38366 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 136 /Thursday, July 16, 1998 / Notices

of this value in cash for processing and

handling expenses related to the use of

such commodities.

Commodity only schools are defined

in section 12(d)(2) of the Act (42 U.S.C.

1760(d)(2)) as ‘‘schools that do not

participate in the school lunch program

under this Act, but which receive

commodities made available by the

Secretary for use by such schools in

nonprofit lunch programs.’’

For the 1999 school year, commodity

only schools shall be eligible to receive

donated food assistance valued at 32.75

cents for each paid lunch served, and

33.50 cents for each free and reduced

price lunch served. This amount is

based on the sum of the section 6(e)

level of assistance announced in this

notice and the adjusted section 4

minimum national average payment

factor for school year 1999. The section

4 factor for commodity only schools

does not include the two cents per

lunch increase for schools where 60

percent of the lunches served in the

school lunch program in the second

preceding school year were served free

or at reduced prices, because that

increase is applicable only to schools

participating in the NSLP.

Authority: Sections 6(e)(1)(A) and (B), 14(f)

and 17(h)(1)(B) of the National School Lunch

Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1755(e)(1)(A) and

(B), 1762a(f), and 1766(h)(1)(B)).

Dated: July 10, 1998.

George A. Braley,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 98–18974 Filed 7–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Squaw/Pole II Timber Sale, Boise

National Forest, Gem County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare

Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: The Boise National Forest

will prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) to document the

analysis and disclose the environmental

impacts of a proposed timber sale in the

Second and Third Fork drainages on the

Emmett Ranger District. The proposed

timber sale lies within the Snowbank

Inventoried Roadless Area (IRA).

Under this proposal, 313 acres of

suitable timber land would be

harvested, producing about 4.3 million

board feet (MMBF) of sawtimber. A total

of 188 acres would be harvested through

shelterwood methods; 55 acres would

be commercially thinned; 36 acres

would be harvested through seed-tree

methods; 20 acres would be harvested

through sanitation salvage methods; and

14 acres would be clearcut. A total of

178 acres would be helicopter yarded;

125 acres would be tractor skidded; and

10 acres would be skyline yarded. A

total of 188 acres would be planted. To

facilitate natural regeneration and

planting success, 120 acres would be

underburned, and 20 acres would be

mechanically scarified.

Stands to be treated would be

accessed by existing roads. Included are

two short road segments of 0.37 and

0.22 mile, respectively, constructed in

the Snowbank IRA in the fall of 1997.

This month (July 1998), these road

segments will be treated to block vehicle

access at the IRA boundary, using a

combination of gates and earth barriers.

The road surface will also be disked for

about 100 feet behind the gate.

Consequently, the proposed action

would include removal of the earth

barriers, and blading of the disked

surface, to facilitate access for harvest

activities.

DATES: Written comments concerning

the scope of the analysis described in

this notice should be received by

August 17, 1998, to ensure timely

consideration. No scoping meetings are

planned at this time.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to

Morris Huffman, Emmett District

Ranger, Boise National Forest, 1805

Highway 16, Emmett, ID 83716.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions concerning the proposed

action and EIS should be directed to

Morris Huffman at 208–365–7000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In August

1995, Deputy Forest Supervisor Cathy

Barbouletos made a decision to

implement the Squaw/Pole timber sale

in an area that encompassed about 5,500

acres on the Emmett Ranger District.

The environmental assessment for the

Squaw/Pole timber sale stated that no

activities were planned for the

Snowbank IRA as part of this project.

In the fall of 1997, it was discovered

that incorrect maps had been used in

the original analysis regarding the

location of the IRA boundary, and that

313 acres of ground-based and

helicopter harvest units had been

located within the IRA, and 0.59 mile of

new road had been constructed within

the IRA. Because the roads within the

IRA have already been constructed, they

are considered part of the existing

condition and will be analyzed as such;

however, the no-action alternative will

include obliteration of the road

segments.

Based on this new information, the

Boise National Forest determined the

proposal may have a significant effect

on the roadless resource and decided to

prepare an EIS. The proposal may result

in the reduction of approximately 885

acres of the Snowbank IRA from the

National Forest System. The IRA

currently encompasses 35,541 acres.

Proposals that may substantially alter

the undeveloped character of an IRA

require the preparation of an EIS.

Initial analysis has identified one

preliminary issue; namely, the effect of

the proposal on the undeveloped

character and wilderness attributes of

the Snowbank IRA. Other potential

issues may be identified during the

current scoping period.

The Forest Service is seeking

information and comments from

Federal, State, and local agencies, as

well as individuals and organizations

who may be interested in, or affected by,

the proposed action. The Forest Service

invites written comments and

suggestions on the issues related to the

proposal and the area being analyzed.

Information received will be used in

preparation of the draft EIS and final

EIS. For the most effective use,

comments should be submitted to the

Forest Service within 30 days from the

date of publication of this notice in the

Federal Register.

The Responsible Official is David D.

Rittenhouse, Forest Supervisor, Boise

National Forest, Boise, Idaho. The

decision to be made is whether to

harvest and replant timber stands in the

project area and, if so, how should these

activities be carried out. The draft EIS

is expected to be available for public

review in November 1998, with a final

EIS estimated to be completed in March

1999. The comment period on the draft

EIS will be 45 days from the date the

Environmental Protection Agency

publishes the notice of availability 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 draft EIS’s 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 contention

(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 Heritages, Inc. v.
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 136 /Thursday, July 16, 1998 / Notices 38367

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 EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the draft EIS should be as

specific as possible. It is also helpful if

comments refer to specific pages or

chapter of the draft EIS. Comments may

also address the adequacy of the draft

EIS or the merits of the alternatives

formulated and discussed in the draft

EIS. 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.

