Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 248 / Tuesday, December 28, 2004 / Notices 77711

Notice of Intent will be mailed to 

landowners within and immediately 

adjacent to the allotment area, as well as 

those people and organizations on the 

Coconino National Forest’s mailing list 

that have indicated a specific interest in 

the Deep Lake Allotment area or grazing 

management in general. The public will 

be notified of any meetings regarding 

this proposal by mailings and press 

releases sent to the local newspaper and 

media. There are no meetings planned 

at this time. 

Comments Requested 

This Notice of Intent initiates the 

scoping process under NEPA, which 

will guide development of the EIS. 

Comments concerning the scope of this 

project should be received within 30 

days of the date of publication of this 

Notice of Intent. Our desire is to receive 

substantive comments on the merits of 

the Proposed Action, as well as 

comments that address errors, 

misinformation, or information that has 

been omitted. Substantive comments are 

defined as comments within the scope 

of the proposal have a direct 

relationship to the proposal, and that 

include supporting reasons for the 

Responsible Official’s consideration. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review 

A draft EIS will be prepared for 

comment. The comment period on the 

draft EIS will be 45 days 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 a draft EIS 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 EIS stage but that are 

not raised until after completion of the 

final EIS 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 EIS. 

To assist the Forest Service in 

identifying and considering issues and 

concerns on the proposed action, 

comments on the draft EIS 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 EIS 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. 

Comments received, including the 

names and addresses of those who 

comment, will be considered part of the 

public record on this proposal and will 

be available for public inspection. 

Comments submitted anonymously will 

be accepted and considered; however, 

those who submit anonymous 

comments will not have standing to 

appeal the subsequent decision under 

36 CFR part 215. Additionally, pursuant 

to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may 

request the agency to withhold a 

submission from the public record by 

showing how the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA) permits such 

confidentiality. 

Persons requesting such 

confidentiality should be aware that, 

under the FOIA, confidentiality may be 

granted in only very limited 

circumstances, such as to protect trade 

secrets. The Forest Service will inform 

the requester of the agency’s decision 

regarding the request for confidentiality, 

and if the request is denied, the agency 

will return the submission and notify 

the requester that the comments may be 

resubmitted with or without name and 

address within a specified number of 

days.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21.)

Dated: December 14, 2004. 

Nora B. Rasure, 

Forest Supervisor, Coconino National Forest.

[FR Doc. 04–28344 Filed 12–27–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service 

Eastern Washington Cascades 

Provincial Advisory Committee and the 

Yakima Provincial Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Eastern Washington 

Cascades Provincial Advisory 

Committee and the Yakima Provincial 

Advisory Committee will meet on 

Wednesday, January 12, 2005, at the 

Okanogan and Wenatchee National 

Forests headquarters office, 215 Melody 

Lane, Wenatchee, Washington. The 

meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and 

continue until 3 p.m. During this 

meeting we will share information on 

new developments relating to the 

Northwest Forest Plan, learn about 

Hungry Hunter Stewardship Bidding 

results, discuss recreating planning for 

the Hungry Hunter area, and receive 

input on the White Pass Ski Area 

Expansion Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement. All Eastern Washington 

Cascades and Yakima Province 

Advisory Committee meetings are open 

to the public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions regarding this meeting 

to Paul Hart, Designated Federal 

Official, USDA, Wenatchee National 

Forest, 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee, 

Washington 98801, 509–664–9200.

Dated: December 17, 2004. 

Paul Hart, 

Designated Federal Official, Okanogan and 

Wenatchee National Forests.

[FR Doc. 04–28246 Filed 12–27–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service 

Northwest Sacramento Provincial 

Advisory Committee (SAC PAC)

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Northwest Sacramento 

Provincial Advisory Committee (PAC) 

will meet on January 13, 2005, at Red 

Bluff, California. The purpose of the 

meeting is to discuss issues relating to 

implementing the Northwest Forest 

Plan.

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

January 13, 2005. 

Location: The meeting will be held in 

the Conference Room at the Fish and 

Wildlife Service office at 10950 Tyler 

Road, Red Bluff, CA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie 

Nelson, Committee Coordinator, USDA, 

Shasta-Trinity National Forest, 3644 

Avtech Parkway, Redding, CA 96002 

(530) 226–2429; or by e-mail: 

jknelson@fs.fed.us.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is open to the public.