Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests; Delta, Garfield, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, Saguache and San Miguel Counties; Colorado; Assessment Report of Ecological, Social and Economic Conditions, Trends and Sustainability for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, 25764-25765 [2017-11482]
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25764
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 106 / Monday, June 5, 2017 / Notices
The Draft EIS for the MVP and the
October 14, 2016 Federal Register
Notice of Availability had also
identified that Management Prescription
Area Standard 4A–020 may need to be
amended. However, a further review of
this standard has determined that the
proposed pipeline project can be made
consistent with this standard and an
amendment to this standard will not be
needed. This standard is:
Standard 4A–020: All management
activities will meet or exceed a Scenic
Integrity Objective of High.
Potential Amendment, Part 5: After
the Draft EIS was released, it has been
identified that the JNF may also need to
amend Forestwide Standard FW–184 to
allow for the construction of the
Mountain Valley Pipeline to deviate
from the Scenic Integrity Objectives
(SIOs) established in the LRMP. This
standard is:
Standard FW–184: The Forest Scenic
Integrity Objectives (SIOs) Maps govern all
new projects (including special uses).
Assigned SIOS are consistent with Recreation
Opportunity Spectrum management
direction. Existing conditions may not
currently meet the assigned SIO.
The 36 CFR 219 planning rule
requirement likely to be directly related
to this part of the amendment is:
§ 219.10(b)(i)—‘‘[The plan must include
plan components to provide for] ‘‘Sustainable
recreation; . . . and scenic character.’’
asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
If any of the five parts of the proposed
amendment to the JNF LRMP described
above are determined to be ‘‘directly
related’’ to a substantive rule
requirement, the Responsible Official
must apply that requirement within the
scope and scale of the proposed
amendment and, if necessary, make
adjustments to the proposed
amendment to meet the rule
requirement (36 CFR 219.13 (b)(5) and
(6)).
Administrative Review of Plan
Amendment Decisions
The decision for a right-of-way grant
across Federal lands will be
documented in a record of decision
issued by the BLM. The BLM’s decision
to issue, condition, or deny a right-ofway will be subject to BLM
administrative review procedures
established in 43 CFR 2881.10 and the
procedures established in section 313(b)
of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The
Forest Service concurrence to BLM to
issue the right-of-way grant would not
be a decision subject to the NEPA and
therefore, would not be subject to the
Forest Service administrative review
procedures. The Forest Service would,
however, issue its own draft record of
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:31 Jun 02, 2017
Jkt 241001
decision for the project-specific
amendment to the JNF LRMP that
would be subject to the administrative
review procedures under the 36 CFR
218 regulations (per 36 CFR 219.59(b)).
The Reviewing Official for any
objection filed on amending the JNF
LRMP to allow for the MVP Project will
be the Regional Forester for the
Southern Region, or if delegated, the
Deputy Regional Forester (36 CFR
218.3(a)).
Responsible Official for Forest Service
LRMP Amendments
The Forest Supervisor for the George
Washington and Jefferson National
Forests, Joby P. Timm, is the
Responsible Official for amending the
Jefferson National Forest LRMP.
Dated: May 10, 2017.
Robert M. Harper,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National
Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2017–11488 Filed 6–2–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and
Gunnison National Forests; Delta,
Garfield, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Mesa,
Montrose, Ouray, Saguache and San
Miguel Counties; Colorado;
Assessment Report of Ecological,
Social and Economic Conditions,
Trends and Sustainability for the
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and
Gunnison National Forests
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of initiating the
assessment phase of the land
management plan revision for the Grand
Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison
National Forests.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Grand Mesa,
Uncompahgre and Gunnison National
Forests (GMUG), located on the western
slope of the Colorado Rockies, are
initiating the forest planning process
pursuant to the 2012 National Forest
System Land Management Planning
rule. This process will result in a
revised and updated Natural Resource
Land Management Plan, often referred
to as the Forest Plan, which will guide
all management activities on the GMUG
for the next fifteen years. The current
GMUG Forest Plan was completed in
1983, and was subsequently amended in
1991, 1993, 2005, 2007, and 2009.
Previous efforts to revise the Forest
Plan, including an eight-year effort
involving extensive public participation
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
and the development of comprehensive
assessments, a need for change report,
and a proposed plan were shelved due
to the overturning of the 2008 planning
rule. Now that the national 2012
Planning Rule has been established, the
GMUG will reinitiate the plan revision
process.
The plan revision process
encompasses three stages: Assessment,
plan revision, and monitoring. This
notice announces the initiation of the
assessment phase, the first stage of the
plan revision process, which involves
assessing ecological, social and
economic conditions and trends in the
planning area and documenting the
findings in an Assessment report. For
the first phase, the GMUG has posted
helpful resources, including the current
Forest Plan and subsequent
amendments, information from the 2006
and 2007 revision efforts, and the
Citizen’s Guide to National Forest
Planning, on the GMUG Forest Plan
Web site listed below.
