61396 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 201 / Thursday, October 16, 2008 / Notices 

Dated: October 7, 2008. 

Robert J. Leaverton, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. E8–24262 Filed 10–15–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–ES–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forests; 

Santa Rosa Ranger District; Martin 

Basin Rangeland Management Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement; 

Corrected. 

SUMMARY: The Santa Rosa Ranger 

District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe 

National Forest will prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

on a proposal to authorize continued 

livestock grazing on National Forest 

System (NFS) lands within the 

boundaries administered by the Santa 

Rosa Ranger District. The Project Area is 

located in Humboldt County, Nevada. 

The preparation of this EIS is needed 

because the Record of Decision issued 

on June 2, 2006, for the Martin Basin 

Rangeland Management Project was 

appealed, and following review, the 

decision was reversed. A new EIS is 

being prepared to completely replace 

the Draft EIS released in 2004 and the 

Final EIS released in 2005. 

DATES: The new Draft EIS is expected to 

be released for public review and 

comment in December of 2008 and the 

new Final EIS is expected to be released 

in February of 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: 

Jose Noriega, District Ranger, Santa Rosa 

Ranger District, 1200 East Winnemucca 

Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: For 

further information, mail 

correspondence to or contact Jose 

Noriega, District Ranger, Santa Rosa 

Ranger District, 1200 East Winnemucca 

Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445. The 

telephone number is: 775–623-5025, 

extension 5. E-mail address is: 

jnoriega@fs.fed.us. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Initiation of the Martin Basin 

Rangeland Project began in 2002 with 

the original Notice of Intent published 

in the Federal Register on December 30, 

2002 (Vol. 67, Number 250). The Draft 

EIS was released in May of 2004 for a 

135 day comment period. The Final EIS 

was released in June of 2005 and a 45 

day comment period was also provided 

at that time. The Record of Decision for 

this project was issued on June 2, 2006, 

by then Forest Supervisor, Robert L. 

Vaught. 

The Record of Decision for the Martin 

Basin Rangeland Project was appealed 

to the Intermountain Regional Forester. 

On September 6, 2006, the Regional 

Forester issued a decision on the appeal 

and remanded the decision back to the 

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest for 

additional analysis. 

A Notice of Intent to prepare a 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement was published in the Federal 

Register on February 26, 2007 (Vol. 72, 

Number 37). That NOI estimated that 

the Draft Supplemental EIS would be 

released for review and comment on 

April 2007 and the Final Supplemental 

EIS would be completed by July 2007. 

This Corrected NOI provides notice that 

a new EIS is being prepared instead of 

a supplement to the 2005 Final EIS. 

This notice also updates the estimated 

dates for release of the new Draft and 

Final EISs, and provides additional 

information on the Proposed Action and 

Possible Alternatives. 

Proposed Action 

The Proposed Action, as outlined in 

the Final ETS released in 2005, will be 

refined and include additional details. 

Specifically, the Proposed Action would 

reduce the maximum utilization on 

forage to 45 percent for riparian areas 

and 50 percent for uplands. It would 

also apply a set of proper use criteria 

(for example, utilization, streambank 

disturbance) to each allotment based on 

its ecological condition (functioning, 

functioning-at-risk, or non-functioning). 

The ecological condition of the 

allotments would continue to be 

evaluated through a long-term 

monitoring process. If long-term 

monitoring indicates the ecological 

condition of the allotment has changed, 

then the set of proper use criteria 

associated with that ecological 

condition would be applied to the 

allotment. 

Possible Alternatives 

In addition to the Proposed Action, 

two additional alternatives have been 

identified from analysis in the EIS: 

1. Current Management Alternative: 

Continue current grazing management. 

2. No Grazing Alternative: Do not 

issue new grazing permits when existing 

permits expire. 

Scoping Process 

The scoping period for this EIS was 

formally initiated in December of 2002 

when the original Notice of Intent for 

this project was published in the 

Federal Register (December 30, 2002; 

volume 67, Number 250). 

While no additional scoping periods 

are planned prior to the release of the 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 

those wishing to submit comments may 

do so at the address listed above for 

District Ranger Jose Noriega. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review 

A new Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement will be prepared for 

comment. The comment period on the 

new Draft EIS will be 45 days from the 

date that the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) publishes the Notice of 

Availability (NOA) in the Federal 

Register. 

It is important that reviewers provide 

their comments at such times and in 

such a way that they are useful to the 

Agency’s preparation of the EIS. 

Therefore, comments should be 

provided prior to the close of the 

comment period and should clearly 

articulate the reviewer’s concerns and 

contentions. The submission of timely 

and specific comments can affect a 

reviewer’s ability to participate in 

subsequent administrative review or 

judicial review. 

Comments received in response to 

this solicitation, including names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be part of the public record for this 

proposed action. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered; however, anonymous 

comments will not provide the 

respondent with standing to participate 

in subsequent administrative review or 

judicial review. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

22.3) 

Dated: September 19, 2008. 

Edward C. Monnig, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. E8–24366 Filed 10–15–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XL03 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper 

and Grouper Off the Southern Atlantic 

States 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and