76713

Notices Federal Register Vol. 67, No. 240

Friday, December 13, 2002

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER updates the membership of the USAID direction for public recreational use and contains documents other than rules or OIG’s SES Performance Review Board as access using the Forest’s road and proposed rules that are applicable to the it was last published. system. For each road and trail the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, Approved: November 26, 2002. Amendment will specify the types of committee meetings, agency decisions and The following have been selected as uses that are appropriate including rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency regular members of the SES pleasure driving, high clearance and off- statements of organization and functions are Performance Review Board of the U.S. road vehicle use, motorcycle use, examples of documents appearing in this Agency for International Development, biking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, section. Office of Inspector General: hiking, skiing and snowshoeing. The James R. Ebbitt, Deputy Inspector amendment will also establish travel General. management goals, objectives and AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL Adrienne Rish, Assistant Inspector standards for sub-areas within the DEVELOPMENT General for Investigations. . Michael G. Carroll, Assistant The Gallatin National Forest Land and Senior Executive Service (SES) Inspector General for Management. Resource Management Plan (Forest Performance Review Board: Updating Robert S. Perkins, Legal Counsel. Plan) provides overall guidance for land AGENCY: Agency for International Bruce Crandlemire, Assistant management activities that occur on the Development, Office of the Inspector Inspector General for Audit. Forest. Forest plans are developed, General. Aletha Brown, Inspector General, revised, and amended in compliance ACTION: Notice. Equal Employment Opportunity with the National Forest Management Commission. Act of 1976 (NFMA); and the SUMMARY: This notice is hereby given of Melissa Heist, Assistant Inspector regulations for National Forest Land and the appointment of members of the General for Audit, Environmental Resource Management Planning at 36 updated USAID OIG SES Performance Protection Agency. CFR part 219. This amendment would Review Board. Edward Blansitt, Deputy Inspector remove some existing Forest Plan EFFECTIVE DATE: November 26, 2002. General, Department of Commerce. provisions pertaining to travel FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Speedling, Assistant management and replace them with an Michael G. Carroll, Assistant Inspector Inspector General for Investigations, overall travel management plan specific General for Management, Office of Environmental Protection Agency. to roads and . A range of 4 to 6 Inspector General, U.S. Agency for Kwai Chan, Assistant Inspector alternatives are targeted for International Development, 1300 General for Program Evaluation, consideration in the travel planning Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 8.08– Environmental Protection Agency. process. 029, Washington, DC 20523–8700; Everett L. Mosley, DATES: Alternatives are expected to be telephone 202–712–0010; fax 202–216– Inspector General, Agency for International ready for public review and comment by 3392; Internet e-mail address: Development. February or March, 2003. Requests to [email protected] (for e-mail [FR Doc. 02–31475 Filed 12–12–02; 8:45 am] receive information and notification of messages, the subject line should BILLING CODE 6116–01–P opportunities to provide comments include the following reference—USAID should be received prior to that time. OIG SES Performance Review Board). ADDRESSES: Requests to be placed on the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 5 U.S.C. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE travel planning mailing list should be 4314(b)(c) requires each agency to sent to Pam Bentley, Gallatin National establish, in accordance with Forest Service Forest Supervisors Office, P.O. Box 130, regulations prescribed by the Office of Bozeman, , 59771–0130. Personnel Management at 5 CFR part Forest Plan Amendment for Travel FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 430, subpart C and § 430.307 thereof in Management of the Road and Trail particular, one or more Senior Executive Steve Christiansen, Travel Planning System on the Gallatin National Forest, Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Gallatin Service performance review boards. In Montana; Gallatin National Forest; order to ensure an adequate level of National Forest Supervisors Office, Sweet Grass, Park, Carbon, Gallatin, (406) 587–6750. staffing and to avoid a constant series of Madison, and Meagher Counties, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: recusals, these newly designated Montana The members of USAID’s OIG SES Gallatin National Forest includes Performance Review Board are being AGENCY: Forest Service USDA. approximately 1.9 million acres of drawn, as in the past, primarily from the ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare public land adjacent to the northern and SES ranks of other agencies because environmental impact statement. western boundaries of Yellowstone USAID OIG only has five SES members. National Park. It lies within all or The board shall review and evaluate the SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, portions of Sweet Grass, Park, Carbon, initial appraisal of each USAID OIG will prepare an environmental impact Meagher, Gallatin, and Madison senior executive’s performance by his or statement (EIS) to disclose the Counties, Montana. Local communities her supervisor, along with any environmental effects of a proposed include Bozeman, Big Sky, West recommendations to the appointing amendment to the Gallatin National Yellowstone, Livingston, Big Timber, authority relative to the performance of Forest Land and Resource Management Gardiner, and Cooke City, Montana. the senior executive. This notice Plan (Forest Plan) that will establish There are over 1300 miles of road and

