dr. Diane E. Gelburd no
later than Friday, November 3, 2006.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Holiday Inn on the Hill, 415 New
Jersey Avenue, SW., Washington, DC,
20001; telephone: (202) 638–1616, or
(800) 638–1116.
14:49 Nov 01, 2006
Jkt 211001
Questions and comments should be
directed to Dr. Diane E. Gelburd,
Designated Federal Officer. Dr. Gelburd
may be contacted at USDA, NRCS, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Room
6158-South, Washington, DC 20250;
telephone: (202) 720–2587; e-mail:
Diane.Gelburd@wdc.usda.gov.
Notice of
this meeting is given under the Federal
Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App.
2. Additional information concerning
the AAQTF may be found on the
Internet at https://
www.airquality.nrcs.usda.gov/AAQTF/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
basis of political beliefs and marital or
family status is also prohibited by
statutes enforced by USDA (not all
prohibited bases apply to all programs).
Persons with disabilities who require
alternate means for communication of
program information (Braille, large
print, audio tape, etc.) should contact
the USDA’s Target Center at (202) 720–
2000 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal
opportunity provider and employer.
Signed in Washington, DC, on October 23,
2006.
Arlen L. Lancaster,
Chief.
[FR Doc. E6–18491 Filed 11–1–06; 8:45 am]
Draft Agenda of the November 28–30,
2006 Meeting of the AAQTF
BILLING CODE 3410–16–P
A. Welcome to Washington, DC.
B. Discussion of Minutes from
Previous Meeting.
C. Discussion of Objectives for the
Task Force and Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA Rules and
Responsibilities).
D. Scientific Updates and
Presentations.
E. Policy Discussions—USDA and
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Officials.
F. USDA Update.
G. EPA Update.
H. Next Meeting, Time and Place.
I. Public Comments.
(Time will be reserved on November 29
and November 30 to receive public
comments. Individual presentations will
be limited to 5 minutes.)
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Procedural
Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS),
Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
64511
This meeting is open to the public. At
the discretion of the Chair, members of
the public may give oral presentations
during the meeting. Those persons
wishing to make oral presentations
should register in person at the meeting
site. Those wishing to distribute written
materials at the meeting (in conjunction
with spoken comments) must bring 50
copies of the materials with them.
Written materials for distribution to
AAQTF members prior to the meeting
must be received by Dr. Gelburd no later
than Friday, November 3, 2006.
Information on Services for Individuals
With Disabilities
For information on facilities or
services for individuals with
disabilities, or to request special
assistance at the meeting, please contact
Dr. Gelburd. USDA prohibits
discrimination in its programs and
activities on the basis of race, color,
national origin, gender, religion, age,
sexual orientation, or disability.
Additionally, discrimination on the
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Climate Change Science Program
(CCSP) Product Development
Committee (CPDC) for Synthesis and
Assessment Product 1.3
Notice to establish the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Climate Change
Science Program (CCSP) Product
Development Committee (CPDC) for
Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.3
(CPDC—S&A 1.3) under the provisions
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
ACTION:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, and the
General Services Administration (GSA)
rule of Federal Advisory Committee
Management, 41 CFR part 102–3, and
after consultation with GSA, the
Secretary of Commerce has determined
that the establishment of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Climate Change
Science Program (CCSP) Product
Development Committee (CPDC) for
Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.3
(CPDC—S&A 1.3) is in the public
interest, in connection with the
performance of duties imposed on the
Department by law. The CPDC—S&A
1.3 will advise the Secretary, through
the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere, on CCSP
Topic 1.3: ‘‘Re-analyses of historical
climate data for key atmospheric
features: Implications for attribution of
causes of observed change’’. This advice
will be provided in the form of a draft
Synthesis and Assessment product
intended to be used by NOAA to
develop a final product in accordance
with the Guidelines for Producing the
CCSP Synthesis and Assessment
E:\FR\FM\02NON1.SGM
02NON1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 212 (Thursday, November 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64509-64511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9016]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Clearwater National Forest; ID; Selway Bitterroot Wilderness
Invasive Plants Management Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The project proposes to contain and control the spread of non-
native invasive plant species within the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness
and non-Wilderness lands forming the margins of the Wilderness.
Chemical and biological treatments are proposed along with other site-
specific methods such as hand pulling and grubbing. All treatments
would be ground-based.
