33317

Notices Federal Register Vol. 63, No. 117

Thursday, June 18, 1998

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER Comments: The public may also file and 694 on Prince of Wales Island, contains documents other than rules or written comments before or within 2 , on the Craig Ranger District of proposed rules that are applicable to the weeks after the meeting with the contact the Ketchikan Area of the Tongass public. Notices of hearings and investigations, person. All statements will become a National . committee meetings, agency decisions and part of the official records of the rulings, delegations of authority, filing of DATES: Comments concerning the scope petitions and applications and agency National Agricultural Research, of this project should be received by statements of organization and functions are Extension, Education, and Economics July 30, 1998. examples of documents appearing in this Advisory Board and will be kept on file ADDRESSES: Please send written section. for public review in the Office of the comments to Forest Supervisor’s Office; Advisory Board; Research, Education, Tongass National Forest, Ketchikan and Economics; U.S. Department of Area; Attn: Moira EIS; Federal Building, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Agriculture; Washington, D.C. 20250– Ketchikan, AK 99901. 2255. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cooperative State Research, For Further Information Contact: Questions about the proposal and EIS Education, and Extension Service Deborah Hanfman, Executive Director, should be directed to Dale Kanen, National Agricultural Research, Research, Education, and Economics; District Ranger, Craig Ranger District, Extension, Education, and Economics Tongass National Forest, P.O. Box 500, Notice of the National Agricultural Advisory Board, Research, Education, Research, Extension, Education, and Craig, AK 99921; telephone (907) 826– and Economics Advisory Board Office, 3271 or Norm Matson, Planning Economics Advisory Board Executive Room 3918 South Building, U.S. Committee Special Meeting Biologist, Federal Building, Ketchikan, Department of Agriculture, STOP: 2255, AK 99901; telephone (907) 228–6273. AGENCY: Research, Education, and 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public Economics, USDA. Washington, DC 20250–2255. participation will be an integral ACTION: Notice of special meeting. Telephone: 202–720–3684. Fax: 202– component of the study process and 720–6199, or e-mail: [email protected]. will be especially important at several SUMMARY: In accordance with the Done at Washington, D.C. this 9th day of points during the analysis. The first is Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 June 1998. during the scoping process. The Forest U.S.C. App., the I. Miley Gonzalez, Service will be seeking information, Department of Agriculture announces a Under Secretary, Research, Education, and comments, and assistance from Federal, Special Meeting of the Executive Economics. State, local agencies, individuals and Committee of the National Agricultural [FR Doc. 98–16154 Filed 6–17–98; 8:45 am] organizations that may interested in, or Research, Extension, Education, and BILLING CODE 3410±22±P affected by, the proposed activities. The Economics Advisory Board. scoping process will include: (1) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The identification of potential issues; (2) National Agricultural Research, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE identification of issues to be analyzed in Extension, Education, and Economics depth; and (3) elimination of Advisory Board, which represents 30 Forest Service insignificant issues or those which have constituent categories, as specified in been covered by a previous Moira Environmental Impact Statement section 1408 of the National environmental review. Written scoping Agricultural Research, Extension, and AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. comments are being solicited through a Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an scoping package that will be sent to the amended by section 802 of the Federal Environmental Impact Statement. project mailing list. For the Forest Agriculture Improvement and Reform Service to best use the scoping input, Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104–127), will have SUMMARY: The Department of comments should be received by July a special meeting of the Advisory Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare 30, 1998. Tentative issues identified for Board’s Executive Committee, with an Environmental Impact Statement analysis in the EIS include the potential USDA officials to discuss the Advisory (EIS) to provide timber for the effects of the project on and the Board’s role under the pending Ketchikan Area timber sale program. relationship of the project to: Agricultural Research, and Education The Record of Decision will disclose Subsistence resources, old-growth Reform Act of 1998. how the Forest Service has decided to ecosystem management and the Dates: June 29, 1998, 9:00 a.m.–4:30 provide harvest units, roads, and maintenance of habitat for viable p.m. associated timber harvesting facilities. populations of wildlife and plant Place: USDA, Cooperative State The proposed action is to harvest up to species, timber supply, scenery and Research Service, Aerospace Building, an estimated 435 million board feet recreational resources, anadromous and Conference Room 824A–B, 901 D Street, (mmbf) of timber on an estimated 3,000 resident fish habitat, soil and water SW., Washington, DC. acres in several timber sales. A range of resources, wetlands, cultural resources Type of Meeting: Open to the public. alternatives responsive to significant and others. Conference room space is limited. The issues will be developed and will Based on results of scoping and the public is requested to confirm include a no-action alternative. The resource capabilities within the project attendance with the contact person proposed timber harvest is located area, alternatives including a ‘‘no below. Identification is required upon within Tongass Forest Plan Value action’’ alternative will be developed for entering the USDA facilities. Comparison Units 683, 691, 692, 693, the Draft Environmental Impact 33318 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 117 / Thursday, June 18, 1998 / Notices

