[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2575-2576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1108]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
appearing in this section.

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Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 11 / Tuesday, January 18, 2000 / 
Notices

[[Page 2575]]


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 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

 Forest Service


 Saltwater Shoreline-based Outfitter Guide Capacity Environmental 
Impact Statement

AGENCY:  Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION:  Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY:  The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to authorize outfitter/guide 
(O/G) activities within four Ranger Districts of the Tongass National 
Forest for a period of five years. The analysis will consider saltwater 
shoreline-based commercial recreation use on Admiralty Island National 
Monument and Juneau, Hoonah and Sitka Ranger Districts. The decision to 
prepare an EIS is a result of initial public involvement that began 
with a scoping letter in October 1998. During 1998 and 1999 meetings 
were held with six communities and three organizations within the 
affected area. A letter summarizing the results of this public 
involvement and requesting additional comments will be distributed 
January 2000. The Record of Decision will disclose how the Forest 
Service has decided to allocate saltwater shoreline-based recreation 
capacity for O/G and noncommercial recreation uses. The Assistant 
Forest Supervisor will also decide whether or not to amend the Tongass 
Land and Resource Management Plan to allocate use levels for long-term 
management of commercial outfitting and guiding.
    The total recreation capacity of the study area has been determined 
via an analysis of available shoreline capacity based on the Recreation 
Opportunity Spectrum, Tongass Forest Plan standards and guidelines 
dealing with encounters, and physical conditions such as anchorages, 
shoreline facilities, and resource concerns. Proposed allocations are 
based on a percentage of the total recreation carrying capacity of 
individual Use Areas, or subunits within the Use Areas. Use Areas are 
geographic areas that correspond to Guide Use Areas defined by the 
Alaska Department of Fish and Game for the administration of guided 
hunting. Under the Proposed Action, allocation of commercial guided use 
during the summer season would range from 10 to 40 percent of the total 
recreation carrying capacity and would depend on considerations such as 
distance from communities, subsistence use and potential impacts to 
resources. The Proposed Action would allocate up to 80 percent of this 
commercial capacity to brown bear hunting guides during both spring and 
fall hunts, and the remaining commercial capacity to other non-hunting 
O/G's. A No Action Alternative and other alternatives which respond to 
significant issues will be developed, analyzed and compared in the 
Draft EIS.

DATE:  To be most useful comments concerning the scope of this project 
should be received by the end of February 2000.

ADDRESSES:  Please send written comments to: Alaska Regional Office, 
Ecosystem Planning Attn.: Julie Schaefers, Shoreline-based O/G Capacity 
EIS, P.O. Box 21628, Juneau, AK 99802-1628.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Julia Schaefers, Planning Team 
Leader, Alaska Regional Office, P.O. Box 21628, Juneau, AK 99802-1628, 
telephone (907) 586-8796 or Marti Marshall, Recreation Specialist, 
Tongass National Forest, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835, telephone 
(907) 747-4234.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  During January and February of 2000 the 
Forest Service will be seeking information, comments, and assistance 
from Federal, State and local agencies, tribal organizations, 
individuals, and organizations that may be interested in, or affected 
by the proposed activities. Comments received as a result of both the 
earlier public involvement and the current scoping will be included in 
this analysis. All comments will be analyzed to identify issues to be 
considered in the Draft EIS. Issues currently identified for analysis 
in the EIS include potential effects of the allocation to economic 
opportunities, conflicts between commercial operations, displacement of 
resident users, impacts to wildlife habitat, and the effect on 
subsistence uses.
    Based on the results of scooping, alternatives will be developed, 
analyzed, and compared in the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS will be filed 
with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in September 2000. 
Comments on the DEIS will be considered and responded to in the Final 
EIS, to be completed by January 2001.
    The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement 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 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 maybe 
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 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

[[Page 2576]]

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 in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the 
public record on this Proposed Action and will be available for public 
inspection and may be released under FOIA. Comments submitted 
anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, those who submit 
anonymous comments will not have standing to appeal the subsequent 
decision (36 CFR Parts 215 or 217).
    Responsible Official: Fred Salinas, Assistant Forest Supervisor, 
Tongass National Forest, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, Alaska 99835-7316, is 
the responsible official. In making the decision, the responsible 
official will consider the comments, responses, disclosure of 
environmental consequences, and applicable laws, regulations, and 
policies. The responsible official will state the rationale for the 
chosen alternative and the Record of Decision.

    Dated: January 4, 2000.
Fred S. Salinas,
Assistant Forest Supervisor.
[FR DOC. 00-1108 Filed1-14-00;8:45am]
[BILLING CODE 3410-11-M