Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 7, 2009 / Notices 15691 

1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an 

information collection that will be 

submitted to OMB for extension. 

Comments are invited on: (a) 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; (b) the accuracy of 

the Agency’s estimate of the burden of 

the proposed collection of information 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. Comments may be sent to: 

Michele Brooks, Director, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

USDA RUS, STOP 1522, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., Washington, 

DC 20250–1522. FAX: (202) 720–8435. 

Title: Extensions of Payments of 

Principal and Interest. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0123. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection. 

Abstract: This collection of 

information consists of information on 

the procedures which borrowers must 

follow in order to request extensions of 

principal and interest. Authority for 

these is contained in section 12 of the 

Rural Electrification Act of 1936 

(REAct), as amended and in section 236 

of the ‘‘Disaster Relief Act of 1970 (Pub. 

L. 91–606), as amended by the 

Department of Agriculture 

Reorganization Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 

103–354). Eligible purposes include 

financial hardship, energy resource 

conservation (ERC) loans, renewable 

energy projects, distributed generation 

projects, and contribution-in-aid of 

construction. These procedures are 

codified at 7 CFR part 1721, subpart B. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

for this collection of information is 

estimated to average 4.71 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Not-for-profit 

institutions. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

90. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 2. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 424 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Thomas P. 

Dickson, Program Development and 

Regulatory Analysis, at (202) 690–4492. 

FAX: (202) 720–8435. E-mail: 

thomas.dickson@wdc.usda.gov. 

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. 

Dated: March 31, 2009. 

James R. Newby, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–7720 Filed 4–6–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Willow Creek Pass Fuel Reduction 

Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA— 

Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests; 

Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District, 

Steamboat Springs, Colorado. 

PROJECT: Willow Creek Pass Fuel 

Reduction Project. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement (EIS). 

SUMMARY: The mountain pine beetle 

epidemic is continuing to cause large 

areas of mortality to lodgepole pine 

throughout the Medicine Bow-Routt 

National Forests. Adjacent private lands 

are experiencing mortality along shared 

boundaries and an increasing number of 

homeowner associations are taking 

preventive steps to provide defensible 

space around their properties and 

reduce overhead hazard trees. 

The Willow Creek Pass Village 

Homeowners Association (WCPV–HOA) 

has requested assistance with increasing 

defensible space and removal of hazard 

trees on Forest lands (east) adjacent to 

their private boundary. 

This project is an ‘‘authorized and 

covered project’’ under Title I of the 

Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA). 

We will be using expedited procedures 

authorized by this Act to complete 

project planning and decision-making. 

Use of this authority requires an 

emphasis on collaboration with local 

communities and a determination that 

an epidemic exists by consulting with 

forest health specialists. 

DATES: The draft environmental impact 

statement is expected to be filed with 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) and available for public review 

during April 2009. At that time, the EPA 

will publish a Notice of Availability 

(NOA) of the draft EIS in the Federal 

Register. The comment period on the 

draft EIS will be for a period of not less 

than 45 days from the date the EPA 

publishes the NOA in the Federal 

Register. It is important that those 

interested in the management of this 

area comment at that time. 

The final EIS is expected to be 

available in June 2009. In the final EIS, 

the Forest Service will respond to any 

comments received during the public 

comment period that pertain to the 

environmental analysis. Those 

comments and the Forest Service 

responses will be disclosed and 

discussed in the final EIS and will be 

considered when the final decision 

about this proposal is made. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Jamie Kingsbury, District Ranger, 925 

Weiss Drive, Steamboat Springs, 

Colorado 80487. Comments may also be 

sent via e-mail or facsimile. E-mail to: 

comments-rocky-mountain-medicinebow-routt-hahns-peak-bearsears@fs.fed.us, include ‘‘Willow Creek 

Pass’’ in the subject line of the e-mail 

message, or via facsimile to 970–870– 

2284. 

