Environmental statements; notice of intent: Ocala National Forest, FL,

[Federal Register: August 25, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 164)]

[Notices]

[Page 46339-46340]

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

[DOCID:fr25au99-45]

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

State Road 40 Project, Ocala National Forest, Marion County, Florida

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service and the Florida Department of Transportation (Joint Lead Agencies) are issuing this notice to advise the public that an environmental impact statement (EIS) will be prepared for a proposed highway project to improve State Road 40 in Marion County, Florida. The agencies invite written comments and suggestions from Federal, State, and local agencies and other individuals or organizations who may be interested in or affected by the proposed action.

DATES: A draft EIS is expected to be completed in December, 2000. The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in December, 2001.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that the full range of issues related to the proposed action are addressed and all significant issues are identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. You may request to be placed on the project mailing list or direct questions, comments and suggestions to Ms. Heather Bradshaw- Ells, Project Manager, Florida Department of Transportation, 719 S. Woodland Blvd. DeLand, Florida 32720, telephone (904) 943-5391.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jim Thorsen, District Ranger, Seminole Ranger District, Ocala National Forest, 40929-SR 19, Umatilla, Florida 32784, telephone (352) 669-3153; Mr. Larry Perry, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, District 3, Apopka, Florida 32714, telephone (407) 884-2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action is to improve State Road 40 from the end of the existing four lanes in Silver Springs, Marion County, Florida to County Road 314A in Marion County, Florida, a distance of 10 miles. Improvements to the corridor are considered necessary to provide for projected traffic demands. The route proposed by the Florida Department of Transportation crosses a portion of the Ocala National Forest in Marion County and involves a distance of 5.6 miles within National Forest Boundaries. The western leg segment (4.4 miles) is located adjacent to the boundaries of Silver River State Park which is managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The USDA Forest Service and Florida Department of Transportation will be joint lead agencies in preparing the EIS. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the United States Coast Guard will be cooperating agencies. The Forest Supervisor for the National Forest in Florida will decide whether or not to permit an additional easement across national forest lands for the portion of the project within national forest boundaries. The Florida Department of Transportation will decide whether or not to improve the highway and if so, the extent of the improvement.

Newsletter describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State and local agencies, and to organizations and citizens who express interest in this proposal. In addition, public meetings and workshops will be scheduled, and a web site established to provide the opportunity for public input throughout the process. Preliminary issues include the impacts of the project on wildlife, wetlands, vegetative communities, visual resources, public safety, and possible future development of related road projects. Possible other alternatives under consideration include: taking no action, widening to a four lane divided highway or alternative corridors.

The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protect Agency publishes the notice of availability 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 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

[[Page 46340]]

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 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: August 18, 1999. Marsha Kearaney, Forest Supervisor, National Forests in Florida.

[FR Doc. 99-21995Filed8-24-99; 8:45 am]

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