Uinta National Forest, UT; Indian Springs Road Realignment Environmental Impact Statement, 28666-28667 [E7-9791]

Download as PDF 28666 Notices Federal Register Vol. 72, No. 98 Tuesday, May 22, 2007 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 Uinta National Forest, UT; Indian Springs Road Realignment Environmental Impact Statement Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Uinta National Forest is initiating the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the Indian Springs Road Realignment. DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be postmarked or received within 30 days from date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register to ensure full consideration. The draft environmental impact statement is expected August 2007 and the final environmental impact statement is expected November 2007. ADDRESSES: Please submit issues or concerns to the Responsible Official: Julie King, Heber District Ranger, 2460 South Highway 40, P.O. Box 190, Heber City, UT 84032; by phone at 435–654– 0470; or by fax 435–654–5772. E-mail comments to intermtn-heber@fs.fed.us; e-mails must be submitted in MS Word (*.doc) or rich text format (*.rtf) and should include the project name in the subject line. Oral comments as well as written comments may also be submitted at the above address during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday–Friday, excluding Federal holidays. Each individual or representative from each organization submitting comments must either sign the comments or otherwise verify identity in order to attain appeal eligibility. Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record for this project. VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:21 May 21, 2007 Jkt 211001 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Responsible Official Information regarding this project will be posted on the Uinta National Forest’s Web site: https://www.fs.fed.us/r4/uinta/ projects/nepa. For additional information, please contact Jim Percy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Julie King, Heber District Ranger, 2460 South Highway 40, Heber City, UT 84032; by phone at 435–654–0470; or by fax 435–654–5772. Purpose and Need for Action The purpose of the Proposed Action is to reduce adverse impacts to watershed and fisheries, provide safer driving conditions while maintaining access to Strawberry Ridge from the south. The Proposed Action is needed because currently the road is a single lane, native surface primarily located within 50 feet of Indian Creek; several sections of the road are within the stream channel. The Heber District Ranger will decide whether to authorize construction of the Indian Springs Road realignment and to close and rehabilitate the existing road. Proposed Action The Proposed Action would relocate the existing Indian Springs Road. Work would include the construction of 1.9 miles at an upland and drier location and obliteration and restoration of 1.6 miles of the existing road in riparian area. The relocated road will be a 16 feet wide, single lane with turnouts, drainage structures and gravel surface. This new alignment would substantially improve water quality through reduction of sediment production, enhanced habitat for fauna and floral species, provide safe infrastructure though improved horizontal and vertical alignment and reduce short and long term operation and maintenance costs. This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides the development of the environmental impact statement. Possible Alternatives Three preliminary alternatives are being considered: (1) No action—The existing native surface, single lane road remains at its present location, which is within a riparian zone. (2) Proposed Action—Reconstruct a single lane road with turnouts along a new alignment and obliterate the entire length of existing alignment. (3) Alternative A— Reconstruct a single lane road with turnouts along a new alignment and obliterate a large portion of the existing alignment. Approximately 0.5 mile of dead-end road would remain to allow access for dispersed camping and for access to water for the livestock permittee. Lead and Cooperating Agencies The Uinta National Forest is the lead agency. Wasatch County is a cooperating agency. PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Nature of Decision To Be Made Preliminary Issues Key issues and concerns identified include impacts to inventoried roadless areas, health, safety, and transportation, watershed resources, aquatic species and livestock management. Comment Requested 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. 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- E:\FR\FM\22MYN1.SGM 22MYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 98 / Tuesday, May 22, 2007 / Notices day comment period so that 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. Dated: May 16, 2007. Julie K. King, Heber District Ranger. [FR Doc. E7–9791 Filed 5–21–07; 8:45 am] Dated: May 16, 2007. Gloria Manning, Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System. [FR Doc. E7–9818 Filed 5–21–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service BILLING CODE 3410–11–P Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES AGENCY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Call, Roadless Area Conservation 18:21 May 21, 2007 Jkt 211001 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Utilities Service SUMMARY: The Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee (Committee) will meet in Washington, DC. The purpose of this meeting is to review the petition submitted by the Governor of Colorado for state specific rulemaking for inventoried roadless area management in the State of Colorado under the authority of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 553(e) and 7 CFR 1.28 and to discuss other related roadless area matters. DATES: The meeting will be held June 13 to June 14, 2007, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Forest Service’s Yates Building at 201 14th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250. VerDate Aug<31>2005 National Advisory Committee (RACNAC) Coordinator, at jessicacall@fs.fed.us or (202) 205–1056, USDA Forest Service, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Mailstop 1104, Washington, DC 20250. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meeting is open to the public and interested parties are invited to attend; building security requires you to provide your name to the RACNAC Coordinator (contact information listed above) by June 8, 2007. You will need photo identification to enter the building. While meeting discussion is limited to Forest Service staff and Committee members, the public will be allowed to offer written and oral comments for the Committee’s consideration. Attendees wishing to comment orally will be allotted a specific amount of time to speak during a public comment period at the end of the first day’s agenda. To offer oral comment, please contact the RACNAC Coordinator at the contact number above. Highwood Generating Station Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Rural Utilities Service, USDA. Notice of availability of record of decision (ROD). AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: In accordance with the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and the Montana Environmental Policy Act, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an Agency delivering the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Utilities Programs, hereinafter referred to as Rural Development and/or Agency, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announce the availability of the ROD for the EIS for the Highwood Generating Station (HGS), proposed to be located near Great Falls, Montana. The Administrator, Utilities Programs, PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 28667 USDA Rural Development, and the Director, DEQ, have signed the ROD, which is effective upon signing. ADDRESSES: To obtain copies of the HGS ROD, or for further information, contact: Richard Fristik, Senior Environmental Protection Specialist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Utilities Programs, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250, phone (202) 720–5093 (richard.fristik@wdc.usda.gov); or,Kathleen Johnson, Environmental Impact Specialist, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, P. O. Box 200901, Helena MT 59620–0901, phone 406–444–1760 (katjohnson@mt.us). A copy of the ROD can be viewed online at: https://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/ eis.htm#Southern%20Montana% 20Electric%20Cooperative,%20Inc and https://www.deq.mt.gov/eis.asp. The document is in a portable document format (pdf); in order to review or print the document, users need to obtain a free copy of Acrobat Reader. The Acrobat Reader can be obtained from https://www.adobe.com/ prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Incorporated (SME) proposes to build and operate a 250 (net) megawatt (MW), Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB), coalfired electric power plant—called the Highwood Generating Station (HGS)— and 6 MW of wind generation at a site near Great Falls, Montana. SME will lose its principal supply of power from the Bonneville Power Administration beginning in part in 2008 and in full in 2011; thus, the purpose and need of the proposal is for SME to replace that power supply with another source of reliable, long-term, affordable electric energy and related services in order to fulfill its obligations to its member rural electric cooperatives. In order to meet the projected electric power deficit, SME formally applied to Rural Development in 2004 for a loan guarantee for the construction of an electric generating source, the proposed HGS, and related transmission facilities. In September 2005, SME submitted a draft air quality permit application to DEQ and formally applied for an air quality permit in November 2005. The application was reviewed and a draft preliminary determination (PD) was released for public review and comment on March 30, 2006. Comments on the draft PD resulted in a supplemental PD that was included in the Draft and Final EIS. A solid waste management license application was submitted to the DEQ on March 20, 2006. In accordance with E:\FR\FM\22MYN1.SGM 22MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 98 (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28666-28667]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9791]


