Intermountain Region, Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests; Amendment to the 2003 Land and Resource Management Plans, 52540-52542 [07-4552]
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52540
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 178 / Friday, September 14, 2007 / Notices
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 (40
CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service
Handbook 1909.15, section 21).
Dated: August 31, 2007.
Craig Bobzien,
Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest.
[FR Doc. 07–4373 Filed 9–13–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–M
Dated: September 5, 2007.
Harold G. Shenk,
Deputy District Ranger, Apalachicola
National Forest.
[FR Doc. 07–4557 Filed 9–13–07; 8:45 am]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Notice of New Fee Site
BILLING CODE 3410–52–M
Authority: Federal Lands Recreation
Enhancement Act (Title VII, Pub. L. 108–
447).
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Forests in Florida,
Apalachicola National Forest, USDA
Forest Service.
ACTION: Notice of New Fee Site.
rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
Forest Service
SUMMARY: The Apalachicola National
Forest proposes a new fee for operations
of OHV vehicles (all terrain vehicles
(ATVs), utility vehicles (such as a
Kawasaki Mule), dual sport
motorcycles, and off road motorcycles)
on the motorized trail system. Three
types of permits would be available: 1
to 3 days for $10; 7 days for $25; and
365 days for $75. For operators younger
than 16, the 1 to 3 day permit would be
available for $5 per operator. The funds
may be used for: Maintaining trails,
staffing trailheads, cleaning restrooms at
trailheads, grading mixed use roads,
replacing signs, and other activities to
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:44 Sep 13, 2007
manage and maintain the OHV trail
system. The Apalachicola National
Forest has proposed a motorized trail
system of approximately 55 miles for
dual sport and off road motorcycles and
another 55 miles for all terrain vehicles,
utility vehicles, and dual sport and off
road motorcycles.
DATES: The proposed fee will be
initiated April 1, 2008. Comments,
concerns or questions about this new fee
must submitted by November 30, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments, concerns
or questions about the new fee
associated with the Apalachicola
National Forest’s ATV trails, motorcycle
trails, and mixed use roads to TRAIL
FEES, District Ranger, Apalachicola
National Forest, 57 Taff Drive,
Crawfordville, FL 32327.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cathy Briggs, Recreation Manager,
Apalachicola National Forest, 850–926–
3561 x6509 or cbriggs@fs.fed.us.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Federal Recreation Lands Enhancement
Act (Title VIII, Pub. L. 108–447)
directed the Secretary of Agriculture to
publish a six-month advance notice in
the Federal Register whenever new
recreation fee areas are established. The
Recreation Resource Advisory
Committee will review considerations
for new fees at least three months prior
to the proposed initiation date. OHV use
has been ongoing for many years on the
Apalachicola National Forest.
Jkt 211001
Intermountain Region, Boise, Payette,
and Sawtooth National Forests;
Amendment to the 2003 Land and
Resource Management Plans
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare
an environmental impact statement
(EIS).
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Forest Service will
prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to disclose the
environmental effects of proposed
nonsignificant amendments to the three
Southwest Idaho Ecogroup (SWIE) 2003
Land and Resource Management Plans
(Forest Plans). Amendments to the 2003
Forest Plans for the Boise, Payette, and
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Sawtooth National Forests will add,
and/or modify existing, management
direction, as needed, to implement a
comprehensive, Forest Plan-level,
wildlife conservation strategy (WCS).
This WCS will identify both short- and
long-term management strategies and
priorities for maintaining and restoring
habitats associated with terrestrial
wildlife species. The proposed
nonsignificant amendments will
provide management direction and
guidance that focuses on those habitats,
and their associated species, identified
in the WCS as being of greatest
conservation concern during the current
planning period (i.e., next 10–15 years).
