[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 124 (Tuesday, June 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34769-34770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16474]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
TwoBee Landscape Management Project, Willamette National Forest,
Lane and Linn Counties, OR
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) on a proposal to thin and regenerate forest stands,
construct and reconstruct roads, decommission and obliterate roads,
restore and maintain ecosystem function, and use prescribed fire within
the Two Bee project area in the Upper McKenzie River drainage. The
project area is about 60 miles east of Springfield/Eugene, and is in
portions of the Hackleman, Smith, and Browder Creek drainages. The
purpose and need for action is to provide timber products from this
area as part of the Willamette National Forest annual harvest and to
maintain and restore ecosystem function. Harvest and regeneration would
provide both short-term and long-term benefits to society in the form
of wood fiber and economic opportunity. The project is proposed for
fiscal years 2001 and 2002. The Willamette National Forest invites
written comment on this proposal and the scope of analysis. The agency
will give notice of the full environmental analysis and decision making
process for the proposal so interested and affected people may
participate and contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received
in writing by August 30, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to John Allen, District Ranger,
McKenzie Ranger District, McKenzie Bridge, OR 97413.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Norm Michaels, TwoBee project leader,
McKenzie Ranger District, McKenzie Bridge, OR 97413, phone (541) 822-
3381.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USDA, Forest Service Proposed Action is
to reintroduce natural fire through the prescribed burning of
understory layers in selected stands. Trees will be harvested through
commercial thinning, selection harvest, and regeneration harvest on an
estimated 1,000 acres, removing about 20 million board feet of timber.
There will be permanent roads constructed and temporary roads
constructed to access treatment units. There will also be roads
repaired and decommissioned or obliterated. This proposed action will
continue to develop opportunities for post/pole/chip/firewood products
from small-sized trees; and develop habitat improvement projects for a
variety of wildlife, fish, and sensitive plant species.
These activities will be consistent with the 1990 Final EIS for the
Willamette National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan and the
Willamette Land and Resource Management Plan as amended by the 1994
Record of Decision for management of habitat for late-successional and
old-growth forest related species within the range of the Northern
Spotted Owl. This project will be guided by the recommendations in the
Upper McKenzie Watershed Analysis.
The decision-to-be-made will include whether and/or how much
harvest should occur, whether and/or which activities should be
accomplished to maintain or improve the ecosystem function such as
prescribed burning of natural fuels, whether and/or how much road
decommissioning, repair, obliteration, or construction should occur,
and whether and/or which activities would be appropriate for
improvement of habitat for fish, wildlife, and plants.
The project area includes all or portions of T13S, R6E, Sec 25;
T13S, R7E, Sec 29, 30, 31, 32; T14S, R6E, Sec 12, 13, 23, 24, 25-28,
34-36; T14S, R7E, Sec 5-8, 17-20, 29-31; T15S, R6E, Sec 1, 2, 11, 12;
T14S, R7E, Sec 6.
Preliminary issues have been identified: landscape level pattern
and vegetative diversity; stand health and vigor; water quality;
proposed endangered; threatened or sensitive species; heritage
resources; big game habitat; and recreational activities.
Alternatives to be considered will include the no action
alternative, plus action alternatives that will be developed in
response to key issues. The action alternatives will include various
levels of timber harvest, prescribed fire, road work, and other
activities which may be identified.
Initial scoping will begin in June 1999. The public is invited to
offer suggestions and comments in writing. Comments received in
response to this notice, including the names and addresses of those who
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal
and will be available to 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 part 215. 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 may be granted in only limited
circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service
will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the
request for confidentiality, and where the request is
[[Page 34770]]
denied, the agency will return the submission and notify the requester
that the comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address
within a specified number of days.
The draft EIS expected to be completed in April 2000. The comment
period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date of the
Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in
the Federal Register,
The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers
notice at this early stage of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
a draft EIS 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 EIS stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final EIS 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 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 the final EIS.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS 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 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 at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.)
The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in November 2000. In the
final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to comments and
responses received during the comment period that pertain to the
environmental consequences discussed in the draft EIS and applicable
laws, regulations, and policies considered in making the decision
regarding the TwoBee Landscape Management Project.
The Forest Service is the lead agency. John Allen, District Ranger,
is the Responsible Official. As the Responsible Official, he will
decide whether to implement the project. The Responsible Official will
document the decision and reasons for the decision in the Record of
Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service Appeal
Regulations (36 CFR part 215).
Dated: June 16, 1999.
John Allen,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 99-16474 Filed 6-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