During this assessment phase, the
GMUG invites other government
agencies, non-governmental parties, and
the public to share material about
existing and changed conditions, trends,
and perceptions of social, economic and
ecological systems. The GMUG will host
a variety of public outreach forums in
summer and fall of 2017 to facilitate this
effort, and the public is encouraged to
participate and provide meaningful
contributions. The GMUG is seeking
local knowledge of social values,
available data resources, areas of use
and activities, goods and services
produced by lands within the GMUG,
and relevant material that will help
inform desired conditions, standards
and guidelines, land suitability
determinations, and other plan
components. This information will help
identify gaps in the current management
plan and inform the need for change,
highlighting priority issues that should
be addressed in this revision. Public
participation and collaboration are
essential steps to understanding current
conditions, available data, and feedback
needed to support a strategic, efficient
and effective revision process.
Several guiding principles, developed
to overcome stakeholder-identified
challenges, will drive public
engagement throughout the plan
revision process. These guiding
principles include providing direct and
transparent communication through a
variety of methods, maintaining focused
public involvement, building
relationships, and promoting sharing,
learning and understanding between the
agency and the public. These guiding
principles will help the GMUG ensure
E:\FR\FM\05JNN1.SGM
05JNN1
asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 106 / Monday, June 5, 2017 / Notices
that public engagement in the current
assessment phase and throughout the
plan revision process will be functional,
accessible, and representative.
DATES: In summer and fall of 2017, the
public is invited to engage in the
assessment phase of the revision
process, for which public engagement
opportunities will be posted on the
GMUG Forest Plan Web site located at:
www.fs.usda.gov/main/gmug/
landmanagement/planning. Information
will also be sent out to the Forests’
mailing list. If anyone is interested in
being included in these notifications,
please send an email to
gmugforestplan@fs.fed.us. The
assessment report for the Grand Mesa,
Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG)
National Forests is expected to be
completed by January 2018 and will be
posted on the GMUG Forest Plan Web
site listed above. The GMUG will then
initiate procedures pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) and prepare and evaluate a
revised Forest Plan.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and
Gunnison National Forests, Attn: Plan
Revision, 2250 HWY 50, Delta CO,
81416. Written comments may also be
sent via email to gmugforestplan@
fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 970–874–
6698. All correspondence, including
names and addresses when provided,
will be placed in the record and will be
available for public inspection and
copying.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Clay
Speas, Acting Renewable Resources
Planning Staff Officer, 970–874–6677,
cspeas@fs.fed.us. Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
National Forest Management Act
(NFMA) of 1976 requires that every
National Forest System (NFS) unit
develop a land management plan, often
called a Forest Plan. On April 9th, 2012,
the Forest Service finalized its land
management planning rule, referred to
as the 2012 Planning Rule, which
describes requirements for the planning
process and provides programmatic
direction to National Forests and
National Grasslands for developing and
implementing their forest plans. Forest
plans describe the strategic direction for
management of forest resources, and are
adaptive and amendable as conditions
change over time, in order to remain
relevant for their intended application
period of 10–15 years.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:31 Jun 02, 2017
Jkt 241001
Similar to the 2008 Planning Rule, the
2012 Planning Rule requires the forests
to outline desired conditions for each
management area, specify objectives to
achieve those conditions, and engage
the public extensively throughout the
plan revision process. However, the
2012 Planning Rule diverges from
previous iterations in several guiding
concepts and substantive components,
particularly in relying on the concept of
ecological integrity to frame plan
assessment, develop plan components,
and fulfill monitoring requirements.
Based on current estimates, it is
expected to take four years to produce
a revised Forest Plan.
Pursuant to the 2012 Planning Rule
(CFR part 219), the revision process
encompasses three stages: Assessment,
plan revision and monitoring.
Assessment—This notice announces
the start of the first stage of the process,
during which updated information from
the public, other federal agencies, and
non-governmental parties, as well as
still applicable data from the previous
revision effort will be compiled in an
assessment report. Information relevant
to the assessment report may include
the current, changed, and changing
status of ecological, social and economic
conditions within the planning area and
their interconnected relationships
within the context of the broader
landscape. The development of the
assessment includes opportunities for
the public to contribute information and
engage in the planning process and
build a common understanding prior to
entering formal plan revision.
Information gathered will be
documented in assessment reports that
form the basis for the need for change
document, which identifies changes to
be included in the new plan to provide
management direction adaptable enough
to address changing environmental,
social and economic conditions.
Plan Revision—Using the need for
change as a foundation, the GMUG, in
coordination with partners and the
public, will then begin the plan revision
phase of the process. During this phase,
a vision statement will be developed
that will lead the forests into the future,
specifying desired conditions and
objectives to help achieve these goals. In
compliance with the NEPA, this phase
will include the development of
alternatives, a proposed action, an
environmental impact statement (EIS),
and eventually a revised Forest Plan,
with announced opportunities for
public review and comment. Once the
Forest Plan is finalized, all projects and
actions that will be implemented on the
ground must be in compliance with the
Forest Plan.
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
25765
Monitoring—As part of the plan
revision, the public will assist the Forest
Service in developing a monitoring
program, which will be carried out after
the revised plan is approved and will
continue throughout the life of the plan.
The monitoring program should be
designed to help evaluate progress
towards meeting the desired conditions
and objectives established by the Forest
Plan, and may include monitoring
questions that address the status of
watershed conditions, visitor use and
satisfaction, effects of management
activities, and more. Monitoring efforts
should be within the financial and
technical capability of the agency and
will help the Forest Service and the
public evaluate the effectiveness of the
Forest Plan by providing feedback and
helping determine whether a change in
the plan is necessary.
To identify as much relevant
information as possible, the GMUG is
encouraging contributors to share their
concerns and perceptions of the
conditions and trends in social,
economic and environmental systems
within the GMUG planning area.
Meetings, review and comment periods,
and other opportunities for public
engagement throughout the plan
revision process will be publicized,
with announcements posted on the
Forests’ planning Web site at
www.fs.usda.gov/main/gmug/
landmanagement/planning. Information
will also be sent out to the Forests’
mailing list. If anyone is interested in
being included in these notifications,
please send an email to
gmugforestplan@fs.fed.us.
Responsible Official
The responsible official for the
revision of the land management plan
for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and
Gunnison National Forests is Scott
Armentrout, Forest Supervisor, Grand
Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison
National Forests, 2250 HWY 50, Delta,
CO 81416.
Dated: April 13, 2017.
Glenn P. Casamassa,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest
System.
[FR Doc. 2017–11482 Filed 6–2–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
E:\FR\FM\05JNN1.SGM
05JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 106 (Monday, June 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25764-25765]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11482]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests; Delta,
Garfield, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, Saguache and San
Miguel Counties; Colorado; Assessment Report of Ecological, Social and
Economic Conditions, Trends and Sustainability for the Grand Mesa,
Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of initiating the assessment phase of the land
management plan revision for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison
National Forests.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests
(GMUG), located on the western slope of the Colorado Rockies, are
initiating the forest planning process pursuant to the 2012 National
Forest System Land Management Planning rule. This process will result
in a revised and updated Natural Resource Land Management Plan, often
referred to as the Forest Plan, which will guide all management
activities on the GMUG for the next fifteen years. The current GMUG
Forest Plan was completed in 1983, and was subsequently amended in
1991, 1993, 2005, 2007, and 2009. Previous efforts to revise the Forest
Plan, including an eight-year effort involving extensive public
participation and the development of comprehensive assessments, a need
for change report, and a proposed plan were shelved due to the
overturning of the 2008 planning rule. Now that the national 2012
Planning Rule has been established, the GMUG will reinitiate the plan
revision process.
The plan revision process encompasses three stages: Assessment,
plan revision, and monitoring. This notice announces the initiation of
the assessment phase, the first stage of the plan revision process,
which involves assessing ecological, social and economic conditions and
trends in the planning area and documenting the findings in an
Assessment report. For the first phase, the GMUG has posted helpful
resources, including the current Forest Plan and subsequent amendments,
information from the 2006 and 2007 revision efforts, and the Citizen's
Guide to National Forest Planning, on the GMUG Forest Plan Web site
listed below.
During this assessment phase, the GMUG invites other government
agencies, non-governmental parties, and the public to share material
about existing and changed conditions, trends, and perceptions of
social, economic and ecological systems. The GMUG will host a variety
of public outreach forums in summer and fall of 2017 to facilitate this
effort, and the public is encouraged to participate and provide
meaningful contributions. The GMUG is seeking local knowledge of social
values, available data resources, areas of use and activities, goods
and services produced by lands within the GMUG, and relevant material
that will help inform desired conditions, standards and guidelines,
land suitability determinations, and other plan components. This
information will help identify gaps in the current management plan and
inform the need for change, highlighting priority issues that should be
addressed in this revision. Public participation and collaboration are
essential steps to understanding current conditions, available data,
and feedback needed to support a strategic, efficient and effective
revision process.
Several guiding principles, developed to overcome stakeholder-
identified challenges, will drive public engagement throughout the plan
revision process. These guiding principles include providing direct and
transparent communication through a variety of methods, maintaining
focused public involvement, building relationships, and promoting
sharing, learning and understanding between the agency and the public.
These guiding principles will help the GMUG ensure
[[Page 25765]]
that public engagement in the current assessment phase and throughout
the plan revision process will be functional, accessible, and
representative.
DATES: In summer and fall of 2017, the public is invited to engage in
the assessment phase of the revision process, for which public
engagement opportunities will be posted on the GMUG Forest Plan Web
site located at: www.fs.usda.gov/main/gmug/landmanagement/planning.
Information will also be sent out to the Forests' mailing list. If
anyone is interested in being included in these notifications, please
send an email to gmugforestplan@fs.fed.us. The assessment report for
the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests is
expected to be completed by January 2018 and will be posted on the GMUG
Forest Plan Web site listed above. The GMUG will then initiate
procedures pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
prepare and evaluate a revised Forest Plan.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and
Gunnison National Forests, Attn: Plan Revision, 2250 HWY 50, Delta CO,
81416. Written comments may also be sent via email to
gmugforestplan@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 970-874-6698. All
correspondence, including names and addresses when provided, will be
placed in the record and will be available for public inspection and
copying.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Clay Speas, Acting Renewable Resources
Planning Staff Officer, 970-874-6677, cspeas@fs.fed.us. Individuals who
use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of
1976 requires that every National Forest System (NFS) unit develop a
land management plan, often called a Forest Plan. On April 9th, 2012,
the Forest Service finalized its land management planning rule,
referred to as the 2012 Planning Rule, which describes requirements for
the planning process and provides programmatic direction to National
Forests and National Grasslands for developing and implementing their
forest plans. Forest plans describe the strategic direction for
management of forest resources, and are adaptive and amendable as
conditions change over time, in order to remain relevant for their
intended application period of 10-15 years.
Similar to the 2008 Planning Rule, the 2012 Planning Rule requires
the forests to outline desired conditions for each management area,
specify objectives to achieve those conditions, and engage the public
extensively throughout the plan revision process. However, the 2012
Planning Rule diverges from previous iterations in several guiding
concepts and substantive components, particularly in relying on the
concept of ecological integrity to frame plan assessment, develop plan
components, and fulfill monitoring requirements. Based on current
estimates, it is expected to take four years to produce a revised
Forest Plan.
Pursuant to the 2012 Planning Rule (CFR part 219), the revision
process encompasses three stages: Assessment, plan revision and
monitoring.
Assessment--This notice announces the start of the first stage of
the process, during which updated information from the public, other
federal agencies, and non-governmental parties, as well as still
applicable data from the previous revision effort will be compiled in
an assessment report. Information relevant to the assessment report may
include the current, changed, and changing status of ecological, social
and economic conditions within the planning area and their
interconnected relationships within the context of the broader
landscape. The development of the assessment includes opportunities for
the public to contribute information and engage in the planning process
and build a common understanding prior to entering formal plan
revision. Information gathered will be documented in assessment reports
that form the basis for the need for change document, which identifies
changes to be included in the new plan to provide management direction
adaptable enough to address changing environmental, social and economic
conditions.
Plan Revision--Using the need for change as a foundation, the GMUG,
in coordination with partners and the public, will then begin the plan
revision phase of the process. During this phase, a vision statement
will be developed that will lead the forests into the future,
specifying desired conditions and objectives to help achieve these
goals. In compliance with the NEPA, this phase will include the
development of alternatives, a proposed action, an environmental impact
statement (EIS), and eventually a revised Forest Plan, with announced
opportunities for public review and comment. Once the Forest Plan is
finalized, all projects and actions that will be implemented on the
ground must be in compliance with the Forest Plan.
Monitoring--As part of the plan revision, the public will assist
the Forest Service in developing a monitoring program, which will be
carried out after the revised plan is approved and will continue
throughout the life of the plan. The monitoring program should be
designed to help evaluate progress towards meeting the desired
conditions and objectives established by the Forest Plan, and may
include monitoring questions that address the status of watershed
conditions, visitor use and satisfaction, effects of management
activities, and more. Monitoring efforts should be within the financial
and technical capability of the agency and will help the Forest Service
and the public evaluate the effectiveness of the Forest Plan by
providing feedback and helping determine whether a change in the plan
is necessary.
To identify as much relevant information as possible, the GMUG is
encouraging contributors to share their concerns and perceptions of the
conditions and trends in social, economic and environmental systems
within the GMUG planning area. Meetings, review and comment periods,
and other opportunities for public engagement throughout the plan
revision process will be publicized, with announcements posted on the
Forests' planning Web site at www.fs.usda.gov/main/gmug/landmanagement/planning. Information will also be sent out to the Forests' mailing
list. If anyone is interested in being included in these notifications,
please send an email to gmugforestplan@fs.fed.us.
Responsible Official
The responsible official for the revision of the land management
plan for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests is
Scott Armentrout, Forest Supervisor, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and
Gunnison National Forests, 2250 HWY 50, Delta, CO 81416.
Dated: April 13, 2017.
Glenn P. Casamassa,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2017-11482 Filed 6-2-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P
