Oil and Gas Leasing EIS on Lands Administered by the Dixie National Forest, 78395-78397 [E6-22038]
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78395
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 71, No. 250
Friday, December 29, 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
Forest Service
Newspapers Used for Publication of
Legal Notice of Appealable Decisions
for the Northern Region; Northern
Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and
portions of South Dakota and Eastern
Washington
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
This notice lists the
newspapers that will be used by all
Ranger Districts, Forests, Grasslands,
and the Regional Office of the Northern
Region to publish legal notices for
public comment and decisions subject
to appeal and predecisional
administrative review under 36 CFR
215, 217, and 218. The intended effect
of this action is to inform interested
members of the public which
newspapers will be used to publish
legal notices for public comment or
decisions; thereby allowing them to
receive constructive notice of a
decision, to provide clear evidence of
timely notice, and to achieve
consistency in administering the
appeals process.
DATES: Publication of legal notices in
the listed newspapers will begin with
decisions subject to appeal that are
made on or after January 2, 2007. The
list of newspapers will remain in effect
until another notice is published in the
Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Appeals and Litigation Group Leader;
Northern Region; P.O. Box 7669;
Missoula, Montana 59807, Phone: (406)
327–3696.
The newspapers to be used are as
follows:
pwalker on PROD1PC69 with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
Northern Regional Office
Regional Forester decisions in Montana: The
Missoulian, Great Falls Tribune, and The
Billings Gazette.
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Regional Forester decisions in Northern
Idaho and Eastern Washington: The
Spokesman Review and Lewiston Tribune.
Beaverhead/Deerlodge NF—Montana
Standard
Bitterroot NF—Ravalli Republic
Clearwater NF—Lewiston Tribune
Custer NF—Billings Gazette (Montana)
Rapid City Journal (South Dakota)
Dakota Prairie Grasslands——Bismarck
Tribune (North and South Dakota)
Flathead NF——Daily Inter Lake
Gallatin NF—Bozeman Chronicle
Helena NF—Independent Record
Idaho Panhandle NFs—Coeur d’Alene Press
Kootenai NF—Daily Inter Lake
Lewis & Clark NF—Great Falls Tribune
Lolo NF—Missoulian
Nez Perce NF—Lewiston Tribune
Supplemental notices may be placed
in any newspaper, but time frames/
deadlines will be calculated based upon
notices in newspapers of record listed
above.
Dated: December 22, 2006.
Kathleen A. McAllister,
Deputy Regional Forester.
[FR Doc. 06–9926 Filed 12–28–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–M
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Oil and Gas Leasing EIS on Lands
Administered by the Dixie National
Forest
Forest Service, USDA and
Bureau of Land Management, USDI.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Forest Supervisor of the
Dixie National Forest gives notice of the
intent to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) to document the
analysis and disclose the environmental
and human effects of oil and gas leasing
on lands administered by the Dixie
National Forest. The Federal Onshore
Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987
requires the Forest Service to evaluate
National Forest System lands for
potential oil and gas leasing.
The EIS would analyze all lands with
a federally-owned mineral estate within
the Dixie National Forest.
As the agency responsible for lease
issuance and administration, the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) will
participate as a cooperating agency.
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Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis should be received
within 30 days from date of publication
of this notice in the Federal Register to
be most useful. The draft environmental
impact statement is expected winter
2007/2008, and the final environmental
impact statement is expected summer
2008.
DATES:
Susan Baughman, Oil and
Gas Leasing Project Manager, Dixie
National Forest, 1789 N. Wedgewood
Lane, Cedar City, Utah 84720; phone:
(435) 865–3703; fax: (435) 865–3791; email:
dixie_oil_gas_eis_comments@fs.fed.us.
E-mailed comments must be submitted
in MS Word (*.doc) or rich text format
(*.rtf) and should include the project
name in the subject line. Written
comments may also be submitted at the
above address during regular business
hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday–
Friday.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susan Baughman, Oil and Gas Leasing
Project Manager, Dixie National Forest,
1789 N. Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City,
Utah 84720; phone: (435) 865–3703.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS
analysis area includes the entire Dixie
National Forest (approximately
1,710,677 acres), with the exception of
designated wilderness areas
(approximately 82,840 acres) for a total
study area of approximately 1,627,837
acres.
