27046 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 94 / Friday, May 15, 1998 / Notices

Dated: May 6, 1998.

Gloria Manning,

Associate Deputy Chief National Forest

System.

Ouachita National Forest Boundary

Extension

Pursuant to the Secretary of Agriculture’s

authority under Section 20(d), P.L. 100–499

(102 Stat. 2491), the Ouachita National

boundary is hereby extended to include the

following lands.

LeFlore County, Oklahoma, Indian Base

Meridian

T3N, R26E,

Section 1: North Half of the Southeast

Quarter.

Containing 80 acres, more or less.

As provided by P.L. 100–499, the lands

described shall be administered by the

Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with

the Act of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961) and

in accordance with the laws, rules, and

regulations generally applicable to units of

the National Forest System.

Dated: April 17, 1998.

Brian Eliot Burke,

Deputy Under Secretary, Natural Resources

and Environment.

[FR Doc. 98–13038 Filed 5–14–98; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Box Canyon, Papoose, and Squaw

Creek Timber Sales; Targhee National

Forest, Bonneville County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The Forest Supervisor of the

Targhee National Forest gives notice of

the agency’s intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement for the

Box Canyon, Papoose, and Squaw Creek

Timber Sales. The proposed actions

would harvest 1.8 million board feet of

timber from 600 acres. Three miles of

temporary roads would be built.

Easement across private property would

be required to access the Papoose and

Squaw Creek Sales. The Box Canyon

timber sale is located three miles south

of Irwan, Idaho and the Papoose and

Squaw Creek sales are located three

miles southwest of Swan Valley, Idaho.

Alternatives will include the proposed

action, no action, and any alternatives

that respond to significant issues

generated during the scoping process. A

more detailed description is available

from the Palisades Ranger District; see

ADDRESSES below.

DATES: Send written comments and

suggestions on the issues concerning the

proposed action by June 12, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to

Richard D. Dickemore, District Ranger,

Palisades Ranger District, 3659 East

Ririe Highway, Idaho Falls, Idaho

83401.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dee Sessions, Interdisciplinary Team

Leader, phone (208) 624–3151.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Targhee National Forest Revised Land

Management Plan was approved in

1997. One of the decisions in the

revised Plan was to allow for the

production and utilization of wood fiber

from certain areas of the Forest. The

geographic areas where the proposed

actions would take place have primarily

a prescription of timber management

with emphasis on no clear cutting,

urban interface fire management (5.1.3b)

and elk summer range (5.4c). A

prescription for other lands in the area

is described below.

Elk and Deer Winter Range (2.7a)—

Management emphasis is directed at

providing quality elk and deer winter

habitat. Habitats are managed for

multiple land use benefits, to the extent

these land uses are compatible with

maintaining or improving elk and deer

winter habitat.

Initial public involvement will

include mailing maps and project

descriptions to interested parties to

solicit comments on the proposal.

Preliminary issues include: Roadless

area, threatened, endangered, and

sensitive plant and animal species,

recreational traffic, easement across

private lands, big game habitat, water

quality and aquatic influence zones.

Additional opportunity to comment

on the projects will occur on the draft

Environmental Impact Statement (draft

EIS). The draft EIS is expected to be

filed with the Environmental Protection

Agency and available for public review

in September 1998.

The comment period on the draft EIS

will be 45 days from the date the

Environmental Protection Agency’s

notice of availability appears in the

Federal Register. At the same time,

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 proposed action

participate at that time.

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 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

reviewers’ position and contentions.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v.

NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,553 (1978). Also,

environmental objections that could

have been raised at the draft stage but

that are not raised until after completion

of the final environmental impact

statement may be waived or dismissed

by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel,

(9th Circuit, 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 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 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. 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.

The final EIS is scheduled to be

completed in December 1998. In the

final EIS, the Forest Service is required

to respond to comments received during

the comment period that pertain to the

environmental consequences discussed

in the draft EIS and applicable laws,

regulations, and policies considered in

making the decisions on this proposal.

Responsible Official

Jerry B. Reese, Forest Supervisor, is

the responsible official. As responsible

official, he will document the selected

alternative for the Box Canyon, Papoose,

and Squaw Creek Timber Sales EIS and

his rationale in a Record of Decision.

The decision for the Box Canyon,

Papoose, and Squaw Creek Timber Sales

project will be subject to Forest Service

Appeal Regulations (36 FR part 215).

Dated: May 6, 1998.

Jerry B. Reese,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98–13036 Filed 5–14–98; 8:45 am]

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