Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 197 / Friday, October 10, 2014 / Notices 61281 

and any representatives’ guests, 

reasonable access to any premises where 

the project takes place (i) to assess the 

project’s progress or any element 

thereof; and/or (ii) to showcase the 

project as a demonstration of the 

capabilities of wood structural products 

in tall building construction. 

G. Privacy & Disclosure Under FOIA 

Personal and contact information is 

not collected for commercial or 

marketing purposes. Information 

submitted throughout the Competition 

will be used only to communicate with 

Project Proponent Teams regarding 

entries and/or the Competition. 

Project Proponent Teams entries to 

the Competition may be subject to 

disclosure under the Freedom of 

Information Act (‘‘FOIA’’). If a Project 

Proponent Team believes that all or part 

of its Competition entry is protected 

from release under FOIA (e.g., if the 

information falls under FOIA exemption 

#4 for ‘‘trade secrets and commercial or 

financial information obtained from a 

person [that is] privileged or 

confidential’’) the Project Proponent 

Team will be responsible for clearly 

marking the page(s)/section(s) of 

information it believes are protected. 

Dated: October 3, 2014. 

Doug O’Brien, 

Acting Under Secretary, Rural Development. 

[FR Doc. 2014–24198 Filed 10–9–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Information Collection; Locatable 

Minerals 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice, request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Forest Service is seeking comments 

from all interested individuals and 

organizations on the extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection, 36 CFR part 228, subpart A— 

Locatable Minerals. 

DATES: Comments must be received in 

writing on or before December 9, 2014 

to be assured of consideration. 

Comments received after that date will 

be considered to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this 

notice should be addressed to: Forest 

Service, Director, Minerals and Geology 

Management Staff, Mail Stop 1140, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250. 

Comments also may be submitted via 

facsimile to 703–605–1575 or by email 

to: jdemaagd@fs.fed.us. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice may be made available to the 

public through relevant Web sites and 

upon request. For this reason, please do 

not include in your comments 

information of a confidential nature, 

such as sensitive personal information 

or proprietary information. If you send 

an email comment, your email address 

will be automatically captured and 

included as part of the comment that is 

placed in the public docket and made 

available on the Internet. Please note 

that responses to this public comment 

request containing any routine notice 

about the confidentiality of the 

communication will be treated as public 

comments that may be made available to 

the public notwithstanding the 

inclusion of the routine notice. 

The public may inspect the draft 

supporting statement and/or comments 

received at 201 14th Street SW., 

Washington, DC during normal business 

hours. Visitors are encouraged to call 

ahead to 703–605–4545 to facilitate 

entry to the building. The public may 

request an electronic copy of the draft 

supporting statement and/or any 

comments received be sent via return 

email. Requests should be emailed to 

jdemaagd@fs.fed.us. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

DeMaagd, Assistant Director, Minerals 

and Geology Management, at 303–275– 

5473. Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

twenty-four hours a day, every day of 

the year, including holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: 36 

CFR Part 228, Subpart A—Locatable 

Minerals. 

OMB Number: 0596–0022 

Expiration Date of Approval: January 

31, 2015. 

Type of Request: Extension without 

change of a currently approved 

collection. 

Abstract: This collection of 

information is necessary to ensure that 

the environmental impacts associated 

with locatable mineral operations on 

National Forest System (NFS) lands are 

minimized to the extent practicable. The 

Forest Service regulations at 36 CFR 

228.5 require mining operators, with 

some exceptions, to notify the 

authorized Forest Service officer of their 

intent to conduct a locatable mineral 

operation on NFS lands by filing a 

Notice of Intent or Plan of Operations. 

36 CFR 228.10 requires mining 

operators to submit a Cessation of 

Operation when mining operations are 

temporarily ceased, other than for 

seasonal closure. 

There is not a required format for the 

information collection, but all 

information identified in 36 CFR part 

228 must be included. Form FS–2800– 

5, Plan of Operations for Mining 

Activities on National Forest System 

Lands, is available for use by mining 

operators to simplify this process. The 

information required in a Plan of 

Operations, detailed in 36 CFR 228.4(c), 

(d), and (e), includes: 

1. The name and legal mailing address 

of operators (and claimants if they are 

not the same) and their lessees, assigns, 

or designees. 

2. A map or sketch showing 

information sufficient to locate: 

a. The proposed area of operations on 

the ground. 

b. Existing and/or proposed roads or 

access routes to be used in connection 

with the operation as set forth in 36 CFR 

228.12 on access. 

c. The approximate location and size 

of areas where surface resources will be 

disturbed. 

3. Information sufficient to describe 

the: 

a. Type of operations proposed and 

how they would be conducted. 

b. Type and standard of existing and 

proposed roads or access routes. 

c. Means of transportation used or to 

be used as set forth in 36 CFR 228.12. 

d. Period during which the proposed 

activity will take place. 

e. Measures to be taken to meet the 

requirements for environmental 

protection in 36 CFR 228.8. 

A Notice of Intent is required, as 

detailed in 36 CFR 228.4(a)(2), to 

include information sufficient to 

identify the area involved, the nature of 

the proposed operation, the route of 

access to the area of operations, and the 

method of transport. A Cessation of 

Operations is required, as detailed in 36 

CFR 228.10, to include verification of 

intent to maintain structures, 

equipment, and other facilities; 

expected reopening date; and an 

estimate of extended durations of 

operations. 

