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

8923

Vol. 62, No. 39

Thursday, February 27, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

February 21, 1997.

The Department of Agriculture has

submitted the following information

collection requirement(s) to OMB for

review and clearance under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. Comments

regarding (a) whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate

of burden including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information to be

collected; (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on those who are to respond, including

through the use of appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology should be addressed to: Desk

Officer for Agriculture, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB), Washington, DC 20503 and to

Department Clearance Office, USDA,

OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, DC

20250–7602. Comments regarding these

information collections are best assured

of having their full effect if received

within 30 days of this notification.

Copies of the submission(s) may be

obtained by calling (202) 720–6204 or

(202) 720–6746.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor a collection of information

unless the collection of information

displays a currently valid OMB control

number and the agency informs

potential persons who are to respond to

the collection of information that such

persons are not required to respond to

the collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number.

Rural Business Cooperative Service

Title: Rural Economic Development

Loan and Grant Program.

OMB Control Number: 0570–New.

Summary: Information collected

includes application for loans and

grants as well as work plans, scope of

work, performance reports and financial

status reports.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is used to select projects

and to make sure the funds are used for

the intended purpose.

Description of Respondents: Not-forprofit institutions; Business or other forprofit.

Number of Respondents: 180.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion,

Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 7,005.

Rural Housing

Title: Community Facility Loan and

Grant Program and Water and Waste

Loan and Grant Program.

OMB Control Number: 0575–0015.

Summary: Information collected

includes application for Federal

assistance and budget, expense, contract

and inspection information.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is used to determine

applicant/borrower, eligibility project

feasibility, and to ensure borrowers

operate on a sound basis and use loan

and grant funds for authorized

purposes.

Description of Respondents: Not-forprofit institutions; Business or other forprofit; State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Number of Respondents: 9,511.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion,

Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 270,789.

Farm Service Agency

Title: Upland Cotton Domestic User/

Exporter Agreement and Payment

Program.

OMB Control Number: 0560–0136.

Summary: To participate in this

program, exporters and domestic users

must sign an agreement with CCC. A

name and address file of program

participants is maintained. This

information is collected when the

participant submits CCC–1045.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is necessary to establish

eligibility for payments of domestic

users and exporters of US upland cotton

and to accurately determine the level of

payments authorized under this

program.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 300.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion;

When payment rate is in effect.

Total Burden Hours: 2,750.

Forest Service

Title: Fuelwood and Post Assessment

in Selected States.

OMB Control Number: 0596–0009.

Summary: the Forest and Rangeland

Renewable Resources Research Act of

1978 as amended by the Energy Security

Act of 1980 requires the Secretary of

Agriculture to make and keep current a

comprehensive survey and analysis of

the present and prospective conditions

of forest and range lands.

Need and Use of the Information: The

collection is needed to estimate the

production and consumption of

residential fuelwood and posts in

individual states.

Description of Respondents:

Individuals or households; Business or

other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 2,940.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion; Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 201.

Rural Housing Service

Title: 7 CFR 1910–A, Receiving and

Processing Applications.

OMB Control Number: 0575–0134.

Summary: Information collected

includes business organization, farm

training and experience, credit tests

from commercial lenders and a legal

description of real estate.

Need and Use of the Information: The

collection of information is required to

ensure that the direct farm loan

programs are being administered in

accordance with applicable laws and

regulations and that loans are made to

applicants who have reasonable

prospects for repaying their loans.

Description of Respondents: Farms;

Individuals or households; Business or

other for-profit; State, Local and Tribal

Government.

Number of Respondents: 24,000.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
8924 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 39 / Thursday, February 27, 1997 / Notices

Total Burden Hours: 80,568.

Larry Roberson,

Deputy Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–4933 Filed 2–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M

Forest Service

South Quartzite Salvage Timber Sale

Analysis, White River National Forest;

Garfield County, CO

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 alternative decisions

it may make to harvest dead Engelmann

spruce and associated road construction

within the South Quartzite Salvage

Timber Sale Planning area, on the Rifle

Ranger District of the White River

National Forest.

DATES: Written comments concerning

the scope of the analysis should be

received on or before April 14, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to

Veto J. LaSalle, Forest Supervisor, White

River National Forest, PO Box 948, 9th

and Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs,

Colorado 81602. Mr. LaSalle is the

Responsible Official for this EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert W. Currie, Project Coordinator,

Holy Cross Ranger District, 24747 U.S.

Highway 24, PO Box 190, Minturn, CO

81645, (970) 827–5715.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May

16, 1996 the White River National

Forest released a Draft Environmental

Assessment for the proposed action and

alternatives to that proposed action

under Public Law 104–19. Based on

comments received from members of the

public, the Interdisciplinary Team has

determined that the proposed action

and alternatives to that action represent

an inventoried roadless area entry.

Therefore, an Environmental Impact

Statement is required as per Forest

Service Handbook 1909.15, Section

20.6. The proposed action proposes to

harvest approximately 4.0 to 5.0 million

board feet from approximately 1,280

acres of dead Engelmann spruce using a

combination of ground-based

(approximately 110 acres) and

helicopter yarding (approximately 1,180

acres) and to construct approximately

0.9 miles of new specified road.

The proposed action is consistent

with governing programmatic

management direction contained in the

Rocky Mountain Regional Guide and

FEIS for Standards and Guidelines

(1983) and in the Final EIS and Land

and Resource Management Plan for the

White River National Forest (LMP,

1984). The LMP allocated the proposed

timber sale area to semi-primitive

motorized and semi-primitive nonmotorized use and allows for timber

harvest. The site-specific environmental

analysis provided by the EIS will assist

the Responsible Official in determining

which improvements are needed to

meet the following objectives: Reduce

natural fuel loadings and to provide

wood products for the nation and

opportunities for timber related jobs.

Alternative will be carefully examined

for their potential impacts on the

physical, biological, and social

environments so that tradeoffs are

apparent to the decisionmaker.

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 in or

affected by the proposed action. This

information will be used in preparing

the EIS. 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. Individuals who have provided

comments during initial scoping, on the

Draft Environmental Assessment, and

those who provide comments on this

EIS will receive copies of the Draft EIS

for their review.

Preliminary issues include the

potential effects of proposed actions on

the following elements of the biological,

physical, and social environments:

wildlife and wildlife habitat, recreation

resource values, roadless area resource

values, and watershed health resources.

The direct, indirect, cumulative, shortterm, and long-term aspects of impacts

on national forest lands and resources,

and those of connected or related effects

off-site, will be fully disclosed.

Preliminary alteratives include the

proposed action (described above) and

No Action, which in this case is

deferring treatment of the area until the

future. A third preliminary alternative

could be analyzed which would harvest

approximately 6.0 to 7.0 million board

feet of approximately 2,500 acres of

dead Engelmann spruce using a

combination of ground-based and

helicopter yarding and to construct

approximately 3.0 miles of new

specified road. Additional alternatives

may be developed after the significant

issues are clarified and management

objectives are fully defined. The

Responsible Official will be presented

with a range of feasible and practical

alternatives.

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

Endangered Species Act, review from

the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and

clearance from the Colorado State

Historic Preservation Office.

The Forest Service predicts the draft

environmental impact statement will be

filed during the fall of 1997 and the

final environmental impact statement

during the spring of 1998.

The Forest Service will seek

comments on the draft environmental

impact statement for a period of 45 days

after its publication in the Federal

Register. Comments will then be

summarized and responded to in the

final environmental impact statement.

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

statement 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 DEIS 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 they 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