[Federal Register: October 26, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 206)]
[Notices]
[Page 61783-61784]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26oc05-31]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Umatilla National Forest, Columbia and Garfield Counties, WA
School Fire Salvage Recovery Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose environmental effects on a proposed action
to recover the economic value of dead and dying trees damaged in the
School Fire, and remove potential hazard trees from open forest travel
routes, developed recreation sites, and administrative sites within
North Patit Creek, Little Tucannon River, Cummings Creek, Tumalum
Creek, Headwaters of Tucannon River, and Pataha Creek subwatersheds.
School Fire, located 12 miles south of Pomeroy, Washington, burned
approximately 52,000 acres across mixed ownership in August 2005, of
that approximately 27,000 acres were on National Forest System Lands
administered by Pomeroy Ranger District, Umatilla National Forest.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by November 28, 2005. The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and be available to the public
for review by April 2006. The Final EIS is scheduled to be completed by
July 2006.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to the Responsible Official, Kevin D.
Martin, Forest Supervisor, Umatilla National Forest, 2517 S.W. Hailey
Avenue, Pendleton, OR 97801. Send electronic comments to:
comments-pacificnorthwest-umatilla@fs.fed.us.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dean Millett, Project Team Leader,
Pomeroy Ranger District, 71 West Main Street, Pomeroy, WA 99347, phone
(509) 843-1891. e-mail: dmillett@fs.fed.us.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need. The purpose and need of the School Fires Salvage
Recovery Project includes: (1) Recovery of the economic value of a
portion of dead and dying trees consistent with protection of other
resource values; and (2) Improving public safety within the fire area
by removing potential hazard trees along open forest travel routes,
developed recreation sites, and administrative sites.
Proposed Action. This action includes salvage of dead and dying
trees from approximately 10,000 acres and removal of potential hazard
trees for public safety along open forest travel routes, developed
recreation sites, and administrative sites. Salvage harvest methods
would include ground based, skyline, and helicopter yarding systems.
Ground based systems would not be used on sustained slopes greater than
30 percent. To facilitate haul some existing classified roads would be
reconstructed and about 15 miles of temporary roads would be
constructed. No new classified road construction is proposed and all
temporary roads would be closed or decommissioned after project
activities are completed. No commercial harvest or road construction is
proposed within the Willow Spring Inventoried Roadless Area. Tree
planting is proposed in salvage harvest areas where there is
insufficient seed source to ensure natural regeneration in a timely
manner. Some areas would have sub-merchantable trees felled prior to
planting, and these areas would be broadcast burned to reduce excessive
fuel loading before planting. Forest Plan amendments would be included
as needed.
Possible Alternatives. Alternatives will include the proposed
action, no action, and additional alternatives that respond to issues
generated during the scoping process. The agency will give notice of
the full environmental analysis and decision-making process so
interested and affected people may participate and contribute to the
final decision.
Scoping. Public participation will be especially important at
several points during the analysis, beginning with the scoping process
(40 CFR 1501.7). Initial scoping began with the project listed in the
2005 Fall Edition of the Umatilla
[[Page 61784]]
National Forest's Schedule of Proposed Actions. Two informational field
trips were conducted on October 18 and October 25, 2005. A public
meeting will be scheduled for November 2005, to discuss the project.
Other meetings will be scheduled as needed. Also, correspondence with
tribes, government agencies, organizations, and individuals who have
indicated their interest will be conducted.
Preliminary Issues. Preliminary issues identified include the
potential effect of the proposed action on: soils, water quality and
fish habitat, snags and down wood, disturbance to cultural resources,
potential for noxious weed expansion, threatened, endangered and
sensitive aquatic, terrestrial and plant species, potential loss of
economic value of trees damaged by the wildfire, and the safety and use
of the area by public and land managers.
Comment. Public comments about this proposal are requested to
identify issues and alternatives to the proposed action and to focus
the scope of the analysis. 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 decisions
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 trade 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 name and address
within a specified number of days.
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review. A draft EIS will be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and made available for public review by April
2006. The EPA will publish a Notice of Availability (NOA) of the draft
EIS in the Federal Register. The final EIS is scheduled to be available
July 2006.
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 impact statements must structure their participation in the
environmental review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and
alerts the 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 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 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
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.
In the final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to
substantive comments received during the comment period for the draft
EIS. The Forest Service is the lead agency and the responsible official
is the Forest Supervisor, Umatilla National Forest. The responsible
official will decide where, and whether or not to salvage timber, and
remove potential hazard trees. The responsible official will also
decide how to mitigate effects of these actions and will determine when
and how monitoring of effects will take place. The School Fire Salvage
Recovery Project decision and reasons for the decision will be
documented in a record of decision. That decision will be subject to
Forest Service Appeal Regulations (36 CFR part 215).
Dated: October 20, 2005.
Edwin V. Pugh,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 05-21339 Filed 10-25-05; 8:45 am]
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