30686 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2001 / Notices

public health strategy at the field

management level.

Additional Public Notification

Public awareness of all segments of

policy development is important.

Consequently, in an effort to better

ensure that minorities, women, and

persons with disabilities are aware of

this public meeting, FSIS will announce

it and provide copies of this Federal

Register publication in the FSIS

Constituent Update. FSIS provides a

weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which

is communicated via fax to over 300

organizations and individuals. In

addition, the update is available on line

through the FSIS web page located at

http://www.fsis.usda.gov. The update is

used to provide information on FSIS

policies, procedures, regulations,

Federal Register notices, FSIS public

meetings, recalls, and any other types of

information that could affect or would

be of interest to our constituents/

stakeholders. The constituent fax list

consists of industry, trade, and farm

groups, consumer interest groups, allied

health professionals, scientific

professionals, and other individuals that

have requested to be included. Through

these various channels, FSIS is able to

provide information to a much broader,

more diverse audience. For more

information and to be added to the

constituent fax list, fax your request to

the Congressional and Public Affairs

Office, at (202) 720–5704.

Done at Washington, DC on: May 31, 2001.

Thomas J. Billy,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 01–14474 Filed 6–5–01; 1:59 pm]

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Holmes/Chipmunk Timber Sale

Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare

an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) for the Holmes/Chipmunk Area.

The Record of Decision will disclose

how the Forest Service has decided to

manage approximately 34,000 acres of

Federal land. The proposed action

would provide approximately 25 to 35

million board feet of timber to local and

regional timber markets, final harvest

approximately 4,000 acres of 60+ year

old aspen experiencing substantial

mortality from blow down, decay, and

old age, treat approximately 500 acres of

red and white pine communities

through prescribed burning and hand

release treatments, and provide access

to non-federally owned lands within the

project boundaries. A range of

alternatives responsive to significant

issues will be developed, including a

no-action alternative. The proposed

project is located on the LaCroix Ranger

District, Cook MN, Superior National

Forest. In addition, the LaCroix Ranger

District may create temporary openings

greater than 40 acres under 36 CFR

219.27(d)(ii).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope

of this project should be received by

July 27, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Please send written

comments to: LaCroix Ranger District,

Superior National Forest, Attn: Holmes/

Chipmunk EIS, 320 N HWY 53, Cook,

MN 55723.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Constance Chaney, District Ranger, or

John Galazen, Team Leader, LaCroix

Ranger District, Superior National

Forest, 320 N HWY 53 Cook, MN 55723,

telephone (218) 666–0020.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public

participating will be an integral

component of the study process and

will be especially important at several

points during the analysis. The first is

during the scoping process. The Forest

Service will be seeking information,

comments, and assistance from Federal,

State and local agencies, individuals,

and organizations that may be interested

in, or affected by, the proposed

activities. The scoping process will

include: (1) Identification of potential

issues, (2) identification of issues to be

analyzed in depth, and (3) elimination

of insignificant issues or those which

have been covered by a previous

environmental review. Written

comments will be solicited through a

scoping package that will be sent to the

project mailing list and to the local

newspaper. For the Forest Service to

best use the scoping input, comments

should be received by July 23, 2001.

Issues identified for analysis in the EIS

include the potential effects of the

project on and the relationship of the

project to: age class distribution, species

composition, reforestation, Shipstead

Newton Nolan areas, temporary roads,

Proposed Management Area 8.4

(inventoried candidate special

management complexes), and others.

Based on the results of scoping and

the resource capabilities within the

Project Area, alternatives, including a

no-action alternative, will be developed

for the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS is

projected to be filed with the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

in May 2002. The Final EIS is

anticipated in November 2002.

The comment period on the Draft EIS

will be a minimum of 45 days from the

date the EPA 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 EISs 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)).

Environmental objections that could

have been raised at the Draft EIS stage

may be waived or dismissed by the

courts (City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803

F.2nd 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 they can

be meaningfully considered and

responded to in the Final EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns of the Proposed Action,

comments during scoping and on the

Draft EIS should be as specific as

possible and refer to specific pages or

chapters. Comments may address the

adequacy of the Draft EIS or the merits

of the alternatives formulated and

discussed. In addressing these points

reviewers may wish to refer to the

Council on Environmental Quality

Regulations for implementing the

procedural provisions of the National

Environmental Policy Act in 40 CFR

1503.3. 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. 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. Requesters

should be aware that, under 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

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2001 / Notices 30687

decision regarding the request for

confidentiality. If the requester 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

seven days.

Permits/Authorizations: The proposed

action may create temporary openings

greater than 40 acres. A 60-day public

notice and review by the Regional

Forester would be needed for such

action.

Responsible Official: Constance

Chaney, LaCroix District Ranger,

Superior National Forest, is the

responsible official. In making the

decision, the responsible official will

consider the comments, responses,

disclosure of environmental

consequences, and applicable laws,

regulations, and policies. The

responsible official will state the

rationale for the chosen alternative in

the Record of Decision.

