6354 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2000 / Notices

products and benefits while maintaining

the productivity and diversity of the

soil, water, and forest resources. The

goal of the proposed research activities

is to improve understanding about and

management of central Appalachian

hardwood forests.

The Forest Service proposes to

continue some research activities begun

in the 1950s and to initiate some new

research activities in the year 2000.

These actions are consistent with the

Research Work Unit Description;

individual Study Plans; the

Monongahela National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan,

Management Prescription 8, page 202,

Vegetation; and the General Plan for the

Fernow Experimental Forest.

The purpose of the research initiated

in the 1950s was to study the effects of

various silvicultural practices on forest

productivity, species composition and

diversity, wildlife populations, and

ecosystem processes. This research

continues and involves the application

of experimental treatments, including

diameter-limiting cutting on 186 acres,

single-tree selection on 229.6 acres, a

financial maturity harvesting method

based on projected rates of return on

investment on 343.4 acres, and small

clearcuts on 26 acres.

The proposed new research activities

would involve application of

silvicultural treatments to stands of

trees as part of an ongoing research

experiment. The silvicultural treatments

involve cutting individual trees,

according to the silvicultural

prescription, and removing the stems

from the stand. Branches and tree tops

remain in the stand. Rubber-tired

skidders and cable logging systems will

be used to remove the trees. Existing

skid trails and roads will be utilized. No

new permanent roads will be

constructed. After completion of

silvicultural treatments, roads and decks

used in the logging process will be

closed.

One of the purposes of the proposed

new research activities is to evaluate the

effectiveness of prescribed burning as a

silvicultural and ecological tool on the

central Appalachian forests. An area of

119 acres will be treated with prescribed

fire. Research activities that include

prescribed fires will be conducted

according to State regulations

administered by the West Virginia

Division of Forestry. A slow-moving fire

(1–5 ft/min) that produces high amounts

of heat (2–4 ft flame lengths) conducted

in the spring is deemed to have the most

beneficial effect in improving oak

competitiveness and will be used in

these research activities. All personnel

supervising and working on the fire will

have received training in the use of

prescribed fire and in fire suppression.

Comments Are Requested

The Forest Service is soliciting

comments from Federal, State, and local

agencies and other individuals or

organizations that may be interested in

or affected by the proposed research

activities in:

• Identifying potential issues;

• Identifying issues to be analyzed in

depth;

• Eliminating insignificant issues or

those which have been covered by a

relevant previous environmental

analysis;

• Identifying potential environmental

effects of the proposed activities;

• Identifying and exploring

alternatives to the proposed research

activities; and

• Determining potential cooperating

agencies and task assignments.

The following issues already have

been identified:

• Potential impacts to Threatened,

Endangered or Sensitive Species;

• Potential impacts on Biodiversity,

including concerns about fragmentation

of interior habitat, and loss of old

growth habitat;

• Sediment impacts on streams from

roads, skid trails, and log landings.

Comments received will be

considered in preparation of the draft

EIS. The draft EIS is expected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and to be available for

public review in March 2000. EPA will

publish a notice of availability of the

Draft EIS in the Federal Register. The

comment period on the draft will be 45

days from the date the EPA notice

appears in the Federal Register. Copies

of the draft EIS will be distributed to

interested and affected agencies,

organizations, tribes, and members of

the public for their review and

comment. It is very important that those

interested in the management of the

Fernow Experimental Forest comment

at that time.

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

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.

At this early stage, the Forest Service

believes it is important to give reviewers

notice 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 Heritage, Inc. v.

Harris, 490F. Suppl. 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 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.

The final EIS will be completed in

June 2000. In the final EIS, the Forest

Service will respond to comments

received in response to the

environmental consequences discussed

in the draft EIS and applicable laws,

regulations, and policies considered in

making the decision regarding this

proposal. The responsible official will

document the decision and the rationale

for that decision in the Record of

Decision. That decision will be subject

to Forest Service Administrative Appeal

Regulations at 36 CFR part 215.

Dated: January 28, 2000.

Randle G. Phillips,

Deputy Chief, Programs and Legislation.

[FR Doc. 00–2748 Filed 2–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

John Day/Snake Resource Advisory

Council, Hells Canyon Subgroup

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Hells Canyon Subgroup

of the John Day/Snake Resource

Advisory Council will meet on March 9

and 10, 2000, at the Baker Ranger

District, 3165 10th Street, Baker City,

Oregon. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m.

and continue until 5 p.m. the first day

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2000 / Notices 6355

and will begin at 8 a.m. and continue

until 4 p.m. on the second day. Agenda

items to be covered include: (1) Review

draft CMP alternatives and, (2) Open

Public forum. All meetings are open to

the public. Public comments will be

received at 1:30 p.m. on March 9.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions regarding this meeting

to Kendall Clark, Area Ranger, USDA,

Hells Canyon National Recreation Area,

88401 Highway 82, Enterprise, OR

97828, 541–426–5501.

