Revision of Land Management Plan for the George Washington National Forest, Virginia and West Virginia, 35632-35633 [E8-14292]
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35632
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 73, No. 122
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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
Farm Service Agency
Public Meetings of Advisory
Committee on Beginning Farmers and
Ranchers
Farm Service Agency, USDA.
Notice of public meetings.
AGENCY:
ebenthall on PRODPC60 with NOTICES
ACTION:
SUMMARY: We are issuing this notice to
advise the public that meetings of the
Advisory Committee on Beginning
Farmers and Ranchers (Committee) will
be held to discuss various beginning
farmer and rancher issues.
DATES: The public meetings will be held
July 9–10, 2008. The first meeting, on
July 9, 2008, will begin at 8 a.m. and
end by 5:30 p.m. The second meeting,
on July 10, 2008, will begin at 8 a.m.
and end by 4 p.m. All times noted are
Eastern Standard Time (EST). See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for oral
presentation submission date.
ADDRESSES: All meetings will be held at
the Sofitel Hotel, 806 15th Street,
Washington, DC, (202) 730–8800.
Written requests to make oral
presentations must be sent to: Mark
Falcone, Designated Federal Official for
the Advisory Committee on Beginning
Farmers and Ranchers, Farm Service
Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., STOP 0522, Washington, DC
20250–0522; telephone (202) 720–1632;
FAX (202) 690–1117; e-mail:
mark.falcone@wdc.usda.gov. Persons
with disabilities who require alternative
means for communication (Braille, large
print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the
USDA Target Center at (202) 720–2600
(voice and TDD).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Falcone at (202) 720–1632.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 5
of the Agricultural Credit Improvement
Act of 1992 (Pub. L. 102–554) required
the Secretary of Agriculture (the
Secretary) to establish the Committee for
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12:39 Jun 23, 2008
Jkt 214001
the purpose of advising the Secretary on
the following:
(1) The development of a program of
coordinated financial assistance to
qualified beginning farmers and
ranchers, required by section 309(i) of
the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1929) (under
the program, Federal and State
beginning farmer programs provide
financial assistance to beginning farmers
and ranchers);
(2) Methods of maximizing the
number of new farming and ranching
opportunities created through the
program;
(3) Methods of encouraging States to
participate in the program;
(4) The administration of the program;
and
(5) Other methods of creating new
farming or ranching opportunities.
The Committee meets annually and
all meetings are open to the public. The
duration of the Committee is indefinite.
Earlier meetings of the Committee,
beginning in 1999, provided an
opportunity for members to exchange
ideas on ways to increase opportunities
for beginning farmers and ranchers.
Members discussed various issues and
drafted numerous recommendations,
which were provided to the Secretary.
Agenda items for the July 2008
meetings include:
(1) Discussions concerning provisions
of the Food, Conservation, and Energy
Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110–234, May 22,
2008) (also referred to commonly as the
2008 Farm Bill);
(2) USDA’s response to the
recommendations made in the
September 2007 Government
Accountability Office report entitled:
‘‘BEGINNING FARMERS: Additional
Steps Needed to Demonstrate the
Effectiveness of USDA Assistance’’;
(3) A presentation of a national
project focused on farmland access,
tenure, and succession funded by
USDA’s Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service;
(4) Brief presentations by several
Advisory Committee members on: The
Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy
and Livestock Farmers; innovative
opportunities for beginning farmers and
ranchers in Nebraska; and new
immigrant farming initiatives; and
(5) Status of previous committee
recommendations and drafting new
recommendations.
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Attendance is open to all interested
persons, but limited to space available.
Anyone wishing to make an oral
statement should submit a request in
writing (letter, fax, or e-mail) to Mark
Falcone at the above address.
Statements should be received no later
than July 3, 2008. Requests should
include the name and affiliation of the
individual who will make the
presentation and an outline of the issues
to be addressed. The floor will be open
to oral presentations beginning at 1:15
p.m. EST on July 9, 2008.
Oral Statements will be limited to 5
minutes, and presenters will be
approved on a first-come, first-served
basis.
Persons with disabilities who require
special accommodations to attend or
participate in the meetings should
contact Mark Falcone by July 3, 2008.
