[Federal Register: June 6, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 109)]
[Notices]
[Page 33906-33907]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06jn03-36]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Bonner County, Idaho and Pend
Oreille County, Washington; Chips Ahoy Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to
prepare and environmental impact statement for the Chips Ahoy Project
in the Federal Register on December 6, 2002 (Vol. 67, No. 235, pages
72635-72637). A revised Notice of Intent is being issued due to two
major changes (Forest Service Handbook 1909.15 part 21.2):
1. There will be a delay of more than six months in filing the
final EIS;
2. There has been a change in the project's proposed action and
purpose and need.
The Priest Lake Ranger District on the Idaho Panhandle National
Forests will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on a proposal to
treat forest vegetation over approximately 2,000 acres. The treatments
are being proposed to restore forest communities to a more historical
composition and structure and to re-introduce fire into these
ecosystems. Treatments will include regeneration harvest, thinning, and
underburning. A Roads Analysis Process will be completed as a part of
the Environmental Impact Statement. The Roads Analysis may suggest
changes in the administrative and recreation use of roads and trails in
the analysis area to protect forest and watershed resources.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the project analysis must be
received within 30 days from the date of this notice in the Federal
Register and during the Draft Environmental Impact Statement comment
period of 45 days. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected
in September 2003 and the Final Environmental Impact Statement is
expected February 2004.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Chips Ahoy Project, Attn: David
DelSordo, Priest Lake Ranger Station, 32203 Highway 57, Priest River,
ID 83856.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David DelSordo, Project Leader, Priest
Lake Ranger Station, 32203 Highway 57, Priest River, ID 83856, by
calling 208-443-6809, or ddelsordo@fs.fed.us.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area is located within Bonner
County, Idaho, and Pend Oreille County, Washington. The project area is
located approximately twenty miles north of the community of Priest
River, Idaho. A past bark beetle outbreak, in combination with root
diseases, other insects and diseases, and winter storm damage has left
many of these stands in poor condition and with hazardous fuel loads.
This Notice Of Intent reflects changes in the Purpose of the Action
based on comments received over the last six months.
Purpose for Action
The purpose for this action is to improve the health, resilience,
diversity, and productivity of terrestrial ecosystems by advancing
species composition, forest structures, and patterns toward desired
conditions; reduce fire risk in these ecosystems; and increase the
amount of wet forest communities that are dominated by western white
pine and western larch trees. Another purpose for the project is to
help restore aquatic resources to a more healthy condition.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is separated into three categories, vegetative
treatments, fuel treatments, and road treatments. The proposal is to
treat forest vegetation over approximately 2,000 acres within the
project area. Different types of treatments would be used depending
upon the existing condition of the forest stands. These treatments
include regeneration treatments on approximately half of the acreage
and commercial thinning on the remaining acreage. After the tree
cutting operations are complete, most of the vegetative treatment areas
would be underburned to reduce the fuels, prepare the sites for
reforestation, and to allow wildland fire to resume a more natural
role. In order to access some of the proposed vegetative treatment
areas, approximately 3.5 miles of temporary road would be constructed.
These temporary roads would be recontoured following their use.
Resource protection measures will be included to protect snags, soils,
heritage resources, water quality, wildlife, and other resources. The
arrangement and management of classified and unclassified roads and
trails in the area may be changed to improve watershed quality, protect
other resources, and enhance recreation opportunities. Approximately 8
miles of road are planned to be decommissioned. Construction of an
alternate snowmobile use route is proposed to mitigate for planned road
decommissioning.
Responsible Official
Ranotta K. McNair, Forest Supervisor, Idaho Panhandle National
Forests, 3815 Schreiber Way, Ceour d'Alene, ID 83815
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Forest Supervisor of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests will
decide whether or not to implement this project, and if so, in what
manner.
Scoping Process
The agency invites written comments and suggestions on the scope of
the analysis. In addition to this notice, a revised proposed action
letter will be sent to interested government officials, agencies,
groups, and individuals on the Chips Ahoy mailing list. Please contact
the Priest Lake Ranger Station at 208-443-2512 if you are interested in
being added to this mailing list. No public meetings are planned at
this time.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Specific written
comments on the proposed action will be most helpful.
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review
A Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for
[[Page 33907]]
comment. The comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
will be 45 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 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 meaningful 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 Final
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 Final
Environmental Impact Statement or the merits of the alternative
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.
Comments received, including the names and address of those who
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal
and will be available for public inspection.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook
1909.15, section 21.)
Dated: June 2, 2003.
Ranotta K. McNair,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 03-14269 Filed 6-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M