Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 1997 / Notices 8217

searching existing data sources,

gathering and maintaining the data

needed, and completing and reviewing

the collection of information.

Respondents: Business and other for

profit.

Respondents: 60.

Estimated Number of Annual

Responses per Respondent: 24.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 720 hours.

Proposed topics for comment include:

(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; ways to enhance the

quality, utility and clarity of the

information collected; or (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

the 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. Comments

regarding this information collection

requirement may be directed to the

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer

for USDA, Washington, DC 20503, and

to Donna Ryles, Chief Planning and

Analysis Division, Kansas City

Commodity Office, 9200 Ward Parkway,

Kansas City, Missouri 64114, telephone

(816) 926–1505, fax (816) 926–6767.

Signed at Washington, D.C., on February

13, 1997.

Alan King,

Acting Executive Vice President, Commodity

Credit Corporation.

[FR Doc. 97–4414 Filed 2–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

Forest Service, Eastern Region

Waterville Valley Ski Area Ltd.

Snowmaking Ponds; Notice of

Availability for Review of Draft

Environmental Impact Statement

SUMMARY: The Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service has prepared

a Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS) issued on February 28, 1997 for

the Waterville Valley Ski Area

Snowmaking Pond Impoundments

Project (Waterville Valley

Impoundments Project), on the

Pemigewasset Ranger District, White

Mountain National Forest, Grafton

County, New Hampshire. The New

Hampshire Department of

Environmental Services participated as

a cooperating agency. The U.S. Corps of

Engineers the Fish and Wildlife Service,

Department of Interior and the Town of

Waterville Valley provided assistance in

the preparation of the document.

The DEIS is for the proposed action of

the construction of five water

impoundments (ponds) for the storage

of approximately 130 million gallons of

water for snowmaking purposes. In

addition, the project would result in the

change of the February Median Flow

(FMF) from the presently approved 0.50

csm to 0.75 csm (recommended by the

Fish and Wildlife FMF) for the Mad

River. The project would be phased in

over a five to ten year period. The DEIS

describes alternatives to and

environmental effects of the proposal on

National Forest System lands where the

ponds would be constructed.

The project area is located in the town

of Waterville Valley, NH. Waterville

Valley Ski Area operates under a

Special Use Permit issued by the USDA

Forest Service. Currently, Waterville

Valley Ski Area withdraws water from

the Mad River for the purposes of

snowmaking on the mountain. They are

allowed to withdraw water from the

Mad River down to 0.50 csm, as

identified in the White Mountain Land

and Resource Management Plan. Given

the small size of the watershed and

periodic droughts that result in the

availability of no water, the Mad River

is an unreliable water source for

snowmaking at Waterville Valley Ski

Area. In addition, to utilizing the Mad

River the ski area also uses Cochranes

Pond, located in the town of Waterville

Valley as a supplemental source of

water. Cochranes pond only holds

approximately 5 million gallons of

water. This combination results in

Waterville Valley only being able to

provide adequate snowmaking coverage

68% of the time over the ski season.

Water Valley would like to be able to

provide adequate snowmaking so to be

able to provide 100% coverage in 95%

of the years.

In April 1996 the USDA Forest

Service issued a Notice of Intent (NOI)

to prepare a Environmental Impact

Statement. At the same time a scoping

letter was mailed to the public that

requested if there were concerns to the

proposed action that they submit their

concerns to the Forest Supervisor of the

White Mountain National Forest. During

the 45-day comment period (April 26 to

June 10, 1996) fifteen letters were

received that brought forth issues/

concerns to the proposal. The four main

issues identified through scoping were;

(1) Changes in Water Withdrawal from

the Mad River, (2) Increase in Water

Withdrawal Rates and Total Water

Withdrawal Needed, and (3) Impacts to

Wetlands. Additional issues were

identified that were important in the

overall analysis and development of the

alternatives, but were not the ‘‘driving

issues’’ for the purposes of alternative

development.

DISCUSSION ON PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE:

The agency gives notice that a complete

DEIS is available for public review and

requests input from the public to the

Preferred Alternative. The analysis was

completed by a third party contractor,

Sno.Engineering (Sno.e) of Littleton,

NH, and overseen by the USDA Forest

Service. The Forest Supervisor has

identified Alternative 2 (Proposed

Action) as the ‘‘Preferred Alternative.’’

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action)

includes the construction of four ponds

(Pond Sites 2, 3a, 3b and 5). This

Alternative would allow for the storage

of 130 million gallons (mg) of water,

which would achieve coverage of 100%

of the mountain, 91% of the time.

Alternative 2 is preferred because it

would allow for the necessary storage

and upgrade of facilities needed to

provide for improved alpine skiing

opportunities at Waterville Valley Ski

Area. This alternative should allow

Waterville Valley Ski Area to become

more competitive with other New

England ski areas that offer the same

facilities to skiers. Aquatic resources

should be improved by having a stepped

increase of the February median flow

over the 5 to 10 year implementation

period. Loss of wetlands in the project

area would be mitigated through the

improvement, creation and preservation

of wetlands outlined in Option 2

(described in Chapter IV Effects to

Wetlands section).

Finally, the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers (Corps) has jurisdiction over

portions of the project under Section

404 of the Clean Water Act. A Corps

permit is required under Section 404 for

the placement of dredged or fill

material, excavation, or mechanized

land clearing in waters of the United

States. Areas under Corps jurisdiction

include wetlands associated with: the

construction of the snowmaking ponds

with wetlands (Pond Sites 2, 3a, 3b and

4), upgrade of the intake structure in the

Mad River, upgrade of the piping form

its present 10′′ diameter to 18′′, and the

improvement, creation and preservation

wetland projects as discussed in the

environmental analysis.

DATES: The public comment period for

the DEIS will end on April 14, 1997. If

you would like to comment, please

review the entire DEIS. You may receive

a copy of the DEIS by writing to the

Forest Service, 719 Main Street,
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