Comments received in response to 

this solicitation, including names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be part of the public record for this 

proposed action. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered; however, anonymous 

comments will not provide the 

respondent with standing to appeal the 

subsequent decision. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brian Waugh—Environmental 

Coordinator (970–870–2185) or Andy 

Cadenhead—Supervisory Forester (970– 

870–2220), Medicine Bow-Routt 

National Forests, 925 Weiss Drive, 

Steamboat Springs, Colorado 80487. 

Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 

Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The purpose of the Willow Creek Pass 

Project is to provide defensible space 

along the boundary shared with the U.S. 

Forest Service and reduce fuel and 

overhead hazards adjacent to the private 

properties in the WCPV–HOA. This 

would include reducing hazard fuels in 

close proximity to private in-holdings 

and adjacent properties of the WCPV– 

HOA, creating defensible space to 

provide increased protection from 

wildland fire events, and removing 

hazard trees that could fall on private 

residences and other improvements in 

the Willow Creek Pass Village 

Homeowners Association. 

There is a need to: 

• Reduce the development of 

continuous high hazard fuel conditions. 

15692 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 7, 2009 / Notices 

• Reduce hazard trees within damage 

distance to private dwellings. 

• Remove beetle killed and dying 

lodgepole pine. 

• Promote regeneration of aspen and 

other conifer species to expedite the 

establishment of the next forest. 

Proposed Action 

The proposed action would occur in 

the Dome Peak inventoried roadless 

area. After the proposed Colorado 

Roadless Rule decision has been signed, 

this project would be permitted with an 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

The Willow Creek Pass Village 

Homeowners Association proposal was 

modified slightly by specialists with the 

U.S. Forest Service, HPBE Ranger 

District to treat approximately 100 acres 

of mature forested stands where 

lodgepole pine is dead and dying from 

the ongoing beetle epidemic. The 

proposed treatment area on National 

Forest lands is adjacent to the Willow 

Creek Pass Village Homeowners 

Association. Access onto the Forest 

would be through the Marshall Property 

on the south end and private property 

to be determined in the central part of 

the project area where approximately 

1⁄4 mile of temporary road would be 

constructed for the hazard tree removal 

and then obliterated at the end of the 

project. The last access would be on an 

existing dead end road spur that 

accesses a user trail onto the Forest. 

This northernmost access would require 

no temporary road as skidding would 

occur to the existing access location. 

Lodgepole pine would be targeted for 

removal along the shared Forest and 

private boundaries approximately 800 

feet east inside the Forest boundary. The 

heaviest removal would extend from the 

shared boundary to a temporary road 

with whole-tree skidding required from 

the shared Forest/homeowner boundary 

to the temporary road east of the 

boundary approximately 300 feet. 

The proposed action would remove 

all lodgepole pine down to 5 inches 

diameter at breast height and all other 

hazard trees greater than 7 inches 

diameter at breast height. Hazard trees 

within 300 feet of the shared Forest/ 

homeowner boundary would be wholetree skidded to a landing along the 

temporary road, limbed and decked at 

this location. Removal east of the 

temporary road could be whole-tree 

skidded or lopped and scattered at point 

of felling with excess slash piled for 

later faIl/winter burning operations. 

The project area can be accessed off 

of Routt County Road (RCR) 129 along 

existing roads in the WCPV–HOA 

subdivision east of RCR 129. The 

existing roads in the homeowners 

association are well maintained and 

would require little maintenance for log 

hauling. New temporary roads would 

need to be constructed from private 

properties onto forest lands to facilitate 

accessing and removing the timber. The 

temporary roads, skid trails, and 

landings would be reclaimed to their 

original contours and permanently 

closed at the end of the project. 

Responsible Official 

The responsible official is Jamie 

Kingsbury, District Ranger, Hahns Peak/ 

Bears Ears Ranger District, 925 Weiss 

Drive, Steamboat Springs, Colorado 

80487. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The decision will be whether to treat 

dead and dying lodgepole pine timber 

affected by the mountain pine beetle 

epidemic in the Dome Peak Inventoried 

Roadless Area adjacent to the private 

properties of the Willow Creek Pass 

Village Homeowners Association that 

are fuel and overhead hazards to the 

community. If the decision is to treat the 

hazard fuels and standing hazards to 

complement the on-going work on 

private lands, the type, distribution, and 

priority of treatments would be decided 

with consideration for resource 

protection for watersheds, recreation, 

scenery, and wildlife habitat. 

