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

17778

Vol. 62, No. 70

Friday, April 11, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 97–015–1]

Notice of Request for Approval of an

Information Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: New information collection;

comment request.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service’s intention to

request approval of an information

collection which it utilizes in regulating

the interstate movement of horses that

have tested positive for equine

infectious anemia.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by June 10, 19970 to be assured

of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding

the accuracy of burden estimate, ways to

minimize the burden (such as the use of

automated collection techniques or

other forms of information technology),

or any other aspect of this collection of

information to: Docket No. 97–015–1,

Regulatory Analysis and Development,

PPD, APHIS, suite 3C03, 4700 River

Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–

1238. Please send an original and three

copies, and state that your comments

refer to Docket 97–015–1. Comments

received may be inspected at USDA,

room 1141, South Building, 14th Street

and Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,

except holidays. Persons wishing to

inspect comments are requested to call

ahead on (202) 690–2817 to facilitate

entry into the comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For

information regarding regulations for

the interstate movement of horses that

have tested positive for equine

infectious anemia, contact Dr. Tim

Cordes, Senior Staff Veterinarian,

National Animal Health Programs, VS,

APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 39,

Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, (301) 734–

3279; or e-mail: tcordes@aphis.usda.gov.

For copies of more detailed information

on the information collection, contact

Ms. Cheryl Jenkins, APHIS’ Information

Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734–

5360.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Communicable Diseases in

Horses.

Type of Request: Approval of an

information collection.

Abstract: APHIS regulates the

interstate movement of horses that have

tested positive for equine infectious

anemia (EIA) in order to prevent the

spread of this disease (9 CFR 75.4).

Enforcing these regulations requires us

to engage in a number of information

gathering activities that enable us to

accurately identify and track EIA

reactors as they move interstate.

Specifically, this regulatory program

requires the use of an official EIA test,

a certificate allowing the interstate

movement of an EIA reactor, and

identification of the reactor. The

program also involves the services of

accredited veterinarians, State

veterinary officials, laboratory/

diagnostic/research facility personnel,

and stockyard personnel, all of whom

must engage in various recordkeeping

and information collection activities.

We are seeking approval from the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) to use these forms and other

information collection tools that make

our EIA program possible.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit

comments from the public (as well as

affected agencies) concerning our

information collection activity. We need

this outside input to help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the Agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our

estimate of the burden of the proposed

collection of information, including the

validity of the methodology and

assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, through use, as

appropriate, of automated, electronic,

mechanical, and other collection

technologies, e.g., permitting electronic

submission of responses.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average .0905 hours per

response.

Respondents: State and Federal

veterinarians, accredited veterinarians,

laboratory/diagnostic/research facility

personnel, stockyard personnel.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

10,053.

Estimated Numbers of Responses per

Respondent: 101.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 91,925 hours.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Done in Washington, DC, this 7th day of

April 1997.

Donald W. Luchsinger,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97–9359 Filed 4–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Sandpoint Ranger District Packsaddle

Final Environmental Impact

Statement—Idaho Panhandle National

Forests, Bonner County, Idaho

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to supplement

an environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service

(Sandpoint Ranger District) will

supplement the Packsaddle Final

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

to disclose the potential environmental

effects of a new alternative (Alternative

8) based on new information. The

Project Area is within the Pend Oreille

Ecosystem, Sandpoint Ranger District,

Idaho Panhandle National Forests,

Bonner County, Idaho and includes the

Packsaddle Inventoried Roadless Area.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 70 / Friday, April 11, 1997 / Notices 17779

The new alternative would treat high

severity root disease areas and begin

converting timber stands away from root

disease susceptible tree species (such as

Douglas-fir and grand fir) to re-establish

western white pine, western larch, and

ponderosa pine. Alternative 8 also

proposes to use prescribed burning to

reduce fuel loadings and restore natural

processes (such as fire) that are

currently lacking in the Project Area.

Alternative 8 would treat 1,703 acres

(1,165 acres group and irregular group

shelterwood, 369 acres group and

modified group selection, 96 acres

sanitation/salvage, and 73 acres visual

improvement). This alternative also

proposes to treat eight units over 40

acres in size (ranging from 45 to 240

acres). A combination of prescribed

underburning, grapple piling, and

limbing/lopping would be used to

control fuel levels. This alternative

would construct 3.4 miles of temporary

roads which would be built for logging

and post-harvest activities (such as

prescribed burning and planting) access.

