Hiawatha National Forest; Michigan; Niagara EIS, 5497-5498 [E8-1607]
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5497
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 20 / Wednesday, January 30, 2008 / Notices
MAXIMUM PER MEAL REIMBURSEMENT RATES FOR ALASKA ONLY
Administrative costs
Operating costs
Breakfast ........................................................................................
Lunch or Supper ............................................................................
Snacks ...........................................................................................
Rural or self-preparation
sites
$2.55
4.45
1.04
Other types of sites
$.2525
.4650
.1275
$.2000
.3875
.1000
The 2008 reimbursement rates, in
dollars, for Hawaii:
MAXIMUM PER MEAL REIMBURSEMENT RATES FOR HAWAII ONLY
Administrative costs
Operating costs
Breakfast ........................................................................................
Lunch or Supper ............................................................................
Snacks ...........................................................................................
The total amount of payments to State
agencies for disbursement to Program
sponsors will be based upon these
Program reimbursement rates and the
number of meals of each type served.
The above reimbursement rates, for
both operating and administrative
reimbursement rates, represent a 4.1
percent increase during 2007 (from
201.6 in November 2006 to 209.854 in
November 2007) in the food away from
home series of the Consumer Price
Index for All Urban Consumers,
published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the Department of Labor.
The Department would like to point out
that the SFSP administrative
reimbursement rates continue to be
adjusted up or down to the nearest
quarter-cent, as has previously been the
case. Additionally, operating
reimbursement rates have been rounded
down to the nearest whole cent, as
required by Section 11(a)(3)(B) of the
NSLA (42 U.S.C. 1759 (a)(3)(B)).
Authority: Secs. 9, 13 and 14, National
School Lunch Act, as amended (42 U.S.C.
1758, 1761, and 1762a).
Dated: January 25, 2008.
Roberto Salazar,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E8–1656 Filed 1–29–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–30–P
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Hiawatha National Forest; Michigan;
Niagara EIS
AGENCY:
Forest Service, USDA.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:49 Jan 29, 2008
Jkt 214001
Rural or self-preparation
sites
$1.84
3.22
.75
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
ACTION:
The East Administrative Unit
of the Hiawatha National Forest intends
to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the
environmental consequences of a
vegetation and transportation
management project. See the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for
the purpose of and need for the action.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by
February 17, 2008. The draft
environmental impact statement is
expected October 2008 and the final
environmental impact statement is
expected March 2009.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Lyn Hyslop, Niagara Team Leader; St.
Ignace Ranger District; W1900 W US–2;
St. Ignace, Michigan 49781. Send
electronic comments to commentseastern-hiawatha-st-ignace@fs.fed.us.
For further information, mail
correspondence to Lyn Hyslop, Niagara
Team Leader; St. Ignace Ranger District;
W1900 W US–2; St. Ignace, Michigan
49781. See the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section for information on
how to send electronic comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lyn
Hyslop, Niagara Team Leader; St. Ignace
Ranger District; (906) 643–7900. See
address above under ADDRESSES. Copies
of documents may be requested at the
same address. Another means of
obtaining information is to visit the
Hiawatha National Forest webpage at
https://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hiawatha/
planning.htm.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Other types of sites
$.1825
.3375
.0925
$.1450
.2800
.0725
Purpose of and Need for Action
The purpose of and need for the
project is to:
• Ensure fully stocked stands of
desired forest cover types identified in
the vegetation composition and size
goals for management areas 2.3 and 8.3,
and provide commercial wood products
(Forest Plan, pp. 3–10 and 3–42).
• Provide a safe and efficient
transportation system for managing the
National Forest and providing
appropriate access to non-federal land.
• Provide within-stand diversity by
increasing white pine and hemlock in
stands missing this component.
• Reduce the susceptibility of the
Niagara area to insect and disease
outbreaks.
Proposed Action
To move the project area toward the
desired conditions shown in the
Hiawatha National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan, the
Hiawatha National Forest would during
this decade: (1) Clearcut on 189 acres,
(2) clearcut—salvage mortality on 416
acres, (3) shelterwood cut with reserves
on 650 acres, (4) seed-tree cut with
reserves on 62 acres, (5) overstory
removal cut with reserves on 219 acres,
(6) single-tree selection cut on 4,154
acres, (7) commercial thin on 879 acres,
(8) site preparation for natural
regeneration on 4,487 acres, (9)
mechanical site preparation for natural
regeneration on 409 acres, (10) full
planting on 219 acres, (11) construct 4
miles of new system roads, (12)
construct 6 miles of temporary roads,
(13) add 2 miles of unclassified roads to
the National Forest System, (14) close 2
E:\FR\FM\30JAN1.SGM
30JAN1
5498
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 20 / Wednesday, January 30, 2008 / Notices
Addresses
miles of existing roads, (15)
decommission 18 miles of roads, (16)
construct 19 permanent log landings,
and (17) construct 20 temporary log
landings. The total treatment area is
6,569 acres.
