Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 226 / Wednesday, November 24, 2004 / Notices 68303

ACTION: Notice.

The Administrator, Foreign 

Agricultural Service (FAS), today 

terminated the certification of a petition 

for trade adjustment assistance (TAA) 

that was filed by the Catfish Farmers of 

America and certified on November 25, 

2003. Catfish producers in Alabama, 

Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, 

Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, 

Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North 

Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South 

Carolina, Texas, and Utah will not be 

eligible for TAA benefits in fiscal year 

2005.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Upon 

investigation, the Administrator 

determined that domestic producer 

prices did not decline at least 20 percent 

during the 2003 marketing year 

(January–December), when compared to 

average prices during the 5-year base 

period ending December 2001. In 

addition, during the 2003 marketing 

year, imports did not increase, but 

declined by 16.2 percent. Both 

conditions, a decline in prices of at least 

20 percent and an increase in imports, 

are required for re-certifying a petition 

for TAA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Jean-Louis Pajot, Coordinator, Trade 

Adjustment Assistance for Farmers, 

FAS, USDA, (202) 720–2916, e-mail: 

trade.adjustment@fas.usda.gov.

Dated: November 10, 2004. 

A. Ellen Terpstra, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.

[FR Doc. 04–26085 Filed 11–23–04; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service 

Trade Adjustment Assistance for 

Farmers

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, 

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

The Administrator, Foreign 

Agricultural Service (FAS), re-certified 

the trade adjustment assistance (TAA) 

petition that was filed by the Georgia 

Shrimp Association on behalf of Georgia 

shrimpers and initially certified on 

November 19, 2003. Shrimpers who 

land their catch in Georgia will be 

eligible to apply for fiscal year 2005 

benefits during a 90-day period 

beginning on November 29, 2004. The 

application period closes on February 

28, 2005.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Upon 

investigation, the Administrator 

determined that continued increases in 

imports of like or directly competitive 

products contributed importantly to a 

decline in the average landed price of 

shrimp in Georgia by 37.7 percent 

during the 2003 marketing period 

(January-December), compared to the 

1997–2001 base period. Eligible 

producers may request technical 

assistance from the Extension Service at 

no cost and receive an adjustment 

assistance payment, if certain program 

criteria are satisfied. Producers in fiscal 

year 2005 who did not receive technical 

assistance under the fiscal year 2004 

TAA program must obtain the technical 

assistance from the Extension Service by 

May 31, 2005, in order to be eligible for 

financial payments. 

Producers of raw agricultural 

commodities wishing to learn more 

about TAA and how they may apply 

should contact the Department of 

Agriculture at the addresses provided 

below for General Information. 

Producers Certified as Eligible for 

TAA, Contact: Farm Service Agency 

service centers. 

For General Information About TAA, 

Contact: Jean-Louis Pajot, Coordinator, 

Trade Adjustment Assistance for 

Farmers, FAS, USDA, (202) 720–2916, 

e-mail: trade.adjustment@fas.usda.gov.

Dated: November 10, 2004. 

A. Ellen Terpstra, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.

[FR Doc. 04–26086 Filed 11–23–04; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service 

Extension of Comment Period; 

Application for Transportation and 

Utility Systems and Facilities for the 

Village at Wolf Creek Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, Rio Grande 

National Forest.

ACTION: Extension of comment period.

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service 

(USFS), Rio Grande National Forest 

(RGNF) announces the extension of the 

comment period for the Application for 

Transportation and Utility Systems and 

Facilities for the Village at Wolf Creek 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS). The comment period ends 

December 6, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Mr. Robert Dalrymple, Forest 

Planner, USDA–USFS, Rio Grande 

National Forest, (719) 852–5941.

Dated: November 16, 2004. 

Peter L. Clark, 

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 04–26052 Filed 11–23–04; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service 

Black Hills National Forest, Bearlodge 

Ranger District, Wyoming, Dean 

Project Area Proposal and Analysis

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement on a proposal to implement 

multiple resource management actions 

within the Dean Area as directed by the 

Black Hills National Forest Land and 

Resource Management Plan. The Dean 

Project Area covers about 12,468 acres 

of National Forest System land and 

about 2,256 acres of interspersed private 

land within the Redwater Creek 

watershed directly north of Sundance, 

Wyoming. Proposed actions would 

modify the structure of forest stands 

across the planning area to reduce fuel 

loads, potential for uncharacteristically 

intense wildfire behavior, and risk of 

insect outbreaks; provide for diverse 

wildlife habitat and restore hardwoods; 

and provide a mix of motorized and 

non-motorized use opportunities.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

December 22, 2004. The draft 

environmental impact statement is 

expected to be available for public 

review by March 2005 and the final 

environmental impact statement is 

expected to be completed by June 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Steve Kozel, District Ranger, Black Hills 

National Forest, Bearlodge Ranger 

District, 121 S. 21st Street, Sundance, 

Wyoming 82729. Telephone Number: 

