39594 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 27, 2000 / Notices

This action is not a rule as defined by

the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C.

§ § 601–612) and thus is exempt from

the provisions of that Act.

In accordance with the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.

§ 3507), no new recordkeeping or

reporting requirements have been

included that are subject to approval

from the Office of Management and

Budget.

This action is exempted from review

by the Office of Management and

Budget under Executive Order 12866.

National School Lunch, School

Breakfast and Special Milk Programs are

listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance under No. 10.555, No. 10.553

and No. 10.556, respectively, and are

subject to the provisions of Executive

Order 12372, which requires

intergovernmental consultation with

State and local officials. (See 7 CFR Part

3015, Subpart V, and the final rule

related notice published at 48 FR 29114,

June 24, 1983.)

Authority: Sections 4, 8, 11 and 17A of the

National School Lunch Act, as amended, 42

U.S.C. 1753, 1757, 1759a, 1766a and sections

3 and 4(b) of the Child Nutrition Act, as

amended, 42 U.S.C. 1772 and 42 U.S.C.

1773(b).

Dated: June 21, 2000.

Samuel Chambers, Jr.,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–16168 Filed 6–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Information Collection; Request for

Comments; Timber Sale Operating

Plans

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the

Forest Service announces its intention

to extend a previously approved

information collection. The collected

information will help the Forest Service

facilitate contract administration of

timber sales on timber on National

Forest System lands. Information will be

collected from purchasers of this timber.

DATES: Comments must be received in

writing on or before August 28, 2000.

ADDRESSES: All comments should be

addressed to Rex Baumback, Forest

Management, Mail Stop 1105, Forest

Service, USDA, P.O. Box 96090,

Washington, DC 20090–6090.

Comments also may be submitted via

facsimile to (202) 205–1045 or by email

to rbaumback@fs.fed.us.

The public may inspect comments

received in the Office of the Director,

Forest Management Staff, Forest

Service, USDA, Room 3NW, Yates

Building, 201 14th Street, SW.,

Washington, D.C. Callers are urged to

call ahead to facilitate entrance into the

building.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rex

Baumback, Timber Sale Contract

Administration Specialist, Forest

Management, at (202) 205–0855.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The National Forest Management Act

of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a(14)(c)) requires

timber sale purchasers to provide the

Forest Service with timber sale

operating plans on timber sales with

contracts that exceed 2 years in length.

The timber sale operating plans are

collected within 60 days following the

award of timber sale contracts and

annually, thereafter, until the timber has

been harvested. The timber sale contract

requires the timber sale purchaser to

update the timber sale operating plan

annually.

Description of Information Collection

The following describes the

information collection to be extended:

Title: Timber Operating Plans.

OMB Number: 0596–0086.

Expiration Date of Approval: May 31,

2000.

Type of Request: Extension of an

information collection previously

approved by the Office of Management

and Budget.

Abstract: The collected information is

used by the agency to plan the agency’s

timber sale contract administration

workload and to determine whether a

timber sale purchaser’s scheduled

timber operation has been delayed and

is, therefore, eligible for an extension of

the contract termination date. The

collected information also is used to

facilitate the administration of a timber

sale contract.

Timber sale purchasers provide

information that includes planned

periods of major activity, how the

activity will be conducted, and any

anticipated road construction. The

timber sale purchaser also outlines time

frames and methods of accomplishing

road construction, timber harvesting,

and other contract requirements.

There is no prescribed format for the

collection of this information. Timber

sale purchasers may submit the required

information in the form of a chart or

letter using surface mail, electronic

mail, or via facsimile. The information

is based on the timber sale purchaser’s

business plan.

Respondents are National Forest

System timber sale purchasers who

prepare a chart or letter within 60 days

of a timber sale contract award and

annually thereafter, until the contract

has been completed.

Data gathered in this information

collection are not available from other

sources.

Estimate of Annual Burden: 30

minutes.

Type of Respondents: Purchasers of

National Forest System timber.

Estimated Annual Number of

Respondents: 2500.

Estimated Annual Number of

Responses per Respondent: 1.5.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 1,875 hours.

Comment Is Invited

The agency invites comments on (a)

whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the stated

purposes and the proper performance of

the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical or scientific utility; (b) the

accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the

burden of the proposed collection of

information, including the validity of

the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility,

and clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on respondents, including the use of

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology.

Use of Comments

All comments received in response to

this notice, including names and

addresses when provided, will become

a matter of public record. Comments

will be summarized and included in the

request for Office of Management and

Budget approval.

Dated: June 15, 2000.

Paul Brouha,

Associate Deputy Chief, NFS.

[FR Doc. 00–16211 Filed 6–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Eldorado National Forest, CA;

Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA Forest

Service.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 27, 2000 / Notices 39595

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will

prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) for resource

management activities, including road

construction, road reconstruction,

biomass removal, understory thinning,

prescribed burning and wildlife habitat

improvement work on the Airport

Forest Health Project involving a total

planning area size of about 11,000 acres

on the Pacific Ranger District of the

Eldorado National Forest. The agency

invites written comments and

suggestions on the analysis. The agency

also gives notice of the full

environmental analysis and decisionmaking process that will occur on the

proposal so that interested and affected

people are aware of how they may

participate and contribute to the final

decision.

DATES: Scoping and subsequent

environmental analysis began on the

Airport Forest Health Project in January

1998. Scoping was completed and an

environmental assessment (EA) was

published and made available to the

public in March 2000. Based upon

environmental analysis and public

comments to the environmental

assessment, the Forest Supervisor of the

Eldorado National Forest has

determined that an environmental

impact statement is the appropriate

environmental document for this

project.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

and suggestions concerning the analysis

to Don Errington, Pacific Ranger Station,

Pollock Pines, California, 95726.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposed action

and EIS should be directed to Don

Errington, Pacific Ranger Station,

Pollock Pines, California, 95726, Phone

(530) 644–2349.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Eldorado National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan was

completed in January 1989. The Airport

Forest Health Project EIS will tier to the

approved Eldorado National Forest

Land and Resource Management Plan.

There are no known permits or licenses

required to implement the proposed

action.

Public comments previously received

during scoping and in response to the

completed environmental assessment

will be considered in preparing the

Final EIS. The Forest Service will

identify and consider a range of

alternatives for this project. The

proposed alternatives will include the

following:

1. No Action;

2. Understory thinning on

approximately 180 acres and follow-up

fuels reduction immediately around

public use developments and public use

areas using ground based equipment;

3. Understory thinning on

approximately 2,200 acres and followup fuels reduction around public use

developments and public use areas and

other selected areas using ground based

equipment; and

4. Understory thinning on

approximately 2,900 acres and fuels

reduction around public use

developments and public use areas and

on other selected areas using ground

based and helicopter equipment.

These alternatives will consider

varying levels and distribution of

vegetative manipulation, timber harvest

and fuels management. Specified new

road construction will vary by

alternative (0.1 miles in Alternative 2

and 2.2 miles in Alternatives 3 and 4).

Road reconstruction will vary by

alternative (0.3 miles in Alternative 2

and 18.2 miles in Alternatives 3 and 4.

Road reconstruction will include road

rocking, surface drainage work, clearing

and minor realignment. Harvest

prescriptions will include understory

removal of both merchantable and submerchantable trees and commercial

thinning of merchantable trees. All

harvest prescriptions will conform with

the California Spotted Owl Sierran

Province Interim Guidelines

Environmental Assessment and

Decision Notice. Volume estimates of

timber to be harvested range from 0 to

11 million boardfeet of commercial

sawtimber. Biomass removal estimates

range from 0 to 40,000 tons. Post-harvest

herbicide use is proposed on 180 acres

to help achieve reforestation of

understocked areas. All estimates will

be dependent on which alternative is

chosen.

Preliminary issues that have been

identified during the environmental

analysis process include:

1. The concern that valuable

developments may be destroyed by

wildfire.

2. The concern that public

recreational experiences may be affected

by catastrophic fire or project activities.

3. The concern that healthy,

functioning watersheds may be

impacted by wildfire or selected

treatments.

4. The concern that the

socioeconomic well-being of local

communities may be affected by

wildfire.

5. The concern that the project may

not be economically viable.

6. The concern that late seral habitat

may be affected by project activities or

wildfire.

7. The concern that air quality may be

adversely affected by project activities

or wildfire.

8. The concern that cultural resources

may be adversely affected by project

activities or wildfire.

9. The concern that herbicide use may

adversely affect the environment.

10. The concern that road

reconstruction, construction or

decommissioning may cause

undesirable environmental effects.

11. The concern that meadows are

being invaded by conifer species and

could be damaged by wildfire.

Public participation is especially

important at several points during the

analysis. The first point is during the

scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7). The

Forest Service has sought information,

comments, and assistance from federal,

state and local agencies and other

individuals or organizations that may be

interested in or affected by the proposed

project.

John Berry, Forest Supervisor,

Eldorado National Forest, is the

responsible official. The draft EIS is

expected to be filed with the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

and to be available for public review by

August, 2000. At that time, EPA will

publish a notice of availability of the

draft EIS in the Federal Register. The

comment period on the draft EIS will be

45 days from the date that EPA’s notice

of availability appears 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 proposals 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 F2.d 1016, 1022 9th Cir.

1986)) and (Wisconsin Heritiges 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

39596 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 27, 2000 / Notices

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.

After the comment period ends on the

draft EIS, the comments will be

analyzed and considered by the Forest

Service in preparing the final EIS.

