28348 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 99 / Friday, May 22, 1998 / Notices

Type of Request: Extension of

approval of an information collection.

Abstract: The Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of

the United States Department of

Agriculture is responsible for, among

other things, preventing the

introduction and dissemination of plant

pests into or through the United States.

As part of this responsibility, APHIS

regulates the importation of logs,

lumber, and other unmanufactured

wood articles.

In administering the regulations, we

collect information from persons both

within and outside the United States

who are involved in growing, handling,

processing, transporting, and importing

unmanufactured wood articles. The

information is provided on a number of

forms and other documents, including

applications for permits, various

accompanying importer documents or

certificates, notices of arrival, and

compliance agreements. This

information is vital to ensure that

unmanufactured wood articles imported

into the United States do not harbor

plant pests.

We are asking the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) to

approve the continued use of this

information collection activity.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit

comments from the public (as well as

affected agencies) concerning our

information collection. 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: The public

reporting burden for this collection of

information is estimated to average

.15078 hours per response.

Respondents: Importers, processors,

shippers, foreign plant health protection

authorities.

Estimated annual number of

respondents: 80,005.

Estimated annual number of

responses per respondent: 12.530.

Estimated annual number of

responses: 1,002,472.

Estimated total annual burden on

respondents: 151,152 hours. (Due to

rounding, the total annual burden hours

may not equal the product of the annual

number of responses multiplied by the

average reporting burden per response.)

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 18th day of

May 1998.

Charles P. Schwalbe,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 98–13769 Filed 5–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Proposed North Round Valley Timber

Sale, Rapid River Roadless Area,

Payette National Forest, Adams

County, Idaho

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent to

Prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement.

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service

published a Revised Notice of Intent to

prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) for the Lockwood and

North Valley Timber Sales in the

Federal Register on December 19, 1991

(Vol. 56, No. 244, page 65881). That

revised notice is hereby revised to show

three changes: (1) Separate EIS’s for

each proposed timber sale, (2) the name

of the EIS’s, and (3) the schedule for the

North Round Valley Timber Sale EIS.

(1) The Lockwood and North Round

Valley Timber Sales Draft EIS was

released in January 1992. A Final EIS

was completed in 1993 but was never

released to the public because of the

listing of Chinook salmon and

subsequent delays with consultation

under the Endangered Species Act.

During the large wildfires on the Forest

in 1994, the interdisciplinary team

assigned to the Lockwood/North Round

Valley projects was disbanded, and the

Final EIS was put on hold through the

post-fire landscape and salvage analyses

conducted in 1994 and 1995. In 1996,

the Forest formed a new

interdisciplinary team to complete the

Final EIS and to analyze changed

conditions since 1993. As part of the

analysis, the team recommended that

the two timber sales be separated into

two EIS’s primarily due to differences in

the level of effects and controversy

associated with each project.

(2) This Revised Notice of Intent

covers the proposed North Round

Valley Timber Sale. A separate Revised

Notice of Intent will be prepared for the

proposed Lockwood Timber Sale.

(3) The North Round Valley Timber

Sale Final EIS is scheduled to be

released in the spring or early summer

of 1998. The exact date will depend on

when consultation on threatened and

proposed species is completed with the

National Marine Fisheries Services and

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments or

requests to David Alexander, Forest

Supervisor, Payette National Forest,

P.O. Box 1026, McCall, Idaho 83638.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the action should be

directed to David Ede, Team Leader, at

(208) 347–0331; or Kimberly Brandel,

New Meadows District Ranger, at (208)

347–0300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USDA

Forest Service is proposing to harevest

and regenerate timber in the North

Round Valley Timber Sale on the New

Meadows Ranger District of the Payette

National Forest in Adams County,

Idaho. The area is located in the Round

Valley Creek and Trail Creek

subwatersheds, which drain into the

Little Salmon River

The Preferred Alternative would

harvest an estimated 184 acres with

shelterwood prescriptions designed to

thin out overstocked stands of mostly

grand fir, which would leave a healthy

overstory of mixed species that are

within the historic range of variability

for this area. Proposed logging systems

include tractor and helicopter. Proposed

harvest units are on or near existing

roads, so no new road would be

constructed. An estimated 0.5 mile of

existing road would be reconstructed.

All reconstructed road would be closed

following sale-related activities. In

addition, 6.3 miles of currently open

roads in the Round Valley Creek

subwatershed would be closed yearround to public motorized vehicles, and

4.0 miles of existing roads would be

obliterated. Closures and obliteration

would improve wildlife habitat and

water quality over the long term.

