Colville National Forest; Washington; Old Curlew Ranger Station Facilities Disposal, 68794-68796 [06-9420]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
68794
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 71, No. 228
Tuesday, November 28, 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
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
ycherry on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
November 21, 2006.
The Department of Agriculture has
submitted the following information
collection requirement(s) to OMB for
review and clearance under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13. Comments
regarding (a) whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of burden including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility and
clarity of the information to be
collected; (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology should be addressed to: Desk
Officer for Agriculture, Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov
or fax (202) 395–5806 and to
Departmental Clearance Office, USDA,
OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, DC
20250–7602. Comments regarding these
information collections are best assured
of having their full effect if received
within 30 days of this notification.
Copies of the submission(s) may be
obtained by calling (202) 720–8958.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB control
number and the agency informs
potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such
persons are not required to respond to
the collection of information unless it
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:42 Nov 27, 2006
Jkt 211001
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
Food and Nutrition Service
Title: Worksheet for Food Stamp
Program Quality Control Reviews.
OMB Control Number: 0584–0074.
Summary of Collection: State agencies
are required to perform Quality Control
Reviews for the Food Stamp Program in
conjunction with Section 16 of the Food
Stamp Act of 1977. The food stamp
worksheet (FNS–380) provides a
systematic means of aiding the State
agency’s quality control reviewer in
analyzing household case record;
planning and carrying out the field
investigations; and gathering,
comparing, analyzing and evaluating the
review data. Relevant information from
the case record, investigative work and
documentation about individual cases is
recorded on the FNS–380.
Need and Use of the Information: The
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will
use the information from the FNS–380
to record identifying information about
the household and to also document
and evaluate each step of the field
investigation process to determine
eligibility and payment amounts under
FNS’ approved State agency practices.
Description of Respondents: State,
local, or tribal government; Individuals
or households.
Number of Respondents: 57,199.
Frequency of Responses:
Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion;
Annually.
Total Burden Hours: 542,887.
Food Nutrition Service
Title: Monthly Claim for
Reimbursement.
OMB Control Number: 0584–0284.
Summary of Collection: The Child
Nutrition Act of 1966 requires that
educational agencies disburse and
appropriate funds during the fiscal year
for the purposes of carrying out
provisions of the Special Milk Program
(SMP). The National School Lunch Act
requires that State educational agency
appropriated funds for any fiscal year
for the purposes of fulfilling the earned
reimbursement set forth in National
School Lunch, Breakfast, and Special
Milk Programs. The Food and Nutrition
Service will use the monthly claim
reimbursement form FNS–806A and
806B to fulfill the earned requirements
identified in these programs, National
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
School Lunch Program (NSLP), SMP,
and the School Breakfast Program (SBP).
Need and Use of the Information: The
information is collected electronically
from school food authorities that
participate in NSLP, School Breakfast
Program (SBP), and SMP programs. The
forms contain meal and cost data
collected from authorized program
participants. Also, these forms are
essential part of the accounting system
used by the subject programs to ensure
proper reimbursement. This information
is collected monthly because of the
constant fluctuation in school
enrollment and program participation.
Program participants would not receive
the monthly reimbursement earned and
the Agency would lose program
accountability, if this information were
collect less frequently.
Description of Respondents: State,
local or tribal government.
Number of Respondents: 273.
Frequency of Responses: Record
keeping; Reporting: Monthly.
Total Burden Hours: 1,198.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E6–20051 Filed 11–27–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–30–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Colville National Forest; Washington;
Old Curlew Ranger Station Facilities
Disposal
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Colville National Forest,
USDA Forest Service, will prepare an
EIS (environmental impact statement)
on a proposal to sell the old Curlew
Ranger Station administrative site, a 3acre parcel including buildings, located
on the south side of Curlew, in Ferry
County, Washington. The parcel and
buildings are no longer needed to meet
public service or Forest Service mission
requirements. The Forest Service
Facility Realignment and Enhancement
Act of 2005 authorized the Secretary of
Agriculture to sell administrative sites
that are no longer needed for National
Forest System purposes. Project
implementation is scheduled for Fiscal
E:\FR\FM\28NON1.SGM
28NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 28, 2006 / Notices
Year 2007. This project is not associated
with the proposed Secure Rural Schools
Land Sale Initiative. The Colville
National Forest invites written
comments and suggestions on the scope
of the analysis. The agency will give
notice of the full environmental analysis
and decision-making process so
interested and affected people may
participate and contribute to the final
decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by
December 29, 2006. The draft
environmental impact statement is
expected February 2007 and the final
environmental impact statement is
expected in May 2007.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Rick Brazell, Forest Supervisor, Colville
National Forest, 765 South Main,
Colville, WA 99114 (phone 509–684–
7000). Comments may be submitted
electronically to commentspacificnorthwest-colville@fs.fed.us.
Comments may also be sent by fax to
(509) 775–7401. Include your name and
mailing address with your comments so
documents pertaining to this project
may be mailed to you.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ed
Shaw, Reality Specialist, Colville
National Forest, 765 South Main,
Colville, WA 99114 (phone 509–684–
7129), or Jim Parker, EIS Project Leader,
Republic Ranger District, 650 East
Delaware, Republic, WA 99166 (phone
509–775–7462).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ycherry on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
Purpose and Need for Action
One of the key findings of the Colville
National Forest Facilities Master Plan is
that the Colville National Forest
maintains more facility space than it
needs to perform its mission. The
Colville National Forest needs to
remove unneeded buildings from the
Forest’s facility inventory in order to
eliminate the cost of maintaining
unneeded facilities.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to sell the old
Curlew Ranger Station administrative
site, a 3-acre parcel of land including
buildings located on the south side of
Curlew, Washington. The property legal
description is: A portion of the
SW1⁄4NE1⁄4 Section 14, T39N, R33E,
WM. This 3-acre site is located adjacent
to the small town of Curlew,
Washington, about 9 miles south of the
Canadian border. The land was
purchased by the Forest Service in 1936
and used as a ranger station until 1969
when two Ranger District areas were
combined.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:42 Nov 27, 2006
Jkt 211001
The site has five major structures (one
residential house, one residential
garage, one 6-bay garage shop, one 12person bunkhouse and one oil/gas
house) and a small storage shed. The
mineral estate would be disposed of
with the surface estate with no
reservation. Water is provided by a
community system. The sewer system is
independent; however a community
sewer system is under development.
The property may be sold directly to
an identified purchaser or may be sold
under competitive bidding procedures.
The method of sale will be determined
at a later date. If the property is offered
for sale under competitive bidding
procedures, an Invitation for Bid will
provide specific information, including
a minimum bid price, the scheduled
starting date for bidding, approximate
bid closing date, requirements and
instructions for bidding, payment and
other closing procedures. An Offer to
Sell will be released after all
environmental studies and other
required analysis are completed and a
final decision to sell the property is
made.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official is Rick
Brazell, Forest Supervisor, Colville
National Forest, 765 South Main,
Colville, WA 99114.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Official will decide
whether or not to proceed with sale of
the old Curlew Ranger Station property,
including any outstanding interests or
conditions to be conveyed. The decision
and rationale for the decision will be
documented in the Record of Decision,
which will be subject to Forest Service
Appeal Regulations (36 CFR part 215).
Scoping Process
The scoping process will identify and
clarify issues, identify key issues to be
analyzed in depth, explore alternatives
based on themes derived from key
issues recognized during the scoping
process, and identify potential
environmental effects associated with
the proposed action. A No Action
alternative will be considered.
Preliminary Issues
Only one key issue was identified in
preliminary project assessment: The
National Historic Preservation Act of
1966, Revised, requires that Federal
agencies evaluate properties for historic
significance under Section 106. Three
structures at the Curlew Ranger Station
have been found eligible to the National
Register of Historic Places (NRHP), with
the Washington State Historic
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
68795
Preservation Office concurring on this
finding. These three structures are the
Ranger’s Residence, Garage, and Oil and
Gas house. Conveyance of the property
from Federal ownership will be an
adverse effect because of NRHP
eligibility based on the following
criteria: The property may represent a
significant contribution to the American
history (Criterion A), is associated with
the lives of significant persons in our
past (Criterion B), displays distinctive
characteristics of type or period
(Criterion C), or may be likely to yield
information important to history
(Criterion D). The NRHP eligibility for
the three structures at the Curlew
Ranger Station is based on a national
significance of context in association
with the Depression-era Civilian
Conservation Corps. Eligibility is also
based on national and regional
significance of context associated with
distinctive architectural characteristics.
Comment Requested: This notice of
intent initiates the scoping process
which guides the development of the
environmental impact statement. The
Forest Service is seeking information,
comments, and assistance from other
agencies, organizations, Indian Tribes,
and individuals who may be interested
in or affected by the Proposed Action.
This input will be used in preparation
of the Draft EIS. Your comments are
appreciated throughout the analysis
process.
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 rulings
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.
E:\FR\FM\28NON1.SGM
28NON1
68796
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 28, 2006 / Notices
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.
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)
BILLING CODE 3410–11–M
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Lakeview-Reeder Fuel Reduction
Project, Priest Lake Ranger District,
Idaho Panhandle National Forests;
Bonner County, Idaho
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ycherry on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Priest Lake Ranger
District of the Idaho Panhandle National
Forests is proposing fuel reduction and
forest restoration activities in the
vicinity of the community of Nordman,
Idaho and near Reeder Bay along Priest
Lake. Priorities for treatment are those
forest stands which not only have
significant ground fuel accumulations,
ladder fuels and/or dense tree canopies,
but also are located in a geographically
strategic site or are adjacent to private
property, developments, public
15:42 Nov 27, 2006
Jkt 211001
Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by
December 15, 2006. The draft
environmental impact statement is
expected to be published in May 2007
and the final environmental impact
statement, in conjunction with a Record
of Decision, is expected to be published
in September 2007.
