Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 184 / Friday, September 22, 2006 / Notices 55419 

determined by Agency officials in 

consultation with the Recreation RAC 

members, when the committee is 

formed. 

Dated: August 31, 2006. 

Boyd K. Rutherford, 

Assistant Secretary for Administration. 

[FR Doc. 06–8096 Filed 9–19–06; 3:07 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–U 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Lincoln National Forest; New Mexico; 

Perk-Grindstone III Hazardous Fuel 

Reduction Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 

SUMMARY: The Smokey Bear Ranger 

District of the Lincoln National Forest 

intends to prepare an environmental 

impact statement to address the PerkGrindstone III Hazardous Fuel 

Reduction Project on National Forest 

System lands in Lincoln County, New 

Mexico. The proposed project is located 

adjacent to or in the immediate vicinity 

of the Village of Ruidoso. The project 

area is bounded on the west and south 

by the Mescalero Apache Indian 

Reservation. 

The Village of Ruidoso is listed as a 

community at high risk from wildfire, as 

defined by the National Fire Plan of 

2000 (NFP). The proposed project 

addresses this problem through 

hazardous fuel reduction and related 

forest health objectives, as directed by 

the NFP and as governed by all 

applicable laws and public policies. The 

project has been developed through 

local collaborative processes, continual 

public participation, and 

interdisciplinary design. It would 

involve up to approximately 4,730 acres 

of forest management treatments and 

integrated conservation measures within 

a gross project area of approximately 

5,920 acres. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis are requested within 14 

days following the publication of this 

notice in the Federal Register. The draft 

EIS is expected to be available for public 

review in February 2007 and the final 

EIS is expected to be published in May 

2007. 

ADDRESSES: Send written, oral, or e-mail 

scoping comments to the project leader 

by: (1) mail—Perk-Grindstone III 

Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project, Attn: 

Paul Klug—Project Leader, c/o USDA 

Forest Service—Smokey Bear Ranger 

District, 901 Mechem Drive, Ruidoso, 

NM 88345; (2) telephone—(406) 752–

6400; or (3) e-mail—pklug@fs.fed.us. If 

you choose to comment by e-mail, 

please include your name and regular 

mailing address with the scoping 

comment. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul 

Klug, Forester, TEAMS Planning 

Enterprise, USDA Forest Service, (406) 

752–6400. Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 

Standard Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for Action 

This proposal is being prepared to 

meet the intent of the Healthy Forests 

Restoration Act of 2003 for authorized 

hazardous fuel reduction projects. The 

purpose of the Perk-Grindstone III 

Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project is to 

moderate potential wildfire intensity on 

National Forest System lands 

surrounding the Village of Ruidoso, 

New Mexico, an area that local 

cooperative planning has identified and 

prioritized for treatment: The project 

area is immediately adjacent to the 

community, which is listed as being at 

high risk from wildfire as defined by the 

National Fire Plan of 2000. The 

surrounding area is a topographically 

complex, densely forested landscape 

with current and future potential for 

high intensity wildfire. Although 

portions of the area received fuel 

reduction treatments between 1994 and 

2004, a high-intensity wildfire in 

untreated areas could exceed the 

capability of ground-based crews and 

equipment to use direct-attack 

firefighting methods, and could put at 

risk the lives of community residents 

and firefighters, private property, public 

facilities, and natural-resource values of 

the area targeted for conservation by the 

Forest Plan—including recreation, 

scenery, and wildlife habitat. 

To serve the purpose of moderating 

potential wildfire intensity in this area 

and thereby reduce the risk of severe 

impacts from wildfire, particular forest 

management needs are indicated, to 

change current conditions toward 

desired conditions. These needs are as 

follows: 

• Reduce the tonnage and continuity 

of woody debris on the forest floor that 

provides the basic fuel for wildfires. 

• Reduce the density of lower- and 

mid-level trees that can help wildfires 

climb and torch the crowns of upperlevel trees. 

• In selected stands, reduce the 

density and continuity of upper-level 

trees that can help sustain a crown fire. 

