2576 Federal Register / Vol. 5, No. 11 / Tuesday, January 18, 2000 / Notices

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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Woodpecker Project Area

Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: The Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare

an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) to provide timber for the Tongass

National Forest timber sale program, to

enhance recreational opportunities, to

develop a road management plan for the

project area, and to perform watershed

restoration work. The Record of

Decision will disclose where, if any, the

Forest Service has decided to provide

timber harvest units, roads, associated

timber harvesting facilities, dispersed

recreation sites, and watershed

improvements. The proposed action for

timber harvest is to provide multiple

timber sale opportunities for a total of

approximately 13 million board feet

(mmbf) of timber. Timber harvest will

be accomplished using a variety of

silvicultural prescriptions to meet the

standards and guidelines of the Forest

Plan. Recreation opportunity

enhancement includes dispersed sites

for camping and picnicking, and

improved turnouts for parking.

Watershed improvements includes

cordoning exposed roadside banks and

decommissioning roads were drainage

problems exist. A range of alternatives

responsive to significant issues will be

developed and will include a no-action

alternative. These activities were first

identified during the public

involvement and analysis for the Mitkof

Landscape Design. The proposed 33,000

acre project area is located on parts of

Value Comparison Units 447, 448, and

452 on Mitkof Island, Alaska on the

Petersburg Ranger District of the

Tongass National Forest. Part of this

project are is within an Inventoried

Roadless Area (Crystal #224 as

identified by the Tongass Land and

Resource Management Plan).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope

of this project should be received by

February 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Please send written

comments to the Petersburg Ranger

District, Tongass National Forest, Attn:

Woodpecker Project Area EIS, PO Box

1328, Petersburg, AK 99833. The FAX

number is (907) 772–5995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposal and EIS

should be directed to Patricia Grantham,

District Ranger, Petersburg Ranger

District, Tongass National Forest, PO

Box 1328, Petersburg, AK 9983;

telephone (907) 772–3871 or Cynthia

Sever, Interdisciplinary Team Leader,

Petersburg Ranger District, PO Box

1328, Petersburg, AK 9983; telephone

(907) 772–3871.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public

participation has been an integral

component of the study process and

will be especially important at several

points during the analysis. The

proposed activities were first identified

during the Mitkof Landscape Design in

1995, which incorporated aspects of

collaborative stewardship. During the

last year, the Forest Service has been

seeking information, comments, and

assistance from Federal, State, and local

agencies, Federally-recognized Indian

tribes, and individuals and

organizations that may be interested in,

or affected by, the proposed activities.

Written scoping comments have been

solicited through an informal scoping

package that was sent to the project

mailing list and available at open

houses in Petersburg, AK, and Kake,

AK. The scoping process will include:

(1) Identification of potential issues; (2)

identification of issues to be analyzed in

depth; and, (3) elimination of

insignificant issues or those which have

been covered by a previous

environmental review. For the Forest

Service to best use the scoping input,

comments should be received by

February 7, 2000.

Based on results of scoping and the

resource capabilities within the project

area, alternatives including a ‘‘no

action’’ alternative will be developed for

the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement. The Draft Environmental

Impact Statement is projected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) in March 2000.

Subsistence hearings, as provided for in

Title VIII, Section 810 of the Alaska

National Interest Lands Conservation

Act (ANILCA), will be provided, if

necessary, during the comment period

on the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement. The Final Environmental

Impact Statement and Record of

Decision are anticipated to be published

in July 2000.

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 proposed 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).

Environmental objections that could

have been raised at the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement stage

may be waived or dismissed by the

courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803

F.2nd 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 of the proposed action,

comments during scoping and

comments on the Draft Environmental

Federal Register / Vol. 5, No. 11 / Tuesday, January 18, 2000 / Notices 2577

Impact Statement should be as specific

as possible. It is also helpful if

comments refer to specific pages or

chapters of the Draft Environmental

Impact 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.

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.

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 or 217. 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. Requesters should be

aware that, under 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 where 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 7 days.