Dated: February 3, 2000.

Karyn L. Wood,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 00–2985 Filed 2–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Notice of Proposed Changes in the

National Handbook of Conservation

Practices

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the

intention of NRCS to issue a series of

new or revised conservation practice

standards in its National Handbook of

Conservation Practices. These standards

include Alley Cropping, Constructed

Wetland, Firebreak, Forest Site

Preparation, Forest Stand Improvement,

Forest Trails and Landings, Prescribed

Burning, Riparian Forest Buffer, Spring

Development, Tree/Shrub

Establishment, Tree/Shrub Pruning, Use

Exclusion, Windbreak/Shelterbelt

Establishment, and Windbreak/

Shelterbelt Renovation. These standards

are used to convey national guidance

when developing Field Office Technical

Guide Standards used in the States.

NRCS State Conservationists who

choose to adopt these practices for use

within their States will incorporate

them into Section IV of their Field

Office Technical Guide. These practices

may be used in conservation systems

that treat highly erodible land or on

land determined to be wetland.

DATES: Comments will be received on or

before April 10, 2000. T his series of

new or revised conservation practice

standards will be adopted after the close

of the 60-day period.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Single copies of these standards are

available from NRCS–CED in

Washington, D.C. Submit individual

inquiries and return any comments in

writing to William Hughey, National

Agricultural Engineer, Natural

Resources Conservation Service, Post

Office Box 2890, Room 6139–S,

Washington, D.C. 20013–2890.

Telephone Number 202–720–5023. The

standards are also available and can be

downloaded from the Internet at: http:

//www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/

practicelstds.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

343 of the Federal Agriculture

Improvement and Reform Act of 1996

requires NRCS to make available for

public review and comment proposed

revisions to conservation practice

standards used to carry out the highly

erodible land and wetland provisions of

the law. For the next 60 days, NRCS will

receive comments relative to the

proposed changes. Following that

period, a determination will be made by

NRCS regarding disposition of those

comments, and a final determination of

change will be made.

Signed at Washington, DC, on January 27,

2000.

Danny D. Sells,

Associate Chief, Natural Resources

Conservation Service.

[FR Doc. 00–2863 Filed 2–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

DOC has submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for

clearance the following proposal for

collection of information under the

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction

Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).

Agency: Census Bureau.

Title: Pollution Abatement Costs and

Expenditures (PACE) Survey.

Agency Form Number(s): MA–200.

OMB Approval Number: 0607–0176.

Type of Request: Reinstatement, with

change, of an expired collection.

Burden Hours: 160,000 hours.

Number of Respondents: 20,000.

Average Hours Per Response: 8 hours.

Needs and Uses: The Pollution

Abatement Costs and Expenditures

(PACE) Survey was conducted annually

prior to 1995 but suspended due to

Census Bureau budget limitations. The

PACE Survey provided measures of the

cost to private industry for the Nation’s

commitment to protecting the

environment. This survey is an essential

source of data for monitoring the impact

of environmental programs on the U.S.

economy and responsiveness to these

programs. The absence of the data over

the past 4 years has highlighted the

need for measures of private industry

spending on pollution abatement

activities. With support from the EPA,

the Census Bureau proposes to reinstate

this survey.

The survey will collect information

similar to that previously collected:

Pollution abatement expenditures,

operating costs for pollution abatement,

each by media, air pollution control,

water pollution control and multimedia, and waste disposal. In addition,

the survey will include the nature of the

costs incurred, distinguishing between

prevention and treatment. The survey

will include approximately 20,000

establishments selected to represent

manufacturing, mining and electric

utilities industries defined by the North

American Industry Classification

System (NAICS) with emphasis on

industries most heavily involved in

pollution abatement activities. The

survey sample will also include

representation of establishments in the

apparel and textile industry and

manufacturing establishments with less

than 20 employees. These groups had

been excluded from the earlier survey

design under the assumption that they

contributed little or nothing to the

estimates. Representation from these

groups will be used to confirm the

assumption.

The EPA will use the data to monitor

the impact of environmental programs

and to estimate cost projections for its

regulatory impact analysis for proposed

pollution regulations. Capital

expenditures for pollution abatement is

an important component of total capital

expenditures when analyzing

investment and productivity at the

Bureau of Labor Statistics and the

Bureau of Economic Analysis. State and

local governments, trade associations,

the academic community, and private

businesses will use the data to evaluate

regional pollution abatement spending,

local legislation, and performance of

specific industries.

Affected Public: Businesses or other

for-profit organizations.

Frequency: Annually.

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.

OMB Desk Officer: Susan Schechter,

(202) 395–5103.

Copies of the above information

collection proposal can be obtained by

calling or writing Linda Engelmeier,

DOC Forms Clearance Officer, (202)

482–3272, U.S. Department of

Commerce, Room 5027, 14th and

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at

LEngelme@doc.gov).