• Interrupt forest insect and disease 

trends that are currently killing large 

trees and adding to the fuel hazard. 

• Create forest conditions that would 

allow the health and vigor of surviving 

large trees to improve and become more 

fire-resilient. 

• Implement standards of resource 

management and environmental 

protection applicable to the area. 

Proposed Action 

Proposed forest management work 

includes noncommercial thinning, 

commercial thinning involving removal 

of logs and slash by ground-based 

skidding or helicopter, ground-based 

machine work and hand work to pile 

thinning slash, and slash-pile burning or 

broadcast burning to dispose of or 

reduce woody fuels. On existing roads 

used to support these treatments, 

maintenance work including forestry 

best management practices would be 

performed. No new permanent roads are 

proposed; however, new temporary 

roads would be developed to facilitate 

proper ground-based skidding and 

access log-landing areas, especially sites 

used to receive logs by helicopter. Upon 

completion of logging and other 

mechanized treatments, temporary 

roads would be rehabilitated and closed. 

The proposed forest management 

treatments and roadwork integrate 

various detailed design-features to 

conserve cultural or historical sites, air 

quality, soil, water quality, wildlife, 

native plants and trees, scenery, and 

recreation. 

To achieve desired conditions for the 

area, the proposed action involves some 

removal of commercial-size trees from 

areas of protected habitat of the Mexican 

spotted owl, a threatened species. Under 

the current forest plan as amended, 

these treatments to reduce fuels near 

urban areas are anticipated; nonetheless, 

they are a departure from the forestwide 

standards and guidelines adopted to 

implement the recovery plan for this 

species. Therefore, to ensure project 

consistency with the forest plan, the 

plan would be amended at the same 

time as and in conjunction with the 

approval of an action alternative, should 

one be selected, that involves similar 

departure from current standards and 

guidelines to conserve the Mexican 

spotted owl. The plan amendment 

would be limited to apply only to the 

Perk-Grindstone III hazardous fuel 

reduction project area and its approved 

activities (36 CFR 219.8(e)). 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
55420 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 184 / Friday, September 22, 2006 / Notices 

Responsible Official 

The responsible official for the PerkGrindstone III Hazardous Fuel 

Reduction Project is S.E. ‘‘Lou’’

Woltering, Forest Supervisor, Lincoln 

National Forest, 1101 New York 

Avenue, Alamogordo, NM 88310–6692. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The EIS will inform both the public 

and responsible Forest Service officials 

so that the following decisions can be 

made: (1) Whether the Forest Service 

has met procedural requirements of the 

National Environmental Policy Act to 

study and disclose effects of the 

proposed action and alternatives on the 

quality of the human environment; (2) 

whether any proposed or alternative 

activities or their predicted effects are 

inconsistent with Forest Plan standards 

and guidelines or other applicable laws, 

regulations, and policies; (3) whether to 

amend the Forest Plan as previously 

described; and (4) whether to approve 

and implement the proposed action or 

an alternative. 

If, on the basis of the final EIS, the 

responsible official decides to approve 

and implement the proposed action or 

an alternative, it is anticipated that 

project operations could begin in midto-late summer 2007, and continue 

intermittently for at least three 

additional years (through 2010 or 

beyond). 

Scoping Process 

In December 2004, the Forest Service 

issued an earlier version of the proposed 

action. Comments were received and 

considered, a preferred alternative was 

developed, and the environmental 

effects of no action, the original 

proposed action, and the preferred 

alternative were compared and reported 

in an environmental assessment (EA) 

issued in July 2005. Subsequently, an 

objection was submitted by an eligible 

party in accordance with 36 CFR Part 

218, and the response to the objection 

by the Forest Service’s southwestern 

regional office instructed the Forest 

Supervisor to further analyze and 

disclose particular environmental 

effects of the proposed action and 

alternatives in a revised EA. In this 

process, the Forest Supervisor decided 

to feature as the proposed action the 

previously identified preferred 

alternative, which involves more 

commercial cutting to achieve desired 

conditions and, as a result, departs from 

current forestwide standards and 

guidelines for managing Mexican 

spotted owl habitat. Given this situation 

and the need for a forest plan 

amendment, the Forest Supervisor 

determined that an EIS would be 

prepared. 