These collections of information are 

crucial to protecting surface resources, 

including plants, animals, and their 

habitat, as well as public safety on NFS 

lands. The authorized Forest Service 

officer will use the collected 

information to ensure that the 

exploration, development, and 

production of mineral resources are 

conducted in an environmentally 

sensitive manner; that these mineral 

operations are integrated with the 

planning and management of other 

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61282 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 197 / Friday, October 10, 2014 / Notices 

resources using the principles of 

ecosystem management; and that lands 

disturbed by mineral operations are 

reclaimed using the best scientific 

knowledge and returned to other 

productive uses. If this information was 

not collected, the Forest Service would 

not be in compliance with the Federal 

Regulations and locatable mineral 

operations could result in undue 

damage to surface resources. 

Estimate of Annual Burden: 12 Hours 

(10 hours—Plan of Operations; 1 hour— 

Notice of Intent; 1 hour—Cessation of 

Operations). 

Type of Respondents: Mining 

operators. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Respondents: 283 (111—Plans of 

Operations; 169—Notices of Intent; 3— 

Cessation of Operations). 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 10,005 Hours (12 hours × 

111 Plans of Operation = 1,332; 2 hour 

× 169 Notices of Intent = 338; 1 hour × 

3 Cessation of Operations = 3; 1,332 + 

338 + 3 = 1,673). 

Comment is invited on: (1) Whether 

this collection of information is 

necessary for the stated purposes and 

the proper performance of the functions 

of the Agency, including whether the 

information will have practical or 

scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the 

Agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

collection of information, including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (4) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on 

respondents, including the use of 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. 

All comments received in response to 

this notice, including names and 

addresses when provided, will be a 

matter of public record. Comments will 

be summarized and included in the 

request for Office of Management and 

Budget approval. 

Dated: October 2, 2014. 

Gregory C. Smith, 

Acting Deputy Chief, National Forest System. 

[FR Doc. 2014–24200 Filed 10–9–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Apalachicola National Forest; 

Apalachicola Ranger District, Florida; 

Beasley Pond Analysis Area 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will 

prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) to analyze the impacts 

of timber harvest and associated 

activities on approximately 3,800 acres 

of forestland and savannahs in the 

Beasley Pond Analysis Area. Based on 

public scoping, discussion with other 

federal agencies and initial issues 

analysis, the responsible official has 

determined that preparation of an EIS is 

appropriate for this project. The 

proposed project is an activity 

implementing a land management plan 

and is subject to the pre-decisional 

objection process at 36 CFR part 218 

subparts A and B. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

November 10, 2014. The draft EIS is 

expected December 2014 and the final 

EIS is expected March 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Marcus Beard, District Ranger, 57 Taff 

Drive, Crawfordville, FL 32327. 

Comments may also be sent via email to 

comments-southern-floridaapalachicola@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile 

to (850) 926–1904. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Branden Tolver—phone: (850) 926– 

3561; email: btolver02@fs.fed.us. 

Individuals who use telecommunication 

devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the 

Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 between 8 

a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday 

through Friday. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The National Forests in Florida’s 

Forest Plan outlines several goals for the 

National Forests of Florida, one of 

which calls for the conservation and 

protection of declining natural 

communities, and uncommon 

biological, ecological, or geological site. 

The Beasley Pond Analysis area 

contains large areas of historical 

savannah habitat, multiple redcockaded woodpecker (RCW) clusters, 

critical habitat for the frosted flatwoods 

salamander and recent records of three 

federally listed plant species that occur 

in open savannah habitats. The primary 

purpose of this project is to maintain, 

improve, and restore a healthy forest 

ecosystem by: Thinning both longleaf 

and slash pine stands to allow for 

further tree growth, restoring remnant 

savannahs to improve habitat for a 

variety of plant species, and controlling 

overabundant hardwood trees and brush 

species to restore herbaceous 

groundcover. Secondary benefits 

include maintaining a stable RCW 

habitat and improving the current 

transportation system. There is a need to 

reduce current stocking levels of stands 

within the project area to open the forest 

canopy and promote herbaceous 

groundcover growth and establishment. 

There also exists a need for 

rehabilitation and maintenance in 

declining natural savannah sites in the 

project area. 

Proposed Action 

➢ First or intermediate thinning of 

approximately 1981 acres of slash and 

longleaf pine stands. Stands range in age 

from 25 to 141 years old. Younger slash 

and longleaf pine plantations have a 

basal area (BA) ranging from 70 to 173 

square-feet per acre. Thinning these 

stands would reduce the BA to an 

average of 50 square feet per acre thus 

opening the stands for sunlight 

penetration needed for continued 

growth and groundcover establishment. 

➢ Conduct uneven-aged management 

cuts on 978 acres of mature longleaf 

pine. Openings ranging from 1⁄4–2 acres 

(average size of 1⁄2 acre) in size will be 

created around existing longleaf 

seedlings or in areas of the stand that 

would be suitable for longleaf natural 

regeneration. The number of openings 

would be limited to 10% of the stand 

size. Stand 7 of compartment 28 (91 

acres) will be treated with a foliar 

application of triclopyr (as needed) for 

hardwood control. 

➢ Savannah restoration treatments 

on approximately 811 acres of savannah 

sites to remove pine trees and 

encroaching hardwoods. Girdling will 

be used in stands that cannot be 

accessed for traditional logging 

operations (stands 19 and 41 in 

compartment 26 and stand 37 in 

compartment 27). All of these sites have 

either been planted with slash pine or 

have been encroached upon by woody 

brush species and hardwood tree 

species. To restore these savannah sites 

a variable residual BA strategy will be 

implemented with groundcover 

condition serving as the trigger point for 

thinning intensity. More herbaceous 

groundcover is needed when thinning to 

a lower BA in order to continue the use 

prescribed fire as a means of 

maintaining the open park-like structure 

associated with savannahs. When 

groundcover conditions are deemed less 

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