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Payette National Forest, Idaho, Middle Little Salmon Vegetation Management Project
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: April 19, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 76)]
[Notices]
[Page 19388-19389]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19ap02-26]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Payette National Forest, Idaho, Middle Little Salmon Vegetation
Management Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revised notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Middle Little
Salmon Vegetation Management Project in the Federal Register on
February 12, 1999 (Vol. 64, No. 29, pages 7164-7165). A revised Notice
of Intent is being issued due to two major changes (Forest Service
Handbook 1909.15 part 21.2):
1. It has been more than six months since filing the original
Notice of Intent; and
2. There has been a change in the proposed action.
The USDA Forest Service will prepare the Middle Little Salmon
Vegetation Management Project EIS. The proposed action in the EIS is to
manage timber stands to improve their productivity and provide
defensible space from wildfires on National Forest System Lands
adjacent to a private land subdivision. Additionally, the proposed
action is to obliterate roads to reduce sediment, and close other roads
to reduce wildlife vulnerability. The Payette National Forest invites
written comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis and the
issues to address. The agency gives notice of the full National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and decision-making process so
that interested and affected people know how they may participate and
contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments need to be received by May 28, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Kimberly A. Brandel, District
Ranger, New Meadows Ranger District, Payette National Forest, P.O. Box
J, New Meadows, Idaho 83654.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
should be directed to Sue Dixon, Project Team Leader, at the above
address, phone (208) 347-0300.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Middle Little Salmon planning area is
located in the Round Valley Creek and Upper Mud Creek subwatersheds on
the New Meadows Ranger District. It is four miles north and west of New
Meadows and is approximately 11,823 acres in size. The purpose and need
for this activity is to (1) improve the existing condition of forest
vegetation within the planning area to move toward the goals,
objectives, and desired future condition for forest vegetation stated
in the Payette National Forest Land and Resource Plan; and (2) lower
the risk of crown fires and reduce fire severity on National Forest
lands surrounding the Circle C subdivision.
The proposed action includes a variety of activities to meet the
purpose and need. (1) Harvest approximately 6.4 million board feet on
686 acres, of which 361 acres are to reduce the fuels around the Circle
C Subdivision. Harvest prescriptions would consist of shelterwood,
commercial thinning, and patch clearcuts. Yarding systems would be
primarily tractor, and 79 acres of skyline. (2) Reduce crown fire
hazard and lower fire severity on 605 acres by commercial harvest (361
acres stated previously), hand pile and burn 211 acres in riparian
conservation areas, and prescribe burn an additional 33 acres. (3)
Provide for conifer seedling planting and natural regeneration on 427
acres. (4) Road management would consist of reconstructing seven miles
of road, and decommissioning or closing 73 miles of road. There would
be no new road construction. Seven miles of road would be reconstructed
for hauling logs, and stream crossings would include graveling to
reduce sediment. (5) Treat harvest generated fuels on approximately 685
acres. A total of 929 acres would be treated with this proposed action.
This proposed action would require four one-time, site-specific, non-
significant amendments to the Payette National Forest Plan.
Preliminary issues for this project include effects on fisheries,
wildlife, water quality, and effects of hazardous fuels reduction.
A range of reasonable alternatives will be considered. The no-
action alternative will serve as a baseline for comparison of
alternatives. The proposed action will be considered along with
additional alternatives developed that meet the purpose and need and
address significant issues identified during scoping. Alternatives may
have different amounts, locations, and types of project activities.
Comments received in response to this notice, including names and
addresses of those who comment, will be part of the project record and
available for public review.
The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from other
Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribal governments, organizations;
and individuals who may be interested in or affected by the proposed
action. This
[[Page 19389]]
input will be used in preparation of the EIS.
Comments will be appreciated throughout the analysis process. The
draft EIS will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and is anticipated to be available for public review by summer 2002.
The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days. It is important
that those interested in the management of the Payette National Forest
participate at that time.
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
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 at the
draft environmental impact statement stage but that 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 016, 1002 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris,
490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E. D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court
rulings, it is 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
raised by the proposed action, comments on the 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 statement.
Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft environmental
impact statement or 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.
After the 45-day comment period ends on the draft EIS, the Forest
Service will analyze comments received and address them in the final
EIS. The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in 2002. The
Responsible Official is the Payette National Forest Supervisor. The
decision will be documented, including the rationale for the decision,
in a Record of Decision (ROD). The decision will be subject to review
under the Forest Service Appeal Regulations at 36 CFR 215.
Dated: April 11, 2002.
Robert S. Giles,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 02-9609 Filed 4-18-02; 8:45 am]
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