[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28447-28449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-13404]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement;
Finger Mountain Timber Sale(s), Sitka Ranger District, Tongass National
Forest, Sitka, AK
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Finger Mountain Timber
Sale(s) project, located on the Sitka Ranger District of the Tongass
National Forest. This Notice of Intent revises the proposed action for
the Finger Mountain project and the schedule for the decision described
in the Notice of Intent published June 30, 1997 (Federal Register:
Volume 62, Number 125, Pages 35145-351460), and in the Notice of Intent
published July 23, 1997 (Federal Register: Volume 62, Number 141, Page
39498).
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received
in writing by June 25, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to; Finger Mountain Planning Team,
Sitka Ranger District, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835.
[[Page 28448]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Winn, Team Leader, or Bill
Lorenz, Planning Group Leader, Sitka Ranger District, 204 Siginaka Way,
Sitka, AK 99835, phone (907) 747-6671, fax (907) 747-4331, email 1winn/
r10_chatham@fed.us, or r10_chatham@fs.fed.us.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The new proposed action for the Finger
Mountain Timber Sale(s) project includes the following: (1) Timber
harvest and subsequent regeneration on approximately 936 acres of
forested land resulting in the production of approximately 21.4 million
board feet of sawlog and utility timber; (2) construction of
approximately 9.8 miles of permanent road, 10.9 miles of temporary
road, and reconstruction of approximately 13.4 miles of existing road;
(3) construction of one new log transfer facility and reconstruction of
one existing log transfer facility. This proposed action is one
alternative for meeting the purpose and need for the project.
The Finger Mountain project area is now expected to provide between
10 and 25 million board feet of timber to the timber industry in one or
more timber sales. The actual range of alternatives considered in the
Environmental Impact Statement will be determined during analysis.
The purpose and need for the Finger Mountain project consist of the
following four items: (1) To implement the direction contained in the
Modified 1997 Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan
and the 1999 Record of Decision, including goals, objectives,
management prescriptions, and standards and guidelines; (2) to maintain
wood production from suitable timber lands, providing a continuous
supply of wood to meet societies needs; (3) to help provide a stable
supply of timber from the Tongass National Forest which meets existing
and potential market demand and is consistent with sound multiple use
and sustained yield objectives; and (4) to help meet the desired future
condition of the landscape as described by the Modified 1997 Forest
Plan.
Public Comment
Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as individuals and
organizations who may be interested in, or affected by, the proposed
action are invited to participate in the scoping process. This process
will determine the scope and significant issues to be analyzed in depth
in the Environmental Impact Statement.
Following the publication of this notice, a scoping document will
be mailed to interested people and organizations. The document will
briefly describe the project and project area, the proposed action, and
will invite public comment.
Following scoping, the interdisciplinary planning team will review
comments received during the scoping period to determine which issues
are significant and within the scope of this project. If issues are
identified that were not previously noted, the team will develop
alternatives that address all of the significant issues. Significant
issues identified to date include potential effects on the following:
(1) Wildlife requiring old-growth forest habitat, (2) subsistence
opportunities, (3) scenic resources and recreation experiences. (4)
marine environment from log transfer facilities and logging camps, and
(5) economic opportunities for small-scale timber operators.
If no additional issues are identified, the team will proceed with
the current alternative development already underway. One of the
alternatives will be the ``No Action'' alternative, in which no
additional timber harvest or road construction is proposed. Other
alternatives will consider various levels and locations of timber
harvest in response to issues and non-timber objectives. The team will
then prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement which will display
the alternatives and the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of
each alternative.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be filed
with the Environmental Protection Agency by December, 1999. The comment
period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be 45 days from
the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register. In addition to commenting on the
proposed action and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement when it is
released, agencies and other interested persons or groups are invited
to write to or speak with Forest Service officials at any time during
the planning process.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action or any other alternatives, 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 Environmental Impact Statement. Comments may also
address the adequacy of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement or the
merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed in the document.
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.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names
and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the
public record on this proposed action and will be available for public
inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and
considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not have
standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Parts 215 or
217. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request
the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing
how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality.
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the
FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited
circumstances, such as to protect trace secrets. The Forest Service
will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the
request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the
agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the
comments may be resubmitted with or without the name and address.
Decisions To Be Made
Fred S. Salinas, Assistant Forest Supervisor of the Tongass
National Forest, is now the responsible official and will decide
whether or not to authorize timber harvest within the Finger Mountain
project area. In addition, if timber harvest will occur, he will
determine the following: (1) whether the design of the timber sale(s)
is consistent with meeting resource protection standards and guidelines
in the Modified 1997 Forest Plan and the 1999 Record of Decision; (2)
how much timber volume will be made available and what are the effects
of the planned activities; (3) the location and design of the timber
harvest units, log transfer facilities, and road system; (4) mitigation
and monitoring required for sound resource management; (5) whether
there is a significant possibility of a significant restriction on
subsistence uses; and (6) road management objectives, including
closures for resource protection and economics.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision is
expected to be released by June, 2000. The Responsible Official will
make a
[[Page 28449]]
decision regarding this proposal after considering public comments, the
environmental consequences displayed in the Final Environmental Impact
Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The decision
and supporting reasons will be documented in the Record of Decision.
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 believes 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, 553 (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 important that those interested in this proposed action
participate by the close of the 45 day comment period so that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider and respond to them
in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Dated: May 17, 1999.
John C. Sherrod,
Acting Assistant Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 99-13404 Filed 5-25-99; 8:45 am]
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