10456 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 44 / Monday, March 8, 2010 / Notices 

ACTION: Notice of Extension of 

Application Window for Notice of 

Funds Availability (NOFA) and 

solicitation of applications. 

SUMMARY: On January 24, 2010, the 

Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced 

a second round funding Notice of Funds 

Availability (NOFA) for the Broadband 

Initiatives Program (BIP) in the Federal 

Register at 75 FR 3820. The closing date 

for submission of applications was 

announced as March 15, 2010, at 5 p.m. 

Eastern Time (ET). In response to 

requests by a wide variety of 

stakeholders, RUS is extending the 

application window for applications 

under the second round NOFA until 

March 29, 2010 at 5 p.m. ET. 

Contact Information: For general 

inquiries regarding BIP, contact David J. 

Villano, Assistant Administrator 

Telecommunications Program, Rural 

Utilities Service, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA), e-mail: 

bip@wdc.usda.gov, telephone: (202) 

690–0525. For inquiries regarding BIP 

compliance requirements, including 

applicable federal rules and regulations 

protecting against fraud, waste and 

abuse, contact 

bipcompliance@wdc.usda.gov for BIP. 

You may obtain additional information 

regarding applications for BIP via the 

Internet at www.broadbandusa.gov. 

Dated: March 2, 2010. 

Jonathan Adelstein, 

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–4780 Filed 3–5–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Kootenai National Forest, Fortine 

Ranger District, Montana; Galton 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The USDA—Forest Service 

will prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) to disclose the 

environmental effects of transportation 

system and access management 

alternatives, vegetation management 

alternatives, and recreation project 

alternatives in the Galton Decision Area 

(Decision Area) on the Fortine Ranger 

District of the Kootenai National Forest. 

The Forest Service is seeking comments 

from Federal, State, and local agencies 

and individuals and organizations that 

may be interested in or affected by the 

proposed actions. The comments will be 

used to prepare the draft EIS (DEIS). 

DATES: Written comments concerning 

the scope of the analysis must be 

postmarked or received within 30 days 

following publication of this notice. The 

draft environmental impact statement is 

expected in May of 2010 and the final 

environmental impact statement is 

expected in November of 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments 

concerning the proposed action to Betty 

Holder, District Ranger, Fortine Ranger 

District, P.O. Box 116, Fortine, MT 

59918. All comments must contain: 

Name of commenter, postal service 

mailing address, and date of comment. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Moira McKelvey, Writer/Editor, Fortine 

Ranger District, P.O. Box 116, Fortine, 

MT 59918. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Decision Area is located east of US 

Highway 93 from the U.S./Canada 

border to the Kootenai National Forest 

boundary south of Dickey Lake and 

includes a small portion of National 

Forest System Lands (NFSL) west of 

U.S. Highway 93 in the Dickey Lake and 

Ant Flat area. The Decision Area 

encompasses all of three (3) Planning 

Areas (Wigwam, Grave, and Murphy) 

and the Fortine Ranger District portions 

of two (2) Planning Areas (Stillwater 

and Ksanka). This area includes the Ten 

Lakes Wilderness Study Area (WSA), 

the Ten Lakes Scenic Area, Grave Creek, 

Therriault Lakes. Dickey Lake, Marston, 

and Ant Flat. The boundary for this 

project covers approximately 170,300 

acres of which approximately 127,380 

acres is National Forest System Land. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The purpose and need for the project 

is to: (1) Provide the minimum system 

of roads and road uses that are needed 

for Forest Service land management 

activities and recreational access while 

reducing road impact to water quality 

and secure wildlife habitat and reducing 

road maintenance costs; (2) Provide trail 

loop opportunities and trail access to 

remote areas; (3) Provide ATV and 

motorcycle enthusiasts with trails on 

which they can ride their non-street 

legal vehicles and where nonlicensed 

riders can ride; (4) Designate mountain 

bike use that is compatible with the 

Montana Wilderness Study Act; (5) 

Designate allowed non-winter uses on 

all trails to reduce potential conflicts 

between user groups; (6) Designate oversnow vehicle use that is compatible 

with the Montana Wilderness Study Act 

while minimizing impacts to wildlife 

species such as grizzly bear; (7) Provide 

quiet winter recreation areas (nonmotorized); (8) Provide a shelter facility 

for winter recreation users; (9) Reduce 

fuels within the wildland urban 

interface; (10) Create openings to 

provide big game browse; (11) Improve 

habitat for whitebark pine stand 

survival and regeneration; (12) Reestablish the natural role of fire in the 

ecosystem; (13) Provide a stable flow of 

timber products for the local and 

regional economy; and (14) Enhance 

recreational use and safety. 

Proposed Action 

The Proposed Action would result in 

a year round travel plan for the Galton 

Project Area, which includes the Ten 

Lakes Wilderness Study Area. Oversnow vehicle use would be allowed 

from 12/1 through 3/31 in a regular 

season on 26 miles of designated trail 

routes leading to 38,411 acres of 

contiguous National Forest System 

Lands open to over-snow vehicle use. 

Over-snow vehicle use would be 

allowed in a late season from 4/1 to 

5/31 on 31 miles of designated trail 

leading to 4,445 acres of contiguous 

National Forest System Lands open to 

over-snow vehicle use. The access 

within the open areas can be limited 

due to natural features such as terrain 

and vegetation. 

7.65 miles of road would be restricted 

for quiet winter recreation. The nonwinter portion of the travel plan 

includes trail use designations to 

minimize conflict between user groups. 