Dated: May 29, 2001.

Constance Chaney,

District Ranger.

[FR Doc. 01–14368 Filed 6–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area

(SRA) Advisory Council

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: An Opal Creek Scenic

Recreation Area Advisory Council

meeting will convene in Stayton,

Oregon on Monday, June 18, 2001. The

meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.,

and will conclude at approximately 8:30

p.m. The meeting will be held in the

South Room of the Stayton Community

Center located on 400 West Virginia

Street in Stayton, Oregon.

The Opal Creek Wilderness and Opal

Creek Scenic Recreation Area Act of

1996 (Opal Creek Act) (Pub. L. 104–208)

directed the Secretary of Agriculture to

establish the Opal Creek Scenic

Recreation Area Advisory Council. The

Advisory Council is comprised of

thirteen members representing state,

county and city governments, and

representatives of various organizations,

which include mining industry,

environmental organizations, inholders

in Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area,

economic development, Indian tribes,

adjacent landowners and recreation

interests. The council provides advice to

the Secretary of Agriculture on

preparation of a comprehensive Opal

Creek Management Plan for the SRA,

and consults on a periodic and regular

basis on the management of the area.

The tentative agenda will focus

developing standards and guidelines for

management of the SRA and discussion

of public involvement strategies.

The public comment period is

tentatively scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.

Time allotted for individual

presentations will be limited to 3

minutes. Written comments are

encouraged, particularly if the material

cannot be presented within the time

limits of the comment period. Written

comments may be submitted prior to the

June 18 meeting by sending them to

Designated Federal Official Stephanie

Phillips at the address given below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

more information regarding this

meeting, contact Designated Federal

Official Stephanie Phillips; Willamette

National Forest, Detroit Ranger District,

HC 73 Box 320, Mill City, OR 97360;

(503) 854–3366.

Dated: June 1, 2001.

Y. Robert Iwamoto,

Deputy Forest Supervisor.

Disclaimer: This meeting notice is

being published less than 15 days prior

to the meeting due to lack of time to

adequately plan the meeting between

the councils last meeting on May 5 and

this upcoming meeting on Monday, June

18. This late notice is authorized under

41 CFR 1016.1015(b)(2).

[FR Doc. 01–14322 Filed 6–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Notice of Proposed Change to the

Natural Resources Conservation

Service’s National Handbook of

Conservation Practices

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Maine State

Office.

ACTION: Notice of availability of

proposed changes in the NRCS National

Handbook of Conservation Practices,

Section IV of the Maine State NRCS

Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG)

located at www.me.nrcs.usda.gov under

‘‘Draft Standards for Comments’’ for

review and comment.

SUMMARY: It is the intention of NRCS to

issue revised conservation practice

standards in its National Handbook of

Conservation Practices. These revised

standards are the following: 327

Conservation Cover; 330 Contour

Farming; 340 Cover & Green Manure

Crop; 324 Deep Tillage; 380 Farmstead

& Feedlot Windbreak; 394 Firebreak;

511 Forage Harvest Management; 666

Forest Stand Improvement; 655 Forest

Harvest Trails and Landings; 412

Grassed Waterway or Outlet; 561 Heavy

Use Area Protection; 441 Irrigation

System, Microirrigation; 590 Nutrient

Management; 595 Pest Management; 516

Pipeline; 521A Pond Sealing or Lining

Flexible Membrance Lining; 338

Prescribed Burning; 391 Riparian Forest

Buffer; 490 Site for Woody Plant

Establishment; 580 Streambank &

Shoreline Protection; 395 Stream

Habitat Improvement and Management;

585 Stripcropping, Contour; 612 Tree

and Shrub Establishment; 660 Tree and

Shrub Pruning; 620 Underground

Outlet; 472 Use Exclusion; 313 Waste

Storage Facility; 359 Waste Treatment

Lagoon; 642 Water Well; 351 Well

Decommissioning; 657 Wetland

Restoration; 644 Wildlife Upland

Habitat Management.

DATES: Comments will be received on or

before July 9, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Inquire in writing to Christopher R.

Jones, Assistant State Conservationist

for Technology/Planning, Natural

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),

967 Illinois Avenue, Suite #3; Bangor,

Maine 04401.

A copy of this standard is available

from the above individual.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

343 of the Federal Agricultural

Improvement and Reform Act of 1996

states that revisions made after

enactment of the law to NRCS State

Technical Guides used to carry out

highly erodible land and wetland

provisions of the law shall be made

available for public review and

comment. For the next 30 days the

NRCS will receive comments relative to

the proposed changes. Following that

period a determination will be made by

the NRCS regarding disposition of those

comments and a final determination of

change will be made.

Dated: May 4, 2001.

Christopher R. Jones,

Assistant State Conservationist for

Technology/Planning.

[FR Doc. 01–14314 Filed 6–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P