Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 106 / Friday, June 1, 2001 / Notices 29763

preparedness, monitoring and

prediction, risk management, and

response to drought emergencies in the

United States. The Interim Council will

encourage cooperation and coordination

between and among Federal, State,

local, and tribal governments and

others, relative to preparation for and

response to serious drought

emergencies. Activities of the Interim

Council include providing coordination

to: (a) resolve drought related issues, (b)

exchange information about lessons

learned, and (c) improve public

awareness of the need for drought

planning and mitigation measures. The

Interim Council is co-chaired by the

Secretary of Agriculture or her designee,

and a non-Federal co-chair, Ms. Ane D.

Deister, Executive Assistant to the

General Manager, Metropolitan Water

District of Southern California,

representing urban water interests.

Administrative staff support essential to

the execution of the Interim Council’s

responsibilities shall be provided by

USDA.

The Interim Council will continue in

effect for 5 years or until Congress

establishes a permanent National

Drought Council.

If special accommodations are

required, please contact Leona Dittus, at

the address specified above, by COB

June 18, 2001.

Signed at Washington, D.C., on May 24,

2001.

James R. Little,

Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.

[FR Doc. 01–13755 Filed 5–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request—Evaluation of the

Prime Vendor Pilot Project

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Food and

Nutrition Service’s intention to request

Office of Management and Budget

approval of data collection instruments

for the Evaluation of the Prime Vendor

Pilot Project.

DATES: Written comments on this notice

must be received by July 31, 2001.

ADDRESSES: 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 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.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) approval. All comments will also

become a matter of public record.

Comments may be sent to: Alberta C.

Frost, Director, Office of Analysis,

Nutrition and Evaluation, Food and

Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive,

Alexandria, VA 22302.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the proposed information

collection forms should be directed to

Alberta C. Frost (703) 305–2117.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Evaluation of the Prime Vendor

Pilot Project—Data Collection

Instruments.

OMB Number: Not yet assigned.

Expiration Date: N/A

Type of Request: New collection of

information.

Abstract: The Prime Vendor Project is

a pilot of the Food Distribution Program

in Indian Reservations (FDPIR) that is

planned to last from July 1, 2001 to June

30, 2002. The FDPIR was authorized by

Section 4(b) of the Food Stamp Act of

1977 [7 U.S.C. 2013(b)] and Section 4(a)

of the Food and Consumer Protection

Act of 1973 [7 U.S.C. 612(c) Note]. The

Prime Vendor Pilot will establish a

partnership between USDA and the

Department of Defense (DoD) to pilot

test food distribution operations through

a Prime Vendor system. The

participating recipients will be the 23

Indian Tribal Organizations (ITO’s) in

the Midwest Region, covering

Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Through the Prime Vendor Pilot

agreement, USDA becomes a party to

the existing DoD contract with

commercial wholesalers/distributors

through which the Prime Vendor will

accept food orders directly from the

ITO’s, and deliver food items in three

days, rather than 60–90 days as

currently practiced. ITO’s can also order

as frequently as needed, instead of once

a month, as long as the USDA ordering/

entitlement cap set for the ITO is not

exceeded. Under this pilot, USDA buys

food items directly from the

wholesalers/distributors without any

middleman. In short, the Prime Vendor

will procure foods pre-approved by

FNS, store and deliver them to the ITO,

and bill USDA. The evaluation

component will collect information

from ITO’s, USDA agencies, and

regional offices using two

questionnaires: one for the ITO

respondents and the other for

respondents from the Food and

Nutrition Service (FNS), the

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS),

the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the

Midwest Regional Office (MWRO), and

the Kansas City Commodity Office

(KCCO). Respondent interviews will be

self-administered at two data collection

points: pre- and post-intervention.

Estimate of Burden: Public burden for

respondents of ITO’s is estimated at 1

hour per response for two responses

each by 33 respondents (33 × 2 × 1 hour

= 66 hours).

Respondents: The most

knowledgeable FDPIR staff member in

the ITO will be interviewed. Note: also

as part of this effort, the most

knowledgeable FDPIR staff member in

FNS, AMS, FSA, MWRO, and KCCO

will be interviewed as well.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

Twenty-three respondents will be

interviewed from ITO’s in the Midwest

Region, 10 respondents from other

ITO’s. Note: as part of this effort, 5

respondents will be interviewed from

USDA agencies and regional offices.

Estimated Number of Responses Per

Respondent: Two.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 66 hours (33 × 2

interviews × 1 hour each).

Dated: May 25, 2001.

George A. Braley,

Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition

Service.

[FR Doc. 01–13781 Filed 5–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Fish Creek Watershed Projects,

Umpqua National Forest, Douglas

County, OR

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

29764 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 106 / Friday, June 1, 2001 / Notices

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service,

will prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for a variety of

connected and similar resource projects

within the Fish Creek watershed

planning area of the Diamond Lake

Ranger District. These projects include

several timber sales, the construction of

temporary roads, rock source

development, spring rehabilitation,

trailhead relocation, wildlife

enhancement, site preparation, planting,

fuels hazard reduction, road

decommissioning, precommercial

thinning, instream wood placement, and

soil restoration. The planning area is

located approximately 65 miles east of

Roseburg, Oregon. If the proposed

alternative or another action alternative

is selected, projects within the selected

action are expected to be implemented

sometime during 2003 through 2008.

The agency gives notice of the full

environmental analysis and decisionmaking process that will occur on the

proposal so that interested and affected

people may become aware of how they

can participate in the process and

contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope

of the analysis should be received in

writing, by June 29, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and

suggestions concerning this proposal to

John Ouimet, District Ranger, Diamond

Lake Ranger District, 2020 Toketee

Ranger Station Road, Idleyld Park, OR

97447–9704.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Direct

questions about the proposed actions, or

EIS to Pat Williams, ID Team Leader/

Timber Sale Planner, Diamond Lake

Ranger District, 2020 Toketee Ranger

Station Road, Idleyld Park, OR 97447–

9704, or (541) 498–2531.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The area

being analyzed in the Fish Creek

Watershed Projects EIS encompasses

approximately 53,578 acres of National

Forest land on the Diamond Lake

Ranger District. The planning area is

located south of the North Umpqua

River, north of the Rogue-Umpqua

Divide, east of Copeland Creek, and

west of Mount Bailey, within Douglas

County, Oregon.

Timber sale harvest activity proposals

are based on the need to achieve the

objectives for matrix lands within

Management Areas 10 and 11 of the

planning area, as described in the 1990

Umpqua National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan (LRMP), as

amended by the 1994 Record of

Decision (ROD) for Amendments to

Forest Service and Bureau of Land

Management Planning Documents

Within the Range of the Northern

Spotted Owl. Objectives for matrix

lands are described on page B–1 of the

ROD. The ROD states, ‘‘Production of

timber and other commodities is an

important objective for the Matrix.’’ The

ROD also states on Page B–2 and B–6

that one of the objectives of matrix is to

provide ecological diversity at the

landscape scale in the form of earlysuccessional habitat through

commercial timber harvest. The main

objective for Management Area 10 is to

supply timber to local and regional

economies on a cost efficient,

sustainable basis. The objectives for

Management Area 11 are to provide big

game winter range habitat and timber

production consistent with other

resource objectives for wildlife habitat,

riparian habitat and water quality,

visual quality, and recreation.

Fish Creek Watershed Projects

proposed actions are also based on the

need to achieve the desired conditions

for the planning area recommended in

the 1999 Fish Creek Watershed

Analysis. Timber harvest proposals are

based on the need to maintain a high

level of vegetative diversity in both

structure and pattern within the

watershed over time, by approximating

large and small scale natural

disturbance processes and patterns

through even and uneven aged

silvicultural treatments. Proposed

natural fuels prescriptions are based on

the need to move the planning area from

a high severity fire regime towards a

moderate severity fire regime.

Rehabilitation of soils through subsoiling is based on the need to improve

the long term site productivity and

water infiltration within managed

stands that have been adversely affected

by past management practices.

Relocation of three trailheads is based

on the need to provide adequate parking

for forest visitors that are using trail

systems. Spring rehabilitation is based

on the need to improve the hydrologic

function of the area and reduce

potential soil erosion in the area.

Wildlife enhancement projects are based

on the need to improve wildlife habitat

conditions within the watershed.

Instream wood placement is based on

the need to improve aquatic habitat

where large woody debris has been

removed or is otherwise absent or

deficient. Pre-commercial thinning is

based on the need to increase stand

growth and vigor of overstocked

managed stands. Road reconstruction/

maintenance and decommissioning is

based on the need to reduce the risk to

the aquatic resources from road related

erosional processes. Expansion of

existing rock sources within the Fish

Creek watershed is based on the need to

have available rock resources for

reconstructing or maintaining existing

road systems in the area.

Timber sale related activities include:

regeneration harvest on 422 acres, with

15% green-tree retention in the form of

leave groups and dispersed mature

trees; and intermediate harvest in the

form of commercial thinning on 834

acres; uneven aged management in the

form of partial cutting and small group

harvest (2–5 acres) on 145 acres;

reforestation and seedling protection on

498 acres; site preparation/fuels

reduction on 1,401 acres;

reconstruction/maintenance of 61 miles

of existing roads; construction of 16

miles of temporary roads with

subsequent obliteration; construction of

12 permanent helicopter landings; and

the expansion of two existing rock pits

by 2 acres. The acreage proposed for

harvest is estimated to yield 33.1

million board feet of timber. If the

proposed action ultimately becomes the

preferred alternative, harvest of the total

acreage (1,401) is likely to be

accomplished via five timber sales. The

areas prescribed for harvest will require

a combination of helicopter, skyline and

ground-based harvesting equipment.

