Revision of the Land and Resource Management Plan for the Tonto National Forest Located in Gila, Maricopa, Pinal and Yavapai Counties, Arizona

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Revision of the Land and Resource Management Plan for the Tonto

National Forest Located in Gila, Maricopa, Pinal and Yavapai Counties,

Arizona

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to 36 CFR 219.10(g), the Regional Forester for the

Southwestern Region gives notice of the agency's intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Revised Tonto National

Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). According to 36

CFR 219.10(g), Forest Plans are ordinarily revised on a 10-year cycle

or at least every 15 years. The existing Tonto National Forest Plan was

approved on October 31, 1985 and has been amended 23 times. The

proposed action is to update the amended Forest Plan, make format

changes and edit to improve clarity, and modify based on needs

determined through the EIS process.

The responsible official for approving the Forest Plan revision is

Eleanor S. Towns, Regional Forester, Southwestern Region, USDA Forest

Service, 517 Gold Avenue SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102. The Forest

Supervisor, Tonto National Forest, is delegated responsibility for

preparing the environmental impact statement.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis (the need to

revise, add or delete specific sections of the Forest Plan) should be

received in writing by December 31, 1999. The Draft EIS should be

available for public review in September 2002. The Final EIS and

revised Forest Plan should be completed by March 2004.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Charles R. Bazan, Forest

Supervisor, Tonto National Forest, 2324 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix,

Arizona 85006, Attn: Forest Plan Revision.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eddie Alford, Planning Group Leader or

Paul Stewart, Acting Team Leader, (602) 225-5200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The requirement and process for developing,

adopting and revising land and resource management plans for the

National Forest System are defined by the Forest and Rangeland

Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended and the National

Forest Management Act of 1976. Implementing regulations are defined at

Title 36, Chapter II, Part 219, Subpart A of the Code of Federal

Regulations (36 CFR 219, Subpart A).

The Forest Supervisor has amended the Forest Plan, pursuant to 36

CFR 219.10(f), 23 times since its adoption in 1985. The ``Five Year

Review'' was completed and approved on November 4, 1991. This report

identified changed conditions and demands, and identified amendment and

revision needs. In addition, new laws and revisions to the Code of

Federal Regulations have resulted in the need to update portions of the

Forest Plan.

Initiation of the Forest Plan revision process has been delayed

since 1995 pending finalization of proposed changes to National Forest

System planning regulations, which would significantly alter the

current process. Amendments continued to be processed and approved to

address immediate needs. Currently proposed or needed amendments may be

acted upon, consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act,

during the Forest Plan revision process. Regulations at 36 CFR

219.10(g) require that the Tonto National Forest proceed with revision

at this time using existing planning regulations, regardless of the

status of currently proposed changes in the regulations.

The content of the Forest Plan is prescribed in planning

regulations (36 CFR 219.11) and includes:

(a) A brief summary of the management situation including demand

and supply conditions for commodities and services, production

potentials, and use and development opportunities;

(b) Forest multiple-use goals and objectives that include a

description of the desired future condition of the Forest and an

identification of the quantities of goods and services that are

expected to be produced or provided during the planning period;

(c) Multiple-use prescriptions and associated standards and

guidelines for each management area including proposed and probable

management practices; and

(d) Monitoring and evaluation requirements that will provide a

basis for a periodic determination and evaluation of the effects of

management practices.

Planning regulations (36 CFR 219.13) also require that area

planning for specific individual resources be integrated into the

Forest Plan. These individual resource-planning requirements include

but are not limited to:

(a) Timber resource land suitability (219.14);

(b) Roadless areas, unless otherwise provided by law (219.17);

(c) Grazing resource suitability (219.20);

(d) Recreation resource, including the visual resource (219.21);

and

(e) Research natural areas (219.25).

Alternatives required by implementing regulations of the National

Forest Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act will be

considered during the planning process. An alternative addressing the

Resource Planning Act (RPA) program tentative resource objectives, a

``no action'' alternative that reflects the current Forest Plan

direction, and a reasonable range of alternatives will be developed to

respond to public issues, management concerns and resource

opportunities identified during the planning process (36 CFR 219.12; 40

CFR 1501.7, 1502.14). The initial proposed action is to update the

amended Forest Plan by reformatting and editing to improve clarity, and

to ensure direction is consistent with new laws and regulations.

The Forest Service hereby gives notice that it is beginning a full

environmental analysis and decision making process for this proposal so

that interested or potentially affected people may know how they may

contribute to the final decision. The Forest Service invites comments

and suggestions from Federal, State, and local governments and

agencies, Native American tribes, individuals, organizations and

businesses on the scope of the analysis to be included in the draft

environmental impact statement (DEIS). The scope of the analysis is

limited to

[[Page 52766]]

those actions for which the Forest Supervisor has the legal authority

to approve in a forest plan decision. Written comments are encouraged

during the initial comment period, which ends December 31, 1999.

Specific information, which is needed at this stage of the process,

includes:

(a) Names and addresses of interested parties, including specific

agency or organization contacts, in order to update the Forest Plan

mailing list;

(b) Suggestions for effective public involvement;

(c) Identification of areas or topics of interest; and

(d) New information or changed conditions which may indicate a need

to change direction from the current Forest Plan.

Comments, as well as names and addresses on the Forest Plan mailing

list, will be considered part of the public record on this proposed

action and will be available to the public. Comments submitted

anonymously will be accepted and considered. Any person may request the

agency withhold their name, address or comment from the public record

by showing how the Freedom of Information Act permits such

confidentiality. The Forest Service will inform the requester of the

agency's decision regarding a 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.

Following this initial scoping, public meetings will be scheduled

and/or informational newsletters will be produced consistent with

public interest and involvement needs; and additional meetings with

individuals or groups may also be arranged. It is anticipated that at

least one additional comment period will be provided prior to issuance

of the DEIS. The DEIS and proposed revised Forest Plan should be

available for public review in September 2002. After a minimum comment

period of 90 days, the final environmental impact statement and revised

Forest Plan should be completed by March 2004.

The following information applies to review of the DEIS when it is

issued. The 90-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. It is very important that those

interested in this proposed action have established their interest by

that time. Written comments on the DEIS should be as specific as

possible and may also address the adequacy of the statement or the

merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed in the statement

(see The Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing

the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at

40 CFR 1503.3). Please note that comments you make on the DEIS will be

regarded as public information.

In addition, Federal court decisions have established that

reviewers of a DEIS must structure their participation in the

environmental review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and

alerts an agency to the reviewers' position and contentions (Vermont

Yankee Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978)). Environmental

objections that could have been raised at the draft stage may be waived

or dismissed by the courts if not raised until after completion of the

final environmental impact statement (City of Angoon v. Hodel, 9th

Circuit, 803 F.2d 1018, (1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris,

490 F. Supp. 1334 (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 90 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.

Dated: September 24, 1999.

James T. Gladen,

Deputy Regional Forester.

[FR Doc. 99-25401 Filed 9-29-99; 8:45 am]

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