Preliminary Issues 

• Subdivision road maintenance and 

repair. 

• Smoke management during pile 

burning. 

• Logging vehicle conduct on 

subdivision roads during hauling. 

Scoping Process 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process, which guides the 

development of the Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS). The Forest 

Service has listed the project in the 

Schedule of Proposed Actions that is 

posted on the Web. A field trip on July 

26, 2008 with Forest Service specialists 

and interested homeowners reviewed 

the proposed project area and potential 

treatments. At least one additional 

meeting is planned after the draft EIS is 

available. The Forest Service will also 

respond to information requests about 

the project and add additional public 

meetings and field trips as interest 

dictates. 

It is important that reviewers provide 

their comments at such times and in 

such manner that they are useful to the 

agency’s preparation of the 

environmental impact statement. 

Therefore, comments should be 

provided prior to the close of the 

comment period and should clearly 

articulate the reviewer’s concerns and 

contentions. The submission of timely 

and specific comments can affect a 

reviewer’s ability to participate in 

subsequent administrative appeal or 

judicial review. 

Release of Names 

Comments received in response to 

this solicitation, including names and 

addresses of those who commented, 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 

object to the subsequent decision under 

36 CFR Part 218. 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 very 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 ten (10) days. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review: A draft 

environmental impact statement will be 

prepared for comment. The comment 

period on the draft environmental 

impact statement 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, that 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 during the draft environmental 

impact statement stage, but 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, 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 7, 2009 / Notices 15693 

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 related to 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 document. 

Comments may also address the 

adequacy of the draft environmental 

impact statement or the merits of the 

alternatives displayed in the document. 

Reviewers should refer to the Council 

on Environmental Quality Regulations 

at 40 CFR 1503.3 for implementing the 

procedural provisions of the National 

Environmental Policy Act for addressing 

these points. 

Dated: March 22, 2009. 

Mary H. Peterson, 

Forest Supervisor, Medicine Bow-Routt 

National Forests. 

[FR Doc. E9–7490 Filed 4–6–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Bighorn National Forest; Wyoming; 

Livestock Grazing and Vegetation 

Management EIS; Livestock Grazing 

and Vegetation Management on Six 

Geographic Areas on the Tongue, 

Medicine Wheel/Paintrock, and Powder 

River Ranger Districts, Bighorn 

National Forest, Sheridan, Johnson, 

Washakie, and Big Horn Counties, WY 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, 

will prepare an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) to implement vegetation 

management strategies on forty three 

(43) domestic livestock grazing 

allotments, which will result in 

development of new allotment 

management plans (AMPs). On portions 

of the analysis area, fuel management in 

forested and sagebrush/grassland 

communities is being analyzed. The 

agency gives notice of the full 

environmental analysis and decisionmaking process so that interested and 

affected people are aware of how they 

may participate in the process and 

contribute to the final decision. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by May 

7, 2009. Based on past actions of this 

type, the Responsible Official has 

determined that an environmental 

impact statement will be prepared for 

this project. The draft environmental 

impact statement is expected January 

2010 and the final environmental 

impact statement is expected September 

2010. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

William T. Bass, Bighorn National 

Forest Supervisor, 2013 Eastside Second 

Street, Sheridan, Wyoming 82801. 

Comments may also be sent via e-mail 

to comments-bighorn@fs.fed.us or via 

facsimile to 307–674–2668. 

It is important that reviewers provide 

their comments at such times and in 

such a way that they are useful to the 

Agency’s preparation of the EIS. 

