AZ Public Service (APS) ROW Vegetation Management with Herbicides #45771

FS must decide whether to allow APS to include using herbicides as a method to manage vegetation on existing APS transmission ROW within five National Forests in Arizona.

Opportunity to Object

APS Herbicide Use within Authorized Power Line Rights-of-Way Project

The Forest Supervisors of five forests within Arizona have granted to the Tonto National Forest Deputy Forest Supervisor the authority to act as the sole Responsible Official in the preparation of an environmental assessment (EA), Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), and draft Decision Notice (DN) for the APS Herbicide Use within Authorized Power Line Rights-of-Way Project. The project area consists of 1,607 miles (approximately 13,463 acres of rights-of-way) of existing Arizona Public Service Company (APS) distribution and transmission lines crossing five of the six national forests in Arizona, including Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Kaibab, Prescott, and Tonto national forests. The Project includes the use of United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest Service)-approved herbicides in addition to existing manual and mechanical vegetation treatment methods within the rights-of-way to control incompatible vegetation.

The EA, FONSI, and draft DN are available on-line at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=45771.

These documents are also available for review at the following Forest Service Offices:

• Southwestern Regional Office (505.842.3292) – 333 Broadway Boulevard SE Albuquerque, NM 87102
• Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (928.333.4301) – 30 South Chiricahua Drive Springerville, AZ 85938
• Coconino National Forest (928.527.3600) – 1824 South Thompson Street Flagstaff, AZ 86001
• Prescott National Forest (928.443.8000) – 344 S Cortez Street, Prescott, AZ 86305
• Tonto National Forest (602.225.5200) – 2324 East McDowell Road Phoenix, AZ 85006
• Kaibab National Forest (928.635.8200) – 800 South 6th Street Williams, AZ 86046

The project is an activity implementing a land management plan and subject to the objection process described in 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and B. The Forest Supervisors of five forests within Arizona have granted to the Tonto National Forest Deputy Forest Supervisor the authority to act as the sole Responsible Official in the preparation of an EA, draft DN, and FONSI for the Herbicide Use within Authorized Power Line Rights-of-Way on National Forest System Lands in Arizona project.

How to file an Objection and Timeframe

Objections, including attachments, must be filed via mail, fax, email, hand-delivery, express delivery, or messenger service (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays) to: Reviewing Officer Calvin Joyner, Regional Forester, 333 Broadway Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM  871023, FAX: (505) 842-3800, objections-southwestern-regional-office@fs.fed.us. Electronically filed objections may be submitted by email in word (.doc), rich text format (.rtf), text (.txt), portable document format (.pdf), and hypertext markup language (.html).

Objections must be submitted within 45 calendar days following the publication of this notice in the forests’ newspapers of public record, which for this project is the Arizona Capital Times. The anticipated publication date in the Arizona Capital Times is December 7, 2018.  The publication date in the newspaper of record is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection. Those wishing to object should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source. The regulations prohibit extending the time to file an objection. Additionally notification has been published in the White Mountain Independent, Arizona Daily Sun, Red Rock News, Daily Courier, Verde Independent, Arizona Capitol Times, Payson Roundup, and Arizona Silverbelt.

At a minimum, an objection must include the following (36 CFR 218.8(d)):

1. The objector’s name and address, with a telephone number, if available;
2. A signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a scanned signature for email may be filed with the objection);
3. When multiple names are listed on an objection, identification of the lead objector (verification of the identity of the lead objector shall be provided upon request);
4. The name of the proposed project, the name and title of the Responsible Official, and the names of the National Forest and Ranger Districts on which the proposed project will be implemented;
5. A description of those aspects of the proposed project addressed by the objection, including specific issues related to the proposed project if applicable, how the objector believes the environmental analysis or draft decision specifically violates law, regulation, or policy; suggested remedies that would resolve the objection; supporting reasons for the reviewing officer to consider; and
6. A statement that demonstrates connection between prior specific written comments on the particular proposed project or activity and the content of the objection. 

Incorporation of documents by reference is permitted only as provided in §218.8(b). It is the objector’s responsibility to ensure timely filing of a written objection with the reviewing officer pursuant to §218.9. All objections are available for public inspection during and after the objection process. Names and contact information submitted with comments will become part of the public record.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

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