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

1301

Vol. 66, No. 5

Monday, January 8, 2001

AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

Notice of Public Information

Collections Being Reviewed by the

U.S. Agency for International

Development; Comments Requested

SUMMARY: U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID) is making efforts

to reduce the paperwork burden. USAID

invites the general public and other

Federal agencies to take this

opportunity to comment on the

following proposed and/or continuing

information collections, as required by

the Paperwork Reduction Act for 1995.

Comments are requested concerning: (a)

Whether the proposed or continuing

collections of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the agency, including

whether the information shall have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the

burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance

the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information collected; and (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on the respondents,

including the use of automated

collection techniques or other forms of

information technology.

DATES: Submit comments on or before

March 9, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Beverly Johnson, Bureau for

Management, Office of Administrative

Services, Information and Records

Division, U.S. Agency for International

Development, Room 2.07–106, RRB,

Washington, DC 20523, (202) 712–1365

or via e-mail bjohnson@usaid.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB No: OMB 0412–0550.

Form No.: AID 1570–13 and 1570–14.

Title: Narrative/Time-Line and Report

on Commodities (Quarterly Reports).

Type of Review: Renewal of

Information Collection.

Purpose: The purpose of this

information collection is to properly

respond to the annual competition

among applicants who apply on behalf

of their sponsored overseas institutions,

independent reviewers and ASHA need

to assess the strength and capability of

the U.S. organizations, the overseas

institutions and the merits of their

proposed projects. Easily accessible

historical records on past

accomplishments and performance by

repeat USOs, would speed the grant

making process and provide

documented reasons for both successful

and unsuccessful applications.

Annual Reporting Burden

Respondents: 70.

Total annual responses: 656.

Total annual hours requested: 1,824

hours.

Dated: December 28, 2000.

Joanne Paskar,

Chief, Information and Records Division,

Office of Administrative Services, Bureau for

Management.

[FR Doc. 01–401 Filed 1–5–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6116–01–M

AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

Notice of Public Information Collection

Requirements Submitted to OMB for

Review

SUMMARY: U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID) has submitted

the following information collections to

OMB for review and clearance under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. Comments

regarding this information collection are

best assured of having their full effect if

received within 30 days of this

notification. Comments should be

addressed to: Desk Officer for USAID,

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and

Budget (OMB), Washington DC 20503.

Copies of submission may be obtained

by calling (202) 712–1365.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Number: OMB 0412–0012.

Form Number: AID 282.

Title: Supplier’s Certificate Agreement

with the U.S. Agency for International

Development Invoice-and-Contract

Abstract.

Type of Submission: Renewal of

Information Collection.

Purpose: The U.S. Agency for

International Development (USAID)

finances goods and related services

under its Commodity Import Program

which are contracted for by public and

private entities in the countries

receiving the USAID assistance. Since

USAID is not a party to these contracts,

USAID needs some means to collect

information directly from the suppliers

of the goods and related services and to

enable USAID to take an appropriate

action against them in the event they do

not comply with the applicable

regulations. USAID does this by security

from the suppliers, as a condition for

the disbursement of funds a certificate

and agreement with USAID which

contains appropriate representations by

the suppliers.

Annual Reporting Burden

Respondents: 400.

Total annual responses: 2,400.

Total annual hours requested: 1,200

hours.

Dated: December 28, 2000.

Joanne Paskar,

Chief, Information and Records Division,

Office of Administrative Services, Bureau for

Management.

[FR Doc. 01–402 Filed 1–5–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6116–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Buck Springs Range Analysis EIS;

Southwestern Region, Arizona,

Coconino County, Coconino National

Forests

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The Coconino National Forest

is planning to prepare an environmental

impact statement on a proposal to

manage livestock grazing use on the

Buck Springs Range Allotment during

the next 10 years.

DATES: Comments in response to this

Notice of Intent concerning the scope of

the analysis should be received in

writing on or before February 7, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to

USDA Forest Service, Coconino

National Forest, Blue Ridge Ranger

Station, HC 31, Box 300, Happy Jack,

AZ 86024. Electronic mail may be sent

to cataylor01@fs.fed.us.

1302 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2001 / Notices

RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: The Forest

Supervisor of the Coconino National

Forest, Supervisor’s Office 2323 E.

