8218 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 1997 / Notices

Loconia, NH 03246, or calling (603)

528–8721/TTY (603) 528–8722.

In addition, there will be two Open

Houses held that will allow for the

opportunity for the public to collect

additional information on the project

and comment on the DEIS. These

forums will be held March 12, 1997 and

March 19, 1997 at the Waterville Valley

Conference Center, Waterville Valley,

NH and at the Pease Public Library,

Plymouth, NH, respectively. The Open

Houses will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For

those individuals who require sign

language interpretation for these open

houses please contact the Forest Service

office in Laconia, NH through their TTY

phone number—(603) 528–8721. Please

call within three days of the meeting to

allow us time to contact an interpreter

for the meeting.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

to Jerry Perez, Project Coordinator for

WV DEIS, Green Mountain National

Forest, Rochester, VT 05767.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Please direct questions about the

proposed action and DEIS to Jerry Perez,

Eastern Region Winter Sports Team

Environmental Coordinator, Green

Mountain National Forest, Rochester,

VT 05767, (phone/TTY 802–767–4261).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS

describes four alternatives to the

proposed action. The alternatives were

developed to respond to issues,

concerns and opportunities identified

during the analysis. Alternative 2 has

been identified as the Preferred

Alternative in the DEIS.

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 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 Power 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.

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 environmental impact

statement.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the DEIS 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 DEIS 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.)

After the comment period ends on the

DEIS, the comments will be analyzed

and considered by the agency in

preparing the Final Environmental

Impact Statement (FEIS).

The FEIS is scheduled to be

completed and available to the public

approximately 6 months following the

close of the review period for the DEIS.

The responsible Forest Service official

will document the decision and the

reasons supporting it in a Record of

Decision. That decision will be subject

to appeal pursuant to 36 CFR 215.

The Forest Service official responsible

for approving the proposed action is

Forest Supervisor Donna Hepp, 719

Main St., Laconia, NH 03245.

Dated: February 18, 1997.

Donna L. Hepp,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 97–4455 Filed 2–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Under Secretary for Technology;

National Medal of Technology

Nomination Evaluation Committee;

Notice of Open Meeting

The National Medal of Technology

Nomination Evaluation Committee has

scheduled a meeting for March 7, 1997.

The Committee was established to

assist the Department in executing its

responsibilities under 15 U.S.C. 3711.

Under this provision, the Secretary is

responsible for recommending to the

President prospective recipients of the

National Medal of Technology. The

Committee’s recommendations are made

after reviewing all nominations received

in response to a public solicitation and

based on criteria made available to the

public through nomination application

forms. From time to time the Committee

convenes to evaluate the criteria and

nomination process to ensure continued

relevance to the current environment for

technological innovation. The

Committee is chartered to have twelve

members.

TIME AND PLACE: The meeting will begin

at 10:30 a.m. and end at 2:00 p.m. on

March 7, 1997. The meeting will be held

in Room 1411 at the U.S. Department of

Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230.

Agenda

1. Review existing criteria, categories,

and procedures for nominating

candidates for the National Medal of

Technology.

2. Make recommendations for

revisions to the nomination criteria,

categories and procedures for the

National Medal of Technology to be

forwarded to the Under Secretary of

Technology.

Public Participation

The meeting will be open to public

participation and the last thirty minutes

will be set aside for oral comments or

questions. Seats will be available on a

first-come, first-served basis. Members

of the public may submit written

comments concerning the committee’s

affairs at any time before and after the

meeting. A copy of the minutes will be

available for public inspection and

copying in the National Medal of

Technology Program Office by April 4,

1997. Inquires should be addressed to

the Director of the National Medal of

Technology as indicated below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Katie Wolf, Director, National Medal of

Technology, U.S. Department of

Technology, U.S. Department of

Commerce, 14th and Constitution

Avenue, NW., Herbert C. Hoover,

Building, Room 4823, Washington, DC

20230, phone: 202/482–5572,

email:kwolf@doc.gov.

Dated: February 14, 1997.

Graham R. Mitchell,

Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy.

[FR Doc. 97–4395 Filed 2–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–18–M

Bureau of the Census

Quarterly Financial Report

ACTION: Proposed collection: comment

request.

SUMMARY: The Department of

Commerce, as part of its continuing

effort to reduce paperwork and

respondent burden, invites the general

public and other Federal agencies to