The Department of Interior, BLM, acts
as the onshore leasing agent for the
Federal government. The Federal
Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform
Act of 1987 states that the BLM cannot
lease over the objection of the Forest
Service and authorizes the Forest
Service to regulate all surface disturbing
activities conducted pursuant to a lease.
Therefore, the Forest Service has
established an incremental decisionmaking framework for the consideration
of oil and gas leasing activities on
National Forest System lands. In
general, the various steps that are
undertaken are: (1) Forest Service
leasing analysis; (2) Forest Service
notification to BLM of lands
administratively available for leasing;
(3) Forest Service review and
verification of BLM leasing proposals;
(4) BLM assessment of Forest Service
conditions of surface occupancy; (5)
BLM offers lease; (6) BLM issues lease;
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 250 / Friday, December 29, 2006 / Notices
(7) Forest Service review and approval
of lessee’s surface use plan of
operations; (8) BLM review and
approval of lessee’s application for
permit to drill; and (9) ensure final
reclamation.
Based upon the Forest Service leasing
analysis (step 1 from above), the Forest
Service decides whether or not lands
will be available for leasing and decides
under what conditions (stipulations) the
leases will be issued. This EIS will
fulfill this step.
pwalker on PROD1PC69 with NOTICES
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of the proposed action is
to complete a forest-wide leasing
analysis, to comply with the Federal
Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform
Act of 1987. This requires the Forest
Service to analyze lands under its
jurisdiction that are legally available for
leasing to meet the federal regulatory
requirements of 36 CFR 228.102 and in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The
need is to be responsive to requests for
oil and gas leasing on the Dixie National
Forest.
Since the Federal Onshore Oil and
Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987 was
signed into law, no new oil and gas
leases have been authorized on the
Dixie National Forest. However the oil
and gas industry continued to express
interest in leasing and interest has
recently escalated due to the increased
demand for oil and gas, high prices, and
discoveries of oil and gas reserves in
other areas with similar geologic
conditions. The BLM Utah State Office
has received numerous written
expressions of interest for leasing
portions of the Dixie National Forest
over the past several years.
Proposed Action
The Forest Supervisor of the Dixie
National Forest and Utah State Director,
Bureau of Land Management propose to
conduct the analysis and decide which
lands to make available for oil and gas
leasing. The analysis area includes
lands administered by the Dixie
National Forest. As part of the analysis,
the Forest Service will identify areas
that would be available for leasing
subject to the terms and conditions of
the standard oil and gas lease form, or
subject to constraints that would require
the use of lease stipulations such as
those prohibiting surface occupancy.
The analysis will also: (1) Identify
alternatives to the proposed action,
including that of not allowing leasing
(no action), (2) project the type/amount
of post-leasing activity that is
reasonably foreseeable, (3) analyze the
reasonably foreseeable impacts of
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18:15 Dec 28, 2006
Jkt 211001
projected post-leasing activity [36 CFR
228.102(c)], and (4) be used to develop
an amendment to the Forest Plan if
necessary.
Possible Alternatives
All alternatives studied in detail must
fall within the scope of the purpose and
need for action and will generally tier to
and comply with the Dixie Forest Plan.
Law requires evaluation of a ‘‘no-action
alternative.’’ Under the No Action/No
Lease alternative, no oil and gas leasing
would occur. Alternatives to be
evaluated would range from the No
Action/No Lease alternative (most
restrictive) to the Standard Lease Terms
alternative (least restrictive) where all
lands legally open to leasing would be
made administratively available for
leasing with only the standard BLM
terms and conditions contained on BLM
Lease Form 3100–11. Other alternatives
which fall somewhere between the No
Action/No Leasing alternative and Lease
with Standard Terms alternative would
also be developed and evaluated, which
would involve making some lands
unavailable for leasing and other lands
available for leasing with lease
stipulations for the protection of other
resources and interests.