DATES: Comments concerning this analysis must be received by December
1, 2006. The draft environmental impact statement is expected in
October, 2007 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
April, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning this notice or a request to be
placed on the project mailing list should
[[Page 64510]]
be addressed to: Chad Benson (cbenson@fs.fed.us), district Ranger,
Powell Ranger Station, Lolo, MT 59847. Electronic comments may be
submitted to: comments-northern-clearwater@fs.fed.us. If you choose to
comment by e-mail, please include your name and regular mailing address
with your comment. The subject line must contain the name of the
project for which you are submitting comments (i.e. SBW invasive Plants
Project). Acceptable formats are MS Word, WordPerfect, or RTF.
All comments, including names and address when provided, are placed
in the record and are available for public inspection and copying. The
public may inspect comments received at the Powell Ranger District
Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chad Benson, District Ranger, Powell
Ranger District. Phone: (208) 942-0307. Additional information is also
available on the Forest Web site at https://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/
Projects.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Project Area
The project area consists of the entire Selway Bitterroot
Wilderness (1,348,000 acres) as well as key areas adjacent to the
wilderness on the Nez Perce, Clearwater, Bitterroot, and Lolo National
Forests in western Montana and north central Idaho. Non-wilderness
areas involve portions of the road and trail network leading into or
passing through the wilderness and other specifically identified
priority area. The project area is approximately 1,398,000 acres in
size.
Purpose and Need for Action
Non-native invasive plants are a growing problem in the Selway
Bitterroot Wilderness and surrounding areas. Without efforts to control
these weeds, they will continue to expand into new areas and the number
of new weed species will increase. The purpose of this project is to
prevent the establishment of new invaders and reduce the impacts of
established invasive plants on native plant community stability,
sustainability and diversity within the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness.
Inside the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness, approximately 111,000
acres are currently occupied to some degree by spotted knapweek sulfur
cinquefoil, St. Johnswort (goatweed) and oxeye daisy. Spotted knapweek
accounts for approximately 90 percent of the occupied acres. Newer
invaders such as Dalmatian toadflax, musk thistle, and meadow hawkweed
occupy very small acreages at the present time. Outside the Wilderness
but within the project area, approximately 5,000 acres are occupied by
invasive species with the potential to expand into new areas of the
Wilderness.
Proposed Action
The National Forests of the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness propose to
apply integrated and adaptive approaches to reduce the effects of non-
native invasive plant species on natural plant communities and
ecosystems within the project area. Approximately 500 to 1500 acres a
year are proposed for physical treatments including: chemical
treatments, hand pulling, and revegetation with native plants.
Biological control organisms would be applied to approximately 10,000
additional acres within the project area. Aerial spray application is
not proposed. Grazing of domestic animals to reduce weeds within the
Wilderness is not proposed. All treatments and applications would be
ground-based. The emphasis of the treatments would be to eradicate new
invaders as they are discovered and to contain the spread of
established non-native plants.
Possible Alternatives
The Forest Service will consider alternatives to the proposed
action including a ``no action'' alternative in which none of the
proposed activities would be implemented. Additional alternatives being
considered examine varying levels and locations for the proposed
activities to achieve the proposal's purpose and need, as well as
respond to issues and other resource concerns.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official is the Forest Supervisor of the Clearwater
National Forest, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, Idaho 83544. The
Responsible Official will decide if the proposed project will be
implemented and will document the decision and reasons for the decision
in a Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest
Service Appeal Regulations. The responsibility for preparing the DEIS
and FEIS has been delegated to the District Ranger, Powell Ranger
Station, Lolo, MT 59847.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision would specify methods and materials to be used or
applied to contain and control unwanted plant species within the
project area. The decision would specify the areas to be treated as
well as the terms and conditions under which treatment methods and
materials would be applied. Administrative actions to monitor effects
and effectiveness as well as promote prevention through public
awareness and education would also be specified. The anticipated life
of the decision would be 10 to 15 years.
Scoping Process
Each of the National Forests managing a portion of the Selway
Bitterroot Wilderness maintains a listing of individuals and
organizations that have expressed an interest in being informed of and
providing input to projects including these types of activities or in
this specific location. All of these contacts will be sent the initial
scoping document. A legal notice describing the scoping process will be
published in the paper of record for each of the National Forests.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Early Notice of
Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent Environmental Review:
A draft environmental impact statement will be prepared for comment.
The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will be
45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the
notice of availability in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage it is important to
give reviewers notice of several court ruling related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements 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 Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement 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 final environmental impact statement.
[[Page 64511]]
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement 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 draft
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement. 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: October 26, 2006.
Thomas K. Reilly,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 06-9016 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M