(307) 283–1361. E-mail: commentsrocky-mountain-black-hillsbearlodge@fs.fed.us with ‘‘Dean Project’’

as subject.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Janis Bouma, Project Coordinator, Black 

Hills National Forest, Bearlodge Ranger 

District, at above address, phone (307) 

283–1361.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

actions are proposed in direct response 

to management direction provided by 

the Black Hills National Forest Land 

and Resource Management Plan (Forest 

Plan). The site-specific actions are based 

on Forest Plan Standards and

68304 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 226 / Wednesday, November 24, 2004 / Notices 

Guidelines to promote existing resource 

conditions in the Dean Project Area 

toward meeting Forest Plan Goals and 

Objectives. The project area lies in the 

Bear Lodge Mountains in the Black Hills 

National Forest, directly north of 

Sundance, Wyoming. Anticipated issues 

include: Fire and fuels hazard in the 

project area; support and opposition to 

vegetation treatment such as timber 

harvest; impacts of vegetation treatment 

and multiple forest uses on wildlife 

habitat; motorized and non-motorized 

recreation; and travel management. 

Purpose of and Need for Action 

There is a need to reduce the potential 

for uncharacteristically intense wildlife 

behavior and insect infestation, provide 

diverse wildlife habitat, and manage 

motorized recreation in the Dean Project 

Area. This project will address Forest 

Plan Goal 2 (providing for biologically 

diverse ecosystems) and Goal 3 

(providing for sustained commodity 

uses) consistent with Forest Plan 

Standards and Guidelines.

Proposed Action 

Actions proposed in the Dean Project 

Area include: 

• Modifying stand structure across 

the planning area to reduce potential for 

uncharacteristically intense wildfire 

behavior and benefit wildlife. This 

action includes thinning the forest, 

removing conifers from stands of 

hardwoods such as aspen, bur oak, and 

birch, and expanding and/or creating 

meadows. 

• Reducing fuel loads by decreasing 

the volume and arrangement of both 

existing fuels and those resulting from 

other vegetation treatment activities. 

Treatment could include lopping, 

chipping, crushing, piling and burning, 

and prescribed burning on up to 3,494 

acres. 

• Reducing the density of pine stands 

on up to 5,730 acres to decrease the 

potential for spreading crown fires, 

increase tree growth and vigor, and 

lessen the risk of insect infestation and 

disease. This may be done by using 

commercial timber harvest to thin out 

merchantable trees and using other 

methods to thin small, unmerchantable 

trees. These actions would provide 

wood fiber to local industry and would 

require construction of up to 10 miles of 

new specified roads. 

• Modifying the Forest Plan through 

a non-significant Amendment to change 

Management Area (MA) designation in 

part of the project area to better reflect 

actual conditions. The entire project 

area is currently in MA 5.4 (Big Game 

Winter Range Emphasis). The lower 

elevations and south aspects on the east 

side of the project area currently 

provide appropriate and important 

winter range for deer and elk and are 

utilized as such. However, the 

remainder of the project area is heavily 

used by deer and elk only during the 

spring, summer, and fall, including 

calving and fawning periods. Therefore, 

the Forest proposes to change the 

Management Area designation in a 

portion of the project area to MA 5.6 

(Forest Products, Recreation, and Big 

Game Emphasis) to reflect the actual 

utilization and better manage the project 

area to benefit a variety of wildlife, 

including big game species, and better 

reflect existing non-motorized 

recreation opportunities. 

• Providing a mix of motorized and 

non-motorized opportunities and 

protecting wildlife in the area by closing 

the project area to off-road motorized 

travel and restricting ATV use to 

designated routes. Main system routes 

currently open to motorized travel 

would remain open. Approximately 

16.1 miles of roads would also be 

decommissioned. 

Responsible Official 

Steve Kozel, District Ranger, Black 

Hills National Forest, Bearlodge Ranger 

District, 121 S. 21st Street, Sundance, 

Wyoming 82729. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The decision to be made is whether or 

not to implement the proposed action or 

alternatives at this time. 

Scoping Process 

Comments and input regarding the 

proposal will be requested via direct 

mailing from the public, other groups 

and agencies during the 30-day (plus) 

public comment period in November 

and December 2004. Also, response to 

the draft EIS will be sought from the 

interested public in March 2005.

Comment Requested 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process which guides the 

development of the environmental 

impact statement. It is our desire to 

involve interested parties and especially 

adjacent landowners in identifying the 

issues related to proposed activities. 

Comments will assist the planning team 

identify key issues and opportunities 

used to develop project alternatives and 

mitigation measures. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review 

A draft environmental impact 

statement will be prepared for comment. 

The comment period on the draft 

environmental impact statement will 

last 45 days (beginning around March 1, 

2005) from the date the Environmental 

Protection Agency 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 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 1016, 

1022 (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 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 on 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.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21)

Dated: November 17, 2004. 

Brad Exton, 

Acting Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 04–25972 Filed 11–23–04; 8:45 am] 

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