95-2633. Bull Lake Easement; Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, Montana  

  • [Federal Register Volume 60, Number 23 (Friday, February 3, 1995)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 6692-6693]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 95-2633]
    
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
    Forest Service
    
    
    Bull Lake Easement; Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, 
    Montana
    
    AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
    
    ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
    
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    SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an environmental impact 
    statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of the granting 
    of a road easement and of road reconstruction needed to access a 
    subdivision in the vicinity of Bull Lake. The area is located in the 
    Kootenai National Forest, Three Rivers Ranger District, Lincoln County, 
    Montana.
    
        The proposal's actions to grant an easement to Lincoln County, 
    Montana for a county easement over portions of roads #398 and #8019, 
    and to reconstruct these roads to county standards, for public access 
    to a subdivision of land located in Section 29, T29N, R33W, Principle 
    Meridian, Montana, are being considered together because they represent 
    either connected or cumulative actions as defined by the Council on 
    Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.25). This project-level EIS will 
    tier to the Kootenai National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 
    (Forest Plan) and Final EIS (September 1987), which provides overall 
    guidance of all land management activities on the Kootenai National 
    Forest, including road management.
    
    DATES: Written comments and suggestions should be received on or before 
    March 20, 1995.
    
    ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposed 
    management activities or a request to be placed on the project mailing 
    list to Michael L. Balboni, District Ranger, Three Rivers Ranger 
    District, Kootenai National Forest, 1437 N. Hwy 2, Troy, Montana, 
    59935.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    
    Mark Natale, EIS Team Leader, Three Rivers Ranger District, Kootenai 
    National Forest, Phone (406) 295-4693.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A county easement is proposed on 
    approximately 1.0 mile of road #398 and 2.0 miles of road #8019 to 
    access a subdivision on private land that has received conditional 
    approval from the county. If approved, the road would then be 
    reconstructed to meet county standards.
        The Kootenai Forest Plan provides guidance for management 
    activities within the potentially affected area through its goals, 
    objectives, standards and guidelines, and management area direction. 
    The area of the proposed easement would occur within Management Areas 6 
    and 11. Road reconstruction would occur in these two management areas. 
    Below is a brief description of the applicable management direction.
        Management Area 6--These are recreational areas (campgrounds, boat 
    ramps, picnic areas, etc.). There is no restriction on easements within 
    this management area.
        Management Area 11--These are areas of big game winter range that 
    allow for easements while including provisions for scheduling to 
    prevent conflicts during periods of wildlife use.
        The Forest Service has identified two alternatives. These are: (1) 
    The ``no action'' alternative, in which the easement would not be 
    granted and (2) to issue the requested easement.
        The EIS will analyze the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
    environmental effects of the alternatives. Past, present, and projected 
    activities on both private and National Forest lands will be 
    considered. The EIS will disclose the analysis of site-specific 
    mitigation measures and their effectiveness. [[Page 6693]] 
        Public participation is an important part of the analysis, 
    commencing with the initial scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7), which will 
    occur in the period February/March 1995. In addition, the public is 
    encouraged to visit with Forest Service officials at any time during 
    the analysis and prior to the decision. The Forest Service will be 
    seeking information, comments, and assistance from Federal, State, and 
    local agencies and other individuals or organizations who may be 
    interested in or affected by the proposed action. A public meeting will 
    be held late February or early March 1995 in Troy, Montana.
        Comments from the public and other agencies will be used in 
    preparation of the Draft EIS. The scoping process will be used to:
    
    1. Identify potential issues.
    2. Identify major issues to be analyzed in depth.
    3. Eliminate minor issues or those which have been covered by a 
    relevant previous environmental analysis, such as the Kootenai Forest 
    Plan EIS.
    4. Identify alternatives to the proposed action.
    5. Identify potential environmental effects of the proposed action and 
    alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects).
    6. Determine potential cooperating agencies and task assignments.
    
        Some public comments have already been received. The following 
    preliminary issues have been identified so far:
    
    1. How may proposed road reconstruction and subdivision of the private 
    land affect the water quality in Bull Lake?
    2. How will the proposed road construction and subdivision affect 
    threatened, endangered and sensitive species in the area?
    3. How may the proposed road construction affect big game winter range 
    use?
    
        Other issues commonly associated with such activities include: 
    effects on cultural resources, soils, old growth, and scenery values. 
    This list may be verified, expanded, or modified based on public 
    scoping for this proposal.
        The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental 
    Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in September of 
    1995. At that time, the EPA will publish a Notice of Availability of 
    the Draft EIS in the Federal Register. The comment period on the Draft 
    EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA's notice of availability 
    appears in the Federal Register. It is very important that those 
    interested in management of this area participate at that time. To be 
    most helpful, comments on the Draft EIS should be as site-specific as 
    possible. The Final EIS is scheduled to be completed by January 1996.
        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, 
    (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 45-day scoping 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 developing issues and alternatives.
        To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
    on the proposed action, comments should be as specific as possible. 
    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.
        I have the final authority for issuing a decision regarding this 
    proposal. I have delegated the responsibility of preparing the EIS to 
    Three Rivers District Ranger, Michael Balboni. My address is Kootenai 
    National Forest, 506 U.S. Hwy 2 West, Libby, MT 59923.
    
        Dated: January 27, 1995.
    Robert L. Schrenk,
    Forest Supervisor.
    FR Doc. 95-2633 Filed 2-2-95; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
    
    

Document Information

Published:
02/03/1995
Department:
Forest Service
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
Document Number:
95-2633
Dates:
Written comments and suggestions should be received on or before March 20, 1995.
Pages:
6692-6693 (2 pages)
PDF File:
95-2633.pdf