PART 218—PROJECT-LEVEL PREDECISIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW PROCESS Authority: Pub. L. 108-148, 117 Stat 1887 (16 U.S.C. 6515 note); Sec. 428, Pub. L. 112-74 125 Stat 1046; Sec. 431, Pub. L. 113-76; Sec. 8006, Pub. L. 113-79. Source: 78 FR 18497, Mar. 27, 2013, unless otherwise noted. Subpart A—General Provisions § 218.1 Purpose and scope. This subpart establishes a predecisional administrative review (hereinafter referred to as “objection”) process for proposed actions of the Forest Service concerning projects and activities implementing land and resource management plans documented with a Record of Decision or Decision Notice, including proposed authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects as defined in the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA). The objection process is the sole means by which administrative review of qualifying projects. (a) This subpart A provides the general provisions of the objection process, including who may file objections to proposed projects and activities, the responsibilities of the participants in an objection, and the procedures that apply for review of the objection. (b) Subpart B of this part includes provisions that are specific to proposed projects and activities implementing land and resource management plans documented with a Record of Decision or Decision Notice, except those authorized under the HFRA. (c) Subpart C of this part includes provisions that are specific to proposed hazardous fuel reduction projects authorized under the HFRA. § 218.2 Definitions. The following definitions apply to this part: Address. Authorized hazardous fuel reduction project. Decision notice (DN). Entity. Environmental assessment (EA). Environmental impact statement (EIS). Forest Service line officer. Lead objector. Name. National Forest System land. Newspaper(s) of record. Federal Register Objection. Objection filing period. Federal Register Objection process. Objector. Record of decision (ROD). Responsible official. Specific written comments. § 218.3 Reviewing officer. (a) The reviewing officer is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or Forest Service official having the delegated authority and responsibility to review an objection filed under this part. For project or activity proposals made below the level of the Chief, the reviewing officer is the Forest Service line officer at the next higher administrative level above the responsible official, or the respective Associate Deputy Chief, Deputy Regional Forester, or Deputy Forest Supervisor with the delegation of authority relevant to the provisions of this part. When a project or activity proposal is made by the Chief, the Secretary of Agriculture or Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment is the reviewing officer. (b) The reviewing officer determines procedures to be used for processing objections when the procedures are not specifically described in this part, including, to the extent practicable, such procedures as needed to be compatible with the administrative review processes of other Federal agencies, when projects are proposed jointly. Such determinations are not subject to further administrative review. § 218.4 Proposed projects and activities not subject to objection. Proposed projects and activities are not subject to objection when no timely, specific written comments regarding the proposed project or activity (see § 218.2) are received during any designated opportunity for public comment (see § 218.5(a)). The responsible official must issue a statement in the Record of Decision or Decision Notice that the project or activity was not subject to objection. § 218.5 Who may file an objection. (a) Individuals and entities as defined in § 218.2 who have submitted timely, specific written comments regarding a proposed project or activity that is subject to these regulations during any designated opportunity for public comment may file an objection. Opportunity for public comment on a draft EIS includes request for comments during scoping, the 40 CFR 1506.10 comment period, or other public involvement opportunity where written comments are requested by the responsible official. Opportunity for public comment on an EA includes during scoping or any other instance where the responsible official seeks written comments. (b) Federally-recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations are also eligible to file an objection when specific written comments as defined in § 218.2 are provided during Federal-Tribal consultations. (c) Comments received from an authorized representative(s) of an entity are considered those of the entity only. Individual members of that entity do not meet objection eligibility requirements solely on the basis of membership in an entity. A member or an individual must submit timely, specific written comments independently in order to be eligible to file an objection in an individual capacity. (d) When an objection lists multiple individuals or entities, each individual or entity must meet the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section. If the objection does not identify a lead objector as required at § 218.8(d)(3), the reviewing officer will delegate the first eligible objector on the list as the lead objector. Individuals or entities listed on an objection that do not meet eligibility requirements will not be considered objectors. Objections from individuals