Permits required for implementation

include the following:

1. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

—Approval of discharge of dredged or

fill material into the waters of the

United States under Section 404 of

the Clean Water Act; and

—Approval of the construction of

structures or work in navigable waters

of the United States under Section 10

of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.

2. Environmental Protection Agency

—National Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System (402) Permit; and

—Review Spill Prevention Control and

Countermeasure Plan.

3. State of Alaska, Department of

Natural Resources

—Tideland Permit and Lease or

Easement.

4. State of Alaska, Department of

Environmental Conservation

—Solid Waste Disposal Permit; and

—Certification of Compliance with

Alaska Water Quality Standards (401

Certification).

RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: Carol

Jorgensen, Assistant Forest Supervisor,

Tongass National Forest, P.O. Box 309,

Alaska 99833, is the responsible official.

The responsible official will consider

the comments, response, disclosure of

environmental consequences, and

applicable laws, regulations, and

policies in making the decision and

stating the rationale in the Record of

Decision.

Dated: December 29, 1999.

Carol J. Jorgensen,

Assistant Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 00–1109 Filed 1–14–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

California Coast Provincial Advisory

Committee (PAC)

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Meeting.

SUMMARY: The California Coast

Provincial Advisory Committee (PAC)

will meet on February 2 and 3, 2000, at

the Six Rivers National Forest

Supervisor’s Office in Eureka,

California. The meeting will be held

from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days.

The Forest Supervisor’s Office is located

at 1330 Bayshore Way in Eureka.

Agenda items to be covered include: (1)

Survey and Manage Draft Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement

Presentation and Work on the Ground

Subcommittee Recommendations; (2)

Regional Ecosystem Office (REO)

update; (3) Aquatic Conservation

Subcommittee recommendations; (4)

Megan Fire update; (5) Presentation on

EPA’s Draft Clean Water Action Plan; (6)

Presentation on Natural Resources

Conservation Service Erosion Control

Plans; (7) Northern spotted owl baseline

study final results and

recommendations; and (8) Open public

comment. All California Coast

Provincial Advisory Committee

meetings are open to the public.

Interested citizens are encouraged to

attend.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions regarding this meeting

to Daniel Chisholm, Forest Supervisor,

or Phebe Brown, Province Coordinator,

USDA, Mendocino National Forest, 825

N. Humboldt Avenue, Willows, CA

95988, (530) 934–3316.

Dated: January 10, 2000.

Daniel K. Chisholm,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 00–996 Filed 1–14–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Buffalo Rapids Watershed, Montana

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Finding Of No

Significant Impact.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C)

of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969; the Council on

Environmental Quality Guidelines (40

CFS Part 1500); and the Natural

Resources Conservation Service

Guidelines (7 CFR Part 650); the Natural

Resources Conservation Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, gives notice

that an environmental impact statement

is not being prepared for the Buffalo

Rapids Watershed, Custer, Dawson, and

Prairie Counties, Montana.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Shirley Gammon, State Conservationist,

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

10 East Babcock, Room 443, Bozeman,

Montana, 59715, telephone (406) 587–

6813.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

environmental assessment of this

federally assisted action indicates that

the project will not cause significant

local, regional, or national impacts on

the environment. As a result of these

findings, Shirley Gammon, State

Conservationist, has determined that the

preparation and review of an

environmental impact statement are not

needed for this project.

The project concerns a plan for

agricultural water management and

watershed protection. The planned

works of improvement include 19,000

acres of irrigation water management,

nutrient management and conservation

crop rotation; 2,100 acres of pest

management; 500 acres of prescribed

grazing; 65 miles of gated pipe; 30 miles

of on-farm pipelines; 1,900 acres of

center pivots; 1,900 acres of land

leveling; 73 miles of lateral pipelines;

improvements to 12 feedlots; and 8,000

acres of polyacrylamide application.

The Notice of a Finding of No

Significant Impact (FONSI) has been

forwarded to the Environmental