The Proposed Action includes 

construction of 15.25 miles of new trail 

and the reconstruction of 2 miles of 

trail. The Proposed Action also would 

result in the conversion of 20.12 miles 

of road currently managed as trail to 

non-motorized trail and 7.85 miles of 

road converted to motorized trail. 

Additionally, 20.35 miles of road are 

proposed for decommissioning and 

24.26 miles of road to be put into 

intermittent stored service. 9.56 miles of 

road are proposed to be restricted for all 

motorized use in Big Game Winter 

Range with an additional 4.69 miles of 

road restricted for over-snow vehicle 

use in Big Game Winter Range. 

The Proposed Action would result in 

9,043 acres of fuel treatment. This 

includes 191. acres of non-commercial 

understory thinning, 7,973 acres of 

prescribed burning only, and 879 acres 

of prescribed burning with mechanical 

pretreatment. 

The Forest Service proposes to 

complete 1,814 acres of commercial 

vegetation management. This includes 

226 acres of regeneration harvest 

(shelterwood and seedtree 

prescriptions) and 133 acres of 

regeneration harvest in clearcut with 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 44 / Monday, March 8, 2010 / Notices 10457 

reserves prescription. The Proposed 

Action also calls for 46 acres of 

commercial thinning along with 1,368 

acres of improvement cutting as 

intermediate harvests. 41 acres are 

proposed to be cut for vista 

enhancement. The Forest Service also 

proposes to restore Locke Cabin, 

improve the parking facility at Murphy 

Lake, make improvements to camping 

facilities at the Bunchgrass dispersed 

camping site, improve the picnic and 

day use area at Little Therriault Lake, 

and construct a warming pavilion at Big 

Therriault Lake. 

The Proposed Action also includes a 

number of special use permits which 

will expire during the period this 

project will be implemented. 

Possible Alternatives 

The Forest Service will consider a 

range of alternatives. One of these will 

be the ‘‘no action’’ alternative, in which 

none of the proposed activities will be 

implemented. Additional alternatives 

will be considered to achieve the 

project’s purpose and need for action, 

and to respond to specific resource 

issues and public concerns. 

Responsible Official 

Paul Bradford, Forest Supervisor, 

Kootenai National Forest, 31374 

Highway 2 West, Libby, MT 59923. 

Nature of the Decision To Be Made 

A 2007 lawsuit settlement agreement 

with the Montana Wilderness 

Association commits the Forest Service 

to develop summer and winter travel 

plans for the Ten Lakes Wilderness 

Study Area. The Galton Project includes 

travel planning for the Ten Lakes WSA. 

This project will also reduce hazardous 

fuels within and outside the wildlandurban interface, provide 6.0 MMBF of 

commercial forest products, provide for 

recreation facilities, and evaluate 

special use permits. 

Scoping Process 

Beginning in January 2008, efforts 

were made to involve the public in 

considering management opportunities 

within the Decision Area. Open houses 

were held on February 13, 25, and 26, 

2008. A scoping package was mailed for 

public review on June 29, 2009. The 

proposal will be included in the 

quarterly Schedule of Proposed Actions. 

Comments received prior to this notice 

will be included in the documentation 

for the EIS. 

Preliminary Issues 

Preliminary issues identified include 

access, including roads, mountain bikes 

and over-snow vehicles. 

Comment Requested 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process which guides the 

development of the environmental 

impact statement. At this stage of the 

planning process, site-specific public 

comments are being requested to 

determine the scope of the analysis, and 

identify significant issues and 

alternatives to the Proposed Action. 

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 be 

45 days from the date the 

Environmental Protection Agency 

published the notice of availability in 

the Federal Register. The Forest Service 

believes it is important to give reviewers 

notice of several court rulings related to 

public participation in the 

environmental review process. First, 

reviews of DEIS’ 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 

stage 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 (ED, 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 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 statements. 

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. 

Paul Bradford, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2010–4687 Filed 3–5–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Andrew Pickens Ranger District; South 

Carolina; AP Loblolly Pine Removal 

and Restoration Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The AP Loblolly Pine 

Removal and Restoration Project is a 

district-wide project that includes 40 

compartments located across the 

Andrew Pickens Ranger District, Sumter 

National Forest in Oconee County, 

South Carolina. Loblolly pine is a 

southern pine species that is not native 

to mountain regions in the upstate. This 

species was planted extensively in 

plantations across the district in the 

past, primarily in an effort to increase 

pine productivity for timber products. 

Most of the plantations have suffered 

from insect and disease related 

mortality such as southern pine beetle 

and need to be restored to native 

hardwoods and pines and understory 

plants more typical of the Chattooga 

River and Blue Ridge Mountains and 

Foothills (Management Area 2 and 3, 

respectively). Also, habitat diversity 

would be improved by developing and 

maintaining early successional habitat 

capable of supporting existing native 

and other desired non-native plants 

(including the federally endangered 

smooth coneflower, Echinacea 

laevigata) and wildlife species. This 

habitat would be maintained with 

herbicide, prescribed fire and also 

manual and mechanical treatment. 

Woodlands are forests with relatively 

low tree densities of 25–60% forest 

cover with understories that are 

dominated by native grasses and forbs. 

Five stands within the project area 

would be developed and maintained as 

woodland habitat (202 acres). 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

April 7, 2010. The draft environmental 

impact statement is expected by July 

2010 and the final environmental 

impact statement is expected by 

November 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

USDA Forest Service, 112 Andrew 

Pickens Circle, Mountain Rest, SC 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES