Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 180 / Monday, September 18, 2006 / Notices 54609 

• Interim reclaiming of mud pits, 

seeding and mulching outslopes and 

cut-slopes. 

• Plugging drill holes and performing 

final reclamation on roads and pads 

when drill holes are no longer 

performing their intended purpose 

(estimated life of each MDW is 3 years; 

construction and reclamation would 

span 12 years). 

Possible Alternatives 

No Action. 

Proposed Action-Conventional Shaft 

Construction. 

Alternative 1—Raisebore/Blindbore 

Shaft Construction. 

Cooperating Agencies 

Department of Interior, Bureau of 

Land Management, Uncompahgre Field 

Office. 

Responsible Official 

Charles S. Richmond, Forest 

Supervisor, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre 

and Gunnison National Forests, 2250 

HWY 50, Delta, Colorado 81416. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The Forest Supervisor must decide: 

• Whether or not to permit the 

surface occupancy for the shaft, access 

roads and methane drainage wells in 

part or in entirety. 

• Select the proposed action or an 

alternative method for the shaft and 

escapeway construction. 

• Prescribe terms and/or conditions 

with respect to the use and protection 

of non-mineral interests. 

Scoping Process 

• Publish in Delta County 

Independent, Grand Junction Daily 

Sentinel and Federal Register. 

• Send scoping letters to required 

agencies, Tribes and interested party 

list. 

• Conduct public field trips (if 

warranted by scoping responses). 

• Respond to comments in DEIS. 

Preliminary Issues 

• Socioeconomic benefits of mining. 

• Wildlife. 

• Topographic surface, land stability, 

soils and geologic hazards. 

• Vegetation. 

• Cultural resources. 

• Existing land uses, including 

recreation, roadless character. 

• Existing roads/facilities. 

• Visual resources. 

• Livestock management. 

• Air quality. 

• Cumulative impacts. 

Permits or Licenses Required 

A special use permit will be issued by 

the Forest Service to the proponent if an 

action alternative is approved for 

surface use. 

All mine works are approved by 

Colorado Division of Reclamation, 

Mining and Safety. 

Comment Requested 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process which guides the 

development of the EIS. Comments are 

being sought with regard to the design 

or implementation of this project. 

Comments which pertain to the use of 

or leasing of vented methane are outside 

the scope and authority of this 

document and will be treated as such. 

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 draft EIS documents 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 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, 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. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21) 

Dated: September 11, 2006. 

Charles S. Richmond, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. E6–15473 Filed 9–15–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Notice of Meeting; Southwest Oregon 

Provincial Advisory Committee 

SUMMARY: The Southwest Oregon 

Provincial Advisory Committee will 

meet on Tuesday, October 10, 2006, and 

Wednesday, October 11, 2006, to 

discuss topics including biomass 

utilization in Southwest Oregon, 

incentives for encouraging biomass 

utilization, and local examples of 

biomass utilization. The meeting will be 

held at the Umpqua National Forest 

Supervisor’s office, at 2900 NW. Stewart 

Parkway in Roseburg, Oregon. The 

meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. on 

October 10th with a fieldtrip and end at 

approximately 5 p.m. On Wednesday, 

the meeting will begin at 8 a.m. and end 

at 3:30 p.m. Written comments may be 

submitted prior to the meeting and 

delivered to the Designated Federal 

Official Jay Carlson at the Roseburg 

Bureau of Land Management, 777 

Garden Valley Boulevard, Roseburg, OR 

97470. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Umpqua National Forest Public Affairs 

Officer Cheryl Walters at (541) 957–

3270, e-mail: crwalters@fs.fed.us, or 

write Umpqua National Forest, 2900 

NW. Stewart Parkway, Roseburg, OR 

97470. 

Dated: September 12, 2006. 

Clifford J. Dils, 

Forest Supervisor, Umpqua National Forest. 

[FR Doc. 06–7712 Filed 9–15–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 


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