Comments previously received in

response to the Airport Forest Health

Project environmental assessment will

be considered in the Final EIS. In the

Final EIS the Forest Service is required

to respond to the comments and

responses received (40 CFR 1503.4). The

Final EIS is scheduled to be completed

by September, 2000. The responsible

official will consider the comments,

responses, and environmental

consequences discussed in the Final

EIS; and applicable laws, regulations,

and policies in making a decision

regarding this project. The responsible

official will document the decision and

reasons for the decision in the Record of

Decision. That decision will be subject

to appeal pursuant to 36 CFR 215.

Dated: June 20, 2000.

John Berry,

Forest Supervisor, Eldorado National Forest.

[FR Doc. 00–16171 Filed 6–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Oil and Gas Leasing, Finger Lakes

National Forest, Seneca and Schuyler

Counties, NY

AGENCY: USDA Forest Service.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: Proponents have requested

the Bureau of Land Management Eastern

States Office to offer for lease the

Federal oil and gas resources found

within the Finger Lakes National Forest.

The Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired

Lands (Act of August 7, 1947) requires

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest

Service consent prior to the leasing of

an acquired mineral estate in National

Forest System lands. The Forest Service

further has the right to specify terms

and conditions under which a lease will

be issued to protect the surface

resources and to provide for their

continued use for other program

purposes. The BLM has requested

consent from the Forest Service to lease

these lands. The 1986 Finger Lakes

National Forest Land and Resource

Management Plan determined that these

lands are administratively available for

oil and gas leasing with certain

stipulations.

The Forest Service and BLM have

determined that an Environmental

Impact Statement is necessary to assess

the environmental impacts that may

occur as a result of leasing Federal lands

for the exploration, development and

production of oil and gas on the Finger

Lakes National Forest, and reaffirm the

availability decision. The range of

potential post-leasing impacts will be

based on the Reasonable Foreseeable

Development Scenario (RFDS).

The decision to be made by the Forest

Service is whether or not to provide

consent to the Bureau of Land

Management to offer National Forest

System lands for competitive oil and gas

leasing, and identify any stipulations

required for protection of surface

resources and for access, construction,

or use and protection of existing roads.

If consent is given, the Bureau of Land

Management will use the EIS to make

leasing decision on Finger Lake

National Forest and split estate lands.

DATES: Written comments concerning

the scope of the analysis should be

received by July 28, 2000 to ensure

timely consideration. The Forest Service

will also conduct one or more public

scoping meetings regarding this leasing

proposal. The public will be notified as

to the date, time and location of these

meetings as they are scheduled.

ADDRESSES: Please send written

comments to: Martha Twarkins, District

Ranger, Finger Lakes National Forest,

5218 State Route 414, Hector, New York

14841

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Martha Twarkins either by

writing to her at the Finger Lakes

National Forest, 5218 State Route 414,

Hector, New York 14841 or by

telephone at (607) 546–4470 Ext: 314 if

you have questions about the project

and the preparation of the EIS or if you

would like to be on the mailing list for

this project.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

project area is located within Seneca

and Schuyler Counties of New York. It

encompasses approximately 16,176

acres of the Finger Lakes National

Forest. There are also private lands

where the United States owns the

mineral rights, except gold and silver

(split estate land). These lands

encompass 47.35 acres, more or less,

and will also be considered for leasing

and will be analyzed as part of the

project area.

The RFDS includes a reasonable

projection of post-lease oil and gas

development for each alternative. This

projection includes potential number of

wells, production facilities and

equipment, acres disturbed, and typical

operations. These reasonable foreseeable

post-leasing activities will be used to

assess potential impacts associated with

leasing Federal oil and gas resources on

the Finger Lakes National Forest.

The 1986 Finger Lakes National

Forest Land and Resource Management

Plan determined that these public and

private lands are administratively

available for oil and gas leasing with

certain stipulations. Typical restrictions

found in the Forest Plan include no

surface occupancy: (1) On open water,

streams and riparian areas; (2) on wet,

steep, and shallow soils; (3) on

municipal watersheds; (4) on

administrative sites; (5) on range; (6) on

or within 200 feet of designated trails;

(7) on developed recreational areas; (8)

on Special Areas (Management Area

8.1); and (9) on lands within

Management Area 9.2. There are no

outstanding oil and gas mineral rights or

mineral withdrawals.

Public participation has been and will

be an integral component of the study

process, and will be especially

important at several points during the

analysis. The first is during the scoping

process. The Forest Service will be

seeking information, comments and

assistance from federal, state county and

local agencies, individuals and

organizations that may be interested in

or affected by the proposed activities.

Initial public scoping was held on

March 3, 1999 and April 13, 1999, and

an open house was held on May 18,

1999. Preliminary issues identified for

analysis in the EIS include the potential

effects on: (1) Threatened, endangered

and sensitive species; including the

Federally-listed Indiana bat, Henslow’s

sparrow, and grasshopper sparrow; (2)

grazing; (3) surface and groundwater,

including the cumulative effects to the

Forest’s watersheds; (4) heritage