Scoping: Midstate Telephone Company replacement of 20,000 feet of fiber optic telephone line Open for Comment: June 30 to July 29, 2015

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1 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Dakota Prairie Grasslands Medora Ranger District rd Ave. West, Suite B Dickinson, ND File Code: 1950/2720 Date: June 30, 2015 To: Dakota Prairie Grasslands Interested Parties Scoping: Midstate Telephone Company replacement of 20,000 feet of fiber optic telephone line Open for Comment: June 30 to July 29, 2015 The USDA Forest Service s Medora Ranger District within the Dakota Prairie Grasslands (DPG) seeks public comments on a proposal submitted by Midstate Telephone Company to replace approximately 20,000 feet of fiber optic telephone line located on National Forest System land in Sections 11,12, and 14, T139N, R101, Billings County, and Section 29, T140N, R103W, Golden Valley County, North Dakota. The replacement line will be buried approximately 5 feet beside the existing telephone line (See Figure 1, Vicinity Map). The reason for the project is that the current telephone line is not powerful enough for the growing community. A larger capacity line is required and will provide an acceptable level of telecommunications service to the area. The new line will start in E1/2E1/2 of Section 12, T139N, R101W and follow the existing line paralleling National Forest System Road #739 through Sections 11, 12 and 14 on the north and west side. The second portion of line to be replaced parallels Highway 10 on the north side located in Section 29, T140N, R103W. Both lines will be trenched in and will be bored under any existing roads or drainages (See Figure 2, Project Maps). The management areas for this project are MA 3.65 Rangeland with Diverse National-appearing landscapes. and 6.1 Rangeland with Broad Resource Emphasis. The Management Areas direction and Grasslands-wide direction for special uses are: Consolidate utility lines within existing corridors or areas adjacent to roads wherever possible. Locate new utilities along road corridors or within other areas already disturbed. Bury electric lines 33 KV or less and telephone lines. The proposed project would be consistent with the goals, objectives, and management standards of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP). Categorical Exclusion The Forest Service Environmental Policy and Procedures Handbook ( , Chapter 30) provides that a proposed action may be categorically excluded from further analysis and documentation in an Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper

2 environmental impact statement (EIS) or environmental assessment (EA) only if there are no extraordinary circumstances related to the proposed action and if: The proposed action is within one of the categories in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) NEPA policies and procedures in Title 7 Code Of Federal Regulations Part 1b (7 CFR Part 1b), or The proposed action is within a category listed in Section 36 CFR 220.6(d) or (e). This project would fall under 36 CFR 220.6(e)(3): Approval, modification, or continuation of minor special uses of National Forest System lands that require less than five contiguous acres of land. Resource Reviews Forest Service specialists are reviewing archaeological, botanical, and wildlife information for this proposal. Surveys would be reviewed as well as input from the Forest Service hydrologist, engineers, and other specialists. Implementation Timeline Proposed implementation of this project is scheduled for fall Comment Guidelines The Forest Service asks for written, facsimile, hand-delivered, oral, and electronic comments concerning the proposal. Be specific in your reply so that the Forest Service can consider possible modifications to address public concerns. With comments, include your name, address, telephone number, and the name of the project on which you re commenting. Comments need to be received by July 29, 2015, in order for the Forest Service to have adequate time for review. Those wishing to comment should not rely upon dates provided by any other source. Forest Service regulations prohibit extending the length of the comment period. Comments must be project specific. Mail comments to the District Ranger, Medora Ranger District, rd Ave. West, Suite B, Dickinson, ND Fax comments to (701) Hand-deliver comments to the district office between 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Provide oral comments in person at the district ranger s office during normal business hours or via telephone at (701) Submit electronic comments in a format such as an message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc) to comments-northern-dakota-prairie-medora@fs.fed.us. The subject line must contain the name of the project. For electronically mailed comments, the sender should receive an automated electronic acknowledgement from the agency as confirmation of receipt. If the sender

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