These roads would be recontoured after

these activities are complete.

Additionally, Alternative 8 proposes to

decommission 2.1 miles and totally

close 4.0 miles of existing roads.

This supplement will tier to Idaho

Panhandle National Forests Land and

Resource Management Plan (Forest

Plan), September 1987 and reference the

Integrated Scientific Assessment from

the Upper Columbia River Basin study.

DATES: Written comments and

suggestions should be received on or

before June 10, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

and suggestions on the proposed

management activities to Tony Erba,

Project Leader, Sandpoint Ranger

District, 1500 Hwy 2, Suite 110,

Sandpoint, ID 83864.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tony Erba, Team Leader, Sandpoint

Ranger District, phone number (208)

263–5111.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Packsaddle Draft Environmental Impact

Statement was issued for public review

and comment in June, 1994. The Final

Environmental Impact Statement was

completed in March, 1995. The Record

of Decision was signed on May 3, 1996

under the authority of section 2001 of

Public Law 104–19 (otherwise known as

the Salvage Amendment). On July 2,

1996, Secretary of Agriculture Glickman

issued a directive that salvage timber

sale decisions in inventoried roadless

areas were to be withdrawn from

consideration until the Salvage Bill

authority had expired. Thus, the

Packsaddle Record of Decision was

withdrawn.

Since that time, numerous field visits

to the Project Area have been conducted

to verify the root disease conditions

discussed in the FEIS. We have

discovered that the proposal of using

group and modified group selection

methods to treat the root disease

problem (as described in the FEIS’

Alternative 7) is not desirable because

of:

(1) The need for continued access for

treatment,

(2) The high potential for regeneration

damage while removing future

mortality,

(3) The threat to established

regeneration with future prescribed

burning opportunities, and

(4) The expected mortality level

would predispose the stand to a

catastrophic wildfire since there would

be greater amounts of dead and down

material created to carry a fire from the

ground into the tree crowns.

Additionally, these treatments would

essentially postpone treatment on the

remaining stands while allowing the

root disease situation to continually

worsen.

On National Forest lands, the Forest

Service is responsible for promoting

healthy ecosystems and restoring

deteriorated ecosystems to provide for

diversity of plant and animal

communities, long-term resource

sustainability, and future management

options. This must be done in the

context of meeting people’s needs. Reestablishing appropriate tree species

composition, and the processes that

maintain it (i.e., fire), are important

steps towards the goal of restoring

ecosystems in the Packsaddle Project

Area. Focusing the proposed timber

harvest and associated prescribed

burning activities in the highest severity

root disease areas are critical to achieve

this goal. These high severity areas

represent clear examples where timber

stand dynamics are operating well

outside their natural potential (low tree

densities and shortened life cycles for

natural regeneration). Our analysis

shows that conditions will continue to

worsen, resulting in a further decline of

ecosystem health and increased wildfire

hazard if no action is taken. Given our

mission to sustain healthy ecosystems

into the future, it would be irresponsible

of me to let these problems continue.

We have looked at a variety of

alternatives that address the root disease

problem at varying levels and consider

this project to be the first of a multi-step

process to address ecosystem needs in

the Packsaddle Project Area. We have

developed Alternative 8 to effectively

address the root disease problem while

protecting other resource values in the

Project Area. Alternative 8 proposes to

use more intensive harvest methods

(i.e., irregular group shelterwood) in

large-sized units to begin converting

these affected stands to tree species less

susceptible to root disease infection.

Several of these units would exceed 40

acres (combined areas ranging from 45

to 255 acres). By focusing on using a

landscape scale management approach,

Alternative 8 best approaches the level

of disturbance that typically occurred

prior to when fires were suppressed on

a regular basis. It would also minimize

the impacts on other affected resources.

I consider Alternative 8 to be a

responsible approach to addressing the

root disease problem in light of the

public comments submitted on this

project and our recent field visits.

The Record of Decision is expected to

be filed with the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and available

for public review in June, 1997. At that

time, the EPA will publish a Notice of

Availability of the final environmental

impact statement in the Federal

Register.

The Forest Service believes, at this

early stage, it is important to give

reviewers notice of several court rulings

related to public participation in the

environmental review process. First,

reviewers of 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 statement stage but that

are not raised until after completion of

the final environmental statement 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 60-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 regarding the new alternative,

comments should be as specific as

possible. It is also helpful if comments

refer to specific pages of the
17780 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 70 / Friday, April 11, 1997 / Notices

supplement. Comments may also

address the adequacy of the supplement

or the merits of the new alternative

formulated and discussed in the

supplement. 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.

