45218 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 165 / Tuesday, August 26, 1997 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 97–076–1]

Procedures for Importing Animals

Through the Harry S Truman Animal

Import Center

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: We are giving notice of the

date and location of the lottery for

authorization of the use of the Harry S

Truman Animal Import Center

(HSTAIC) in calendar year 1998. We are

also giving notice of the period during

which applications must reach the

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service in order to be included in the

lottery.

DATES: To be included in the lottery for

authorization to use HSTAIC in

calendar year 1998, applications must

be received no earlier than October 1,

1997, and no later than October 15,

1997. Deposits must be received by

November 26, 1997. The lottery for

authorization to use HSTAIC during

1998 will be held on December 3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Completed applications and

deposits must be sent to the

Administrator, c/o Import-Export

Animal Staff, National Center for

Import-Export, VS, APHIS, USDA, 4700

River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD

20737–1231. Application forms may be

obtained by writing to the same address,

or by calling the telephone number

provided under the heading ‘‘For

Further Information Contact’’. The

lottery will be held at USDA, APHIS,

Conference Room 3B01CN, 4700 River

Road, Riverdale, MD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

David Vogt, Senior Staff Veterinarian,

Animals Program, National Center for

Import-Export, VS, APHIS, suite 3B30,

4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD

20737–1231, (301) 734–8423.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

regulations in 9 CFR part 92, §§ 92.430,

92.431, 92.522, and 92.523 (referred to

below as the regulations), set forth the

conditions under which importers may

qualify animals to enter the United

States through the Harry S Truman

Animal Import Center (HSTAIC) in

Fleming Key, FL.

Because the demand for quarantine

space at HSTAIC has traditionally

exceeded the space available, the

regulations provide that a lottery will be

held each year during the first 7 days of

December, to determine the priority of

applications for the following calendar

year. To be included in the December

lottery, applications must reach the

Import-Export Animals Staff of the

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service (APHIS) no earlier than October

1, and no later than October 15 of the

year of the lottery. Additionally,

applicants must send a deposit in the

form of a certified check or money order

in the amount of $32,000, payable to the

United States Department of

Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, for each application.

APHIS will not consider an application

unless we receive this deposit from the

applicant on or before November 26,

1997. In the event that the ImportExport Animals Staff receives no more

than one application between October 1,

1997, and October 15, 1997, the lottery

will not be held, and APHIS will grant

exclusive right to use HSTAIC during

the calendar year 1998 in the order

applications are received.

Applicants should be aware that the

HSTAIC facility must meet standards set

by the Florida Department of

Environmental Protection. The

availability of HSTAIC for use for 1998

lottery applicants will be dependent

upon HSTAIC meeting these standards.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1622; 19 U.S.C. 1306;

21 U.S.C. 102–105, 111, 114a, 134a, 134b,

134c, 134d, 134f, 135, 136, and 136a; 31

U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(d).

Done in Washington, DC, this 20th day of

August 1997.

Terry L. Medley,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97–22646 Filed 8–25–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Basalt Mountain Timber Sale Analysis,

White River National Forest; Eagle

County, Colorado

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare

an Environmental Impact Statement to

disclose effects of alternatives to harvest

live and dead Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, aspen and

associated road construction and

reconstruction within the Basalt

Mountain Timber Sale planning area, on

the Sopris Ranger District of the White

River National Forest.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope

of the analysis should be received in

writing by October 12, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to

Kevin Riordan, District Ranger, Sopris

Ranger District, White River National

Forest, PO Box 309, Carbondale, CO

81623. The Forest Supervisor Martha J.

Ketelle, P.O. Box 948, Glenwood

Springs, CO 81602 is the Responsible

Official for the Environmental Impact

Statement and Record of Decision.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Timothy M. Snowden, Project

Coordinator, Sopris Ranger District, 620

Main Street, Carbondale, CO 81623,

(970) 963–2266.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 9,

1996 the White River National River

Forest solicited comments for a Draft

Environmental Assessment for the

proposed action under Pub. L. 104–19.

The Interdisciplinary Team has

determined that the proposed action

and alternatives to that action represent

a roadless area entry. Therefore, an

Environmental Impact Statement is

required as per Forest Service Handbook

1909.15, Section 20.6. The proposed

action is to harvest approximately 6.0

million board feet from approximately

1,400 acres of live and dead sawtimber

and poletimber using ground-based

yarding, and to construct and

reconstruct approximately 14.2 miles of

specified road.

