[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 39 (Monday, February 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-4420]
[Federal Register: February 28, 1994]
VOL. 59, NO. 39
Monday, February 28, 1994
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
South Manti Timber Salvage; Manti-La Sal National Forest, Sanpete
and Sevier Counties, UT
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental
impacts of proposed actions to salvage harvest timber and improve
productivity of stands of trees in portions of the Muddy Creek,
Twelvemile Creek, Sixmile Creek, and Ferron Creek Drainages. The
project is located approximately 10 air miles southeast of Manti, Utah.
The entire proposal area involves some 30,000 acres of which
approximately 10,000 acres is forested with an Engelmann spruce cover
type. A bark beetle epidemic has affected the major portion of this
type. the need for the proposal is established by the silvicultural
condition of the affected timber stands and forest goals as outlined in
the Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.
Six areas that were inventoried as roadless as part of the RARE II
evaluation are adjacent to and in some cases overlap the proposal.
These areas were released back to full Multiple Use management by the
Utah Wilderness Act and were evaluated for a variety of designations in
the Forest's analysis during the Forest Land and Resource Plan process
which was completed in 1986. The current analysis will document effects
that would substantially alter the undeveloped character of these
areas.
DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described
in this Notice should be received on or before March 30, 1994.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Manti-La Sal National Forest, 599
West Price River Drive, Price, Utah 84501.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions concerning the proposed action and EIS should be addressed to
Arthur J. Vasten Jr., Project Timber Staff, Manti-La Sal National
Forest, phone (801) 637-2817.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This EIS will tier to the final EIS for the
Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest
Plan). The Manti-La Sal Forest Plan provides the overall guidance
(Goals, Objectives, Standards, and Management Area Direction) to
achieve the Desired Future Condition for the area being analyzed, and
contains specific management area prescriptions for the entire Forest.
A National forest Management Act Analysis for this proposal was
completed in 1993. As a result of that analysis and additional scoping
the Manti-La Sal concluded the proposal may have a significant effect
on the roadless character of some of the surrounding areas, and because
of the scope of the project size it was decided to prepare this EIS.
The previous scoping and analysis also identified the following
potential issues related to the proposed action:
What will be the effects of the proposal on the habitats, behavior,
and local population of certain wildlife species?
What effect will the proposed activities have on the access,
quality, and safety of the recreational opportunities of the area?
How will the proposal alter the present visual quality?
What will be the effects of the proposal on cultural resources?
How will potential build up of dead, down, woody, ground fuels be
effected by the proposal?
How will the proposal contribute to a healthy, productive forest
that will economically provide timber for the market place on a
sustainable basis for the present and the future?
What effect will the proposal have on the transportation systems
presently serving the area?
What will be the impacts on wetlands, and riparian areas?
What will the impacts be on the water quality and chemistry?
What will be the economics of the proposed action?
How will the proposal affect the roadless character of certain
areas?
How will the local economies be affected by the proposal?
The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from
Federal, State, and local agencies as well as individuals and
organizations who may be interested in, or affected by the proposed
action. The Forest Service invites written comments and suggestions on
the issues related to the proposal and the area being analyzed.
Information received will be used in preparation of the Draft EIS and
Final EIS. For most effective use, comments should be submitted to the
Forest Service within 30 days from the date of publication of this
Notice in the Federal Register. Preparation of the EIS will include the
following steps:
1. Define the purpose of and need for action.
2. Identify potential issues.
3. Eliminate issues of minor importance or those that have been covered
by previous and relevant environmental analysis.
4. Select issues to be analyzed in depth.
5. Identify reasonable alternatives to the proposed action.
6. Describe the affected environment.
7. Identify the potential environmental effects of the alternatives.
Steps 2, 3, and 4 will be completed through the scoping process.
Step 5 will consider a range of alternatives developed from the key
issues. One of these will be the ``No Action'' alternative. Other
alternatives will consider various methods, levels and locations of
harvest, regeneration, and related road development/improvement in
response to issues, and non-timber objectives.
Step 6 will describe the physical attributes of the area to be
affected by this proposal, with special attention to the environmental
factors that could be adversely affected.
Step 7 will analyze the environmental effects of each alternative.
This analysis will be consistent with management direction outlined in
the Forest Plan. The direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of each
alternative will be analyzed and documented. In addition, the site
specific mitigation measures for each alternative will be identified
and the effectiveness of these mitigation measures will be disclosed.
The approximate boundary of the area covered for this analysis will
be from the southern Forest boundary along White Mountain north along
Skyline Drive to the Ferron and Sixmile drainages.
The proposed management activities would be administered by the
Sanpete and Ferron Ranger Districts of the Manti-La Sal National Forest
in Sanpete and Sevier Counties, Utah.
Agency representatives and other interested people are invited to
visit with Forest Service officials at any time during the EIS process.
Two specific time periods are identified for the receipt of formal
comments on the analysis. The two comment periods are, (1) during the
scoping process, the next 30 days following publication of this Notice
in the Federal Register, and (2) during the formal review period of the
Draft EIS.
The Draft EIS is estimated to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in June, 1994.
At this time the EPA will publish an availability notice of the Draft
EIS in the Federal Register.
The comment period on the Draft EIS will be 45 days from the date
the Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability appears in
the Federal Register. It is very important that those interested in
this proposed action participate at that time. To be the most helpful,
comments on the Draft EIS should be as specific as possible and may
address the adequacy of the statement or the merits of the alternatives
discussed (See The Council on 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 U.S. 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 to ensure 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.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns related to the proposed action, comments on the Draft EIS
should be as specific as possible. Referring to specific pages or
chapters of the Draft EIS is most helpful. Comments may also address
the adequacy of the Draft EIS 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, 40
CFR 1503.3, in addressing these points.)
The final EIS is expected to be released September 16, 1994.
The Forest Supervisor for the Manti-La Sal National Forest, who is
the responsible official for the EIS, will then make a decision
regarding this proposal, after considering the comments, responses, and
environmental consequences discussed in the Final Environmental Impact
Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The reasons
for the decision will be documented in a Record of Decisions.
Dated: February 17, 1994.
George A. Morris,
Forest Supervisor, Manti-La Sal National Forest.
[FR Doc. 94-4420 Filed 2-25-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
