6456 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 23 / Monday, February 4, 2008 / Notices 

information and comments from other 

Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribal 

governments; and organizations and 

individuals who may be interested in or 

affected by the proposed action. 

Comments received in response to this 

notice, including the names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be part of the project record and 

available for public review. Public 

meetings were held on December 18, 19, 

and 20, 2007. If additional public 

meetings are scheduled, the times, dates 

and locations for them will be published 

in the Lewiston, Idaho Lewiston 

Morning Tribune. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review: A draft 

environmental impact statement will be 

prepared for comment. The second 

major opportunity for public input will 

be when the Draft EIS is published. 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 Draft EIS is 

anticipated to be available for public 

review in June 2008. The comment 

period on the Draft EIS 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 proposed action 

participate by the close of the comment 

period for the Draft EIS 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. 

After the comment period for the 

Draft EIS ends, the Forest Service will 

analyze comments received and address 

them in the Final EIS. The Final EIS is 

scheduled to be released by January 

2009. The Responsible Official (Forest 

Supervisor Thomas K. Reilly) will 

document the decision and rationale in 

a Record of Decision (ROD). The 

decision will be subject to review under 

Forest Service appeal regulations at 36 

CFR Part 215. 

Preliminary Issues identified by the 

Forest Service interdisciplinary team 

include: changing motorized and nonmotorized recreation opportunities, 

costs of road and trail management and 

maintenance, soil issues, effects on 

aquatic environments and species, 

effects on wildlife, the spread of 

noxious weeds, changes in motorized 

access to roads, trails and areas that are 

not designated as part of the travel 

planning analysis, and motorized access 

for people with disabilities. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21) 

Dated: January 24, 2008. 

Thomas K. Reilly, 

Clearwater Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 08–470 Filed 2–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Lake Tahoe Basin Federal 

Advisory Committee will hold a 

meeting on February 15, 2008 at the 

U.S. Forest Service Office, 35 College 

Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. 

This Committee, established by the 

Secretary of Agriculture on December 

15, 1998 (64 FR 2876), is chartered to 

provide advice to the Secretary on 

implementing the terms of the Federal 

Interagency Partnership on the Lake 

Tahoe Region and other matters raised 

by the Secretary. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

February 15, 2008, beginning at 8:30 

a.m. and ending at 10:30 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the U.S. Forest Service Office, 35 

College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 

96150. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arla 

Hains, Lake Tahoe Basin Management 

Unit, Forest Service, 35 College Drive, 

South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150, (530) 

543–2773. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Items to 

be covered on the agenda include: (1) 

Aquatic Invasive Species update; (2) 

SNPLMA Round 9; and, (3) Public 

Comment. All Lake Tahoe Basin Federal 

Advisory Committee meetings are open 

to the public. Interested citizens are 

encouraged to attend at the above 

address. Issues may be brought to the 

attention of the Committee during the 

open public comment period at the 

meeting or by filing written statements 

with the secretary for the Committee 

before or after the meeting. Please refer 

any written comments to the Lake 

Tahoe Basin Management Unit at the 

contact address stated above. 

Dated: January 25, 2008. 

Terri Marceron, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 08–462 Filed 2–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Roadless Area Conservation National 

Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Roadless Area 

Conservation National Advisory 

Committee will meet in Las Vegas, 

Nevada. The purpose of the meeting is 

to discuss the proposed rule for the 

management of roadless areas on 

National Forest System lands in the 

State of Idaho and to discuss other 

related roadless area matters. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

February 20 to February 21, 2008, from 

9 a.m. to 5 p.m each day. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the University of Nevada Las Vegas 

(UNLV), Richard Tam Alumni Center, 


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