Statement (Draft EIS). The Draft EIS is be considered part of the public record Dated: June 9, 1998. projected to be filed with the on this proposed action and will be Bradley E. Powell, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) available for public inspection. Forest Supervisor. in May 1999. Subsistence hearings, as Comments submitted anonymously will [FR Doc. 98–16222 Filed 6–17–98; 8:45 am] provided for in Title VIII, Section 810 of be accepted and considered; however, BILLING CODE 3410±11±M the Alaska National Interest Lands those who submit anonymous Conservation Act (ANILCA), are comments will not have standing to planned during the comment period on appeal the subsequent decision under DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE the Draft EIS. The Final EIS is 36 CFR Parts 215 or 217. Additionally, anticipated by April 2000. pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person Forest Service The comment period on the draft may request the agency to withhold a environmental impact statement will be submission from the public record by Hells Canyon National Recreation Area 45 days from the date the showing how the Freedom of Comprehensive Management Plan, Environmental Protection Agency Information Act (FOIA) permits such Wallowa-Whitman, Nez Perce, and publishes the notice of availability in confidentiality. Requesters should be Payette National , Baker and the Federal Register. aware that, under FOIA, confidentiality Wallowa Counties in Oregon and Nez The Forest Service believes, at this may be granted in only very limited Perce, Idaho, and Adams Counties in early stage, it is important to give circumstances, such as to protect trade Idaho reviewers notice of several court rulings secrets. The Forest Service will inform AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. related to public participation in the the requester of the agency’s decision ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a environmental review process. First, regarding the request for confidentiality, reviewers of draft environmental impact Revised Environmental Impact and where the request is denied, the Statement. statements must structure their agency will return the submission and participation in the environmental notify the requester that the comments SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that review of the proposal so that it is may be resubmitted with or without the USDA, Forest Service will prepare a meaningful and alerts an agency to the name and address within 7 days. revised draft environmental impact reviewer’s position and contentions. statement for the Hells Canyon National Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Permits: permits required for implementation include the following: Recreation Area Comprehensive NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Management Plan. The decision to Environmental objections that could 1. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers revise the draft environmental impact have been raised at the draft —Approval of discharge of dredged or statement is based on two factors: (1) environmental impact statement stage fill material into the waters of the Over two years have passed since the may be waived or dismissed by the United States under Section 404 of release of the draft environmental courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 the Clean Water Act; impact statement and new information F.2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and —Approval of the construction of has been released from the Interior Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 structures or work in navigable Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). waters of the United States under Project that may affect the project area, Because of these court rulings, it is very Section 10 of the Rivers and thus warranting a review. This new important that those interested in this Harbors Act of 1899; information will be evaluated in the proposed action participate by the close context of the affected environment to of the 45-day comment period so that 2. Environmental Protection Agency determine if proposed management substantive comments and objections —National Pollutant Discharge direction should be modified; and (2) an are made available to the Forest Service Elimination System (402) Permit; additional alternative should be at a time when it can meaningfully —Review Spill Prevention Control analyzed in detail that was submitted by consider them and respond to them in and Countermeasure Plan; interest groups in 1995 and was never the final environmental impact 3. State of Alaska, Department of fully analyzed in the February 1996 statement. Natural Resources To assist the Forest Service in draft environmental impact statement. —Tideland Permit and Lease or This alternative proposes management identifying and considering issues and Easement; concerns of the proposed action, direction to manage the Hells Canyon 4. State of Alaska, Department of comments during scoping and National Recreation Area to thrive as a Environmental Conservation comments on the draft environmental healthy native ecosystem that is an impact statement should be as specific —Solid Waste Disposal Permit; integral component of a larger bioregion. as possible. It is also helpful if —Certification of Compliance with The proposed action is unchanged from comments refer to specific pages or Alaska Water Quality Standard (401 that described in the November 16, 1994 chapters of the draft statement. Certification) issue of Federal Register (59 FR 59203). DATES: Comments concerning the scope Comments may also address the Responsible Official adequacy of the draft environmental of the analysis should be received in impact statement or the merits of the Bradley E. Powell, Forest Supervisor, writing, no later than June 30, 1998. alternatives formulated and discussed in Ketchikan Area, Tongass National ADDRESSES: Send written comments to the statement. Reviewers may wish to Forest, Federal Building, Ketchikan, Wallowa-, P.O. refer to the Council on Environmental Alaska 99901, is the responsible official. Box 907, Baker City, Oregon 97814. Quality Regulations for implementing The responsible official will consider FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: the procedural provisions of the the comments, response, disclosure of Direct questions regarding this notice of National Environmental Policy Act at 40 environmental consequences, and intent and its modification to Kurt CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. applicable laws, regulations, and Wiedenmann, Ecosystem Planning Staff Comments received in response to this policies in making the decision and Officer at 541–523–1296 or e-mail at: solicitation, including names and stating the rationale in the Record of kwiedenmann/ addresses of those who comment, will Decision. [email protected].