83 FR 26253 - Wallowa-Whitman National Forest; Notice of Availability of the Draft Record of Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project, Oregon

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 109 (June 6, 2018)

The USDA Forest Service (USFS), Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, announces the availability of the Draft Record of Decision (ROD) for the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project (B2H Project) for public review. The proposed actions and activities described in the Draft ROD are subject to project-level predecisional administrative review (known as an ``objection'' process) and a 45-day objection filing period began with publication of a legal notice in the Baker City Herald. The USFS previously notified the public that the agency would waive its administrative review procedures and adopt the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) protest procedures for its decisions to issue a special use authorization and to amend the Forest Plan. Following further review of the scope of the decisions that the USFS will make and the applicable regulations, the USFS determined it must instead follow their own agency's project-level predecisional administrative review process.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26253-26254]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12156]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Wallowa-Whitman National Forest; Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Record of Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project, Oregon

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service (USFS), Wallowa-Whitman National 
Forest, announces the availability of the Draft Record of Decision 
(ROD) for the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project (B2H 
Project) for public review. The proposed actions and activities 
described in the Draft ROD are subject to project-level predecisional 
administrative review (known as an ``objection'' process) and a 45-day 
objection filing period began with publication of a legal notice in the 
Baker City Herald. The USFS previously notified the public that the 
agency would waive its administrative review procedures and adopt the 
Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) protest procedures for its decisions 
to issue a special use authorization and to amend the Forest Plan. 
Following further review of the scope of the decisions that the USFS 
will make and the applicable regulations, the USFS determined it must 
instead follow their own agency's project-level predecisional 
administrative review process.

DATES: An individual or entity who meets eligibility for objecting to a 
draft decision outlined in 36 CFR 218.5 and wishes to file an objection 
must do so within 45 days of the date that the Wallowa-Whitman National 
Forest published the Legal Notice in the newspaper of record, the Baker 
City Herald. The publication date of the Legal Notice is the exclusive 
means for calculating the time to file an objection.

ADDRESSES: The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was 
circulated by the BLM. The USFS adopted the FEIS. As a cooperating 
agency for the B2H Project, the USFS need not recirculate the FEIS. 
However, the document remains available for review on the Applicant's 
project website at https://www.boardmantohemingway.com/documents.aspx 
and copies are available upon request. Copies of the Draft ROD were 
sent to Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments potentially 
affected by the proposed USFS decision, to public libraries in the 
area, and to interested parties that previously requested a DVD copy. 
Interested persons may also review the FEIS and Draft ROD, along with 
the legal notice announcing the objection period, on the internet at 
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=26709.
    The reviewing officer for this project is James Pe[ntilde]a, 
Regional Forester, Pacific Northwest Region. Written objections, 
including any attachments, must be filed with the reviewing officer and 
may be sent as follows:
    Postal delivery (via USPS): Reviewing Officer, Pacific Northwest 
Region, USDA Forest Service, Attn. 1570 Appeals and Objections, P.O. 
Box 3623, Portland, OR 97208-3623.
    Email: [email protected] with OBJECTION and 
``B2H Project'' in the subject line.
    Hand delivered (including courier delivery): Pacific Northwest 
Regional Office, Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, 1220 SW 
3rd Avenue, Portland, Oregon. Hand deliveries can occur between 8:00 
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, except legal holidays;
    Faxed: 503-808-2339, with OBJECTION and ``B2H Project'' noted on 
the cover sheet.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arlene Blumton, Forest Service Project 
Lead; by telephone at 541-962-8522; or email to 
[email protected]. Individuals who use telecommunication 
devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 
Time, Monday through Friday.
    For information about the BLM's involvement, contact: Renee Straub, 
Assistant Field Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Vale District 
Office; 100 Oregon St., Vale, Oregon 97918; by telephone 541-473-6289. 
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS) at (800) 877-8339 to contact the above 
individual during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours 
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above 
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal 
Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM), together with cooperating agencies including 
the USFS, prepared a FEIS and proposed Land Use Plan Amendments for the 
B2H Project. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a 
Notice of Availability (NOA) for the FEIS in the Federal Register on 
November 25, 2016 (81 FR 85222). BLM published a NOA for the FEIS in 
the Federal Register on November 28, 2016 (81 FR 85632). The USFS 
adopted the FEIS and related documents prepared by the lead agency 
(BLM) following 40 CFR 1506.3. A NOA announcing USFS's adoption of the 
FEIS was published by the EPA in the Federal Register on June 30, 2017 
(82 FR 29589).
    The FEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of BLM 
granting a right-of-way to Idaho Power Company (Applicant) to use BLM-
managed lands to construct and operate an approximately 300 mile long 
overhead, single-circuit, 500-kilovolt (kV) alternating-current 
electric transmission line with ancillary facilities. The FEIS also 
analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the USFS issuing a 
special use authorization for the construction, operation, and 
maintainenance of those portions of the transmission line and ancillary 
facilities located on lands administered by the USFS. In addition, the 
FEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of an amendment to 
the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest's 1990 Land and Resource Management 
Plan (Forest Plan) that are necessary to make the Forest Plan 
consistent with the B2H Project.
    The USFS Responsible Official, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest 
Supervisor, must respond to the Applicant's request for use of National 
Forest System lands and determine whether to issue a special-use 
authorization for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the 
Proposed Action and, if issued, determine what terms and conditions 
should apply. The USFS Responsible Official must also approve any 
amendment to the Forest Plan necessary

[[Page 26254]]

to make the Forest Plan consistent with the Project. The USFS 
Responsible Official's decisions will be separate from the decisions 
that BLM made in their November 17, 2017 Record of Decision.
    The FEIS and the USFS's Draft Record of Decision (ROD) are 
available for public review. As required by 36 CFR 218.7(c), the 
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest published a Legal Notice of the 
opportunity to object in the newspaper of record, the Baker City 
Herald. Eligible individuals and entities may file objections pursuant 
to 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and B. The USFS previously notified the public 
that, pursuant to 36CFR 219.59(a), the agency would waive its 
administrative review procedures and adopt the BLM's protest procedures 
for its decisions to issue a special use authorization and to amend the 
Forest Plan (NOA for the Draft EIS, 79 FR 75834). Following further 
review of the scope of the decisions that the USFS will make and the 
applicable regulations, the USFS determined it must instead follow the 
project-level predecisional administrative review process described at 
36 CFR 218 Subparts A and B.

    Dated: May 9, 2018.
Chris French,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2018-12156 Filed 6-5-18; 8:45 am]
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