The Forest is expecting that the public
input will generate either thematic
concerns or area-specific issues that
may be addressed by modifying the
proposed action to create a new
alternative or alternatives.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The Forest Service is the lead agency.
The Bureau of Land Management and
State of Utah will participate as
cooperating agencies.
Responsible Officials
Kevin Schulkoski, Acting Forest
Supervisor, Dixie National Forest, 1789
N. Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, Utah,
84720.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Forest Supervisor, Dixie National
Forest, will decide which lands with
federal mineral ownership administered
by the Dixie National Forest will be
administratively available for oil and
gas leasing, along with associated
conditions or constraints for the
protection of non-mineral interests [36
CFR 228.102(d)]. The Forest Supervisor
will also authorize the BLM to offer
specific lands for lease, subject to the
Forest Service ensuring that the
required stipulations are attached to the
leases [36 CFR 228.102(e)]. The Forest
Service proposes to amend the Forest
Plan to incorporate the leasing decision
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and other site-specific changes as
indicated in the analysis.
The BLM is responsible for issuing
and administration of oil and gas leases
under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920,
as amended, and Federal Regulations in
43 CFR 3101.7. The BLM Utah State
Director must decide whether or not to
offer for lease specific lands authorized
for leasing by the Dixie National Forest
and with what stipulations.
Scoping Process
The first formal opportunity to
comment on the Dixie National Forest
Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis Project is
during the scoping process (40 CFR
1501.7), which begins with the issuance
of this Notice of Intent.
Mail comments to: Susan Baughman,
Oil and Gas Leasing Project Manager,
Dixie National Forest, 1789 N.
Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, Utah
84720. The Forest Service requests
comments on the nature and scope of
the environmental, social, and economic
issues, and possible alternatives related
to oil and gas leasing on lands
administered by the Dixie National
Forest.
A series of public opportunities are
scheduled to describe the proposal and
to provide an opportunity for public
input. Three scoping meetings are
planned:
January 16: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Best
Western Abbey Inn, 1129 South Bluff,
St. George, Utah.
January 17: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 p.m.
to 7 p.m., Cannonville Visitor Center, 10
Center Street, Cannonville, Utah.
January 18: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Heritage
Center, 105 North 100 East, Cedar City,
Utah. Written comments will be
accepted at these meetings. The Forest
Service will work with tribal
governments to address issues that
would significantly or uniquely affect
them.
Preliminary Issues
Issues that may be analyzed in all
alternatives include: the socioeconomic
effects of oil and gas leasing and
subsequent activities; effects on
terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna,
including threatened and endangered
species, sensitive species, and
management indicator species; effects
on both developed and dispersed
recreation; effects on air resources;
effects on water resources, including
wetlands, floodplains, riparian areas,
culinary and municipal water systems,
and groundwater; effects on visual
resources; effects of leasing stipulations
and mitigation measures on oil and gas
exploration and development activity;
effects on soils and geologic hazards;
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 250 / Friday, December 29, 2006 / Notices
effects on cultural and traditional
heritage resources; effects on
transportation; effects on upland
vegetation; effects on riparian
vegetation; effects on inventoried
roadless areas; effects on other mineral
resource extraction activities; and
effects on noxious weeds and invasive
species. Specific issues will be
developed through review of public
comments and internal review.
pwalker on PROD1PC69 with NOTICES
Comment Requested
This Notice of Intent initiates the
scoping process which guides the
development of the environmental
impact statement. The Forest has also
received substantial input at public
meetings held for the Forest Plan
revision, including issues relative to
mineral exploration and development.
Through these efforts the Forest has an
understanding of the broad range of
perspectives on the resource issues and
social values attributed to resource
activities on the Dixie National Forest.
Consequently site-specific comments or
concerns are the most important types
of information needed for this EIS.
Because the Oil and Gas Leasing EIS is
a stand-alone document, only public
comment letters which address relevant
issues and concerns will be considered
and formally addressed in an appendix
in the final 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 is
expected to 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.
