Environmental statements; notice of intent: Colville Indian Reservation, WA; integrated resource management plan,

[Federal Register: June 1, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 104)]

[Notices]

[Page 29332-29333]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr01jn99-84]

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Colville Confederated Tribes Integrated Resource Management Plan, Colville Indian Reservation, Ferry and Okanogan Counties, Washington

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for an Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP) for the approximately 1,392,265 acre Colville Indian Reservation, as directed in BIA Manual 30, Supplement 10. The planning area is located within both Ferry and Okanogan Counties, Washington. A description of this area and of the proposed action follows as supplementary information. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting for the content of the EIS.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope and implementation of this proposal must be received by June 30, 1999. The public hearing will be held on June 15, 1999, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to John St. Pierre, IRMP Team Leader, Natural Resources Department, Colville Confederated Tribes, P.O. Box 150, Nespelem, Washington 99155, telephone (509) 634-2324. The public scoping meeting will take place at the Nespelem Catholic Longhouse, Nespelem, Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John St. Pierre, (509) 634-2324.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Colville Indian Reservation is home to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which include the Colville, Lakes, San Poil, Nespelem, Southern Okanagan, Moses/Columbia, Palus, Nez Perce, Methow, Chelan, Entiat and Wenatchi Tribes. The reservation is bounded on the west by the Okanogan River, on the south and east by the Columbia River, and on the north by a line separating townships 34 and 35 of the Willamette Meridian. Land on the reservation is divided between fee (20 percent) and trust (80 percent) status. Major land uses include forest (63 percent), open rangeland (20 percent), forest rangeland (10 percent) and agriculture (6 percent). Timber revenues have historically provided from 80 to 90 percent of the tribal budget.

The proposed action is to adopt standards and guidelines, developed

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through an IRMP, over a range of outputs and levels of output for resources located on the Colville Indian Reservation. The decision to be made is what standards and guidelines, if any, to adopt for the management of these resources. The proposed action and alternatives must feature the same emphases as the Guidelines for Integrated Resource Management Planning in Indian Country, namely, that each tribe should decide on the resource management philosophy which best fits its needs and develop an appropriate approach to creating its own IRMP. The proposed action and alternatives must also be consistent with the Confederated Tribes' Holistic Goal, enacted by Colville Business Council Resolution Number 1996-23 on January 18, 1996.

Possible alternatives to the proposed action include (1) no action and (2) an alternate plan that meets the emphases of both the Guidelines for Integrated Resource Management Planning and the Tribes' Holistic Goal. Other alternatives, which must respond to specific conditions on the Colville Reservation, may emerge during the scoping process for the EIS.

Resource management issues so far identified include (1) forms of production, (2) sustaining a future resource base, (3) maintaining and building a quality of life based on a unique set of traditions, culture, environment and economy, and (4) creating an environment where members of the tribes can work together to develop an innovative resources management approach.

The BIA invites federal, state, and local agencies, and individuals and organizations who may be interested in or affected by the proposed action to offer information, comments, and assistance in the scoping process for the EIS. This process will include (1) identifying potential issues, (2) identifying issues to be analyzed in depth, (3) eliminating issues that are not significant or that have been covered by a previous environmental process, (4) exploring additional alternatives, (5) identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed action and alternatives, and (6) determining potential cooperating agencies and task assignments.

This notice is published in accordance with Sec. 1503.1 of the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500 through 1508) implementing the procedural requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.

Dated: May 25, 1999. Kevin Gover, Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 99-13691Filed5-28-99; 8:45 am]

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