# Cold Springs Project, Rocky Mountain Region, Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest, Albany County, WY and Converse County, WY > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A96-31501 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Notice - **Published:** December 12, 1996 - **Citation:** 61 FR 65374 ## Text SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposal to improve forest health by tree harvest, and treatment of excess fuels to manage an increasing catastrophic wildfire potential, and to accomplish other connected and/or related action(s), including wildlife habitat improvement and improved access development and travel management, within the Cold Springs analysis area on the Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest in Albany and Converse counties, Wyoming, which are now ripe for decision. The Forest Service invites comments, and suggestions on the scope of the analysis to be included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). In addition, the Forest Service gives notice that it is beginning, in cooperation with the State of Wyoming and other federal agencies, a full environmental analysis of this proposal, an alternative to it that will examine the effects of doing nothing, i.e., a ``no action'' alternative to the proposal, and other alternatives as may be determined to be appropriate in order to analyze significant issues that may surface during scoping and the initial public comment period. Interested or affected persons may participate in, and contribute to this analysis, and to the final decision. A public meeting will be held in January, 1997 at the new Douglas Ranger District Office at 2250 East Richards Avenue, Douglas, Wyoming on a date and time to be determined. The purpose of this meeting is to present, describe and discuss site-specific information about the proposed action and the analysis area, and to provide an opportunity for the public and agencies to ask questions and comment about issues that should be considered in the analysis. Interested persons may contact the District Ranger at the address or telephone number given below after December 5, 1996, to learn the date and time. The issues raised at this meeting and during the scoping phase of the analysis will establish the scope of the environmental analysis and help the responsible official develop a reasonable range of alternatives to be considered. The Forest Service welcomes and will consider all timely public or agency comments on this proposal. DATES: Comments in response to this Notice of Intent and concerning the scope of the analysis may be written or oral, and should be received by February 3, 1997. ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Malcolm Edwards, District Ranger, Douglas Ranger District, 809 S. 9th Street, Douglas, Wyoming 82633. Oral comments can be made by calling (307) 358-4690. RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: Jerry E. Schmidt, Forest Supervisor, Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest, 2468 Jackson St., Laramie, Wyoming, 82070. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Steenson, Environmental Coordinator, at (307) 358-4690. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposal for the Cold Springs project includes individual tree harvest, by salvage and stand thinning, and stand regeneration methods, of an estimated 8 mmbf (million board feet), associated road construction and/or reconstruction over an estimated at 9.0 miles, right(s)-of-way acquisition, fuels treatment, wildlife habitat enhancements, and related actions. The tree harvest is intended to promote a healthy forest stand condition, salvage dead and dying trees that are accessible and useable, and provide commercial wood products to industry, improve tree age class distribution and increase the acres of young trees in the area, and benefit wildlife species that use forest stands and non-forest areas in all successional stages. The Cold Springs analysis area contains two(2) relatively large land areas that are minimally-roaded by historic, two-track roads, and have what may be described as a ``roadless character'', and are, therefore, suitable for analysis in an EIS. The decision to be made is whether, and by what means, to proceed with tree harvest by timber sale(s), associated access and road construction activities, stand regeneration and wildfire hazard reduction, and other connected and related actions to achieve project goals and objectives. The Medicine Bow National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan includes provisions for two(2) timber sales currently decided and/or now in NEPA analysis in what has more recently become known as the Cold Springs analysis area. These sales are the Box Elder (1997) and Russell's Camp (1997) sales. The cumulative effects of these planned sale offerings will be analyzed together with any other site-specific proposals for tree removal by commercial sale offerings that may be made a part of the pending Cold Springs environmental assessment. The Forest Service currently manages the NFS lands within the analysis area under ``Management Prescriptions 1A, 2A, 5B, 6B and 9A.'' The proposed action is consistent with the management standards and guidelines, goals and objectives for these management areas and the Medicine Bow National Forest Plan. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is expected to be available after August, 1997; the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision after December, 1997. A 60-day public comment period on the DEIS will commence on the day the Environmental Protection Agency publishes a ``Notice of Availability'' in the Federal Register. The Forest Service believes 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 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 stage, but are not [[Page 65375]] raised until after completion of the final EIS, 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 rulings, it is important that persons who are interested in this proposal participate by the close of the 60-day comment period so that the Forest Service has all substantive comments and objections available at a time when it can meaningfully consider them, and can respond to them in the Final EIS. To assist the responsible official in identifying and considering issues about the proposed action, comments on the Draft EIS should be specific to the analysis area and the actions considered. It is helpful if comments reference specific chapters, sections and page numbers. Comments may address the adequacy of the analysis documented in the draft, or the merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed. Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 1503.3) in addressing these points. All comments made on a DEIS are regarded as public information. Dated: November 25, 1996. Jerry E. Schmidt, Forest Supervisor. [FR Doc. 96-31501 Filed 12-11-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-11-M --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A96-31501. Public record. Not legal advice.