This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

46941

Vol. 62, No. 172

Friday, September 5, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem

Management Project, Northern,

Intermountain, and Pacific Northwest

Regions

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID918–1610–00–UCRB]

Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem

Management Project, States of Oregon,

Washington, Idaho, Montana,

Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada

AGENCIES: Forest Service, USDA; Bureau

of Land Management, USDI.

ACTION: Notice of extension of comment

period for draft environmental impact

statements (EISs).

SUMMARY: On June 12, 1997, the Forest

Service and the Bureau of Land

Management published a notice of

availability of two draft EISs in the

Federal Register (62 FR 32076). That

notice stated that a 120-day comment

period was provided for the Eastside

Draft EIS and for the Upper Columbia

River Basin Draft EIS. This notice is to

inform interested parties that the

comment period has been extended.

DATES: Comments on the two draft EISs

must now be submitted or postmarked

no later than February 6, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Eastside Draft

EIS may be obtained from ICBEMP, 112

E. Poplar Street, Walla Walla, WA 99362

or by calling (509) 522–4030. Copies of

the Upper Columbia River Basin Draft

EIS may be obtained from ICBEMP, 304

N. 8th Street, Room 250, Boise, ID 83702

or by calling (208) 334–1770, ext. 120.

The Draft EISs are also available via the

internet (http://www.icbemp.gov).

Comments on the Eastside draft EIS

should be submitted in writing to

ICBEMP, 112 East Poplar Street, P.O.

Box 2076, Walla Walla, WA 99362.

Comments on the Upper Columbia River

Basin draft EIS should be submitted in

writing to ICBEMP, 304 N. 8th Street,

Room 250, Boise, ID 83702. If your

comments are in regard to both draft

EISs, they may be sent to either office.

Comments may also be made

electronically by accessing the Project

home page (http://www.icbemp.gov),

where a comment form is available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

EIS Team Leader Jeff Walter, 304 N. 8th

Street, Room 250, Boise, ID 83702,

telephone (208) 334–1770 or EIS Deputy

Team Leader Cathy Humphrey, 112 East

Poplar Street, P.O. Box 2076, Walla

Walla, WA 99362, telephone (509) 522–

4030.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Bureau of Land Management’s planning

regulations require that a 90-day public

comment period be provided for a draft

plan and draft environmental impact

statement (43 CFR 1610.2(e)). The Forest

Service’s planning regulations provide

that the draft environmental impact

statement be available for public

comment for at least three months (36

CFR 219.10(b)). In recognition of the

complexity of the draft EISs for the

Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem

Management Project (ICBEMP), the

Bureau of Land Management and Forest

Service set a comment period of 120

days—30 days longer than required.

During the first two months of the

comment period, we received several

requests for extension of the 120-day

comment period. The requestors cite the

length and complexity of the two draft

EISs and point out that many who have

particular interest in the management of

the public lands have little time to spare

during the summer and early fall

months, since these are critical periods

for making a living and recreating. They

also point out that the science

information was not all published by

the time the draft EISs were made

available. It has been suggested that the

comment period be extended for as little

as two months and as much as one year.

Managers of the ICBEMP sincerely

want to provide adequate opportunity

for the public to read, comprehend, and

comment on one or both of the two draft

EISs so that the EIS team can include

needed changes in the final EIS. The

extension granted carries the comment

period past the critical work and

recreation months of summer and early

fall. A much longer extension would

result in higher costs of the Project

without commensurate increase in the

opportunity for meaningful public

participation.

We find that a four-month extension

to February 6, 1998, balances the desire

expressed by interested and affected

members of the public to comment

meaningfully, and the desire of the

agencies reasonably to expedite the

process to conclusion.

Dated: August 28, 1997.

Martha Hahn,

State Director, Bureau of Land Management.

Dated: August 28, 1997.

Robert W. Williams,

Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service.

[FR Doc. 97–23574 Filed 9–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

USDA-Forest Service/Crown Pacific

Limited Partnership Land Exchange,

Deschutes, Fremont and Winema

National Forests, Deschutes,

Jefferson, Klamath and Lake Counties,

OR

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will

prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) on a proposal to

exchange lands in Central and Southern

Oregon. The exchange would result in

the transfer of approximately 33,000

acres of National Forest System (NFS)

lands for approximately 38,800 acres of

Crown Pacific lands in Deschutes,

Jefferson, Klamath and Lake Counties in

the State of Oregon. Transfer of these

lands will result in consolidation of

NFS land ownership.

The EIS will be consistent with the

Deschutes, Fremont and Winema

National Forests Land and Resource

Management Plans (LRMPs) (as

amended), which provide overall

guidance of all land management

activities on the Deschutes, Fremont

and Winema National Forests.

The Forest Service invites written

comments and suggestions on the issues

and management opportunities for the

area being analyzed.