Signed in Washington, DC, on June 19,
2008.
Thomas B. Hofeller,
Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. E8–14229 Filed 6–23–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–05–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Revision of Land Management Plan for
the George Washington National
Forest, Virginia and West Virginia
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of adjustment for
resuming the land management plan
revision process
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service is
resuming preparation of the George
Washington National Forest revised
land management plan as directed by
the National Forest Management Act
(NFMA). Preparation of the revised plan
was halted when the 2005 Forest
Service planning rule was enjoined. A
new planning rule (36 CFR Part 219 was
adopted on April 21, 2008 allowing the
planning process to be resumed. This
notice resumes the plan revision process
under the new 2008 planning rule. This
notice also provides:
1. An estimated schedule for the
planning process;
2. Request for additional public
comments on the agency’s draft
Comprehensive Evaluation Report, and
how the public can comment;
E:\FR\FM\24JNN1.SGM
24JNN1
ebenthall on PRODPC60 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 122 / Tuesday, June 24, 2008 / Notices
3. A list of documents available and
how to get them;
4. Who to contact for more
information.
DATES: This notice is effective on June
24, 2008. Comments on the draft
Comprehensive Evaluation Report are
requested to be postmarked or received
by August 8, 2008. A series of public
meetings will resume beginning in July
2008. The dates, times and locations of
these meetings will be posted at our
Internet Web site: https://www.fs.fed.us/
r8/gwj/. This information can also be
obtained from the contact information
below. More detailed information on the
proposed schedule is in the
Supplementary Information Section.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
need for change are being accepted.
Send written comments to George
Washington Plan Revision, George
Washington & Jefferson National
Forests, 5162 Valleypointe Parkway,
Roanoke, Virginia 24019–3050.
Electronic comments should include
‘‘GW Plan Revision’’ in the subject line
and be sent to: comments-southerngeorgewashington-jefferson@fs.fed.us.
Additional information on the GWNF
Forest Plan is available at: https://
www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken
Landgraf, Planning Staff Officer, or
JoBeth Brown, Public Affairs Officer,
George Washington & Jefferson National
Forests, (540) 265–5100.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Notification of initiation of plan
revision process for the George
Washington National Forest revised
land management plan was provided in
the Federal Register on February 15,
2007 [72 FR 7390]. The plan revision
was initiated under the planning
procedures contained in the 2005 Forest
Service planning rule (36 CFR 219
(2005)). On March 30, 2007, the federal
district court for the Northern District of
California enjoined the Forest Service
from implementing and using the 2005
planning rule until the agency provided
notice and comment and conducted an
assessment of the rule’s effects on the
environment and completed
consultation under the Endangered
Species Act. Revision of the George
Washington National Forest revised
land management plan under the (36
CFR 219 (2005)) rule was suspended in
response to the injunction. On April 21,
2008 the Forest Service adopted a new
planning rule. This rule (36 CFR 219
(2008)) was adopted following
completion of an environmental impact
statement and consultation under the
Endangered Species Act. This new
planning rule explicitly allows the
VerDate Aug<31>2005
12:39 Jun 23, 2008
Jkt 214001
resumption of plan revisions started
under the previous rule (36 CFR 219
(2005)) based on a finding that the
revision process conforms to the new
planning rule (36 CFR 219.14(b)(3)(ii)).
Prior to injunction of the 2005
planning rule the George Washington
National Forest had developed a draft
Comprehensive Evaluation Report on
the need for change. The Forest had just
begun to engage the American public in
a dialogue on what they thought needed
to be changed from the 1993 revised
Forest Plan. Only one series of public
meetings had occurred during March
2007 prior to the injunction.
Based primarily on the discussion
above, I find that the planning actions
taken prior to April 21, 2008 conform to
the planning process of the 2008
planning rule and for that reason the
plan revision process does not need to
be restarted.
The Need for Change
The GWNF Forest Plan was last
revised in 1993. Planning regulations
require that plans be revised at least
every 15 years. The 1993 revision was
a major effort that involved the
participation of many stakeholders. The
purpose of the current revision is to
examine management direction that
needs to change and determine how best
to make those changes.
Based upon new information acquired
in the past year, the Forest Service has
appended its initial Comprehensive
Evaluation Report of February 2007
with social and economic conditions
and trends. The George Washington
National Forest is resuming its plan
revision process by seeking additional
public comments on the need to change
the 1993 plan.
Planning Schedule
After resumption of the planning
process, the Forest Service will hold a
series of public meetings. The Forest
Supervisor will then determine which
issues will be carried forward for further
analysis in the revision process.
Additional public meetings will then
be held throughout the summer and fall
of 2008 to discuss development of the
Forest Plan components in response to
the issues that will be carried forward
for further analysis. In early spring of
2009 the Forest Service expects to
release a Proposed Forest Plan for
formal public review and comment. A
notice will be published in the Federal
Register that will begin an official 90day comment period on the Proposed
Forest Plan. The Forest Service will
review the comments, hold additional
public meeting(s), and then make any
appropriate changes to the Proposed
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
35633
Forest Plan. Another notice will then be
published in the Federal Register to
begin a 30-day objection period. This is
anticipated to be published in the
summer or early fall of 2009. After any
objections are resolved, the Forest Plan
will be approved by the Forest
Supervisor.
Documents Available for Review
A number of documents are available
for review. These are available at the
Web site https://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/_.
Additional documents will be added to
this site throughout the planning
process.
How the Public Can Participate in the
Planning Process
A series of public meetings will be
held beginning in July 2008. The
planning process will emphasize those
things that need to change from the
1993 Forest Plan. The focus of the
current planning regulations is on
establishing a collaborative approach to
planning. Therefore, the best
opportunity for dialogue is to
participate in the discussions at the
various public meetings to be held
throughout the process. These meetings
will all be announced on the GWNF
Web site. A formal comment
opportunity will be provided when the
Proposed Forest Plan is completed.
Only parties that participate in the
planning process through the
submission of written comments can
submit an objection pursuant to 36 CFR
219.13(a).
Responsible Official
The Forest Supervisor, George
Washington & Jefferson National
Forests, is the Responsible Official (36
CFR 219.2(b)(1)).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1600–1614; 36 CFR
219.14; 73 FR 21468, April 21, 2008.
Dated: June 16, 2008.
Maureen Hyzer,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E8–14292 Filed 6–23–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation
Service
TE–34 Penchant Basin Natural
Resources Plan; Terrebonne Parish,
LA
Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Department of
Agriculture.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\24JNN1.SGM
24JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 122 (Tuesday, June 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35632-35633]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-14292]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Revision of Land Management Plan for the George Washington
National Forest, Virginia and West Virginia
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of adjustment for resuming the land management plan
revision process
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service is resuming preparation of the George
Washington National Forest revised land management plan as directed by
the National Forest Management Act (NFMA). Preparation of the revised
plan was halted when the 2005 Forest Service planning rule was
enjoined. A new planning rule (36 CFR Part 219 was adopted on April 21,
2008 allowing the planning process to be resumed. This notice resumes
the plan revision process under the new 2008 planning rule. This notice
also provides:
1. An estimated schedule for the planning process;
2. Request for additional public comments on the agency's draft
Comprehensive Evaluation Report, and how the public can comment;
[[Page 35633]]
3. A list of documents available and how to get them;
4. Who to contact for more information.
DATES: This notice is effective on June 24, 2008. Comments on the draft
Comprehensive Evaluation Report are requested to be postmarked or
received by August 8, 2008. A series of public meetings will resume
beginning in July 2008. The dates, times and locations of these
meetings will be posted at our Internet Web site: https://www.fs.fed.us/
r8/gwj/. This information can also be obtained from the contact
information below. More detailed information on the proposed schedule
is in the Supplementary Information Section.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the need for change are being accepted.
Send written comments to George Washington Plan Revision, George
Washington & Jefferson National Forests, 5162 Valleypointe Parkway,
Roanoke, Virginia 24019-3050. Electronic comments should include ``GW
Plan Revision'' in the subject line and be sent to: comments-southern-
georgewashington-jefferson@fs.fed.us.