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received within
30 days following the date of
publication of this NOI. The Draft EIS is
expected to be available in mid- to latewinter 2008 for a 90-day comment
period. The single Final EIS and three
RODs, one for each Forest Plan, are
expected to be completed by late
summer 2008.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Randall Hayman, Forest Planner, Boise
National Forest; 1249 South Vinnell
Way, Suite 200; Boise, Idaho 83709; or
by fax at 208–373–4111; or you may
hand-deliver your comments to the
Boise Forest Supervisor’s Office, located
at 1249 South Vinnell Way, Suite 200,
Boise, during normal business hours
from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding Federal
holidays. Electronic comments must be
submitted in a format such as an e-mail
message, plain text (.txt), rich text
format (.rtf), or Word (.doc) to:
comments-intermtn-boise@fs.fed.us.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Randall Hayman, Forest Planner, Boise
National Forest at the address above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Separate
RODs for revised Forest Plans were
issued in July 2003 for each of the SWIE
National Forests (Boise, Payette, and
Sawtooth). The RODs implemented
Alternative 7, as identified in the single
FINAL EIS that disclosed the
environmental effects of the seven
alternative Forest Plan strategies
considered for these three National
Forests. Implementation of the three
revised Forest Plans began in September
2003.
Analyses supporting Forest Plan
Revision identified wildlife habitats that
had declined from historical conditions
and associated these habitats with
species of conservation concern (2003
Final EIS, pp. 3–255 to 3–289). Based on
an update to the 2003 multi-scale
analysis initiated in 2005, the Forest
Supervisors for the three Forests are in
E:\FR\FM\14SEN1.SGM
14SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 178 / Friday, September 14, 2007 / Notices
the process of identifying priorities for
maintaining and restoring habitats
during the current 10–15 year planning
period, as part of the comprehensive
WCS. The WCS will also identify
priorities for longer-term maintenance
and restoration for other habitats that
have experienced varying levels of
decline.
The analysis supporting the revised
Forest Plans, and subsequent updates to
this multi-scale analysis, were
developed using the principles and
scientific methods generated during the
Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem
Management Project (Boise Forest Plan,
p. II–41; Payette Forest Plan, p. II–41;
Sawtooth Forest Plan, p. II–38). The
updated analysis also incorporates new
information generated after the Forest
Plans were revised in July 2003,
including best available science as of
this date. New information includes
mid-scale assessments such as the 2005
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation
Strategies for the States of Idaho and
Utah, respectively, and the 2006
Conservation Plan for the Greater Sage
Grouse in Idaho.
rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
Purpose and Need for Action
The SWIE revised Forest Plans
identified the need to include
management direction to focus
restoration activities in habitats for
species of concern (Boise and Payette
Forest Plans, p. II–10 and, Sawtooth
Forest Plan, p. II–9). However, while the
2003 Forest Plans include general
direction that addresses this need, they
do not include specific direction that
spatially prioritizes one habitat area
over another at scales smaller than
Forest Plan management areas.
Recognizing the importance of
completing this task, the Responsible
Official included, in each of the 2003
Plans, Forest Plan wildlife objective
(WIOB03), which calls for prioritizing
wildlife habitat to be restored at a midor Forest-scale using information from
sources such as species habitat models
and fine scale analyses.
Therefore, the purpose of this action
is twofold: (1) To amend management
direction and/or other components of
the SWIE Forest Plans to reflect findings
and priorities identified in the WCS as
needed to guide Forest Plan
implementation for the remainder of
this planning period; and (2) to update
the wildlife assessments pertaining to
36 CFR 219.19 (1982) as needed to
reflect findings in updated analyses, as
well as outcomes anticipated from
implementing the amended Forest
Plans.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:44 Sep 13, 2007
Jkt 211001
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to implement
nonsignificant Forest Plan amendments
that will include new or modified
management direction and/or other
components of the three Forest Plans, as
needed, to reflect findings and priorities
identified in the WCS to guide Forest
Plan implementation for the remainder
of this planning period.
Responsible Officials
The Responsible Officials are the
three Forest Supervisors for the Boise,
Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests:
Richard A. Smith, Forest Supervisor
for the Boise National Forest, USDA—
Forest Service; 1249 South Vinnell Way,
Suite 200, Boise, Idaho 83709.
Suzanne C. Rainville, Forest
Supervisor for the Payette National
Forest, USDA—Forest Service; 800 West
Lakeside Avenue, McCall, Idaho 83638.
Jane P. Kollmeyer, Forest Supervisor
for the Sawtooth National Forest,
USDA—Forest Service; 2647 Kimberly
Road East, Twin Falls, Idaho 83301.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Officials will review
the Final EIS and determine if the 2003
Plan for his/her respective Forest should
be amended and/or modified, or if the
current Forest Plan should remain
unchanged.
