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

23716

Vol. 63, No. 83

Thursday, April 30, 1998

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and

Gunnison National Forests, Colorado;

Nucla-Telluride Transmission Line

Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement:

Nucla-Telluride Transmission Line

Project.

LOCATION: Montrose and San Miguel

Counties, Colorado.

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service

(lead agency) in cooperation with USDI

Bureau of Land Management and the

USDA Rural Utilities Service is

considering applications to construct a

115kV transmission line in

southwestern Colorado. The total length

of the line is approximately 57 miles.

The objectives of the project are to

provide loop transmission to the

Telluride, Colorado service area;

improve the quality of electric service to

the Norwood, Colorado service area;

improve the service to the substations

between Sunshine and Hesperus; and

provide another interconnection to the

Nucla generation plant. The uncertain

reliability of the Telluride electric

service will pose a health and safety

hazard in the near future, if not

corrected. The severe winter conditions

of the area require reliable electric

service to assure safe living conditions.

The project is designed to meet this

immediate human health and safety

issue, and provide other benefits to rural

electric users at the same time.

Preliminary issues related to potential

direct and indirect resource effects

include: visual resource impacts in a

recreational setting; cultural resource

encounters and accompanying

mitigation steps; habitat alterations

where special status species occur

including the Gunnison sage grouse

Mexican spotted owl, bald eagle and

southwestern willow flycatcher; and

perceived public health and safety

concerns related to high voltage

transmission facilities.

Three public workshops have been

held to gain a perspective on the range

of issues. Alternatives include:

rebuilding an existing 69kV line for a

large portion of the distance with new

construction tieing to the Telluride

substation; and relocation alternatives

which will focus on minimizing

residence and transmission line

intersections, improving line location

related to resource impacts and

combining facility corridors.

DATES: Comments in response to this

Notice of Intent concerning the scope of

the analysis should be received in

writing by June 30, 1998. Scoping

meetings are scheduled for May 26, 27,

and 28, 1998 in Redvale, Norwood and

Telluride, Colorado respectively. The

draft environmental impact statement is

scheduled for fall 1998 and the final in

winter 1999.

The comment period on the draft

environmental impact statement will be

45 days from the date of the

Environmental Protection Agency

publishes the notice of availability in

the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to

Norwood Ranger District, PO Box 388,

Norwood, Colorado 81423, ATTN: Steve

Wells.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Steve Wells at (970) 327–4261.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 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. 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 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 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.

Other Potential Permits

USDI Fish & Wildlife Service informal

consultation—Section 7 Threatened and

Endangered Species Act; USDOD Army

Corps of Engineers—Nationwide

Permit—Section 404 Clean Water Act;

Montrose County Building Permit; San

Miguel County Building Permit;

Certificate for Public Convenience—

PUC, Colorado.

Dated: April 24, 1998.

Robert L. Storch,

Forest Supervisor, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre

and Gunnison National Forests.

[FR Doc. 98–11478 Filed 4–29–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To

Conduct an Information Collection

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.

L. No. 104–13) and Office of

Management and Budget (OMB)