The proposed action is consistent

with programmatic management

direction contained in the Rocky

Mountain Regional Guide for Standards

and Guidelines (1983) and in the Land

and Resource Management Plan for the

White River National Forest (LMP,

1984). The LMP allocated the proposed

timber sale area to wood fiber

production and utilization of sawtimber

products, with a small portion of the

sale area being allocated to managing for

the habitat needs of one or more

management indicator species. Both

allocations allow for timber harvest.

The site specific environmental

analysis documented in the EIS will

assist the Responsible Official in

determining which actions are needed

to meet the following objectives:

promote long term ecosystem health by

returning age, class and species

diversity in the forest vegetation, control

and prevent forest disease and insect

infestations, provide for recreation and

visual quality, maintain or enhance

quality wildlife habitat, reduce

accumulated natural fuel loading and

provide wood products for the nation.

Based on initial agency scoping and

public comment the preliminary issues
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 165 / Tuesday, August 26, 1997 / Notices 45219

include the effects of vegetation

management on area wildlife and

wildlife habitat, recreation use, wildfire

risk, and the transportation system.

Preliminary alternatives include, but are

not limited to;

1. No Action, no vegetation

management would be proposed except

existing firewood and Christmas tree

gathering.

2. Alternatives based on the White

River National Forest LMP.

a. Generate 6 million board feet of saw

timber treating 1380 acres, including 6.4

miles of new road construction (to be

closed after sale), and recruiting 500

acres for future old growth forest.

b. Generate 2.5 million board feet of

saw timber treating 653 acres, including

4.6 miles of new road construction (to

be closed after sale), and recruiting 972

acres for future old growth.

c. Generate 7 million board of saw

timber treating 1452 acres, including 7

miles of new road construction (3.9

miles to remain open after sale), 500

acres for future old growth recruitment.

d. Generate 3 million board feet of

saw timber treating 712 acres, including

0.2 miles of new road construction (to

be closed after sale), and 972 acres for

future old growth recruitment.

3. Alternatives yet to be developed.

Alternatives will be carefully

examined for their potential impacts on

the physical, biological, and social

environments so that tradeoffs are

apparent to the decisionmaker.

The decision to be made by the Forest

Supervisor, based on the pending

analysis to be documented in this EIS

are:

Should the vegetation in the Basalt

Mountain area be managed for timber

harvest at this time? And, if so; Should

road construction be allowed for timber

harvest in this area?

How does the inclusion of parts of the

proposed sale in former roadless area

surveys influence the current and long

term LMP direction of managing the

area for wood fiber production? Which

alternative best fits the White River LMP

prescription and ecosystem health

priorities of the Forest Service?

Permits and licenses required to

implement the proposed action will, or

may, include the following: consultation

with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for

compliance with Section 7 of the

Threatened & Endangered Species Act;

review from the Colorado Division of

Wildlife, and clearance from the

Colorado State Historic Preservation

Office.

Public participation will be fully

incorporated into preparation of the EIS.

The first step is the scoping process,

during which the Forest Service will be

seeking information, comments, and

assistance from Federal, State, and local

agencies, and other individuals or

groups who may be interested or

affected by the proposed action. No

public meetings are planned for this

project. Public comments received

during initial scoping and those raised

during public review of the Draft

Environmental Assessment for this

project will be incorporated into this

EIS. The Forest Service predicts the

draft environmental impact statement

will be filed during the winter of 1997/

1998 and the final environmental

impact statement and record or decision

during the spring of 1998.

The comment period on the draft

environmental impact statement will be

forty-five 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

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, 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 forty-five

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 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.

Dated: August 19, 1997.

Martha J. Ketelle,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 97–22587 Filed 8–25–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–BW–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Choctaw Watershed, Bolivar County,

Mississippi

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of a finding of no

significant impact.

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

of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969; the Council of

Environmental Quality Regulations (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 Choctaw Watershed,

Bolivar County, Mississippi.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Homer L. Wilkes, State Conservationist,

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

Suite 1321, A.H. McCoy Federal

Building, 100 West Capitol Street,

Jackson, Mississippi 39269, telephone

601–965–5205.

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, Homer L. Wilkes, State

Conservationist, has determined that the

preparation and review of an

environmental impact statement are not

needed for this project.

The project concerns a watershed

plan for the purpose of providing

assistance to the disadvantaged

residents of Choctaw Watershed to solve

the problems associated with impaired

water quality. Works of improvement

consist of one facultative lagoon and

associated sewer line installation.

The Notice of a Finding of No

Significant Impact (FONSI) has been

forwarded to the Environmental

Protection Agency and to various

Federal, State, and local agencies and

interested parties. A limited number of

copies of the FONSI are available to fill

single copy requests at the above