I am the responsible official for this

environmental impact statement. My

address is Sandpoint Ranger District,

1500 Hwy 2, Suite 110, Sandpoint, ID,

83864.

Dated: March 27, 1997.

David S. Dillard,

District Ranger.

[FR Doc. 97–9357 Filed 4–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Olympic Provincial Interagency

Executive Committee (PIEC), Advisory

Committee

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Olympic PIEC Advisory

Committee will meet on May 30, 1997

at the Snider Work Center 553, W.

Snider Road, Forks, Washington. The

meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. and

continue until 3:00 p.m. The agenda

topics for this meeting are (1) Update on

local projects; (2) Adaptive Management

Area discussion; (3) flood damage and

its effects on roads and restoration

rojects; (4) open public forum. All

Olympic Province Advisory Committee

meetings are open to the public.

Interested citizens are encouraged to

attend.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions regarding this meeting

to Kathy Snow, Province Liaison,

USDA, Quilcene Ranger District, P.O.

Box 280, Quilcene, WA 98376, (360)

765–2211 or Ronald R. Humphrey,

Forest Supervisor, at (360) 956–2301.

Dated April 3, 1997.

Ronald R. Humphrey,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 97–9308 Filed 4–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Upper Nanticoke River Watershed,

Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service.

ACTION: Notice of a finding of no

significant impact.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C)

of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969; the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations (40

CFR Part 1500); and the Natural

Resources Conservation Service

Regulations (7 CFR Part 650); the

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, gives

notice that an environmental impact

statement is not being prepared for the

Upper Nanticoke River Watershed Land

Treatment Supplement No. 1, Kent and

Sussex Counties, Delaware.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Elesa K. Cottrell, State Conservationist,

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

1203 College Park Drive, Suite 101,

Dover, Delaware 19904–8713, telephone

(302) 678–4160.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

environmental assessment of this

federally assisted action indicates that

the project will not cause significant

local, regional, or national impacts on

the environment. As a result of these

findings, Elesa K. Cottrell, State

Conservationist, has determined that an

environmental impact statement is not

needed for this project.

The measure concerns a plan for

watershed protection. The planned

works of improvement include waste

management systems, wetland wildlife

habitat enhancement, forest

management practices, and accelerated

technical assistance for land treatment.

The Notice of Finding of No

Significant Impact (FONSI) has been

forwarded to the Environmental

Protection Agency and to various

federal, state, and local agencies and

interested parties. A limited number of

copies of the FONSI are available to fill

single copy requests at the above

address. Basic data developed during

the environmental evaluation are on file

and may be reviewed by contacting

Elesa K. Cottrell.

No administrative action on

implementation of the proposal will be

taken until 30 days after the date of this

publication in the Federal Register.

Upper Nanticoke River Watershed,

Delaware Finding of No Significant

Impact

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Under No. 10.901, Resource Conservation

and Development, and is subject to the

provision of Executive Order 12372 which

requires intergovernmental consultation with

state and local officials.)

Elesa K. Cottrell,

State Conservationist.

[FR Doc. 97–9312 Filed 4–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–16–M

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR

SEVERELY DISABLED

Procurement List; Proposed Addition

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From

People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled.

ACTION: Proposed addition to

procurement list.

SUMMARY: The Committee has received a

proposal to add to the Procurement List

a service to be furnished by a nonprofit

agency employing persons who are

blind or have other severe disabilities.

COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR

BEFORE: May 12, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase

From People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled, Crystal Square 3, Suite 403,

1735 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, Virginia 22202–3461.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Beverly Milkman, (703) 603–7740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

notice is published pursuant to 41

U.S.C. 47(a)(2) and 41 CFR 51–2.3. Its

purpose is to provide interested persons

an opportunity to submit comments on

the possible impact of the proposed

action.

If the Committee approves the

proposed addition, all entities of the

Federal Government (except as

otherwise indicated) will be required to

procure the service listed below from

nonprofit agencies employing persons

who are blind or have other severe

disabilities.

I certify that the following action will

not have a significant impact on a

substantial number of small entities.

The major factors considered for this

certification were:

1. The action will not result in any

additional reporting, recordkeeping or

other compliance requirements for small

entities other than the small

organizations that will furnish the

service to the Government.