This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

27864

Vol. 61, No. 107

Monday, June 3, 1996

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Stibnite Mine Expansion Gold

Mining Project on the Krassel Ranger

District of the Payette National Forest,

Valley County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revisednotice of intent to

prepare an environmental impact

statement.

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will

prepare a revised draft environmental

impact statement (DEIS) and final

environmental impact statement (FEIS)

for a modified proposal submitted by

Stibnite Mine Inc. (SMI). The proposal

is to expand SMI’s existing open-pit

gold mining operation located in Valley

County, near Yellow Pine, Idaho. The

expansion would be located adjacent to

private lands, in the Krassel Ranger

District of the Payette National Forest.

The Forest Service published a Notice

of Intent to prepare an EIS for the

proposed Stibnite Mine Expansion in

the Federal Register April 21, 1992

(Vol. 57, No. 77, p. 14558–14559). That

notice is hereby revised to show the

following proposal changes: (1) mine

four new pits instead of six, (2) backfill

waste into pits instead of creating two

exterior waste dumps.

The EIS will focus on: (1)

Construction of four new mine pits in

the Midnight Creek drainage, (2) partial

backfilling each pit with waste rock, and

(3) construction of haul road to connect

the new pits with existing haul road in

the West End area. The modified

proposal will be called the Stibnite

Mine Expansion Project.

The agency will accept written

comments and suggestions on the scope

of the analysis. Comments already

submitted to the Payette National Forest

on the 1994 DEIS or related scoping will

be considered in the 1996 analysis.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope

of the analysis must be received by July

1, 1996, to ensure timely consideration.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

and suggestions related to the scope of

the analysis to: Stibnite Expansion EIS,

Payette National Forest, P.O. Box 1026,

McCall, Idaho, 83638.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions about the proposed

action and DEIS to Fred Dauber, Krassel

District Ranger, Krassel District Office,

P.O. Box 1026, McCall, Idaho, telephone

(208) 634–0600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SMI

currently operates a gold mine in the

project area. In May of 1981, an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

was prepared which analyzed the

existing mining operations. In 1992 SMI

proposed an expansion of five new pits.

A DEIS was prepared since the

proposed project exceeded the scope of

the 1981 EIS. The Forest Service

released the DEIS in November 1994 for

public review. Because of concerns

raised by the public and federal

agencies, the Forest Service withdrew

the DEIS in February, 1995. Early this

year SMI modified their expansion

proposal, and the Forest Service began

work to revise the 1994 DEIS.

The new proposal would involve

construction of four new mine pits and

associated haul road located adjacent to

the now-active West End mine area.

Stibnite Mine Inc. would continue to

use their existing heap leach facility and

other ancillary facilities which were

previously approved. SMI has recently

upgraded their processing facility to

comply with the State of Idaho, Rules

Governing Ore Processing by

Cyanidation.

The DEIS will consider a range of

alternatives, including the no-action

alternative. Other alternatives will be

developed or modified to address issues

and to mitigate impacts. Agencies and

the public have expressed preliminary

concerns regarding effects on: surface

and ground water, fisheries and

wildlife, biodiversity, vegetation, soils,

wetlands, public safety and

transportation, air quality, recreation

and visual resources, socioeconomic

and social impacts, and cultural

resources.

The Forest Service will further

expand and/or clarify issues based upon

public input provided during this, and

the previous, scoping processes. All

interested and affected members of the

public may participate in the scoping

process. This process will include:

1. Identification or modification of

new or additional issues.

2. Identification of issues to be

analyzed in depth.

3. Exploring additional alternatives.

4. Identifying potential environmental

effects of the proposed action and

alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and

cumulative effects and connected

actions).

If requested, the Forest Service may

make a copy of all comments provided

in response to this Notice available to

the public. This will include names,

addresses, and any other personal

information provided with the

comments.

David Alexander, Forest Supervisor,

Payette National Forest, McCall, Idaho,

is the responsible official for this action.

The DEIS is expected to be available for

public review in December of 1996.

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 proposed

action participate by the close of the

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.
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 107 / Monday, June 3, 1996 / Notices 27865

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on 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.

The FEIS is scheduled to be

completed and available to the public

by early 1997. The responsible official

will document the decision and the

reasons supporting it in a Record of

Decision. That decision will be subject

to appeal pursuant to 36 CFR 215.

Dated: May 16, 1996.

David F. Alexander,

Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest.

