Superior National Forest, Kawishiwi Ranger District, MN, Glacier Project Environmental Impact Statement, 62205-62206 [07-5457]

Download as PDF pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 212 / Friday, November 2, 2007 / Notices domestic citrus industry, including the individual farmers who comprise the base of that industry, APHIS must act quickly to expand the Federal order. APHIS has completed an assessment of the environmental impacts anticipated from the implementation of a new Federal order for the domestic quarantine of citrus greening disease and Asian citrus psyllid. There is now scientific evidence showing that orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata) and related species are hosts of citrus greening as well as the Asian citrus psyllid. Previously, orange jasmine was regulated only as a host of the Asian citrus psyllid. The new Federal order will add Murraya spp. to the citrus greening host list. The main difference in the new Federal order is the expansion of the citrus greening quarantined area in Florida and the distinction made between citrus greening and Asian citrus psyllid quarantine areas. APHIS’ review and analysis of the potential environmental impacts associated with the implementation of the new Federal order are documented in detail in an environmental assessment titled ‘‘Movement of Regulated Articles from a Citrus Greening Quarantine Zone’’ (October 2007). We are making this environmental assessment available to the public for review and comment. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before the date listed under the heading DATES at the beginning of this notice. Due to the serious and destructive nature of citrus greening disease, it is necessary to expand the number of counties in Florida from which the movement of plants that are hosts of citrus greening is present in order to prevent the further spread and infestation. It is also necessary to expand the areas quarantined due to the presence of Asian citrus psyllid so that host plants can be treated and inspected before being moved interstate. Since citrus greening is a highly injurious citrus disease, and the Asian citrus psyllid is harmful both as the insect vector of the disease and as a significant citrus pest in its own right, APHIS has determined that it may be necessary to immediately address both the disease and the associated insect pest. This will be accomplished by the restriction of hosts of citrus greening from areas where the disease is present, and the regulation and treatment of plants that are hosts of the psyllid from those areas where the insect is present and may be spread through the movement of infested nursery stock. Therefore, APHIS may have to begin the expanded VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:58 Nov 01, 2007 Jkt 214001 citrus greening regulatory program in Florida immediately and issue a finding of no significant impact for the environmental assessment before the comment period on the environmental assessment concludes. Nevertheless, all comments received on the environmental assessment will be evaluated and responded to after the comment period has ended. The environmental assessment may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site or in our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for instructions for accessing Regulations.gov and information on the location and hours of the reading room). You may request paper copies of the environmental assessment by calling or writing to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the title of the environmental assessment when requesting copies. The environmental assessment has been prepared in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), (3) USDA regulations implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372). Done in Washington, DC this 30th day of October 2007. Kevin Shea, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. E7–21679 Filed 11–1–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–34–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Superior National Forest, Kawishiwi Ranger District, MN, Glacier Project Environmental Impact Statement Forest Service, USDA. Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Glacier Project. The proposed activities would manage forest vegetation composition, structure, and spatial patterns (including habitat defragmentation), and the transportation system associated with these activities. DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received by November 30, 2007. The draft environmental impact statement is PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 62205 expected in January 2008 and the final environmental impact statement is expected in May 2008. ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Mark E. Van Every, Kawishiwi District Ranger, Glacier Project EIS, 1393 Hwy 169, Ely, MN 55731. Send electronic comments to comments-easternsuperior-kawishiwi@fs.fed.us. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Duffy, Glacier Project Leader, 1393 Hwy 169, Ely, MN 55731, Telephone (218) 365–2097. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose and Need for Action The purpose of the Glacier Project is to move the area towards the vegetation and landscape ecosystem desired conditions described in the 2004 Superior National Land and Resource Management Plan. Proposed Action The Proposed Action would manage forest vegetation composition, structure, and spatial patterns and the transportation system associated with these activities. Proposed activities include: creating young forest on approximately 5,500 acres, improving stand structure and within-stand diversity on approximately 2,500 acres, and restoring stand conditions through a variety of non-harvest activities such as planting, biomass removal, and conducting prescribed burns to reduce risk of wildfire on approximately 5,200 acres. The project has been specifically designed to: • Maintain existing patches of mature forest greater than 300 acres that would not lose interior forest qualities during the next ten years. • Create one 300-plus-acre patch of young forest by harvesting a mature patch that will not meet interior forest characteristics in ten years. • Reduce fragmentation by proposing regeneration harvests adjacent to existing young stands, including those proposed