Information is available electronically
on the Hiawatha National Forest
webpage: https://www.fs.fed.us/r9/
hiawatha/planning.htm—click on
‘‘Niagara’’. Send electronic comments
to: comments-eastern-hiawatha-stignace@fs.fed.us. When submitting
electronic comments, please reference
the Niagara Project on the subject line.
In addition, include your name, mailing
address, and whether you would like a
CD or paper copy of the draft EIS.
Responsible Official
Stevan J. Christiansen, District
Ranger; St. Ignace Ranger District;
W1900 W US–2; St. Ignace, Michigan
49781.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether or
not to manage the vegetation on any or
all of the 6,569 acres by harvesting, and;
whether or not to manage the
transportation system through
construction of temporary and
permanent roads and log landings,
addition of unclassified roads, and road
closures and decommissioning.
Scoping Process
The St. Ignace Ranger District
proposes to scope for information by
contacting persons and organizations on
the Hiawatha’s mailing list and
landowners within or adjacent to the
project area. In addition a legal notice
will be posted in the local newspapers.
An open house is also scheduled for
January 30, 2008 at the St. Ignace
District office at the address listed
above, from 5–8 p.m. This present
solicitation is for comments on this
Notice of Intent and the scoping
materials available elsewhere, such as
on the Hiawatha National Forest
webpage.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Preliminary Issues
Preliminary or potential issues have
been identified from experience with
similar projects.
(1) Timber harvesting may adversely
impact wildlife species requiring early
succession habitat.
(2) Timber harvesting may adversely
impact wildlife species requiring late
succession habitat.
(3) Closing and decommissioning
roads could reduce the amount of legal
motorized vehicle activity and could
increase the amount of illegal motorized
vehicle activity.
(4) Closing and decommissioning
roads could result in adverse effects to
soils, riparian areas and wetlands,
wildlife, and plants.
(5) Timber harvesting and road
building may adversely impact Canada
lynx or Hart’s tongue fern.
(6) The karst topography and its
dependent above-ground and belowground resources may be impacted by
the area’s ability to produce valuable
timber products.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:49 Jan 29, 2008
Jkt 214001
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the
scoping process which guides the
development of the environmental
impact statement. Comments are most
valuable if they are within the scope of
the proposed action, specific to the
proposed action, have a direct
relationship to the proposed action, and
include supporting reasons for
consideration in the environmental
impact statement and any subsequent
decisions. Comments will be used to
identify relevant issues, display
environmental effects, or develop a
range of reasonable alternatives to the
proposed action. Any referenced
scientific literature should be
accompanied by a complete copy of the
literature, and rationale as to its
pertinence to the Niagara Project.
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
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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: January 23, 2008.
Stevan J. Christiansen,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. E8–1607 Filed 1–29–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Notice of Meeting; Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act (Title VIII,
Pub. L. 108-447)
USDA Forest Service.
Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Eastern Region
Recreation Resource Advisory
Committee will hold its third meeting
via teleconference. The purpose of the
meeting is to receive recommendations
concerning recreation fee proposals on
areas managed by the Forest Service in
Michigan and to discuss other items of
interest related to the Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004.
A final detailed agenda, with any
additions/corrections to agenda topics
and meeting time, will be sent to
regional media sources at least 14 days
before the meeting, and hard copies can
also be mailed or sent via FAX.
E:\FR\FM\30JAN1.SGM
30JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 20 (Wednesday, January 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5497-5498]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-1607]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Hiawatha National Forest; Michigan; Niagara EIS
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The East Administrative Unit of the Hiawatha National Forest
intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to disclose
the environmental consequences of a vegetation and transportation
management project. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the
purpose of and need for the action.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by February 17, 2008. The draft environmental impact statement is
expected October 2008 and the final environmental impact statement is
expected March 2009.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Lyn Hyslop, Niagara Team Leader;
St. Ignace Ranger District; W1900 W US-2; St. Ignace, Michigan 49781.
Send electronic comments to comments-eastern-hiawatha-st-
ignace@fs.fed.us.