Greenlaw Lane, Flagstaff AZ 86004, will

decide what actions are most

appropriate for managing the Buck

Springs Range Allotment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cathy Taylor, Interdisciplinary Team

Leader, Blue Ridge Ranger District, (520)

477–2255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

proposal will issue a grazing permit for

634 cow/calf pairs and 8 horses. Annual

Operating Plan would adjust the

number of livestock allowed per year to

resource conditions. The grazing

strategy would be a deferred rotation

system, with season of use running from

about May 15 to October 15. Fencing,

livestock trailing, water improvements,

cattleguards, and riders would be used

to manage the distribution of livestock

and forage utilization, to avoid livestock

grazing in some meadows and riparian

areas, and to increase livestock control

in sensitive areas. Approximately 22

miles of fence would be constructed, to

split three pastures, exclude six

meadows, and protect two springs.

Dense thickets of small trees that

currently impede the gathering of

livestock would be precommercially

thinned on 1500 acres to improve

livestock movement, increase the

understory diversity, reduce the risk of

wildfire, and improve tree growth and

vigor.

Preliminary issues include the effects

of grazing on the environment,

especially headwater meadows, and

effects on species protected under the

Endangered Species Act, specifically the

Little Colorado spinedace and the

Mexican spotted owl.

The environmental analysis process

for the Buck Springs Range Allotment

was initiated on June 25, 1998. An

Interdisciplinary Team of Forest Service

resource specialists, and representatives

from the Arizona Game and Fish

Department, US Fish and Wildlife

Service, Arizona Department of

Environmental Quality, and the

allotment permittee, developed a

guiding document for watershed

recovery before undertaking an analysis

of the allotment. They described the

many factors affecting watershed

conditions within the allotment,

including elk and livestock grazing,

recreation, transportation system, and

introduced aquatic species. In a

cooperative effort, the agencies making

up the team developed the East Clear

Creek Watershed Recovery Strategy for

the Little Colorado Spinedace and Other

Riparian Species to address many of

those factors. Using the document to

guide actions proposed for the Buck

Springs Range Allotment, the Team

developed objectives and proposed

management practices for the allotment.

The resulting Proposed Action was

mailed to 209 individuals, organizations

and cooperating resource agencies for

review and comment in April 1999.

From comments received, the Team

developed statements to capture the

substantive issues and developed 6

additional alternatives other than the

proposed action. If you commented

during this scoping period, these

comments are already incorporated into

the analysis. Some of these alternatives

differ in grazing strategies, utilization

levels, permitted numbers of livestock,

pastures utilized, and improvements

required, and are briefly described as

follows:

• Proposed action as discussed above.

• No graze for a 10-year period.

• Continue current grazing

management (no action).

• Continue deferred rotation and rely

heavily on herding to affect distribution

of livestock and to protect sensitive

riparian and headwater meadow

habitats.

• Continue deferred rotation and

emphasize the use of northern tier of

pastures, with most southern pastures

that include headwater meadows

removed from the grazing land base.

• Implement a rest-rotation strategy,

where one-half of the allotment is

grazed each year. Distribution of

livestock and use of sensitive drainages

are addressed primarily through range

improvements.

• Implement a rest-rotation strategy

on the northern tier of pastures.

Southern pastures with headwater

meadows are removed from the grazing

land base.

It is anticipated that environmental

analysis and preparation of the draft and

final environmental impact statements

will take about six months. The Draft

Environmental Impact Statement can be

expected March of 2001 and the Final

EIS in summer. The comment period on

the draft environmental impact

statement extends 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. To be the

most helpful, comments on the draft

environmental impact statement should

be as specific as possible and may

address the adequacy of the statement or

the merits of the alternatives discussed

(see Council of Environmental Quality

Regulations for implementing the

procedural provisions of the National

Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR

1503.3).

In addition, Federal court decisions

have established that 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 reviewers’ position and

contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear

Power Corp v. NRDC, 435 US 519, 553

(1978). Environmental objections that

could have been raised at the draft stage

may be waived if not raised until after

completion of the final environmental

impact statement. City of Angoon v.

Hodel, 9th Circuit, (1986) and

Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490

F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980).

The reason for this is to ensure that

substantive comments and objections

are made available to the Forest Service

at a time when it can meaningfully

consider 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.

Dated: December 18, 2000.

Jim Golden,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 01–399 Filed 1–5–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Notice of Proposed Changes to

Section 4 of the Iowa State Technical

Guide

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S.

Department of Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of availability of

proposed changes in the Iowa NRCS