to be harvested on other ownership. • Maintain and improve habitat needed for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species. Possible Alternatives Alternative 1 is the no-action alternative. Alternative 2, the Modified Proposed Action, was developed based on the proposed action that was included in the Scoping Report and incorporates comments from the public and additional field information. Alternative 3 was developed to address the significant issues raised by the public during the Scoping comment E:\FR\FM\02NON1.SGM 02NON1 62206 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 212 / Friday, November 2, 2007 / Notices period. The Responsible Official directed the interdisciplinary team to develop an alternative that would not harvest or build roads directly adjacent to the BWCAW and would not harvest in an area perceived to be at higher risk from non-native invasive species. Responsible Official Mark E. Van Every, Kawishiwi District Ranger, 1393 Hwy 169, Ely MN, 55731. Nature of Decision To Be Made An environmental analysis for the Glacier Project will evaluate sitespecific issues, consider management alternatives, and analyze the potential effects of the proposed action and alternatives. The scope of the project is limited to decisions concerning activities within the Glacier Project Area that meet the Purpose and Need, as well as desired conditions. An environmental impact statement will provide the Responsible Official, Mark E. Van Every, with the information needed to decide which actions, if any, to approve. pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES Scoping Process The District Ranger mailed the Glacier Project Scoping Report to area landowners and other interested individuals and groups in May 2007. Based on comments received during the scoping period and additional information gathered by resource specialists, the District Ranger has directed the Glacier Project Interdisciplinary Team to develop an Environmental Impact Statement. The public will be notified that an EIS is being developed and will have an additional opportunity to submit comments before the Draft EIS will be completed. The public will be notified of the significant issues and possible alternatives that will be used to disclose the effects of the project. A public meeting is planned during the comment period on the Draft EIS. Preliminary Issues For significant issues were identified based on comments the public submitted on the May 2007 Scoping Report. These issues involve vegetation and associated road management adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, project activities that have the potential to affect lynx and lynx habitat, concern about non-native invasive species, and impacts to Forest Plan Inventoried Roadless Areas. Permits or Licenses Required Easement or permission to cross nonfederal property may be needed to VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:58 Nov 01, 2007 Jkt 214001 access some treatment units to implement Forest Service activities. Comment Requested This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides the development of the environmental impact statement. Written comments will be solicited through a notice that will be sent to the Glacier Project mailing list. 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 court. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, it is very important that those interested in this proposed action participate by the close of the 45day comment period so that substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the final environmental impact statement. 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 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal and will be available for public inspection. (Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 21) Dated: October 26, 2007. Mark E. Van Every, Kawishiwi District Ranger. [FR Doc. 07–5457 Filed 11–1–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–M COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED Procurement List; Proposed Additions Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. ACTION: Proposed Additions to the Procurement List. AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Committee is proposing to add to the Procurement List products and services to be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities. Comments Must Be Received on or Before: December 2, 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. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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. If the Committee approves the proposed additions, the entities of the Federal Government identified in the notice for each product or service will be required to procure the products and services listed below from nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities. 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: E:\FR\FM\02NON1.SGM 02NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 212 (Friday, November 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62205-62206]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-5457]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Superior National Forest, Kawishiwi Ranger District, MN, Glacier 
Project Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Glacier Project. The 
proposed activities would manage forest vegetation composition, 
structure, and spatial patterns (including habitat de-fragmentation), 
and the transportation system associated with these activities.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by November 30, 2007. The draft environmental impact statement is 
expected in January 2008 and the final environmental impact statement 
is expected in May 2008.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Mark E. Van Every, Kawishiwi 
District Ranger, Glacier Project EIS, 1393 Hwy 169, Ely, MN 55731. Send 
electronic comments to comments-eastern-superior-kawishiwi@fs.fed.us.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Duffy, Glacier Project Leader, 
1393 Hwy 169, Ely, MN 55731, Telephone (218) 365-2097.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of the Glacier Project is to move the area towards the 
vegetation and landscape ecosystem desired conditions described in the 
2004 Superior National Land and Resource Management Plan.