For further information, mail correspondence to Lyn Hyslop, Niagara
Team Leader; St. Ignace Ranger District; W1900 W US-2; St. Ignace,
Michigan 49781. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for
information on how to send electronic comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lyn Hyslop, Niagara Team Leader; St.
Ignace Ranger District; (906) 643-7900. See address above under
ADDRESSES. Copies of documents may be requested at the same address.
Another means of obtaining information is to visit the Hiawatha
National Forest webpage at https://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hiawatha/
planning.htm.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose of and Need for Action
The purpose of and need for the project is to:
Ensure fully stocked stands of desired forest cover types
identified in the vegetation composition and size goals for management
areas 2.3 and 8.3, and provide commercial wood products (Forest Plan,
pp. 3-10 and 3-42).
Provide a safe and efficient transportation system for
managing the National Forest and providing appropriate access to non-
federal land.
Provide within-stand diversity by increasing white pine
and hemlock in stands missing this component.
Reduce the susceptibility of the Niagara area to insect
and disease outbreaks.
Proposed Action
To move the project area toward the desired conditions shown in the
Hiawatha National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, the
Hiawatha National Forest would during this decade: (1) Clearcut on 189
acres, (2) clearcut--salvage mortality on 416 acres, (3) shelterwood
cut with reserves on 650 acres, (4) seed-tree cut with reserves on 62
acres, (5) overstory removal cut with reserves on 219 acres, (6)
single-tree selection cut on 4,154 acres, (7) commercial thin on 879
acres, (8) site preparation for natural regeneration on 4,487 acres,
(9) mechanical site preparation for natural regeneration on 409 acres,
(10) full planting on 219 acres, (11) construct 4 miles of new system
roads, (12) construct 6 miles of temporary roads, (13) add 2 miles of
unclassified roads to the National Forest System, (14) close 2
[[Page 5498]]
miles of existing roads, (15) decommission 18 miles of roads, (16)
construct 19 permanent log landings, and (17) construct 20 temporary
log landings. The total treatment area is 6,569 acres.
Responsible Official
Stevan J. Christiansen, District Ranger; St. Ignace Ranger
District; W1900 W US-2; St. Ignace, Michigan 49781.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether or not to manage the vegetation
on any or all of the 6,569 acres by harvesting, and; whether or not to
manage the transportation system through construction of temporary and
permanent roads and log landings, addition of unclassified roads, and
road closures and decommissioning.
Scoping Process
The St. Ignace Ranger District proposes to scope for information by
contacting persons and organizations on the Hiawatha's mailing list and
landowners within or adjacent to the project area. In addition a legal
notice will be posted in the local newspapers. An open house is also
scheduled for January 30, 2008 at the St. Ignace District office at the
address listed above, from 5-8 p.m. This present solicitation is for
comments on this Notice of Intent and the scoping materials available
elsewhere, such as on the Hiawatha National Forest webpage.
Preliminary Issues
Preliminary or potential issues have been identified from
experience with similar projects.
(1) Timber harvesting may adversely impact wildlife species
requiring early succession habitat.
(2) Timber harvesting may adversely impact wildlife species
requiring late succession habitat.
(3) Closing and decommissioning roads could reduce the amount of
legal motorized vehicle activity and could increase the amount of
illegal motorized vehicle activity.
(4) Closing and decommissioning roads could result in adverse
effects to soils, riparian areas and wetlands, wildlife, and plants.
(5) Timber harvesting and road building may adversely impact Canada
lynx or Hart's tongue fern.
(6) The karst topography and its dependent above-ground and below-
ground resources may be impacted by the area's ability to produce
valuable timber products.
Addresses
Information is available electronically on the Hiawatha National
Forest webpage: https://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hiawatha/planning.htm_click on
``Niagara''. Send electronic comments to: comments-eastern-hiawatha-st-
ignace@fs.fed.us. When submitting electronic comments, please reference
the Niagara Project on the subject line. In addition, include your
name, mailing address, and whether you would like a CD or paper copy of
the draft EIS.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Comments are
most valuable if they are within the scope of the proposed action,
specific to the proposed action, have a direct relationship to the
proposed action, and include supporting reasons for consideration in
the environmental impact statement and any subsequent decisions.
Comments will be used to identify relevant issues, display
environmental effects, or develop a range of reasonable alternatives to
the proposed action. Any referenced scientific literature should be
accompanied by a complete copy of the literature, and rationale as to
its pertinence to the Niagara Project.
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 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: January 23, 2008.
Stevan J. Christiansen,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. E8-1607 Filed 1-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P