Department of Agriculture April 21, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations for the importation of poultry meat and other poultry products from Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico.

The Superior National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Non-native Invasive Plant (NNIP) Management Project. In order to maintain and improve aquatic and terrestrial wildlife habitat, to maintain healthy, resilient native plant communities, and to maintain the character and ecological integrity of the BWCAW, the Superior National Forest proposes to use an integrated pest management approach to treat NNIP, beginning with treatments on a total of approximately 13 acres of invasive plants at sites scattered across the wilderness and possibly expanding up to 20 acres over the next 10 years. The proposed activities would eradicate or control existing NNIP populations and respond rapidly to new infestations in order to prevent the further spread of NNIP.

The Priest Lake Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Lakeview-Reeder Fuel Reduction Project. The Notice of Availability of the draft EIS for the Lakeview-Reeder Fuels Reduction Project was published in the Federal Register (74 FR 5652) on January 30, 2009 and the notice of the final EIS (74 FR 28045) was published on June 12, 2009. Following the release of the final EIS, two pre-decisional objections were lodged against the project under 36 CFR part 218. Under administrative review, the project was found to be in compliance with existing laws, regulations and policy. Two separate records of decision were issued. The Roads Record of Decision (ROD) was signed on December 3, 2009. This authorized selected roadwork activities analyzed in Alternative 2 that needed to be accomplished before fuels reduction activities could be implemented. The Hazardous Fuels Reduction ROD was signed on May 10, 2010 and authorized the activities analyzed in Alternative 2 that were deferred in the Roads ROD. A complaint for injunctive and declaratory relief against the Fuels Reduction ROD was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho on October 6, 2010. On December 3, 2010, the Fuels Reduction ROD was withdrawn to address issues raised by the decision in Native Ecosystems Council v. Tidwell, 599 F.3d 926 (9th Cir. 2010). A supplemental EIS will be prepared to address management indicator species, recently designated critical habitat for bull trout, and newly designated Sensitive species. Treatment acres, harvest prescriptions and mitigation for grizzly bears are slightly changed from that presented in the proposed action of the final EIS due to ongoing collaborative efforts.