========================================================================
Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

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.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 72 , No. 98 / Tuesday, May 22, 2007 / 
Notices

[[Page 28666]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Uinta National Forest, UT; Indian Springs Road Realignment 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Uinta National Forest is initiating the preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Indian Springs Road Realignment.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be postmarked 
or received within 30 days from date of publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register to ensure full consideration. The draft 
environmental impact statement is expected August 2007 and the final 
environmental impact statement is expected November 2007.

ADDRESSES: Please submit issues or concerns to the Responsible 
Official: Julie King, Heber District Ranger, 2460 South Highway 40, 
P.O. Box 190, Heber City, UT 84032; by phone at 435-654-0470; or by fax 
435-654-5772. E-mail comments to intermtn-heber@fs.fed.us; e-mails must 
be submitted in MS Word (*.doc) or rich text format (*.rtf) and should 
include the project name in the subject line. Oral comments as well as 
written comments may also be submitted at the above address during 
regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, excluding 
Federal holidays.
    Each individual or representative from each organization submitting 
comments must either sign the comments or otherwise verify identity in 
order to attain appeal eligibility. Comments received in response to 
this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, 
will be considered part of the public record for this project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information regarding this project 
will be posted on the Uinta National Forest's Web site: https://
www.fs.fed.us/r4/uinta/projects/nepa. For additional information, 
please contact Jim Percy.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to reduce adverse impacts to 
watershed and fisheries, provide safer driving conditions while 
maintaining access to Strawberry Ridge from the south. The Proposed 
Action is needed because currently the road is a single lane, native 
surface primarily located within 50 feet of Indian Creek; several 
sections of the road are within the stream channel.

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action would relocate the existing Indian Springs 
Road. Work would include the construction of 1.9 miles at an upland and 
drier location and obliteration and restoration of 1.6 miles of the 
existing road in riparian area. The relocated road will be a 16 feet 
wide, single lane with turnouts, drainage structures and gravel 
surface. This new alignment would substantially improve water quality 
through reduction of sediment production, enhanced habitat for fauna 
and floral species, provide safe infrastructure though improved 
horizontal and vertical alignment and reduce short and long term 
operation and maintenance costs.

Possible Alternatives

    Three preliminary alternatives are being considered: (1) No 
action--The existing native surface, single lane road remains at its 
present location, which is within a riparian zone. (2) Proposed 
Action--Reconstruct a single lane road with turnouts along a new 
alignment and obliterate the entire length of existing alignment. (3) 
Alternative A--Reconstruct a single lane road with turnouts along a new 
alignment and obliterate a large portion of the existing alignment. 
Approximately 0.5 mile of dead-end road would remain to allow access 
for dispersed camping and for access to water for the livestock 
permittee.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The Uinta National Forest is the lead agency. Wasatch County is a 
cooperating agency.

Responsible Official

    Julie King, Heber District Ranger, 2460 South Highway 40, Heber 
City, UT 84032; by phone at 435-654-0470; or by fax 435-654-5772.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Heber District Ranger will decide whether to authorize 
construction of the Indian Springs Road realignment and to close and 
rehabilitate the existing road.

Preliminary Issues

    Key issues and concerns identified include impacts to inventoried 
roadless areas, health, safety, and transportation, watershed 
resources, aquatic species and livestock management.

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 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 close of the 45-

[[Page 28667]]

day comment period so that 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.

    Dated: May 16, 2007.
Julie K. King,
Heber District Ranger.
[FR Doc. E7-9791 Filed 5-21-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
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