[FR Doc. 96–13760 Filed 5–31–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY

NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR

COMMISSION

Blackstone River Valley National

Heritage Corridor Commission; Notice

of Meeting

Notice is hereby given in accordance

with Section 552b of Title 5, United

States Code, that a meeting of the

Blackstone River Valley National

Heritage Corridor Commission will be

held on Thursday, June 27, 1996.

The Commission was established

pursuant to Public Law 99–647. The

purpose of the Commission is to assist

federal, state and local authorities in the

development and implementation of an

integrated resource management plan

for those lands and waters within the

Corridor.

The meeting will convene at 7:00 pm

at the Corridor Office, One Depot

Square, Woonsocket, RI for the

following reasons:

1. Strategic Planning follow-up

2. Legislative Update

3. Commission Business

It is anticipated that about twenty

people will be able to attend the session

in addition to the Commission

members.

Interested persons may make oral or

written presentations to the Commission

or file written statements. Such requests

should be made prior to the meeting to:

Susan K. Moore, Executive Director,

Blackstone River Valley National

Heritage Corridor Commission, One

Depot Square, Woonsocket, RI 02895,

Tel.: (401) 762–0250

Further information concerning this

meeting may be obtained from Susan K.

Moore, Executive Director of the

Commission at the aforementioned

address.

Susan K. Moore,

Executive Director BRVNHCC.

[FR Doc. 96–13827 Filed 5–31–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–70–P

BROADCASTING BOARD OF

GOVERNORS

Sunshine Act Meeting

DATE AND TIME: June 10, 1996; 8:30 a.m.

PLACE: RFE/RL, Inc., Vinohradska 1,

Fifth Floor Conference Room, 110 00

Prague 1, Czech Republic.

CLOSED MEETING: The members of the

Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG)

will meet in closed session to address

internal procedural, budgetary, and

personnel issues, as well as sensitive

foreign policy issues relating to

potential options in the U.S.

international broadcasting field. This

meeting is closed because if open it

likely would either disclose matters that

would be properly classified to be kept

secret in the interest of foreign policy

under the appropriate executive order (5

U.S.C. 552b.(c)(1)) or would disclose

information the premature disclosure of

which would be likely to significantly

frustrate implementation of a proposed

agency action. (5 U.S.C. 552b.(c)(9)(B))

In addition, part of the discussion will

relate solely to the internal personnel

issues of the BBG or the International

Broadcasting Bureau. (5 U.S.C. 552b.(c)

(2) and (6)) The BBG meeting will be

followed by a closed meeting of the

Board of Directors of the RFE/RL, Inc.,

a nonprofit private corporation.

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Persons interested in obtaining more

information should contact Barbara

Floyd at (202) 401–3736.

Dated: May 30, 1996.

David W. Burke,

Chairman.

[FR Doc. 96–13919 Filed 5–30–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6155–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development

Administration

Notice of Petitions by Producing Firms

for Determination of Eligibility To

Apply for Trade Adjustment

Assistance

AGENCY: Economic Development

Administration (EDA), Commerce.

ACTION: To give firms an opportunity to

comment.

Petitions have been accepted for filing

on the dates indicated from the firms

listed below.

LIST OF PETITION ACTION BY TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE FOR PERIOD 04/17/96–05/20/96

Firm name Address

Date petition

accepted

Product

Rand Machine Products, Inc ..... P.O. Box 72, Falconer NY

14733.

04/15/96 Metal Parts Of Bombs and Shock Absorbers for Railcars.

Lee Brass Company ................. Golden Springs Road, Anniston AL 36202.04/24/96 Brass—Cast and Machined Plumbing Fittings and Cast, Machined and Assembled Water Meters.

Seal-Pac Professional Services,

Inc.

6201 Bay Way Drive, Baytown

TX 78520.

04/26/96 Gaskets (Marine, Industrial and Chemical), Joints (Packing

and Chemical), and Mechanical Seals.

Wendell Textiles, Inc ................. 8803 Kelso Drive, Baltimore

MD 21221.

04/29/96 Fusible, Non-Woven Interlining.

F&M Hat Company, Inc ............ 103 Walnut Street, Denver PA

17517.

04/30/96 Wool Hat Bodies, Finished Wool Hats and Finished Straw

Hats.

Black River Plastics, Inc. .......... 2600—20th Street, Port Huron

MI 48060.

04/30/96 Thermal Injected Molded Plastic Products, Interior Lens, Door

Panel Substrates and Window Insulators.

Miller Sports, Inc ....................... 136 Hakl Street, Tabor SD

57063.

05/07/96 Gold Bags.

Russell William Ltd .................... 1710 Midway Road, Odenton

MD 21113.

05/02/96 Display Units.