DATES:
Send written comments and
suggestions to David Cobb, Project Team
Leader, Priest Lake Ranger District,
32203 Highway 57, Priest River, Idaho
83856; e-mail address: dcobb@fs.fed.us.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Cobb, Project Team Leader, Priest
Lake Ranger District, 32203 Highway 57,
Priest River, Idaho 83856; e-mail:
dcobb@fs.fed.us; phone 208–433–6854.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Dated: November 21, 2006.
Mimi Tryon,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 06–9420 Filed 11–27–06; 8:45 am]
VerDate Aug<31>2005
infrastructure or other important
resources. The project, as proposed, will
reduce hazardous forest fuels in the
wildland urban interface (WUI), restore
forest health and resilience and will
provide additional resource benefits to
water resources and grizzly bear core
habitat. The USDA Forest Service will
prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the potential
environmental effects of implementing
project activities on National Forest
System lands within the project area.
Purpose & Need
The purpose and need for the
Lakeview-Reeder Fuel Reduction Project
addresses the goals and objectives set
forth in the Idaho Panhandle National
Forests’ (IPNF) Forest Plan (1987),
National Fire Plan, Healthy Forest
Initiative, the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act (2003), Bonner County,
Idaho Wildlife Urban Interface Fire
Mitigation Plan and the Pend Oreille
County, Washington Community
Wildfire Protection Plan. The purpose
and need also responds to ecological
recommendations made in the Interior
Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management
Project. The two primary reasons for
proposing this project are to: (1) Reduce
hazardous forest fuels in the project area
to decrease the risk of wildfire
negatively impacting the communities
in the project area, public and firefighter
safety, public infrastructure, private and
National Forest System lands and
resource values; and (2) Restore,
enhance and protect forest ecosystem
components to improve forest health,
increase biological diversity, as well as
reduce threats from catastrophic
wildfire and insect and disease
infestations.
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Proposed Action
In order to effectively reduce
hazardous forest fuels in the 29,380-acre
project area, as well as restore, enhance
and protect forest ecosystem
components, we are proposing the
following treatment activities. Proposed
treatment activities total approximately
8,375 acres.
Approximately 2,816 acres could be
treated using a commercial thinning.
Commercial thinning entails removal of
some of the merchantable trees from a
forest stand, in this case, to decrease the
individuals or species which will likely
contribute to ground fuel accumulations
and to increase spacing between and
improve the long-term health of residual
trees. Following thinning, slash disposal
and fuel reduction of smaller trees can
be performed using the following
methods: approximately 2,375 acres
could be mechanically piled and burned
and approximately 441 acres could be
left unpiled to be broadcast burned
under prescribed conditions.
Another approximately 4,177 acres
would need to be treated using a
regeneration harvest. Regeneration
treatment involves removal of much of
the overstory component, enough to
create conditions which enable proper
germination and/or growth of the next
generation of trees. Following
regeneration treatment, slash disposal
and further fuel reductions could be
achieved by mechanically piling and
burning 2,579 acres and broadcast
burning 1,598 acres under prescribed
conditions.
Additional treatment activities would
include prescribed, broadcast burning
on approximately 1,279 acres.
Prescribed, broadcast burning can only
be utilized alone as a treatment in
certain areas which do not have dense
quantities of more flammable fuels.
Such areas include old shrub fields,
aspen stands and open, dry-site stands
of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. In
these appropriate areas, treatment may
or may not include slashing of some
fuels, followed by broadcast burning of
those fuels under prescribed conditions.
Finally, approximately 103 acres can
be treated by slashing smaller,
unmerchantable material, followed by
piling and burning. Some areas will be
conducive to utilizing equipment to
perform the slashing, while others will
require more labor-intensive handslashing. In some cases (approximately
79 acres), the piling of slash can be
performed with equipment, while the
other approximately 24 acres will
require hand-piling.
In order to adequately access the fuel
treatment areas, some road
E:\FR\FM\28NON1.SGM
28NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68794-68796]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9420]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Colville National Forest; Washington; Old Curlew Ranger Station
Facilities Disposal
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Colville National Forest, USDA Forest Service, will
prepare an EIS (environmental impact statement) on a proposal to sell
the old Curlew Ranger Station administrative site, a 3-acre parcel
including buildings, located on the south side of Curlew, in Ferry
County, Washington. The parcel and buildings are no longer needed to
meet public service or Forest Service mission requirements. The Forest
Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005 authorized the
Secretary of Agriculture to sell administrative sites that are no
longer needed for National Forest System purposes. Project
implementation is scheduled for Fiscal
[[Page 68795]]
Year 2007. This project is not associated with the proposed Secure
Rural Schools Land Sale Initiative. The Colville National Forest
invites written comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis.