Scoping Process
Written comments must be received
within 30 days from the day following
publication of this NOI in the Federal
Register. Providing comments within
this time period ensures that they will
be available to the Forest Service at a
time when it can meaningfully consider
them during preparation of the specific
proposed amendments and Draft EIS.
Additional opportunities for public
participation will be provided following
completion of specific proposed
amendments, prior to release of the
Draft EIS. Information and status
updates of this amendment process,
including specific proposed
amendments, will begin to be posted on
the Web site, https://www.fs.fed.us/r4/
boise/, by early winter 2007.
Early Notice of Importance of Public
Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review
A legal notice will be published in the
newspaper of record for each National
Forest and a Notice of Availability
(NOA) will be published in the Federal
Register to inform the public when the
Draft EIS is available for review and
comment. The Draft EIS will be
distributed to all parties who respond
during the scoping process, or who
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
52541
otherwise notify the agency at some
point following publication of this NOI
of their interest to continue to receive
information pertaining to this proposal.
The comment period on the Draft EIS
will end 90 days from the date the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes the NOA 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 EISs 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 EIS 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 90-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 EIS 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 EIS 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)
E:\FR\FM\14SEN1.SGM
14SEN1
52542
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 178 / Friday, September 14, 2007 / Notices
Dated: September 7, 2007.
Richard A. Smith,
Forest Supervisor, Boise National Forest.
[FR Doc. 07–4552 Filed 9–13–07; 8:45 am]
3. There are no known regulatory
alternatives which would accomplish
the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in
connection with the services proposed
for addition to the Procurement List.
Comments on this certification are
invited. Commenters should identify the
statement(s) underlying the certification
on which they are providing additional
information.
BILLING CODE 3410–11–M
COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM
PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR
SEVERELY DISABLED
Procurement List; Proposed Additions
and Deletions
End of Certification
Proposed additions to and
deletions from the Procurement List.
Service Type/Location: Custodial Services,
U.S. Coast Guard Office, 110 Mount
Elliot Street, Detroit, MI.
NPA: New Horizons Rehabilitation Services,
Inc., Auburn Hills, MI.
Contracting Activity: U.S. Coast Guard,
Cleveland, OH.
Service Type/Location: Mailroom Operations,
Hubert H. Humphrey Building (200
Independence Avenue, SW.), Mary E.
Switzer Bldg (330 C Street, SW.), Wilbur
J. Cohen Bldg (330 Independence
Avenue, SW.), Washington, DC.
NPA: Didlake, Inc., Manassas, VA.
Contracting Activity: Department of Health
and Human Services—Program Support
Center, Rockville, MD.
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Committee is proposing
to add to the Procurement List services
to be furnished by nonprofit agencies
employing persons who are blind or
have other severe disabilities, and to
delete a product and a service
previously furnished by such agencies.
Comments Must Be Received On or
Before: October 14, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase
From People Who Are Blind or Severely
Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800,
1421 Jefferson Davis Highway,
Arlington, Virginia 22202–3259.
For Further Information or To Submit
Comments, Contact: Kimberly M. Zeich,
Telephone: (703) 603–7740, Fax: (703)
603–0655, or e-mail
CMTEFedReg@jwod.gov.
This
notice is published pursuant to 41
U.S.C. 47(a)(2) and 41 CFR 51–2.3. Its
purpose is to provide interested persons
an opportunity to submit comments on
the proposed actions.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Additions
If the Committee approves the
proposed additions, the entities of the
Federal Government identified in this
notice for each product or service will
be required to procure the services
listed below from nonprofit agencies
employing persons who are blind or
have other severe disabilities.
rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
I certify that the following action will
not have a significant impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
The major factors considered for this
certification were:
1. If approved, the action will not
result in any additional reporting,
recordkeeping or other compliance
requirements for small entities other
than the small organizations that will
furnish the services to the Government.
2. If approved, the action will result
in authorizing small entities to furnish
the services to the Government.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:44 Sep 13, 2007
Jkt 211001
Services
Deletions
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
I certify that the following action will
not have a significant impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
The major factors considered for this
certification were:
1. If approved, the action may result
in additional reporting, recordkeeping
or other compliance requirements for
small entities.
2. If approved, the action may result
in authorizing small entities to furnish
the products and services to the
Government.
3. There are no known regulatory
alternatives which would accomplish
the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in
connection with the products and
services proposed for deletion from the
Procurement List.