Since the project developed to this 

current status through an early and 

ongoing collaborative process involving 

meetings and correspondence with a 

wide range of public interests, 

organizations, agencies and individuals, 

and since this collaborative process and 

comments on the original proposal 

helped shape and define the current 

proposal, all past collaboration and 

public comments still apply. Additional 

comments received at this stage of the 

process will also be considered, and 

there will also be opportunity to 

comment on the draft EIS. Considering 

the amount of public involvement and 

analysis performed to date and the 

desire of local partners and community 

members to expedite the project, the 

scheduled scoping comment period has 

been limited to two weeks. 

Preliminary Issues 

Based on scoping completed to date, 

the known environmental, economic, 

and social concerns related to the 

proposed action are as follows: 

• Conservation of scenery and 

recreation opportunities within the 

project area; 

• Truly effective reduction of the 

current fuel hazard and potential 

wildfire intensity; 

• Integration of project activities with 

related fuel-reduction work planned or 

already in process on neighboring lands; 

• Protection of private property 

during prescribed burning operations; 

• Protection of soil, water and air 

quality; 

• Conservation of federally listed 

threatened species including the 

Mexican spotted owl and northern 

goshawk; 

• Conservation of old-growth forest 

conditions; 

• Prevention or control of non-native 

plant invasion; 

• Supply of raw materials to area 

forest-products industries resulting from 

trees removed to achieve desired 

conditions; and 

• Protection of important 

archaeological sites or historic 

properties present in the project area. 

The EIS will address these 

preliminary issues through the proposed 

action and its integrated design features 

and conservation measures, through 

mitigation to avoid, minimize, rectify, 

reduce, or compensate for possible 

impacts, or through other reasonable 

courses of action (alternatives) that 

might remedy issues while still serving 

the project purpose and meeting the 

indicated forest-management needs. 

Comment Requested 

This notice of intent initiates the final 

phase of the scoping process which 

guides the development of the EIS. The 

Forest Service is requesting any new 

scoping comments related to the current 

proposed action and its potential effects 

on the quality of the human 

environment. All information, ideas, 

and concerns previously submitted for 

the proposal of December 2004 are being 

retained and considered as potentially 

relevant to the current proposed action; 

such comments do not need to be 

resubmitted unless there are changes or 

additions. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review 

A draft EIS will be prepared for notice 

and comment in February 2007. 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 

EISs 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 on the 

draft EIS 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 EIS or the merits 

of the alternatives formulated and 

discussed in the statement. Reviewers 

may wish to refer to the Council on 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 184 / Friday, September 22, 2006 / Notices 55421 

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 15, 2006. 

S.E. ‘‘Lou’’ Woltering, 

Forest Supervisor, Lincoln National Forest. 

[FR Doc. 06–8010 Filed 9–21–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM 

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR 

SEVERELY DISABLED 

Procurement List; Additions 

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From 

People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled. 

ACTION: Additions to procurement list. 

SUMMARY: This action adds to the 

Procurement List products and service 

to be furnished by nonprofit agencies 

employing persons who are blind or 

have other severe disabilities. 

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 22, 2006. 

ADDRESS: Committee for Purchase From 

People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, 

1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, 

Arlington, Virginia 22202–3259. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sheryl D. Kennerly, Telephone: (703) 

603–7740, Fax: (703) 603–0655, or email SKennerly@jwod.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 

28, 2006, the Committee for Purchase 

From People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled published notice (71 FR42800) 

of proposed additions to the 

Procurement List. 

After consideration of the material 

presented to it concerning capability of 

qualified nonprofit agencies to provide 

the products and service and impact of 

the additions on the current or most 

recent contractors, the Committee has 

determined that the products and 

service listed below are suitable for 

procurement by the Federal Government 

under 41 U.S.C. 46–48c and 41 CFR 51–

2.4. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification 

I certify that the following action will 

not have a significant impact on a 

substantial number of small entities. 

