Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger District; Deschutes National Forest; Oregon; Kapka Butte Sno-Park Construction, 71-72 [E8-31118]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 1 / Friday, January 2, 2009 / Notices
Hand Delivery/Courier: Judy Rude;
Communications Staff; Cooperative
State Research, Education, and
Extension Service; U.S. Department of
Agriculture; Room 4236; Waterfront
Centre; 800 9th Street, SW.;
Washington, DC 20024.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the title ‘‘Institute’’ and
CSREES–2008–0004. All comments
received will be posted to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy
Rude, (202) 720–4242 (phone), (202)
690–0289 (fax), or
Institute@csrees.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Additional Comment Procedures
Descriptions of the principles guiding
deliberations relative to establishing the
Institute are available for review at
https://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/
pdfs/Scientists,%20Educators,%20and
%20Stakeholders%20Letter.pdf.
Written comments must be received by
close of business, Friday, February 6,
2009, to be considered. All comments,
when they become available, may be
reviewed on the CSREES Web page for
six months.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Background and Purpose
The establishment of the National
Institute of Food and Agriculture is
mandated in section 251(f) of the
Department of Agriculture
Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C.
6971(f)), as added to section 7511(a)(4)
of the Food, Conservation, and Energy
Act (FCEA) of 2008 (Pub. L. 110–246).
The Secretary shall transfer to the
Institute, effective not later than October
1, 2009, the authorities (including all
budget authorities, available
appropriations, and personnel), duties,
obligations, and related legal and
administrative functions prescribed by
law or otherwise granted to the
Secretary, the Department, or any other
agency or official of the Department
under capacity and infrastructure
programs; competitive programs; the
research, education, economic,
cooperative State research programs,
cooperative extension and education
programs, international programs, and
other functions and authorities
delegated by the Under Secretary for
Research, Education, and Economics
(Under Secretary for REE) to the
Administrator of CSREES pursuant to
section 2.66 of title 7, Code of Federal
Regulations (or successor regulations);
and any and all other authorities
administered by the Administrator of
CSREES. The terms ‘‘capacity and
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:23 Dec 31, 2008
Jkt 217001
infrastructure programs’’ and
‘‘competitive programs’’ are defined in
section 251(f)(1) (7 U.S.C.6971(f)(1)).
The Institute shall be headed by a
Director, who shall be an individual
who is a distinguished scientist and
appointed by the President. The
Secretary has determined that the
Director shall report to the Under
Secretary for REE, who also holds the
title of Chief Scientist of USDA and is
responsible for the coordination of
research, education, and extension
activities of USDA. The Director shall
serve for a 6-year term, subject to
reappointment for an additional 6-year
term; periodically report to the Under
Secretary for REE with respect to
activities carried out by the Institute;
and consult regularly with the Under
Secretary for REE to ensure, to the
maximum extent practicable, that
research of the Institute is relevant to
agriculture in the United States and
otherwise serves the national interest;
and that the research of the Institute
supplements and enhances, and does
not supplant, research conducted or
funded by other Federal agencies. The
Director shall exercise all of the
authority provided to the Institute by
section 251(f) (7 U.S.C. 6971(f));
formulate and administer programs in
accordance with policies adopted by the
Institute, in coordination with the
Under Secretary for REE; establish
offices within the Institute; establish
procedures for the provision and
administration of grants by the Institute;
and consult regularly with the National
Agricultural Research, Extension,
Education, and Economics Advisory
Board.
The Director shall organize offices
and functions within the Institute to
administer fundamental and applied
research and extension and education
programs. The Director shall ensure the
research priorities established by the
Under Secretary for REE through the
Research, Education and Extension
Office are carried out by the offices and
functions of the Institute, where
applicable. Per 7 U.S.C. 6971(e)(1), the
Under Secretary for REE is required to
organize within the Office of the Under
Secretary for REE six Divisions, to be
known collectively as the ‘Research,
Education, and Extension Office’, which
shall coordinate the research programs
and activities of the Department.
The Director shall determine an
appropriate balance between
fundamental and applied research
programs and functions to ensure future
research needs are met and designate
staff, as appropriate, to assist in carrying
out this function. The Director shall
promote the use and growth of grants
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71
awarded through a competitive process
and designate staff, as appropriate, to
assist in carrying out this function.
Finally, the Director shall ensure that
the offices and functions established
within the Institute are effectively
coordinated for maximum efficiency.
Implementation Plans
CSREES plans to consider stakeholder
input received from written comments
in developing a proposed organization
for approval by USDA and with an
implementation date of not later than
October 1, 2009.
Done at Washington, DC, this 29th day of
December, 2008.
Colien Hefferan,
Administrator, Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service.
[FR Doc. E8–31258 Filed 12–31–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger District;
Deschutes National Forest; Oregon;
Kapka Butte Sno-Park Construction
Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service,
will prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) on a proposed action to
construct a sno-park, designate
motorized and non-motorized oversnow trails to link the parking facility to
existing snowmobile and nordic trail
systems, and designate new over-snow
dog-friendly snowshoe and skier trails
to enhance recreational opportunities
from the new facility. The proposed
sno-park would be located on National
Forest lands between Kapka Butte and
the junction of Forest Road 46 (Cascade
Lakes Highway) and Forest Road 45
(Sunriver cutoff). The proposed snopark area is located about 30 miles west
of Bend, Oregon; it is located in Section
35, Township 18S, Range 9E. The
alternatives will include the proposed
action, no action, and additional
alternatives that respond to issues
generated through the scoping process.
The agency will give notice of the full
environmental analysis and decision
making process so interested and
affected people may participate and
contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by 30
days following the date that this notice
appears in the Federal Register.
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02JAN1
72
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 1 / Friday, January 2, 2009 / Notices
Send written comments to
Shane Jeffries, District Ranger, Bend/Ft.
Rock Ranger District, 1230 NE 3rd St.,
Suite A–262, Bend, OR 97701.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marv Lang, Project Leader, Bend/Ft.
Rock Ranger District, 1230 NE 3rd St.,
Suite A–262, Bend, Oregon 97701,
phone (541) 383–4793. E-mail
melang@fs.fed.us.
Responsible Official. The responsible
official will be Shane Jeffries, District
Ranger, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District,
1230 NE Third St., Ste. A–262, Bend,
OR 97701.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need. The Deschutes
National Forest sees a need to provide
high elevation parking that will enhance
a variety of winter recreation
opportunities near Mt. Bachelor. On
most weekend and holiday periods
during the wintertime near Mt.
Bachelor, it is not unusual to see
parking lots full of vehicles, causing
over-flow parking in inappropriate
locations such as chain-up areas. This
has been a progressive condition since
the mid-1990s and has reached a point
where it has become a public safety
concern. More winter uses, such as
snowshoeing, backcountry skiing and
skijoring, have become more popular in
recent years. These newer uses on top
of the already high use that the area near
Mt. Bachelor receives have created the
congestion that occurs at all of the snoparks. A result of the crowded
conditions is inappropriate parking
along the Cascade Lake Highway during
weekends and holidays, causing traffic
problems for the traveling public,
emergency vehicles, and snow plowing
equipment. This persistent condition
demonstrates a need for additional safe
parking facilities that provide access to
over snow trail systems during more
marginal snow conditions than the
lower elevation sno-parks currently
provide. It’s also important that this
occurs in a location where regular
snowplowing can also be accomplished
in an economically feasible manner.
Proposed Action. The Forest Service
is proposing to build a new sno-park
near Kapka Butte to provide more high
elevation parking for winter
recreationists along an established
snowplowing route. The proposed
facility would provide for a mix of
vehicle parking, including vehicles
towing trailers and some slots designed
for smaller vehicles. The proposed
parking facility would include
approximately 70 slots for trailers, and
40 slots for non-trailer vehicles. Trail
links to existing snowmobile and nordic
trails would also be provided as well as
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:23 Dec 31, 2008
Jkt 217001
new proposed trails for nordic skiing,
snowshoeing and skiing with dogs.
Comment. Public comments about
this proposal are requested in order to
assist in identifying issues, determine
how to best manage the resources, and
to focus the analysis. Comments
received to this notice, including names
and addresses of those who comment,
will be considered part of the public
record on this proposed action and will
be available for public inspection.
Comments submitted anonymously will
be accepted and considered; however,
those who submit anonymous
comments will not have standing to
appeal the subsequent decision under
36 CFR parts 215. Additionally,
pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person
may request the agency to withhold a
submission from the public record by
showing how the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) permits such
confidentiality. Persons requesting such
confidentiality should be aware that,
under FOIA, confidentiality may be
granted in only very limited
circumstances, such as to protect trade
secrets. The Forest Service will inform
the requester of the agency’s decision
regarding the request for confidentiality,
and where the request is denied, the
agency will return the submission and
notify the requester that the comments
may be resubmitted with or without
name and address within a specified
number of days.
A draft EIS will be filed with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and available for public review by
Spring 2009. The EPA will publish a
Notice of Availability (NOA) of the draft
EIS in the Federal Register. The final
EIS is scheduled to be available Autumn
2009.
The comment period on the draft EIS
will be 45 days from the date the EPA
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 a draft EIS 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 EIS may be waived or
dismissed by the courts [City of Angoon
v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D.
Wis. 1980)]. Because of these court
rulings, it is very important that those
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 EIS.
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 of 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.
In the final EIS, the Forest Service is
required to respond to substantive
comments received during the comment
period for the draft EIS. The Forest
Service is the lead agency and the
responsible official is the Bend-Fort
Rock District Ranger, Deschutes
National Forest. The responsible official
will decide where, and whether or not
to construct the sno-park and associated
trails. The responsible official will also
decide how to mitigate impacts of these
actions and will determine when and
how monitoring of effects will take
place.
The Kapka Butte Sno-park Project
decision and the reasons for the
decision will be documented in the
Record of Decision. That decision will
be subject to Forest Service Appeal
Regulations (35 CFR Part 215).
Sean A. Ferrell,
Assistant District Ranger.
[FR Doc. E8–31118 Filed 12–31–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No. 0612242720–81597
RIN 0648–ZB55
Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal
Year 2009
AGENCY: National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: NOAA publishes this notice
to supplement the agency’s solicitation
E:\FR\FM\02JAN1.SGM
02JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 1 (Friday, January 2, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71-72]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-31118]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger District; Deschutes National Forest; Oregon;
Kapka Butte Sno-Park Construction
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) on a proposed action to construct a sno-park, designate
motorized and non-motorized over-snow trails to link the parking
facility to existing snowmobile and nordic trail systems, and designate
new over-snow dog-friendly snowshoe and skier trails to enhance
recreational opportunities from the new facility. The proposed sno-park
would be located on National Forest lands between Kapka Butte and the
junction of Forest Road 46 (Cascade Lakes Highway) and Forest Road 45
(Sunriver cutoff). The proposed sno-park area is located about 30 miles
west of Bend, Oregon; it is located in Section 35, Township 18S, Range
9E. The alternatives will include the proposed action, no action, and
additional alternatives that respond to issues generated through the
scoping process. The agency will give notice of the full environmental
analysis and decision making process so interested and affected people
may participate and contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by 30 days following the date that this notice appears in the Federal
Register.
[[Page 72]]
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Shane Jeffries, District Ranger,
Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger District, 1230 NE 3rd St., Suite A-262, Bend, OR
97701.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marv Lang, Project Leader, Bend/Ft.
Rock Ranger District, 1230 NE 3rd St., Suite A-262, Bend, Oregon 97701,
phone (541) 383-4793. E-mail melang@fs.fed.us.
Responsible Official. The responsible official will be Shane
Jeffries, District Ranger, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, 1230 NE
Third St., Ste. A-262, Bend, OR 97701.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need. The Deschutes National Forest sees a need to
provide high elevation parking that will enhance a variety of winter
recreation opportunities near Mt. Bachelor. On most weekend and holiday
periods during the wintertime near Mt. Bachelor, it is not unusual to
see parking lots full of vehicles, causing over-flow parking in
inappropriate locations such as chain-up areas. This has been a
progressive condition since the mid-1990s and has reached a point where
it has become a public safety concern. More winter uses, such as
snowshoeing, backcountry skiing and skijoring, have become more popular
in recent years. These newer uses on top of the already high use that
the area near Mt. Bachelor receives have created the congestion that
occurs at all of the sno-parks. A result of the crowded conditions is
inappropriate parking along the Cascade Lake Highway during weekends
and holidays, causing traffic problems for the traveling public,
emergency vehicles, and snow plowing equipment. This persistent
condition demonstrates a need for additional safe parking facilities
that provide access to over snow trail systems during more marginal
snow conditions than the lower elevation sno-parks currently provide.
It's also important that this occurs in a location where regular
snowplowing can also be accomplished in an economically feasible
manner.
Proposed Action. The Forest Service is proposing to build a new
sno-park near Kapka Butte to provide more high elevation parking for
winter recreationists along an established snowplowing route. The
proposed facility would provide for a mix of vehicle parking, including
vehicles towing trailers and some slots designed for smaller vehicles.
The proposed parking facility would include approximately 70 slots for
trailers, and 40 slots for non-trailer vehicles. Trail links to
existing snowmobile and nordic trails would also be provided as well as
new proposed trails for nordic skiing, snowshoeing and skiing with
dogs.
Comment. Public comments about this proposal are requested in order
to assist in identifying issues, determine how to best manage the
resources, and to focus the analysis. Comments received to this notice,
including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered
part of the public record on this proposed action and will be available
for public inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted
and considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not
have standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR parts 215.
Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the
agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing how
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality.
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under
FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited
circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service
will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the
request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the
agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the
comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within a
specified number of days.
A draft EIS will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and available for public review by Spring 2009. The EPA will
publish a Notice of Availability (NOA) of the draft EIS in the Federal
Register. The final EIS is scheduled to be available Autumn 2009.
The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date
the EPA 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
a draft EIS 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 EIS may be waived or
dismissed by the courts [City of Angoon 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 EIS.
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 of 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.
In the final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to
substantive comments received during the comment period for the draft
EIS. The Forest Service is the lead agency and the responsible official
is the Bend-Fort Rock District Ranger, Deschutes National Forest. The
responsible official will decide where, and whether or not to construct
the sno-park and associated trails. The responsible official will also
decide how to mitigate impacts of these actions and will determine when
and how monitoring of effects will take place.
The Kapka Butte Sno-park Project decision and the reasons for the
decision will be documented in the Record of Decision. That decision
will be subject to Forest Service Appeal Regulations (35 CFR Part 215).
Sean A. Ferrell,
Assistant District Ranger.
[FR Doc. E8-31118 Filed 12-31-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