Comments on this certification are
invited. Commenters should identify the
statement(s) underlying the certification
on which they are providing additional
information.
End of Certification
The following product and service are
proposed for deletion from the
Procurement List:
Product
Marker, Lumocolor
NSN: 7520–01–507–6969—Markers,
Lumocolor, Permanent.
NPA: Winston-Salem Industries for the
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Blind, Winston-Salem, NC.
Contracting Activity: General Services
Administration, Office Supplies & Paper
Products, Acquisition Ctr., New York,
NY.
Service
Service Type/Location: Janitorial/Custodial,
3273rd U.S. Army Reserve Hospital,
1003 Grove Road, Suites B & C,
Greenville, SC.
NPA: Greenville County Disabilities and
Special Needs Board, Greenville, SC.
Contracting Activity: Department of the
Army, Army Reserve Contracting Center,
Birmingham, AL.
Kimberly M. Zeich,
Director, Program Operations.
[FR Doc. E7–18175 Filed 9–13–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6353–01–P
COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM
PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR
SEVERELY DISABLED
Procurement List; Addition and
Deletions
Committee for Purchase From
People Who Are Blind or Severely
Disabled.
ACTION: Addition to and deletions from
the Procurement List.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This action adds to the
Procurement List a service to be
furnished by nonprofit agencies
employing persons who are blind or
have other severe disabilities, and
deletes from the Procurement List a
product and services previously
furnished by such agencies.
DATES: Effective Date: October 14, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase
From People Who Are Blind or Severely
Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800,
1421 Jefferson Davis Highway,
Arlington, Virginia 22202–3259.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kimberly M. Zeich, Telephone: (703)
603–7740, Fax: (703) 603–0655, or email CMTEFedReg@jwod.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Addition
On June 22, 2007, the Committee for
Purchase From People Who Are Blind
or Severely Disabled published notice
(72 FR 34433) of proposed additions to
the Procurement List.
After consideration of the material
presented to it concerning capability of
qualified nonprofit agencies to provide
the service and impact of the addition
on the current or most recent
contractors, the Committee has
determined that the service listed below
are suitable for procurement by the
E:\FR\FM\14SEN1.SGM
14SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 178 (Friday, September 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52540-52542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-4552]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Intermountain Region, Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National
Forests; Amendment to the 2003 Land and Resource Management Plans
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of proposed
nonsignificant amendments to the three Southwest Idaho Ecogroup (SWIE)
2003 Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans). Amendments to
the 2003 Forest Plans for the Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National
Forests will add, and/or modify existing, management direction, as
needed, to implement a comprehensive, Forest Plan-level, wildlife
conservation strategy (WCS). This WCS will identify both short- and
long-term management strategies and priorities for maintaining and
restoring habitats associated with terrestrial wildlife species. The
proposed nonsignificant amendments will provide management direction
and guidance that focuses on those habitats, and their associated
species, identified in the WCS as being of greatest conservation
concern during the current planning period (i.e., next 10-15 years).
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
within 30 days following the date of publication of this NOI. The Draft
EIS is expected to be available in mid- to late-winter 2008 for a 90-
day comment period. The single Final EIS and three RODs, one for each
Forest Plan, are expected to be completed by late summer 2008.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Randall Hayman, Forest Planner,
Boise National Forest; 1249 South Vinnell Way, Suite 200; Boise, Idaho
83709; or by fax at 208-373-4111; or you may hand-deliver your comments
to the Boise Forest Supervisor's Office, located at 1249 South Vinnell
Way, Suite 200, Boise, during normal business hours from 7:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays.
Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an e-mail
message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc) to:
comments-intermtn-boise@fs.fed.us.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randall Hayman, Forest Planner, Boise
National Forest at the address above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Separate RODs for revised Forest Plans were
issued in July 2003 for each of the SWIE National Forests (Boise,
Payette, and Sawtooth). The RODs implemented Alternative 7, as
identified in the single FINAL EIS that disclosed the environmental
effects of the seven alternative Forest Plan strategies considered for
these three National Forests. Implementation of the three revised
Forest Plans began in September 2003.