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18:15 Dec 28, 2006
Jkt 211001
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 providing comments
during the scoping comment period and
during the comment period following
the draft EIS 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 should be as specific as
possible. 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 their 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: December 19, 2006.
Kevin R. Schulkoski,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E6–22038 Filed 12–28–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
A–357–812
Honey from Argentina: Preliminary
Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review and Intent Not
to Revoke in Part
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: In response to requests by
interested parties, the Department of
Commerce (the Department) is
conducting an administrative review of
the antidumping order on honey from
Argentina. The review covers four firms,
one of which was selected as a
mandatory respondent (see
‘‘Background’’ section of this notice for
further explanation). The period of
review (POR) is December 1, 2004,
through November 30, 2005.
We preliminarily determine that sales
of honey from Argentina have not been
made below the normal value (NV) for
the respondent firm, Seylinco S.A.
(Seylinco). In addition, we will
AGENCY:
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78397
preliminarily apply the de minimis rate
calculated for Seylinco as the review–
specific rate for those companies subject
to this review but not selected as
respondents (i.e., Mielar S.A./Compania
Apicola Argentina S.A. (Mielar/CAA)
and El Mana S.A.). For more detail, see
the ‘‘Background’’ section below; see
also ‘‘Preliminary Results of Review,’’
below. If these preliminary results are
adopted in our final results of
administrative review, we will instruct
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) to assess antidumping duties
based on the difference between the
export price (EP) and NV. Interested
parties are invited to comment on these
preliminary results. Parties who submit
argument in these proceedings are
requested to submit with the argument:
(1) a statement of the issues, (2) a brief
summary of the argument, and (3) a
table of authorities.
EFFECTIVE DATE: December 29, 2006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maryanne Burke, Deborah Scott, or
Robert James, AD/CVD Operations,
Office 7, Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th
Street and Constitution Avenue, NW,
Room 7866, Washington, DC 20230;
telephone (202) 482–5604, (202) 482–
2657, or (202) 482–0649, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On December 10, 2001, the
Department published the antidumping
duty order on honey from Argentina.
See Notice of Antidumping Duty Order:
Honey from Argentina, 66 FR 63672
(December 10, 2001). On December 1,
2005, the Department published its
opportunity to request a review. See
Antidumping or Countervailing Duty
Order, Finding, or Suspended
Investigation; Opportunity to Request
Administrative Review, 70 FR 72109
(December 1, 2005). On December 30,
2005, the American Honey Producers
Association and the Sioux Honey
Association (collectively, petitioners)
requested an administrative review of
the antidumping duty order on honey
from Argentina for the period December
1, 2004, through November 30, 2005.
Petitioners requested that the
Department review entries of subject
merchandise made by 42 Argentine
producers/exporters. In addition, the
Department received individual
requests for review from four Argentine
exporters, all of which were named in
the petitioners’ request for review. On
January 6, 2006, petitioners withdrew
their request for review with respect to
23 of the companies listed in their
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 250 (Friday, December 29, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78395-78397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-22038]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Oil and Gas Leasing EIS on Lands Administered by the Dixie
National Forest
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA and Bureau of Land Management, USDI.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Forest Supervisor of the Dixie National Forest gives
notice of the intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS)
to document the analysis and disclose the environmental and human
effects of oil and gas leasing on lands administered by the Dixie
National Forest. The Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of
1987 requires the Forest Service to evaluate National Forest System
lands for potential oil and gas leasing.
The EIS would analyze all lands with a federally-owned mineral
estate within the Dixie National Forest.
As the agency responsible for lease issuance and administration,
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will participate as a cooperating
agency.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received
within 30 days from date of publication of this notice in the Federal
Register to be most useful. The draft environmental impact statement is
expected winter 2007/2008, and the final environmental impact statement
is expected summer 2008.