Additional information on the GWNF Forest Plan is available at:
https://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Landgraf, Planning Staff Officer,
or JoBeth Brown, Public Affairs Officer, George Washington & Jefferson
National Forests, (540) 265-5100.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notification of initiation of plan revision
process for the George Washington National Forest revised land
management plan was provided in the Federal Register on February 15,
2007 [72 FR 7390]. The plan revision was initiated under the planning
procedures contained in the 2005 Forest Service planning rule (36 CFR
219 (2005)). On March 30, 2007, the federal district court for the
Northern District of California enjoined the Forest Service from
implementing and using the 2005 planning rule until the agency provided
notice and comment and conducted an assessment of the rule's effects on
the environment and completed consultation under the Endangered Species
Act. Revision of the George Washington National Forest revised land
management plan under the (36 CFR 219 (2005)) rule was suspended in
response to the injunction. On April 21, 2008 the Forest Service
adopted a new planning rule. This rule (36 CFR 219 (2008)) was adopted
following completion of an environmental impact statement and
consultation under the Endangered Species Act. This new planning rule
explicitly allows the resumption of plan revisions started under the
previous rule (36 CFR 219 (2005)) based on a finding that the revision
process conforms to the new planning rule (36 CFR 219.14(b)(3)(ii)).
Prior to injunction of the 2005 planning rule the George Washington
National Forest had developed a draft Comprehensive Evaluation Report
on the need for change. The Forest had just begun to engage the
American public in a dialogue on what they thought needed to be changed
from the 1993 revised Forest Plan. Only one series of public meetings
had occurred during March 2007 prior to the injunction.
Based primarily on the discussion above, I find that the planning
actions taken prior to April 21, 2008 conform to the planning process
of the 2008 planning rule and for that reason the plan revision process
does not need to be restarted.
The Need for Change
The GWNF Forest Plan was last revised in 1993. Planning regulations
require that plans be revised at least every 15 years. The 1993
revision was a major effort that involved the participation of many
stakeholders. The purpose of the current revision is to examine
management direction that needs to change and determine how best to
make those changes.
Based upon new information acquired in the past year, the Forest
Service has appended its initial Comprehensive Evaluation Report of
February 2007 with social and economic conditions and trends. The
George Washington National Forest is resuming its plan revision process
by seeking additional public comments on the need to change the 1993
plan.
Planning Schedule
After resumption of the planning process, the Forest Service will
hold a series of public meetings. The Forest Supervisor will then
determine which issues will be carried forward for further analysis in
the revision process.
Additional public meetings will then be held throughout the summer
and fall of 2008 to discuss development of the Forest Plan components
in response to the issues that will be carried forward for further
analysis. In early spring of 2009 the Forest Service expects to release
a Proposed Forest Plan for formal public review and comment. A notice
will be published in the Federal Register that will begin an official
90-day comment period on the Proposed Forest Plan. The Forest Service
will review the comments, hold additional public meeting(s), and then
make any appropriate changes to the Proposed Forest Plan. Another
notice will then be published in the Federal Register to begin a 30-day
objection period. This is anticipated to be published in the summer or
early fall of 2009. After any objections are resolved, the Forest Plan
will be approved by the Forest Supervisor.
Documents Available for Review
A number of documents are available for review. These are available
at the Web site https://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/--. Additional documents
will be added to this site throughout the planning process.
How the Public Can Participate in the Planning Process
A series of public meetings will be held beginning in July 2008.
The planning process will emphasize those things that need to change
from the 1993 Forest Plan. The focus of the current planning
regulations is on establishing a collaborative approach to planning.
Therefore, the best opportunity for dialogue is to participate in the
discussions at the various public meetings to be held throughout the
process. These meetings will all be announced on the GWNF Web site. A
formal comment opportunity will be provided when the Proposed Forest
Plan is completed.
Only parties that participate in the planning process through the
submission of written comments can submit an objection pursuant to 36
CFR 219.13(a).
Responsible Official
The Forest Supervisor, George Washington & Jefferson National
Forests, is the Responsible Official (36 CFR 219.2(b)(1)).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1600-1614; 36 CFR 219.14; 73 FR 21468,
April 21, 2008.
Dated: June 16, 2008.
Maureen Hyzer,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E8-14292 Filed 6-23-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