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action would manage forest vegetation composition, 
structure, and spatial patterns and the transportation system 
associated with these activities. Proposed activities include: creating 
young forest on approximately 5,500 acres, improving stand structure 
and within-stand diversity on approximately 2,500 acres, and restoring 
stand conditions through a variety of non-harvest activities such as 
planting, biomass removal, and conducting prescribed burns to reduce 
risk of wildfire on approximately 5,200 acres. The project has been 
specifically designed to:
     Maintain existing patches of mature forest greater than 
300 acres that would not lose interior forest qualities during the next 
ten years.
     Create one 300-plus-acre patch of young forest by 
harvesting a mature patch that will not meet interior forest 
characteristics in ten years.
     Reduce fragmentation by proposing regeneration harvests 
adjacent to existing young stands, including those proposed to be 
harvested on other ownership.
     Maintain and improve habitat needed for threatened, 
endangered, and sensitive species.

Possible Alternatives

    Alternative 1 is the no-action alternative. Alternative 2, the 
Modified Proposed Action, was developed based on the proposed action 
that was included in the Scoping Report and incorporates comments from 
the public and additional field information. Alternative 3 was 
developed to address the significant issues raised by the public during 
the Scoping comment

[[Page 62206]]

period. The Responsible Official directed the interdisciplinary team to 
develop an alternative that would not harvest or build roads directly 
adjacent to the BWCAW and would not harvest in an area perceived to be 
at higher risk from non-native invasive species.

Responsible Official

    Mark E. Van Every, Kawishiwi District Ranger, 1393 Hwy 169, Ely MN, 
55731.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    An environmental analysis for the Glacier Project will evaluate 
site-specific issues, consider management alternatives, and analyze the 
potential effects of the proposed action and alternatives. The scope of 
the project is limited to decisions concerning activities within the 
Glacier Project Area that meet the Purpose and Need, as well as desired 
conditions. An environmental impact statement will provide the 
Responsible Official, Mark E. Van Every, with the information needed to 
decide which actions, if any, to approve.

Scoping Process

    The District Ranger mailed the Glacier Project Scoping Report to 
area landowners and other interested individuals and groups in May 
2007. Based on comments received during the scoping period and 
additional information gathered by resource specialists, the District 
Ranger has directed the Glacier Project Interdisciplinary Team to 
develop an Environmental Impact Statement. The public will be notified 
that an EIS is being developed and will have an additional opportunity 
to submit comments before the Draft EIS will be completed. The public 
will be notified of the significant issues and possible alternatives 
that will be used to disclose the effects of the project. A public 
meeting is planned during the comment period on the Draft EIS.

Preliminary Issues

    For significant issues were identified based on comments the public 
submitted on the May 2007 Scoping Report. These issues involve 
vegetation and associated road management adjacent to the Boundary 
Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, project activities that have the 
potential to affect lynx and lynx habitat, concern about non-native 
invasive species, and impacts to Forest Plan Inventoried Roadless 
Areas.

Permits or Licenses Required

    Easement or permission to cross non-federal property may be needed 
to access some treatment units to implement Forest Service activities.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Written comments 
will be solicited through a notice that will be sent to the Glacier 
Project mailing list.
    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 court. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, 
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action 
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period so that 
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest 
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to 
them in the final environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft 
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is 
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the 
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft 
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer 
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing 
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21)

    Dated: October 26, 2007.
Mark E. Van Every,
Kawishiwi District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 07-5457 Filed 11-1-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
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