The agency will give notice of the full environmental analysis and
decision-making process so interested and affected people may
participate and contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by December 29, 2006. The draft environmental impact statement is
expected February 2007 and the final environmental impact statement is
expected in May 2007.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Rick Brazell, Forest Supervisor,
Colville National Forest, 765 South Main, Colville, WA 99114 (phone
509-684-7000). Comments may be submitted electronically to comments-
pacificnorthwest-colville@fs.fed.us. Comments may also be sent by fax
to (509) 775-7401. Include your name and mailing address with your
comments so documents pertaining to this project may be mailed to you.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ed Shaw, Reality Specialist, Colville
National Forest, 765 South Main, Colville, WA 99114 (phone 509-684-
7129), or Jim Parker, EIS Project Leader, Republic Ranger District, 650
East Delaware, Republic, WA 99166 (phone 509-775-7462).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
One of the key findings of the Colville National Forest Facilities
Master Plan is that the Colville National Forest maintains more
facility space than it needs to perform its mission. The Colville
National Forest needs to remove unneeded buildings from the Forest's
facility inventory in order to eliminate the cost of maintaining
unneeded facilities.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to sell the old Curlew Ranger Station
administrative site, a 3-acre parcel of land including buildings
located on the south side of Curlew, Washington. The property legal
description is: A portion of the SW\1/4\NE\1/4\ Section 14, T39N, R33E,
WM. This 3-acre site is located adjacent to the small town of Curlew,
Washington, about 9 miles south of the Canadian border. The land was
purchased by the Forest Service in 1936 and used as a ranger station
until 1969 when two Ranger District areas were combined.
The site has five major structures (one residential house, one
residential garage, one 6-bay garage shop, one 12-person bunkhouse and
one oil/gas house) and a small storage shed. The mineral estate would
be disposed of with the surface estate with no reservation. Water is
provided by a community system. The sewer system is independent;
however a community sewer system is under development.
The property may be sold directly to an identified purchaser or may
be sold under competitive bidding procedures. The method of sale will
be determined at a later date. If the property is offered for sale
under competitive bidding procedures, an Invitation for Bid will
provide specific information, including a minimum bid price, the
scheduled starting date for bidding, approximate bid closing date,
requirements and instructions for bidding, payment and other closing
procedures. An Offer to Sell will be released after all environmental
studies and other required analysis are completed and a final decision
to sell the property is made.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official is Rick Brazell, Forest Supervisor,
Colville National Forest, 765 South Main, Colville, WA 99114.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Official will decide whether or not to proceed with
sale of the old Curlew Ranger Station property, including any
outstanding interests or conditions to be conveyed. The decision and
rationale for the decision will be documented in the Record of
Decision, which will be subject to Forest Service Appeal Regulations
(36 CFR part 215).
Scoping Process
The scoping process will identify and clarify issues, identify key
issues to be analyzed in depth, explore alternatives based on themes
derived from key issues recognized during the scoping process, and
identify potential environmental effects associated with the proposed
action. A No Action alternative will be considered.
Preliminary Issues
Only one key issue was identified in preliminary project
assessment: The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Revised,
requires that Federal agencies evaluate properties for historic
significance under Section 106. Three structures at the Curlew Ranger
Station have been found eligible to the National Register of Historic
Places (NRHP), with the Washington State Historic Preservation Office
concurring on this finding. These three structures are the Ranger's
Residence, Garage, and Oil and Gas house. Conveyance of the property
from Federal ownership will be an adverse effect because of NRHP
eligibility based on the following criteria: The property may represent
a significant contribution to the American history (Criterion A), is
associated with the lives of significant persons in our past (Criterion
B), displays distinctive characteristics of type or period (Criterion
C), or may be likely to yield information important to history
(Criterion D). The NRHP eligibility for the three structures at the
Curlew Ranger Station is based on a national significance of context in
association with the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps.
Eligibility is also based on national and regional significance of
context associated with distinctive architectural characteristics.
Comment Requested: This notice of intent initiates the scoping
process which guides the development of the environmental impact
statement. The Forest Service is seeking information, comments, and
assistance from other agencies, organizations, Indian Tribes, and
individuals who may be interested in or affected by the Proposed
Action. This input will be used in preparation of the Draft EIS. Your
comments are appreciated throughout the analysis process.
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 rulings 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.
[[Page 68796]]
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.
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: November 21, 2006.
Mimi Tryon,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 06-9420 Filed 11-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