ADDRESSES: Susan Baughman, Oil and Gas Leasing Project Manager, Dixie
National Forest, 1789 N. Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, Utah 84720; phone:
(435) 865-3703; fax: (435) 865-3791; e-mail: dixie_oil_gas_eis_
comments@fs.fed.us. E-mailed comments must be submitted in MS Word
(*.doc) or rich text format (*.rtf) and should include the project name
in the subject line. Written comments may also be submitted at the
above address during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday-Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Baughman, Oil and Gas Leasing
Project Manager, Dixie National Forest, 1789 N. Wedgewood Lane, Cedar
City, Utah 84720; phone: (435) 865-3703.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS analysis area includes the entire
Dixie National Forest (approximately 1,710,677 acres), with the
exception of designated wilderness areas (approximately 82,840 acres)
for a total study area of approximately 1,627,837 acres.
The Department of Interior, BLM, acts as the onshore leasing agent
for the Federal government. The Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing
Reform Act of 1987 states that the BLM cannot lease over the objection
of the Forest Service and authorizes the Forest Service to regulate all
surface disturbing activities conducted pursuant to a lease. Therefore,
the Forest Service has established an incremental decision-making
framework for the consideration of oil and gas leasing activities on
National Forest System lands. In general, the various steps that are
undertaken are: (1) Forest Service leasing analysis; (2) Forest Service
notification to BLM of lands administratively available for leasing;
(3) Forest Service review and verification of BLM leasing proposals;
(4) BLM assessment of Forest Service conditions of surface occupancy;
(5) BLM offers lease; (6) BLM issues lease;
[[Page 78396]]
(7) Forest Service review and approval of lessee's surface use plan of
operations; (8) BLM review and approval of lessee's application for
permit to drill; and (9) ensure final reclamation.
Based upon the Forest Service leasing analysis (step 1 from above),
the Forest Service decides whether or not lands will be available for
leasing and decides under what conditions (stipulations) the leases
will be issued. This EIS will fulfill this step.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of the proposed action is to complete a forest-wide
leasing analysis, to comply with the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas
Leasing Reform Act of 1987. This requires the Forest Service to analyze
lands under its jurisdiction that are legally available for leasing to
meet the federal regulatory requirements of 36 CFR 228.102 and in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The need
is to be responsive to requests for oil and gas leasing on the Dixie
National Forest.
Since the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987
was signed into law, no new oil and gas leases have been authorized on
the Dixie National Forest. However the oil and gas industry continued
to express interest in leasing and interest has recently escalated due
to the increased demand for oil and gas, high prices, and discoveries
of oil and gas reserves in other areas with similar geologic
conditions. The BLM Utah State Office has received numerous written
expressions of interest for leasing portions of the Dixie National
Forest over the past several years.
Proposed Action
The Forest Supervisor of the Dixie National Forest and Utah State
Director, Bureau of Land Management propose to conduct the analysis and
decide which lands to make available for oil and gas leasing. The
analysis area includes lands administered by the Dixie National Forest.
As part of the analysis, the Forest Service will identify areas that
would be available for leasing subject to the terms and conditions of
the standard oil and gas lease form, or subject to constraints that
would require the use of lease stipulations such as those prohibiting
surface occupancy. The analysis will also: (1) Identify alternatives to
the proposed action, including that of not allowing leasing (no
action), (2) project the type/amount of post-leasing activity that is
reasonably foreseeable, (3) analyze the reasonably foreseeable impacts
of projected post-leasing activity [36 CFR 228.102(c)], and (4) be used
to develop an amendment to the Forest Plan if necessary.
Possible Alternatives
All alternatives studied in detail must fall within the scope of
the purpose and need for action and will generally tier to and comply
with the Dixie Forest Plan. Law requires evaluation of a ``no-action
alternative.'' Under the No Action/No Lease alternative, no oil and gas
leasing would occur. Alternatives to be evaluated would range from the
No Action/No Lease alternative (most restrictive) to the Standard Lease
Terms alternative (least restrictive) where all lands legally open to
leasing would be made administratively available for leasing with only
the standard BLM terms and conditions contained on BLM Lease Form 3100-
11. Other alternatives which fall somewhere between the No Action/No
Leasing alternative and Lease with Standard Terms alternative would
also be developed and evaluated, which would involve making some lands
unavailable for leasing and other lands available for leasing with
lease stipulations for the protection of other resources and interests.