Restoration related activities include:

35.2 miles of road decommissioning;

three trailhead relocations; spring/

riparian zone rehabilitation;

construction of 5 artificial den

structures for small mammals; 61 acres

of big game winter range forage

enhancement and noxious weed control;

reduction of conifer encroachment on

seven meadows totaling 110 acres;

construction of nesting structures in 8

trees for great gray owls; construction of

rock dens for small mammals and

reptiles at 4 depleted rock quarries;

recruitment of large woody material

within timber sale harvest units; 1100

acres of site productivity restoration;

11.6 miles of instream log placement;

2,400 acres of precommercial thinning;

and fuels hazard reduction on 1,230

acres. Most of these activities will be

funded through the KnutsonVandenberg Program timber sale

collections.

As part of the environmental analysis

process under the National

Environmental Policy Act, the Umpqua

National Forest has begun the scoping

process for this project. Preliminary

issues identified to date include the

following: How will the public respond

to reduced travel and trail access within

the watershed? How will the public

respond to the harvest of old growth

stands within the watershed?

The scoping effort is intended to

identify issues, which may lead to the

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 106 / Friday, June 1, 2001 / Notices 29765

development of alternatives to the

proposed actions. One of the purposes

of this notice of intent is to solicit input

from the public as part of the overall

scoping effort. In addition to this notice,

the public has been notified of the

environmental impact statement

through the Umpqua National Forest’s

April 2001 Schedule of Proposed

Actions (SOPA). Scoping for this project

will also include a public field trip in

the Fish Creek watershed on June 9,

2001. Based on the preliminary issues,

the Responsible Official has determined

that it is appropriate to proceed with an

environmental impact statement.

Public comments are appreciated

throughout the analysis process. The

draft EIS is expected to be filed with the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

and be available for public review by

December 2001. The comment period on

the draft EIS will be 45 days from the

date the EPA publishes the notice of

availability in the Federal Register. The

final EIS is scheduled to be available in

March 2002.

The Forest Service believes it is

important to give reviewers notice of

this early stage of public participation

and of several court rulings related to

public participation in the

environmental review process. First,

reviewers of a draft EIS 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

have been raised at the draft stage may

be waived or dismissed by the court if

not raised until after completion of the

final EIS. 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

substantive comments and objections

are made available to the Forest Service

at a time when it can meaningfully

consider and respond to them in the

final EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed actions,

comments on the draft EIS 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 EIS 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 of 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing

these points.)

In the final EIS, the Forest Service is

required to respond to substantive

comments and responses 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 a

decision regarding the proposal. The

Responsible Official is Don Ostby,

Forest Supervisor for the Umpqua

National Forest. The Responsible

Official will document the decision and

rationale for the decision in a Record of

Decision. The decision will be subject to

appeal regulations (36 CFR part 215).

Dated: May 22, 2001.

Don Ostby,

Forest Supervisor, Umpqua National Forest.

[FR Doc. 01–13732 Filed 5–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration

[01–01–C]

Opportunity To Comment on the

Applicants for the Fostoria (OH) Area

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: GIPSA requests comments on

the applicants for designation to provide

official services in the geographic area

currently assigned to Fostoria Grain

Inspection, Inc. (Fostoria).

DATES: Comments must be postmarked,

or sent by telecopier (FAX) by June 30,

2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be

submitted in writing to USDA, GIPSA,

Janet M. Hart, Chief, Review Branch,

Compliance Division, STOP 3604, Room

1647–S, 1400 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20250–3604.

Telecopier (FAX) users may send

comments to the automatic telecopier

machine at 202–690–2755, attention:

Janet M. Hart. All comments received

will be made available for public

inspection at the above address at 1400

Independence Avenue, SW., during

regular business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Janet M. Hart at 202–720–8525, e-mail

janhart@gipsadc.usda.gov.

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 March 8, 2001, Federal Register

(66 FR 13874), GIPSA asked persons

interested in providing official services

in the Fostoria area to submit an

application for designation. There were

three applicants for the Fostoria area:

Fostoria, Columbus Grain Inspection,

Inc. (Columbus), and Michigan Grain

Inspection Services, Inc. (Michigan).

Fostoria applied for designation to

provide official services in the entire

area currently assigned to them.

Columbus and Michigan, both

designated official grain inspection

agencies operating in Ohio and

Michigan, applied for designation to

provide official services in all or part of

the Fostoria geographical area.

GIPSA is publishing this notice to

provide interested persons the

opportunity to present comments

concerning the applicants. Commenters

are encouraged to submit reasons and

pertinent data for support or objection

to the designation of the applicants. All

comments must be submitted to the

Compliance Division at the above

address. Comments and other available

information will be considered in

making a final decision. GIPSA will

publish notice of the final decision in

the Federal Register, and GIPSA will

send the applicants written notification

of the decision.

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

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

Dated: May 4, 2001.

David R. Shipman,

Acting Administrator, Grain Inspection,

Packers and Stockyards Administration.

[FR Doc. 01–13583 Filed 5–31–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–EN–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration

[01–02–A]

Opportunity for Designation in the

Columbus (OH), Farwell (NM), and

Northeast Indiana (IN) Areas, and

Request for Comments on the Official

Agencies Serving These Areas

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration (GIPSA)

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The designations of the

official agencies listed below will end in