Control of Diseases, Insects, Other Animals, and Unwanted Vegetation at the Humboldt Nursery

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Control of Diseases, Insects, Other Animals, and Unwanted

Vegetation at the Humboldt Nursery

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS) for pest management at the

Humboldt Nursery, McKinleyville, California. Initial public scoping is

underway; a public meeting will occur during the DEIS comment period.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and be available for public review by June, 1995. The

final EIS is expected to be filed with EPA by August, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan Frankel, Pathologist, Pacific Southwest Region, 630 Sansome St.

San Francisco, CA 94111. Telephone (415) 705-2651.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In preparing the EIS, the Forest Service has

identified and is considering a range of alternatives for this project.

One of those is no action. Other alternatives consider a range of

methods for the prevention and control of diseases, insects, other

animals, and unwanted vegetation at the Homboldt Nursery. The methods

under consideration include biological, chemical, manual, and

mechanical techniques. The activities that require prevention and

controls include cover cropping, seed pre-treatment, nursery seedbed

and greenhouse preparation, sowing, seedling growth from germination to

lifting, and seedling storage.

Martha Ketelle, Forest Supervisor, Six Rivers National Forest is

the responsible official.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and be available for public review by June,

1995. The final EIS is expected to be filed with the EPA by August,

1995.

The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date

in the EPA's notice of availability appears 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 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.

Dated: April 24, 1995.

Gilbert J. Espinosa,

Acting Regional Forester.

[FR Doc. 95-10655 Filed 4-28-95; 8:45 am]

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