The Forest is expecting that the public input will generate either
thematic concerns or area-specific issues that may be addressed by
modifying the proposed action to create a new alternative or
alternatives.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The Forest Service is the lead agency. The Bureau of Land
Management and State of Utah will participate as cooperating agencies.
Responsible Officials
Kevin Schulkoski, Acting Forest Supervisor, Dixie National Forest,
1789 N. Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, Utah, 84720.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Forest Supervisor, Dixie National Forest, will decide which
lands with federal mineral ownership administered by the Dixie National
Forest will be administratively available for oil and gas leasing,
along with associated conditions or constraints for the protection of
non-mineral interests [36 CFR 228.102(d)]. The Forest Supervisor will
also authorize the BLM to offer specific lands for lease, subject to
the Forest Service ensuring that the required stipulations are attached
to the leases [36 CFR 228.102(e)]. The Forest Service proposes to amend
the Forest Plan to incorporate the leasing decision and other site-
specific changes as indicated in the analysis.
The BLM is responsible for issuing and administration of oil and
gas leases under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, and
Federal Regulations in 43 CFR 3101.7. The BLM Utah State Director must
decide whether or not to offer for lease specific lands authorized for
leasing by the Dixie National Forest and with what stipulations.
Scoping Process
The first formal opportunity to comment on the Dixie National
Forest Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis Project is during the scoping
process (40 CFR 1501.7), which begins with the issuance of this Notice
of Intent.
Mail comments to: Susan Baughman, Oil and Gas Leasing Project
Manager, Dixie National Forest, 1789 N. Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City,
Utah 84720. The Forest Service requests comments on the nature and
scope of the environmental, social, and economic issues, and possible
alternatives related to oil and gas leasing on lands administered by
the Dixie National Forest.
A series of public opportunities are scheduled to describe the
proposal and to provide an opportunity for public input. Three scoping
meetings are planned:
January 16: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Best Western Abbey Inn, 1129 South
Bluff, St. George, Utah.
January 17: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Cannonville
Visitor Center, 10 Center Street, Cannonville, Utah.
January 18: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Heritage Center, 105 North 100 East,
Cedar City, Utah. Written comments will be accepted at these meetings.
The Forest Service will work with tribal governments to address issues
that would significantly or uniquely affect them.
Preliminary Issues
Issues that may be analyzed in all alternatives include: the
socioeconomic effects of oil and gas leasing and subsequent activities;
effects on terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna, including
threatened and endangered species, sensitive species, and management
indicator species; effects on both developed and dispersed recreation;
effects on air resources; effects on water resources, including
wetlands, floodplains, riparian areas, culinary and municipal water
systems, and groundwater; effects on visual resources; effects of
leasing stipulations and mitigation measures on oil and gas exploration
and development activity; effects on soils and geologic hazards;
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effects on cultural and traditional heritage resources; effects on
transportation; effects on upland vegetation; effects on riparian
vegetation; effects on inventoried roadless areas; effects on other
mineral resource extraction activities; and effects on noxious weeds
and invasive species. Specific issues will be developed through review
of public comments and internal review.
Comment Requested
This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. The Forest has
also received substantial input at public meetings held for the Forest
Plan revision, including issues relative to mineral exploration and
development. Through these efforts the Forest has an understanding of
the broad range of perspectives on the resource issues and social
values attributed to resource activities on the Dixie National Forest.
Consequently site-specific comments or concerns are the most important
types of information needed for this EIS. Because the Oil and Gas
Leasing EIS is a stand-alone document, only public comment letters
which address relevant issues and concerns will be considered and
formally addressed in an appendix in the final 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
is expected to 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. 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 providing comments during the scoping comment period
and during the comment period following the draft EIS 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 should be as specific as
possible. 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 their
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: December 19, 2006.
Kevin R. Schulkoski,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E6-22038 Filed 12-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
