68394 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 217 / Thursday, November 10, 2005 / Notices 

habitat, and (8) remove and abate 

noxious weeds. Fuel treatments would 

consist of construction of about 5,700 

acres of defensible fuel profile zones 

and prescribed burning on about 900 

acres, totalling about 6, 600 acres. Group 

selection timber harvest as part of the 

HFQLG pilot project would be 

conducted on about 1,200 acres. 

Thinning and biomass removal are 

proposed on about 4,255 acres. Also, 

thinning is proposed in plantations 

(about 800 acres) riparian habitat 

conservation areas (about 1,256 acres), 

aspen stands (about 820 acres), Baker 

cypress stands (about 140 acres). Six 

areas of stream channel restoration is 

proposed. And about two miles of new 

system roads would be constructed; ten 

miles of temporary roads would be 

constructed and decommissioned after 

use; twelve miles of existing roads 

would be permanently 

decommissioned; 107 miles of 

reconstruction fo existing roads, and 

seven culverts would be replaced or 

installed for fish passage. About 400 

locations of Canada thistle (Cirsium 

avense) would be treated with either 

clopyralid or glyphopsate on about 120 

acres. the remaining 2 acres of noxious 

weed locations would be treated with 

mechanical, hand, or burning methods. 

Lead Agency 

The USDA Forest Service is the lead 

agency for this proposal. 

Responsible Official 

Plumas National Forest Supervisor 

James M. Pen ̃ a is the responsible 

official. Plumas National Forest, P.O. 

Box 11500, Quincy, CA 95971. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

Forest Supervisor James M. Pen ̃ a will 

decide whether to implement the 

Diamond Project as proposed and 

described above, implement the project 

based on an alternative to this proposal 

that is formulated to resolve identified 

conflicts, or not implement this project 

at this time. 

Scoping Process 

Public questions and comments 

regarding this proposal are an integral 

part of this environmental analysis 

process. Comments will be used to 

identify issues and develop alternatives 

to the proposed action. To assist the 

Forest Service in identifying and 

considering issues and concerns on the 

proposed action, comments should be as 

specific as possible. 

A copy of the Proposed Action will be 

mailed to adjacent landowners, as well 

as those people and organizations that 

have indicated a specific interest in the 

Diamond project, interested individuals 

who attended the open house held prior 

to the development of a landscape 

assessment for the watersheds 

encompassing the project, to Native 

American Tribes, Federal, State, and 

local agencies. The public will be 

notified of any meetings regarding this 

proposal by mailings and press releases 

sent to the local newspaper and media. 

Permits or Licenses Required 

An Air Pollution Permit and a Smoke 

Management Plan are required by local 

agencies. 

Comment 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process which guides the 

development of the environmental 

impact statement under NEPA, which 

will guide development of the EIS. Our 

desire is to receive substantive 

comments on the merits of the Proposed 

Action, as well as comments that 

address errors, misinformation, or 

information that has been omitted. 

Substantive comments are defined as 

comments within the scope of the 

proposal, that have a direct relationship 

to the proposal, and that include 

supporting reasons for the Responsible 

Official’s consideration. 

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, 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 at the draft environmental impact 

statement stage but that 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, 

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 proposal 

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 on 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 statement. 

Comments may also address the 

adequacy of the draft environmental 

impact statement 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 at 40 

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. 

Comments received, including the 

names and addresses of those who 

comment, will be considered part of the 

public record on this proposal and will 

be available for public inspection. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21) 

Dated: November 3, 2005. 

James M. Pen ̃ a, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 05–22435 Filed 11–9–05; 8:45am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Revision of Land Management Plans, 

Colville, Okanogan and Wenatchee 

National Forests, Located in Central 

WA 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of adjustment to Federal 

Register Notice of Vol. 69, No. 46, p. 

10974, March 9, 2004, and transition to 

the 2005 Planning Rule at 36 CFR 219 

(Federal Register Vol. 70, No.3/January 

5, 2005, p. 1023). 

Authority: 36 CFR 219.14(e). 

SUMMARY: The Responsible Officials 

(Forest Supervisors) for the Colville 

National Forest and the Okanogan and 

Wenatchee National Forests will 

exercise their option to adjust the land 

management plan revision process from 

compliance with the 1982 planning 

regulations, to conformance with new 

planning regulations adopted in January 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 217 / Thursday, November 10, 2005 / Notices 68395 

2005. This adjustment will have the 

following effects: 

1. The new rule redefines forest plans 

to be more strategic and flexible to 

better facilitate adaptive management 

and public collaboration. 

2. The new rule focuses more on the 

goals of ecological, social, and economic 

sustainability and less on prescriptive 

means of producing goods and services. 

3. The Responsible Official who will 

approve the final plan will now be the 

Forest Supervisor instead of the 

Regional Forester. 

4. The Colville National Forest and 

the Okanogan and Wenatchee National 

Forests will establish an environmental 

management system (per ISO 

14001:2004(E)) prior to completion of 

the revised forest plan. 