The major factors considered for this 

certification were: 

1. The action will not result in any 

additional reporting, recordkeeping or 

other compliance requirements for small 

entities other than the small 

organizations that will furnish the 

products and service to the Government. 

2. The action will result in 

authorizing small entities to furnish the 

products and service to the Government. 

3. There are no known regulatory 

alternatives which would accomplish 

the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in 

connection with the products and 

service proposed for addition to the 

Procurement List. 

End of Certification 

Accordingly, the following products 

and service are added to the 

Procurement List: 

Products 

Product/NSN: Stainless Steel Scrubber—

Metal Sponges 

7920–00–926–5176 

NPA: Beacon Lighthouse, Inc., Wichita Falls, 

Texas. 

Contracting Activity: GSA, Southwest Supply 

Center, Fort Worth, Texas. 

Product/NSN: Tool Kit, Highway Safety 

5180–01–434–5068 

NPA: Development Workshop, Inc., Idaho 

Falls, Idaho. 

Contracting Activity: GSA, Federal Supply 

Service, Region 6, Kansas City, Missouri. 

Service 

Service Type/Location: Document 

Destruction, DOI Acquisition & Property 

Management Division, Building 22208, 

Auger Street, 2nd Floor, Fort Huachuca, 

Arizona. 

NPA: Beacon Group SW, Inc., Tucson, 

Arizona. 

Contracting Activity: DOI/NBC Acquisition & 

Property Management Division, Fort 

Huachuca, AZ. 

This action does not affect current 

contracts awarded prior to the effective 

date of this addition or options that may 

be exercised under those contracts. 

Sheryl D. Kennerly, 

Director, Information Management. 

[FR Doc. E6–15658 Filed 9–21–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6353–01–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting 

of the Connecticut State Advisory 

Committee 

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to 

the provisions of the rules and 

regulations of the U.S. Commission on 

Civil Rights, that a briefing of the 

Connecticut State Advisory Committee 

will convene at 12 p.m. and adjourn at 

7 p.m. on Thursday, September 28, 2006 

in Hearing Group Room 2C, located in 

the Legislative Building, 210 Capitol 

Ave., in Hartford, Connecticut. The 

purpose of the meeting is to hear from 

education experts and advocates about 

school choice and civil rights. 

This briefing is open the public. 

Members of the public needing 

disability accommodations are asked to 

contact Barbara de La Viez of the 

Eastern Regional Office by Friday, 

September 22, 2006. 

The meeting will be conducted 

pursuant to the provisions of the rules 

and regulations of the Commission. 

Dated at Washington, DC, September 15, 

2006. 

Ivy L. Davis, 

Acting Chief, Regional Programs 

Coordination Unit. 

[FR Doc. 06–7865 Filed 9–21–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6335–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Economics and Statistics 

Administration 

Bureau of Economic Analysis Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–

463 as amended by Pub. L. 94–409, Pub. 

L. 96–523, Pub. L. 97–375 and Pub. L. 

105–153), we are announcing a meeting 

of the Bureau of Economic Analysis 

Advisory Committee. The meeting will 

discuss recent measurement issues 

relating to the personal consumption 

expenditures price index, compensation 

and employment, research and 

development, and the upcoming 

comprehensive revision of the NIPAs. 

DATES: Friday, November 3, 2006, the 

meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and adjourn 

at approximately 4 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place 

at BEA, 2nd floor, Conference Room 

A&B, 1441 L Street, NW., Washington, 

DC 20230. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Samantha Schasberger, 

Communications Division, Program 

Analyst, Bureau of Economic Analysis, 

U.S. Department of Commerce, 

Washington, DC 20230; telephone 

number: (202) 606–9642. 

Public Participation: This meeting is 

open to the public. Because of security 

procedures, anyone planning to attend 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES