Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 248 / Monday, December 29, 1997 / Notices 67617

—RE–2a emphasizes dispersed,

unroaded recreation in a semiprimitive setting having existing or

potential trails for motorbikes, hikers

and horseback riders;

—GF emphasizes long-term growth and

production of commercially valuable

wood products at a high level of

investment in silvicultural practices.

The Northwest Forest Plan primarily

allocates the area to late successional

reserve, which is managed to protect

and enhance conditions of latesuccessional and old-growth forest

ecosystems. Other lands in the project

area are allocated to matrix and

administratively withdrawn in the

Northwest Forest Plan. Matrix is

designed to provide connectivity

between the LSRs, and habitat for

species needing both late successions

and younger forests. Administratively

withdrawn areas are areas identified in

the current Forest Plans where

management emphasis precludes

scheduled timber harvest. All

allocations in the Northwest Forest Plan

are overlayed with Riparian Reserve

direction designed to maintain and

restore riparian structures and

functions, benefit riparian dependent

and other species, enhance habitat

conservation for species dependent on

transition zones between upland and

riparian areas, improve travel and

dispersal corridors for many terrestrial

animals and plants, and provide for

greater watershed connectivity.

Most of the lands affected lie within

the Sawtooth Roadless Area,

inventoried in Appendix C of the

Okanogan Land and Resource

Management Plan, final EIS.

The analysis will develop a range of

alternatives to address the significant

issues, from the no-action alternative

which would not construct or improve

any facilities and would not change

current management of the trail

network, to alternatives that address the

significant issues to varying degrees.

Public participation will be especially

important at several points during the

analysis. The Forest Service is seeking

information, comments and assistance

from Federal, State, Indian Tribes, local

agencies, and other individuals or

organizations who may be interested in

or affected by the proposed project. This

input will be used in preparation of the

draft EIS. The scoping process began in

April, 1996, and resulted in significant

issues being raised that could relate to

significant impacts to the environment.

The scoping process includes:

1. Identifying potential issues;

2. Identifying significant issues to be

analyzed in depth;

3. Identifying issues which have been

covered by a relevant previous

environmental analysis;

4. Exploring additional alternatives

based on themes which will be derived

from issues recognized during scoping

activities;

5. Identifying potential environmental

effects (i.e., direct, indirect and

cumulative effects, and connected

actions);

6. Determining potential cooperating

agencies and task assignments;

7. Notifying interested members of the

public of opportunities to participate in

the process. Public involvement

includes keeping the public informed

through the media and/or written

material.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection

Agency 9EPA) and to be available for

public review by July, 1998. Your

comments and suggestions are

encouraged and should be in writing.

The comment period on the draft EIS

will be 45 days from the date the EPA

publishes the notice of availability in

the Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes it is

important to give reviewers notice at

this early stage of several court rulings

related to public participation in the

environmental review process. First,

reviewers of a draft EIS 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 EIS 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.)

The final EIS is scheduled to be

completed by January, 1999. In the final

EIS, the Forest Service is required to

respond to comments and responses

received during the comment period

that pertain to the environmental

consequences discussed in the draft EIS

and applicable laws, regulations, and

policies considered in making a

decision regarding the proposal. Sam

Gehr, Forest Supervisor for the

Okanogan National Forest, and Sonny

O’Neal, Forest Supervisor for the

Wenatchee National Forest are the

responsible officials. The responsible

officials will document the decision and

rationale for the Sawtooth Ridge Trail

and Improvement Project decision in

the Record of Decision, which will be

subject to Forest Service Appeal

Regulations (36 CFR Part 215).

Dated: December 16, 1997.

Allen N. Garr,

Acting Forest Supervisor, Okanogan National

Forest.

Dated: December 18, 1997.

Paul Hart,

Acting Forest Supervisor, Wenatchee

National Forest.

[FR Doc. 97–33664 Filed 12–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

Maximum Dollar Amount on Loan and

Grant Awards Under the Rural

Economic Development Loan and

Grant Program for Fiscal Year (FY)

1998

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBS) hereby

announces the maximum dollar amount

on loan and grant awards under the

Rural Economic Development Loan and

Grant program for FY 1998. The

maximum dollar award on zero-interest

loans for FY 1998 is $750,000. The

maximum dollar award on grants for FY

1998 is $330,000. The maximum loan

and grant awards stated in this notice

are effective for loans and grants made

during the fiscal year beginning October

1, 1997, and ending September 30, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia Wing, Loan Specialist, Rural
67618 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 248 / Monday, December 29, 1997 / Notices

Business-Cooperative Service, USDA,

STOP 1521, Room 5412, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20250, Telephone:

(202) 720–9558. FAX: 202–720–6561. Email: PWing@rus.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

maximum loan and grant awards are

calculated as 3.0 percent of the

projected program level for zero-interest

loans and grants during the fiscal year.

The projected program level for zerointerest loans during FY 1998 is

$25,000,000, and the projected program

level for grants is $11,000,000. Applying

the specified 3.0 percent to these

program levels results in the maximum

loan award of $750,000 and the

maximum grant award of $330,000.

Dated: December 19, 1997.

Dayton J. Watkins,

Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative

Service.

[FR Doc. 97–33696 Filed 12–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–U

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Export Administration

Sensors and Instrumentation

Technical Advisory Committee; Notice

of Open Meeting

A meeting of the Sensors and

Instrumentation Technical Advisory

Committee will be held January 13,

1998, 9:00 a.m., in the Herbert C.

Hoover Building, Room 1617M–2, 14th

Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. The Committee

advises the Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Export Administration

with respect to technical questions that

affect the level of export controls

applicable to sensors and

instrumentation equipment and

technology.

Agenda

1. Opening remarks by the Chairman.

2. Presentation of papers or comments by the

public.

3. Update on the status of the National

Defense Authorization Act implementation

regulation.

4. Update on the status of the Wassenaar

Arrangement implementation regulation.

The meeting will be open to the

public and a limited number of seats

will be available. To the extent that time

permits, members of the public may

present oral statements to the

Committee. Written statements may be

submitted at any time before or after the

meeting. However, to facilitate

distribution of public presentation

materials to the Committee members,

the Committee suggests that presenters

forward the public presentation

materials two weeks prior to the

meeting date to the following address:

Ms. Lee Ann Carpenter, OAS/EA/BXA—

MS:3886C, U.S. Department of

Commerce, 14th St. & Pennsylvania

Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20230.

For further information or copies of

the minutes, contact Lee Ann Carpenter

on (202) 482–2583.

Dated: December 22, 1997.

Lee Ann Carpenter,

Director, Technical Advisory Committee Unit.

[FR Doc. 97–33685 Filed 12–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DT–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and

Technology

Manufacturing Extension Partnership

National Advisory Board

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards

and Technology, Department of

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Open Meeting.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal

Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app.

2, notice is hereby given that the

Manufacturing Extension Partnership

(MEP) National Advisory Board,

National Institute of Standards and

Technology (NIST), will meet to hold a

meeting on Wednesday, January 21,

1998. The Manufacturing Extension

Partnership National Advisory Board is

composed of 9 members appointed by

the Director of NIST who were selected

for their expertise in the area of

industrial extension and their work on

behalf of smaller manufacturers. The

Board was set up under the direction of

the Director of the National Institute of

Standards and Technology to fill a need

for outside input and advice for MEP, a

unique program consisting of centers in

all 50 states and Puerto Rico which are

created by a state, federal and local

partnership. The Board works closely

with the Manufacturing Extension

Partnership to provide input and advice

on MEP’s programs, plans and policies.

The purpose of this meeting is to delve

into areas the Board selected at the

previous meeting. On January 21, 1998,

the agenda for the meeting of the Board

will include an ethics briefing by the

Department of Commerce’s Ethics

Division, an overview of MEP’s national

marketing efforts to assist the centers in

reaching their clients, studying the

impacts of services provided by the

centers and an overview of a national

initiative-supply chain integration.

DATES: The meeting will convene on

January 21, 1998 at 9:00 am and will

adjourn at 3:00 pm.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in

Building 101, Employee Lounge (seating

capacity 60, includes 15 participants), at

NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MEP

services to smaller manufacturers

address the needs of the national market

as well as the unique needs of each

company. Since MEP is committed to

providing this type of individualized

service through its centers, the program

requires the perspective of locally-based

experts to be incorporated into its

national plans. The MEP National

Advisory Board was set up at the

direction of the Director of the National

Institute of Standards and Technology

to maintain MEP’s focus on local and

market based needs. The MEP National

Advisory Board was approved on

October 24, 1996, in accordance with

the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5

U.S.C. app.2., to provide advice on MEP

programs, plans, and policies; assess

soundness of MEP plans and strategies;

assess current performance against MEP

program plans, and function in an

advisory capacity. The Board will meet

three times a year and reports to the

Director of NIST. This will be the first

meeting of the members in 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Linda Acierto, Assistant to the Director

for Policy, Manufacturing Extension

Partnership, National Institute of

Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD 20899, Telephone

number (301) 975–5033.

Dated: December 22, 1997.

Michael R. Rubin,

Deputy Chief Counsel for NIST.

[FR Doc. 97–33762 Filed 12–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 093097E]

Small Takes of Marine Mammals

Incidental to Specified Activities;

Space Launch Vehicles at Vandenberg

Air Force Base, CA

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of issuance of incidental

harassment authorizations.

SUMMARY: In accordance with provisions

of the Marine Mammal Protection Act

(MMPA) as amended, notification is