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Tie Camp Project, Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest, Carbon County, Wyoming and Jackson County, Colorado
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Tie Camp Project, Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest, Carbon
[Federal Register: March 21, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 56)] [Notices]
[Page 11605]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Tie Camp Project, Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest, Carbon County, Wyoming and Jackson County, Colorado
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to analyze and disclose the environment effects of a sitespecific proposal to harvest timber in the Coon Creek area of the Hayden Ranger District of the Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest within Carbon County, Wyoming and Jackson County, Colorado. The proposal could have impacts on the Coon Creek ``roadless area.'' The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires an early and open process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for identifying the significant issues related to the proposed action. The Forest Service is soliciting comments during the scoping phase of the environmental analysis process from other Federal, State, and local agencies, Indian Tribes, and organizations and individuals who may be interested or affected by the decision. The analysis process will include:
- Identification of the issues to be addressed.
- Identification of the issues to be analyzed in detail.
- Elimination of non-significant issues, issues addressed by previous environmental analyses, and issues not within the scope of this decision. DATES: Comments related to the scope of the analysis should be received by April 15, 1996. Comments may be either written or oral.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Don G. Carroll, District Ranger, Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District, P.O. Box 187, Encampment, Wyoming 82325. Oral Comments can be made by calling (307) 327-5481.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andy Cadenhead, Project Coordinator, (307) 327-5481.SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Medicine Bow National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Appendix A) identifies three potential timber sales in the Tie Camp analysis area: Commisary Park, Rim Road, and Damfino Creek. The Routt National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan lists the Dinner Park Timber Sale as a potential project in the analysis area. The proposed action is consistent with both the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forest Plans, and is intended to implement both Plans and also achieve the desired future condition for the area. The decisions to be made consist of how to best manage the area, and whether to implement the proposed activities, including measures designed to mitigate any adverse environmental effects. A reasonable range of alternatives, including ``no action,'' which would result in no development of the area, and the ``proposed action,'' will be considered. Other alternatives may be formulated in response to ``scoping,'' and may consider various combinations of designs for implementing the proposed activities.
The Responsible Official will be Jerry E. Schmidt, Forest Supervisor, Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest, 2468 Jackson Street, Laramie, Wyoming, 82070.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is expected to be available during mid-1997 and the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) available during September, 1997. A 45-day public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will commence on the day the Environmental Protection Agency publishes a ``Notice of Availability'' in the Federal Register. The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers an early 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 during the Draft Environmental Impact Statement stage, but 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). As a result of these previous 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 related to the proposed action, comments on this 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 document. Comments may also address the adequacy of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement or the merits of the alternatives displayed in the document. Reviewers should refer to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations at 40 CFR 1503.3 for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act for addressing these points. Please note that any comments that are submitted in relation to this DEIS will be considered as public information.Dated: March 6, 1996.
Jerry E. Schmidt,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 96-6758 Filed 3-20-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-11-M