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2300 miles of trail accessing the Forest http://www.fs.fed.us/rl/gallatin/ National Forest Travel Management that facilitate a variety of management travel_planning. A copy can also be Plan and Forest Plan Amendment. My activities and provide opportunities for obtained on CD by calling or writing the address is Forest Supervisor, Gallatin public recreation use. In general, the contact persons identified above. National Forest, P.O. Box 130, Federal road and trail system and recreation use Comments on the alternatives from Building, Bozeman, MT 59771. the public and other agencies will be of the Forest has evolved incrementally Dated: December 4, 2002. used in preparation of a Draft over many decades based on site- Rebecca Heath, specific demands and capabilities. Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Forest Supervisor. There has never been a comprehensive More specifically, comments will be evaluation on whether it is the best way used to modify and refine the [FR Doc. 02–31397 Filed 12–12–02; 8:45 am] to provide for these demands in alternatives and identify potential BILLING CODE 3410–11–M conjunction with other resources uses resource issues (environmental effects) and land stewardship needs. Due to that should be considered in analysis. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE changing and increasing trends in The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection recreation use, recent acquisitions of Forest Service over 150,000 acres of land into public Agency (EPA) and available for public review on January of 2004. At that time, ownership, and other resource and Lincoln Ranger District, Helena the EPA will publish a Notice of environmental issues, the Forest Service Availability of the Draft EIS in the National Forest, Lewis & Clark County, believes that it is timely to establish a Federal Register. The comment period Montana Copper Creek Road forest-wide travel management plan and on the Draft EIS will be 90 days from the Improvements incorporate it into the Forest Plan. The purpose for a Gallatin National date the EPA’s notice of availability AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. appears in the Federal Register. The Forest Travel Management Plan and ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare Final EIS is scheduled for completion in Amendment are to: (1) Provide for environmental impact statement. the spring of 2004. public access and recreational demand The Forest Service believes, at this SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service of the road and trail system on the early stage, it is important to give will prepare an environmental impact Forest considering both the quantity and reviewers notice of several court rulings statement (EIS) on a proposal to quality of opportunity to be provided. related to public participation in the improve the Copper Creek Road, which (2) Bring road and trail use into environmental review process. First, includes repaving existing pavement, compliance with laws, regulations, and reviewers of draft environmental impact paving existing gravel, upgrading dirt other higher level management statements must structure their surface to gravel, and widening a single- direction. (3) Correct unacceptable participation in the environmental lane bridge to a two lane-bridge on an resource damage that may be occurring review of the proposal so that it is existing two-lane road. This project due to the use of or condition of Forest meaningful and alerts an agency to the roads and trails. (4) Provide for public reviewer’s position and contentions. includes 14.2 miles of Copper Creek understanding of the types of use and Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Road from the junction at State Highway season of use allowed for each road and NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,553 (1978). Also, 200 passing through Forest Service, trail. (5) Identify administrative access environmental objections that could be State, and private land. routes to facilitate management of a raised at the draft environmental impact The Copper Creek Road provides variety of resources on the Gallatin statement stage but that are not raised access to Snowbank Lake, Copper Creek National Forest. (6) Replace outdated, until after completion of the final Campground, and the Indian Meadow ineffective, and/or unclear Forest Plan environmental impact statement may be Trailhead for accessing the Scapegoat standards and other direction applicable waived or dismissed by the courts. City Wilderness. to road and trail management. of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, DATES: Comments concerning the As a beginning to the travel planning 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin proposal and scope of the analysis must process the Forest Service has prepared Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. be received in writing by January 17, a ‘‘benchmark’’ travel management plan 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). 2003. The draft EIS is expected to be alternative. The benchmark is not Because of these court rulings, it is completed in summer of 2003 with the considered an agency proposal or very important that those interested in final EIS slated for fall/winter of 2003. preferred alternative because it does not this proposed action participate during ADDRESSES: Send written comments to have the benefit of public input or comment periods provided so that preliminary environmental analysis. It Martie Schramm, Acting District Ranger, substantive comments and objections Helena National Forest, Lincoln Ranger has been developed as a conceptual are made available to the Forest Service travel management plan to focus District, 7269 Highway 200, Lincoln, at a time when they can meaningfully MT 59644. Phone: (406) 362–3425. interested citizen and user group consider them. To assist the Forest participation and initial environmental Martie Schramm is also the responsible Service in identifying and considering official for this project. analysis from Forest Service specialists. issues, comments should be specific to Based on early public comment and concerns associated with the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: analysis the benchmark will be used to management of roads and trails on the Charlie McKenna, Forest Engineer, develop a range of 4 to 6 alternatives Gallatin National Forest. Reviewers may Helena National Forest, 2880 Skyway that represent various interests and wish to refer to the Council on Drive, Helena, MT 59601. Phone (406) respond to environmental issues. The Environmental Quality Regulations for 449–5201. alternatives will represent ‘‘proposed implementing the procedural provisions SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: options’’ for a travel management plan of the National Environmental Policy Purpose and Need for Action and will be made available for review, Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in structuring comment, and modification during the comments. The Lincoln Ranger District of the late winter/early spring of 2003. The I am the responsible official for this Helena National Forest has identified benchmark can be viewed on the Environmental Impact Statement and the need for reduced sedimentation Gallatin National Forest Web site at the ultimate decision for a Gallatin produced from erosion of the Copper

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