Therefore, comments should be 

provided prior to the close of the 

comment period and should clearly 

articulate the reviewer’s concerns and 

contentions. The submission of timely 

and specific comments can affect a 

reviewer’s ability to participate in 

subsequent administrative review or 

judicial review. 

Comments received in response to 

this solicitation, including names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be part of the public record for this 

proposed action. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered; however, anonymous 

comments will not provide the 

respondent with standing to participate 

in subsequent administrative review or 

judicial review. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Laurie Walters-Clark, Interdisciplinary 

Team Leader, Bighorn National Forest, 

phone (307) 674–2627. 

Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may 

call the Federal Information Relay 

Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 

Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This NOI 

corrects two past notices: Beaver Creek 

NOI (5/16/07) and Goose Creek NOI (5/ 

29/08). These allotments are being 

included in this analysis. All comments 

received on Beaver Creek or Goose 

Creek will be retained for this analysis. 

The 43 allotments to be analyzed are 

located in the Shell Creek, Paintrock 

Creek, Goose Creek, Little Bighorn 

River, Piney Creek/Rock Creek, and 

Tensleep geographic areas as mapped by 

the 2005 Bighorn National Forest 

Revised Land and Resource 

Management Plan (Forest Plan). Only 

National Forest System lands (NFS) 

within the Bighorn National Forest will 

be considered in the proposal. The 

purpose of the analysis is to determine 

if livestock grazing will continue on the 

analysis area. If the decision is to 

continue livestock grazing, management 

strategies outlining how livestock are to 

graze will be developed to assure 

implementation of Forest Plan 

management direction. The analysis 

will consider actions that continue to 

improve trends in vegetation, watershed 

conditions, and ecological sustainability 

relative to livestock grazing and fire and 

fuel management within the allotments. 

Management actions are proposed to be 

implementated beginning in the year 

2011. The Forest Plan identified 

livestock grazing as an appropriate use 

and made initial determinations for 

lands capable and suitable for grazing 

by domestic livestock. The Forest Plan 

also identified fuel management 

activities as appropriate, where needed 

to maintain or restore ecosystem health. 

The 43 allotments involved are: 

Antelope Ridge Sheep and Goat, Bear/ 

Crystal Creek Sheep and Goat, Beaver 

Creek Sheep and Goat, Finger Creek 

Cattle and Horse, Grouse Creek Sheep 

and Goat, Hunt Mountain Sheep and 

Goat, Little Horn Sheep and Goat, Red 

Canyon Cattle and Horse, Red Canyon 

Sheep and Goat, Sunlight Mesa Cattle 

and Horse, Whaley Creek Sheep and 

Goat, Wiley-Sundown Cattle and Horse, 

Matthews Ridge Cattle and Horse, South 

Park Cattle and Horse, Big Goose Cattle 

and Horse, Little Goose Cattle and 

Horse, Little Goose Canyon Cattle and 

Horse, Walker Prairie Cattle and Horse, 

Rapid Creek Cattle and Horse, Stull 

Lakes Cattle and Horse, Tourist Horse 

Special Use Permit, Fisher Mountain 

Cattle and Horse, Little Horn Cattle and 

Horse, Red Springs Cattle and Horse, 

Sage Basin Cattle and Horse, Wyoming 

Gulch Cattle and Horse, Dry Fork Ridge 

Cattle and Horse, Lake Creek Cattle and 

Horse, Lower Dry Fork Cattle and Horse, 

West Pass Cattle and Horse, Rock Creek 

Cattle and Horse, Baby Wagon Sheep 

and Goat, Dry Tensleep Cattle and 

Horse, Garnet Creek Sheep and Goat, 

Hazelton Sheep and Goat, Leigh Creek 

Sheep and Goat, McLain Lake Sheep 

and Goat, Monument Cattle and Horse, 

North Canyon Cattle and Horse, South 

Canyon Cattle and Horse, Tensleep 

Canyon Cattle and Horse, Upper 

Meadows Sheep and Goat, and Willow 

Sheep and Goat. The proposed fire and 

fuel management actions all occur 

within the above allotment boundaries.