Analyses supporting Forest Plan Revision identified wildlife
habitats that had declined from historical conditions and associated
these habitats with species of conservation concern (2003 Final EIS,
pp. 3-255 to 3-289). Based on an update to the 2003 multi-scale
analysis initiated in 2005, the Forest Supervisors for the three
Forests are in
[[Page 52541]]
the process of identifying priorities for maintaining and restoring
habitats during the current 10-15 year planning period, as part of the
comprehensive WCS. The WCS will also identify priorities for longer-
term maintenance and restoration for other habitats that have
experienced varying levels of decline.
The analysis supporting the revised Forest Plans, and subsequent
updates to this multi-scale analysis, were developed using the
principles and scientific methods generated during the Interior
Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (Boise Forest Plan, p. II-
41; Payette Forest Plan, p. II-41; Sawtooth Forest Plan, p. II-38). The
updated analysis also incorporates new information generated after the
Forest Plans were revised in July 2003, including best available
science as of this date. New information includes mid-scale assessments
such as the 2005 Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies for the
States of Idaho and Utah, respectively, and the 2006 Conservation Plan
for the Greater Sage Grouse in Idaho.
Purpose and Need for Action
The SWIE revised Forest Plans identified the need to include
management direction to focus restoration activities in habitats for
species of concern (Boise and Payette Forest Plans, p. II-10 and,
Sawtooth Forest Plan, p. II-9). However, while the 2003 Forest Plans
include general direction that addresses this need, they do not include
specific direction that spatially prioritizes one habitat area over
another at scales smaller than Forest Plan management areas.
Recognizing the importance of completing this task, the Responsible
Official included, in each of the 2003 Plans, Forest Plan wildlife
objective (WIOB03), which calls for prioritizing wildlife habitat to be
restored at a mid- or Forest-scale using information from sources such
as species habitat models and fine scale analyses.
Therefore, the purpose of this action is twofold: (1) To amend
management direction and/or other components of the SWIE Forest Plans
to reflect findings and priorities identified in the WCS as needed to
guide Forest Plan implementation for the remainder of this planning
period; and (2) to update the wildlife assessments pertaining to 36 CFR
219.19 (1982) as needed to reflect findings in updated analyses, as
well as outcomes anticipated from implementing the amended Forest
Plans.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to implement nonsignificant Forest Plan
amendments that will include new or modified management direction and/
or other components of the three Forest Plans, as needed, to reflect
findings and priorities identified in the WCS to guide Forest Plan
implementation for the remainder of this planning period.
Responsible Officials
The Responsible Officials are the three Forest Supervisors for the
Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests:
Richard A. Smith, Forest Supervisor for the Boise National Forest,
USDA--Forest Service; 1249 South Vinnell Way, Suite 200, Boise, Idaho
83709.
Suzanne C. Rainville, Forest Supervisor for the Payette National
Forest, USDA--Forest Service; 800 West Lakeside Avenue, McCall, Idaho
83638.
Jane P. Kollmeyer, Forest Supervisor for the Sawtooth National
Forest, USDA--Forest Service; 2647 Kimberly Road East, Twin Falls,
Idaho 83301.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Officials will review the Final EIS and determine
if the 2003 Plan for his/her respective Forest should be amended and/or
modified, or if the current Forest Plan should remain unchanged.
Scoping Process
Written comments must be received within 30 days from the day
following publication of this NOI in the Federal Register. Providing
comments within this time period ensures that they will be available to
the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them
during preparation of the specific proposed amendments and Draft EIS.
Additional opportunities for public participation will be provided
following completion of specific proposed amendments, prior to release
of the Draft EIS. Information and status updates of this amendment
process, including specific proposed amendments, will begin to be
posted on the Web site, https://www.fs.fed.us/r4/boise/, by early winter
2007.
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review
A legal notice will be published in the newspaper of record for
each National Forest and a Notice of Availability (NOA) will be
published in the Federal Register to inform the public when the Draft
EIS is available for review and comment. The Draft EIS will be
distributed to all parties who respond during the scoping process, or
who otherwise notify the agency at some point following publication of
this NOI of their interest to continue to receive information
pertaining to this proposal.
The comment period on the Draft EIS will end 90 days from the date
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the NOA 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 EISs 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 EIS 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 90-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 EIS 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 EIS 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)
[[Page 52542]]
Dated: September 7, 2007.
Richard A. Smith,
Forest Supervisor, Boise National Forest.
[FR Doc. 07-4552 Filed 9-13-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
