[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 179 (Friday, September 15, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 47928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22938]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
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.
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Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 179 / Friday, September 15, 1995 /
Notices
[[Page 47928]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Revised Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National
Grassland Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) Arapaho and
Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National Grassland; Boulder, Clear
Creek, Gilpin, Grand, Jefferson, Larimer, Park, and Weld Counties,
Colorado
agency: Forest Service, USDA.
action: Revised Notice; intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement.
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summary: The Forest Supervisor of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National
Forest and the Pawnee National Grassland gives notice of the agency's
intent to prepare an environmental impact statement on the revision of
the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National
Grassland Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan).
The original Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement for this Forest Plan Revision was published July 10, 1990.
Due to the delay in publishing a Draft EIS, this Notice serves to
revise the Notice of July 1990.
for further information contact: Howard Sargent, Forest Planner, (970)
498-1201, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526.
supplementary information: A Forest Plan shall ordinarily be revised on
a 10-year cycle or at least every 15 years. A plan may also be revised
whenever the Forest Supervisor determines that conditions or demands in
the area covered by the plan have changed significantly. The current
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan
was approved on May 4, 1984. The Forest is scheduled to complete its
revision of the Forest Plan and FEIS in Fall, 1996.
Through evaluation of the Forest Plan, documented in the ``Five
Year Evaluation: Forest Plan Monitoring and Evaluation Report'' (1990)
and further refined in 1993 in the ``Analysis of the Management
Situation,'' the Forest Supervisor of the Arapaho and Roosevelt
National Forest and the Pawnee National Grassland has determined that
the following topics should be the primary focus of the Forest Plan
Revision:
1. Biological diversity including old growth;
2. National Forest-residential intermix areas;
3. Oil and gas leasing;
4. Recreation-related items such as recreation settings, scenic
resources and wild and scenic rivers;
5. Roadless areas and additions to the Wilderness Preservation
System;
6. Timber management, including suitable lands, allowable sale
quantity, silvicultural practices;
7. Travel management; and
8. Water yield and management.
Public involvement in the Plan Revision process has been extensive
since the original Notice of Intent was published, utilizing a variety
of scoping techniques. These included mailings to individuals and
organizations known to be interested in the Plan Revision, newspaper
articles, newsletters, public meetings, and open houses. After release
of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, more open houses will be
held and will be announced in local news media and in newsletters.
Revision of the Forest Plan began in 1990; the draft environmental
impact statement and Proposed Revised Forest Plan should be available
for public review in November, 1995. The final environmental impact
statement, Record of Decision, and Revised Forest Plan are scheduled to
be completed by Fall, 1996.
The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will
be a minimum of 90 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. 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 F2d
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 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 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.
The official responsible for approving the revised Forest Plan is
the Regional Forester, Rocky Mountain Region, USDA Forest Service,
11177 West 8th Avenue, P.O. Box 25127, Lakewood, Colorado 80225. The
Forest Supervisor, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee
National Grassland, is delegated responsibility for preparing the
revision.
Dated: August 29, 1995.
William P. Lisowsky,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 95-22938 Filed 9-14-95; 8:45 am]
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