Comments received in response to

this solicitation, including names and

addresses of those who comment, will

be considered part of the public record

on this proposed action and will be

available for public inspection.

Comments submitted anonymously will

be accepted and considered; however,

those who submit anonymous

comments will not have standing to

appeal the subsequent decision under

36 CFR Part 215 or 217. Additionally,

pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person

may request the agency to withhold a

submission from the public record by

showing how the Freedom of

Information Act (FOIA) permits such

confidentiality. Persons requesting such

confidentiality should be aware that,

under the FOIA, confidentiality may be

granted in only limited circumstances,

such as to protect trade secrets. The

Forest Service will inform the requester

of the agency’s decision regarding the

request for confidentiality; and, where

the request is denied, the agency will

return the submission and notify the

requester that the comments may be

resubmitted with or without name and

address within 10 days.

Dated: July 8, 1998.

Allan B. McCombie,

Acting Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98–19002 Filed 7–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration

Designation Amendment for Michigan

to Provide Official Services in the Lima

(OH) Area

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The designation of Michigan

Grain Inspection Services, Inc.,

(Michigan), has been amended to

include part of Ohio.

DATES: Effective on August 1, 1998.

ADDRESSES: USDA, GIPSA, Janet M.

Hart, Chief, Review Branch, Compliance

Division, STOP 3604, 1400

Independence Ave. S.W., Washington,

DC 20250–3604.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Janet M. Hart, telephone 202–720–8525.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

action has been reviewed and

determined not to be a rule or regulation

as defined in Executive Order 12866

and Departmental Regulation 1512–1;

therefore, the Executive Order and

Departmental Regulation do not apply

to this action.

In the April 1, 1998, Federal Register

(63 FR 15827), GIPSA announced the

designation of Michigan to provide

official inspection services under the

Act, effective May 1, 1998, and ending

April 30, 2001. Subsequently, Michigan

asked GIPSA to amend their geographic

area to include part of Ohio, due to the

purchase of the formerly designated

corporation, Lima Grain Inspection

Service, Inc. (Lima). Section 7A(c)(2) of

the Act authorizes GIPSA’s

Administrator to designate an agency to

perform official services within a

specified geographic area, if such

agency is qualified under Section

7(f)(1)(A) of the Act. GIPSA evaluated

all available information regarding the

designation criteria in Section 7(f)(1)(A)

of the Act, and determined that

Michigan is qualified. GIPSA is

announcing the change in Michigan’s

assigned geographic area, and that

Michigan is the officially designated

service provider in the area of Ohio

formerly assigned to Lima. The

Michigan geographic area, in the States

of Michigan and Ohio is:

Bounded on the North by the northern

Michigan State line;

Bounded on the East by the eastern

Michigan State line south and east to

State Route 53; State Route 53 south to

State Route 46; State Route 46 west to

Sheridan Road; Sheridan Road south to

Barnes Road; Barnes Road west to State

Route 15; State Route 15 south to the

Genesee County line; the northern

Genesee County line west to the

Shiawassee County line; the northern

Shiawassee County line west to State

Route 52; State Route 52 south to State

Route 21; State Route 21 west to Clinton

County; the eastern and northern

Clinton County lines west to U.S. Route

27; U.S. Route 27 south to U.S. Route

127; U.S. Route 127 south to the

Michigan-Ohio State line. In Ohio, the

northern State line west to the Williams

County line; the eastern Williams

County line south to the Defiance

County line; the northern and eastern

Defiance County lines south to U.S.

Route 24; U.S. Route 24 northeast to

State Route 108; State Route 108 south

to Putnam County; the northern and

eastern Putnam County lines; the

eastern Allen County line; the northern

Hardin County line east to U.S. Route

68; U.S. Route 68 south to U.S. Route

47;

Bounded on the South by U.S. Route

47 west-southwest to Interstate 75

(excluding all of Sidney, Ohio);

Interstate 75 south to the Shelby County

line; the southern and western Shelby

County lines; the southern Mercer

County line; and

Bounded on the West by the OhioIndiana State line from the southern

Mercer County line to the northern

Williams County line; in Michigan, by

the southern Michigan State line west to

the Branch County line; the western

Branch County line north to the

Kalamazoo County line; the southern

Kalamazoo and Van Buren County lines

west to the Michigan State line; the

western Michigan State line north to the

northern Michigan State line.

Michigan’s assigned geographic area

does not include the following grain

elevators inside Michigan’s area which

have been and will continue to be

serviced by the following official

agencies:

1. Detroit Grain Inspection Service,

Inc.: St. Johns Coop., St. Johns, Clinton

County, Michigan.

2. Northeast Indiana Grain Inspection:

E.M. P. Grain, Payne, Paulding County,

Ohio.

Effective August 1, 1998, Michigan’s

present geographic area is amended to

include part of Ohio. Michigan’s

designation to provide official

inspection services terminates April 30,

2001. Official services may be obtained

by contacting Michigan at 616–781–

2711.

Authority: Pub. L. 94–582, 90 Stat. 2867,

as amended (7 U.S.C. 71 et seq.).