An estimated 125 acres would be

harvested in the Rapid River Roadless

Area (0.6 percent of the roadless area),

but no new road construction or

reconstruction would occur in the

roadless area. Three roadless units (90

acres) would be harvested by helicopter,

and two roadless units would be tractor-
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 99 / Friday, May 22, 1998 / Notices 28349

skidded to nearby existing roads. This

portion of the roadless area is a narrow

finger with roads and harvest units on

three sides, which currently has

relatively low potential for wilderness.

The responsible Official is David F.

Alexander, Forest Supervisor, Payette

National Forest.

Dated: May 11, 1998.

David F. Alexander,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98–13686 Filed 5–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Southwest Oregon Provincial

Interagency Executive Committee

(PIEC); Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Southwest Oregon PIEC

Advisory Committee will meet on June

1 at the Medford District of the Bureau

of Land Management at 3040 Biddle

Road, Medford, Oregon.

The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m.

and continue until 5:00 p.m. Agenda

items to be covered include: (1)

Coordinated watershed restoration

between federal and non-federal land

managers; (2) Province monitoring

priorities; (3) Forest health issues; (4)

Report from local BLM and Forest

Service on local issues; (5) Coarse Wood

Management evaluation process; (6)

Review of Committee operating guides;

and (7) Public comment. All Province

Advisory Committee meetings are open

to the public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions regarding this meeting

to Chuck Anderson, Province Advisory

Committee staff, USDA, Forest Service,

Rogue River National Forest, 333 W. 8th

Street, Medford, Oregon 97501, phone

541–858–2322.

Dated: May 12, 1998.

Charles J. Anderson,

Acting Forest Supervisor, Designated Federal

Official.

[FR Doc. 98–13755 Filed 5–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

New York City Watershed, Delaware,

Schoharie, Greene, Ulster, and Sullivan

Counties, New York State

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 Soil

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 New York City

Watershed, Delaware, Schoharie,

Greene, Ulster, and Sullivan Counties,

New York State.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Richard D. Swenson, State

Conservationist, Natural Resources

Conservation Service, 441 S. Salina St.,

Suite 354, Syracuse, New York 13202–

2450, telephone 315/477–6504.

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, Richard D. Swenson, State

Conservationist, has determined that the

preparation and review of an

environmental impact statement are not

needed for this project.

The project purposes are enhance

existing programs and to develop new

ones that will protect the drinking water

supply of New York City. The planned

works of improvement include better

forestry practices, conservation

easements, resource data inventory,

technology development, education/

outreach, and operation and

maintenance of whole farm plans.

The Notice of a 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 assessment are on

file and may be reviewed by contacting

Richard D. Swenson. No administrative

action on implementation of the

proposal will be taken until 30 days

after the date of this publication in the

Federal Register.

(This activity is listed in the Catalog of

Federal Domestic Assistance under NO.

10.904, Watershed Protection and Flood

Prevention, and is subject to the provisions

of Executive Order 12372, which requires

intergovernmental consultation with State

and local officials.)

Melvin Womack,

Acting State Conservationist.

[FR Doc. 98–13685 Filed 5–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Task Force on Agricultural Air Quality;

Meeting

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Task Force on

Agricultural Air Quality will meet to

discuss the relationship between

agricultural production and air quality.

The meeting is open to the public.

DATES: The meeting will convene

Wednesday, June 17, 1998, at 8:30 a.m.

and continue until 5:00 p.m. The

meeting will resume Thursday, June 18,

1998, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Written material and requests to make

oral presentations should reach the

Natural Resources Conservation Service

on or before June 12, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Doubletree Spokane City Center

Hotel, 322 North Spokane Falls Court,

Spokane, Washington 99201, telephone

(509) 455–9600. Written material and

requests to make oral presentations

should be sent to George Bluhm,

University of California, Land, Air,

Water Resources, 151 Hoagland Hall,

Davis, CA 95616–6827.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

George Bluhm, Designated Federal

Official, telephone (916) 752–1018, fax

(916) 752–1552.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of

this meeting is given under the Federal

Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App.

2. Additional information about the

Task Force on Agricultural Air Quality,

including any revised agendas for the

June 17–18, 1998, meeting that may

appear after this Federal Register Notice

is published, may be found on the

World Wide Web at http://

www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/faca/aaqtf.html.