[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 114 (Tuesday, June 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35964-35965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12757]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Sierra and Sequoia National Forests; Revision of the Land 
Management Plan for the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of opportunity to object to the revised Land Management 
Plan and the Regional Forester's list of species of conservation 
concern for the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is 
revising the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests' Land Management Plans 
(Forest Plans). The Forest Service has prepared a Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) for the revised Forest Plans and draft Records 
of Decision (ROD). This notice is to inform the public that the Sierra 
and Sequoia National Forests are initiating a 60-day period where 
individuals or entities with specific concerns about the Sierra and 
Sequoia National Forests' revised Forest Plans and the associated FEIS 
may file objections for Forest Service review prior to the approval of 
the revised Forest Plans. This is also an opportunity to object to the 
Regional Forester's list of species of conservation concern for the 
Sierra and Sequoia National Forests.

DATES: The publication date of the legal notice in the Sierra and 
Sequoia National Forests' newspapers of record, Porterville Recorder 
and Fresno Bee initiates the 60-day objection filing period and is the 
exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection (36 CFR 
219.52(c)(5)). An electronic copy of the legal notice with the 
publication date will be posted at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=3375.

ADDRESSES: The Sierra and Sequoia National Forests' revised Forest 
Plans, FEIS, draft RODs, species of conservation concern list, and 
other supporting information will be available for review at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=3375.
    Objections must be submitted to the Objection Reviewing Officer by 
one of the following methods:
    <bullet> Via regular mail to the following address: USDA Forest 
Service, Pacific Southwest Region, ATTN: Objection Coordinator, 1323 
Club Dr., Vallejo, CA 94592.
    <bullet> Objections may be submitted electronically at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=3375 with subject: 
Sierra and Sequoia National Forests Plan Revision

[[Page 35965]]

Objection. Electronic submissions must be submitted in a format (Word, 
PDF, or Rich Text) that is readable and searchable with optical 
character recognition software.
    <bullet> By Fax: (707) 562-9049. Faxes must be addressed to 
``Objection Coordinator.'' The fax coversheet should include a subject 
line with ``Sierra and Sequoia National Forests Plan Revision 
Objection'' or ``Sierra and Sequoia NFs Species of Conservation 
Concern'' and specify the number of pages being submitted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bobbie Miller, Plan Revision Team 
Leader, Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#13405e3d55403d61266176657a6076637f727d53666077723d747c65"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cd9e80e38b9ee3bff8bfa8bba4bea8bda1aca38db8bea9ace3aaa2bb">[email protected]</span></a> or Phone: (530) 643-6226.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf and hard 
of hearing (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1(800) 
877-8339, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The decision to approve the revised Forest 
Plans and the Regional Forester's list of species of conservation 
concern for the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests will be subject to 
the objection process identified in 36 CFR part 219 Subpart B (219.50 
to 219.62). Per 36 CFR 219.53 only individuals and entities who have 
submitted substantive formal comments related to a plan revision during 
the opportunities for public comment that are attributable to the 
objector may file an objection unless the objection concerns an issue 
that arose after the opportunities for formal comment.

How To File an Objection

    Objections must be submitted to the Reviewing Officer at the 
address shown in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. An objection 
must include the following (36 CFR 219.54(c)):
    (1) The objector's name and address along with a telephone number 
or email address if available. In cases where no identifiable name is 
attached to an objection, the Forest Service will attempt to verify the 
identity of the objector to confirm objection eligibility;
    (2) Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a 
scanned signature for electronic mail may be filed with the objection);
    (3) Identification of the lead objector, when multiple names are 
listed on an objection. The Forest Service will communicate to all 
parties to an objection through the lead objector. Verification of the 
identity of the lead objector must also be provided if requested;
    (4) The name of the plan, plan amendment, or plan revision being 
objected to, and the name and title of the responsible official;
    (5) A statement of the issues and/or parts of the plan, plan 
amendment, or plan revision to which the objection applies;
    (6) A concise statement explaining the objection and suggesting how 
the draft plan decision may be improved. If the objector believes that 
the plan, plan amendment, or plan revision is inconsistent with law, 
regulation, or policy, an explanation should be included;
    (7) A statement that demonstrates the link between the objector's 
prior substantive formal comments and the content of the objection, 
unless the objection concerns an issue that arose after the 
opportunities for formal comment; and
    (8) All documents referenced in the objection (a bibliography is 
not sufficient), except the following need not be provided:
    a. All or any part of a Federal law or regulation,
    b. Forest Service Directive System documents and land management 
plans or other published Forest Service documents,
    c. Documents referenced by the Forest Service in the planning 
documentation related to the proposal subject to objection, and
    d. Formal comments previously provided to the Forest Service by the 
objector during the proposed plan, plan amendment, or plan revision 
comment period.
    It is the responsibility of the objector to ensure that the 
Reviewing Officer receives the objection in a timely manner. The 
regulations generally prohibit extending the length of the objection 
filing period (36 CFR 219.56(d)). However, when the time period expires 
on a Saturday, Sunday, or a Federal holiday, the time is extended to 
the end of the next Federal working day (11:59 p.m. for objections 
filed by electronic means such as email or facsimile machine) (36 CFR 
219.56).

Responsible Official

    The responsible official who will approve the Record of Decision 
(ROD) and the revised Forest Plan for the Sierra National Forest is 
Forest Supervisor Dean Gould, Sierra National Forest Headquarters, 1600 
Tollhouse Road, Clovis, CA 3611, and Phone:(559) 297-0706. The 
responsible official who will approve the ROD and the revised Forest 
Plan for the Sequoia National Forest is Forest Supervisor Teresa 
Benson, Sequoia National Forest Supervisor's Office, 1839 S Newcomb, 
Porterville, CA 93257, and Phone: (559) 784-1500. The responsible 
official for the list of species of conservation concern is Regional 
Forester Jennifer Eberlien, USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest 
Region, 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA 94592.
    The Regional Forester is the reviewing officer for the revised 
Forest Plan since the Forest Supervisor is the responsible official (36 
CFR 219.56(e)). The decision to approve the species of conservation 
concern list will be subject to a separate objection process. The Chief 
of the Forest Service is the reviewing officer for species of 
conservation concern identification since the Regional Forester is the 
responsible official (36 CFR 219.56(e)(2)).
    This authority may be delegated to an individual Deputy Chief or 
Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System, consistent with 
delegations of authority provided in the Forest Service Manual at 
sections 1235.4 and 1235.5.

    Dated: June 8, 2022.
Deborah Hollen,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2022-12757 Filed 6-13-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P


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