5. Upon completion of final 

rulemaking, the planning and decisionmaking process may be categorically 

excluded from analysis and 

documentation in an environmental 

impact statement and record of decision 

(see draft rule at Federal Register Vol. 

70, No. 3, January 5, 2005, p. 1062). 

6. The emphasis on public 

involvement will shift from public 

comment on a range of alternative plans, 

to a collaborative process intended to 

yield a single, broadly supported plan. 

7. Administrative review has changed 

from a post-decision appeals process to 

a pre-decision objection process. 

DATES: Transition to the 2005 Planning 

Rule is effective immediately upon 

publication of this notice in the Federal 

Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Margaret Hartzell, Plan Revision Team 

Leader, Colville, Okanogan and 

Wenatchee National Forests, (509) 826–

3275 or e-mail: mhartzell@fs.fed.us; or 

view our Web site at http:// 

www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville/cow, or mail: 

Forest Plans Revision Team, 1240 

Second Avenue South, Okanogan, WA 

98840. 

Responsible Officials: James L. 

Boynton, Forest Supervisor, Okanogan 

and Wenatchee National Forests, 215 

Melody Lane, Wenatchee, WA 98801 

and Rick Brazell, Colville National 

Forest, 765 South Main, Colville, WA 

99114. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Responsible Officials (Forest 

Supervisors) of the Colville National 

Forest and the Okanogan and 

Wenatchee National Forests have 

elected to transition the previously 

initiated Land and Resource 

Management Plan (Plan) Revisions so 

that they fall under the requirements of 

the 2005 Planning Rule. The Plan 

Revision will be conducted in 

accordance with all Forest Service 

directive applicable to the 2005 

Planning Rule. 

All three proclaimed units (Colville, 

Okanogan and Wenatchee) have their 

own current Plan. As part of the 

Revision Process, the Responsible 

Officials will revise all three Plans. 

Revised Forest Plans are expected to be 

approved in September 2006. 

The public will be invited to 

collaborate during the development of 

each revised Plan. Options for the 

public include any of the following 

methods: (1) Reviewing and 

commenting on the materials posted on 

our Web site, (2) attending open house 

meetings, (3) requesting planning team 

presentations to specific groups, (4) 

newsletters, (5) participating in 

collaborative dialogue in working 

groups, or (6) providing input during 

formal comment periods. Public 

participation and collaborative work on 

this planning process has occurred since 

January 2003. This and other planning 

process details are available for review 

on the Web site. 

Dated: November 3, 2005. 

James L. Boynton, 

Forest Supervisor, Okanogan and Wenatchee 

National Forests. 

Dated: October 27, 2005. 

Rick Brazell, 

Forest Supervisor, Colville National Forest. 

[FR Doc. 05–22434 Filed 11–9–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Notice of Tri-County Advisory 

Committee Meetings 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meetings. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the authorities in 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(Public Law 92–463) and under the 

Secure Rural Schools and Community 

Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Public 

Law 106–393) the BeaverheadDeerlodge National Forest’s Tri-County 

Resource Advisory Committee will meet 

on Thursday, December 1, 2005, and on 

Thursday, January 12, 2006, from 10 

a.m. to 4 p.m. in Deer Lodge, Montana, 

for business meetings. The meetings are 

open to the public. 

DATES: Thursday, December 1, 2005 and 

Thursday, January 12, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at 

the USDA Service Center, 1002 

Hollenback Road, Deer Lodge, Montana. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bruce Ramsey, Designated Forest 

Official (DFO), Forest Supervisor, 

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, 

at (406) 683–3973. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Agenda 

topics for these meetings include a 

review of projects proposed for funding 

as authorized under Title II of Pub. L. 

106–393, and public comment. If the 

meeting location is changed, notice will 

be posted in local newspapers, 

including The Montana Standard. 

Dated: November 4, 2005. 

Bruce Ramsey, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 05–22433 Filed 11–9–05; 8:45am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Notice of Resource Advisory 

Committee Meeting 

AGENCY: Lassen Resource Advisory 

Committee, Susanville, California, 

USDA Forest Service. 

ACTION: Notice of meetings. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the authorities in 

the Federal Advisory Committees Act 

(Pub. L. 92–463) and under the Secure 

Rural Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106–

393) the Lassen National Forest’s Lassen 

County Resource Advisory Committee 

will meet Wednesday, November 16th 

and Thursday, November 17th in 

Susanville, California for a business 

meeting. The meetings are open to the 

public. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

business meetings on November 16th 

and 17th will begin at 8 a.m., at the 

Lassen National Forest Headquarters 

Office, Caribou Conference Room, 2550 

Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130. 

These meetings will be dedicated to 

hearing presentations from project 

proponents on Wednesday and voting 

on Thursday for funding through the 

‘‘Secure Rural Schools and Self 

Determination Act of 2000,’’ commonly 

known as Payments to States. Time will 

also be set aside for public comments at 

the beginning of the meeting. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Andrews, District Ranger, 

Designated Federal Officer, at (530) 

257–4188; or Public Affairs Officer, 

Heidi Perry, at (530) 252–6604. 

Laurie Tippin, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 05–22471 Filed 11–9–05; 8:45am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M