or entities that do not meet the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section will not be accepted and will be documented as such in the objection record. (e) Federal agencies may not file objections. (f) Federal employees who otherwise meet the requirements of this subpart for filing objections in a non-official capacity must comply with Federal conflict of interest statutes at 18 U.S.C. 202-209 and with employee ethics requirements at 5 CFR part 2635. Specifically, employees must not be on official duty nor use Government property or equipment in the preparation or filing of an objection. Further, employees must not use or otherwise incorporate information unavailable to the public, such as Federal agency documents that are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)). § 218.6 Computation of time periods. (a) Computation. (b) Starting date. (c) Publication date. Federal Register, (d) Extensions. § 218.7 Giving notice of objection process for proposed projects and activities subject to objection. (a) In addition to the notification required in paragraph (c) of this section, the responsible official must disclose during scoping and in the EA or EIS that the proposed project or activity is: (1) A hazardous fuel reduction project as defined by the HFRA, section 101(2), that is subject to subparts A and C of this part, or (2) A project or activity implementing a land management plan and not authorized under the HFRA, that is subject to subparts A and B of this part. (b) The responsible official must promptly make available the final EIS or the EA, and a draft Record of Decision (ROD) or draft Decision Notice (DN) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), to those who have requested the documents or are eligible to file an objection in accordance with § 218.5(a). (c) Upon distribution, legal notice of the opportunity to object to a proposed project or activity must be published in the applicable newspaper of record identified as defined in § 218.2 for the National Forest System unit. When the Chief is the responsible official, notice must be published in the Federal Register. Federal Register (1) Include the name of the proposed project or activity, a concise description of the draft decision and any proposed land management plan amendments, name and title of the responsible official, name of the forest and/or district on which the proposed project or activity will occur, instructions for obtaining a copy of the final EIS or EA and draft ROD or DN as defined in § 218.2, and instructions on how to obtain additional information on the proposed project or activity. (2) State that the proposed project or activity is subject to the objection process pursuant to 36 CFR part 218; identify whether the special procedures of subpart B or subpart C of this part are applicable; and include the following: (i) Name and address of the reviewing officer with whom an objection is to be filed. The notice must specify a street, postal, fax, and email address, the acceptable format(s) for objections filed electronically, and the reviewing officer's business hours for those filing hand-delivered objections. (ii) A statement that objections will be accepted only from those who have previously submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project during scoping or other designated opportunity for public comment in accordance with § 218.5(a). The statement must also specify that issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted timely, specific written comments regarding the proposed project unless based on new information arising after designated opportunities. (iii) A statement that the publication date of the legal notice in the newspaper of record or Federal Register (iv) A statement that an objection, including attachments, must be filed (regular mail, fax, email, hand-delivery, express delivery, or messenger service) with the appropriate reviewing officer (see §§ 218.3 and 218.8) within 30 days of the date of publication of the legal notice for the objection process if the proposal is an authorized hazardous fuel reduction project, or within 45 days if the proposal is otherwise a project or activity implementing a land management plan. The statement must also describe the evidence of timely filing in § 218.9. (v) A statement describing the minimum content requirements of an objection (see § 218.8(d)) and identify that incorporation of documents by reference is permitted only as provided for at § 218.8(b). (d) Within 4 calendar days of the date of publication of the legal notice in the newspaper of record or, when applicable, the Federal Register, Federal Register Federal Register, (e) Through notice published annually in the Federal Register, § 218.8 Filing an objection. (a) Objections must be filed with the reviewing officer in writing. All objections are available for public inspection during and after the objection process. (b) Incorporation of documents by reference is not allowed, except for the following list of items that may be referenced by including date, page, and section of the cited document, along with a description of its content and applicability to the objection. All other documents must be included with the objection. (1) All or any part of a Federal law or regulation. (2) Forest Service directives and land management plans. (3) Documents referenced by the Forest Service in the proposed project EA or EIS that is subject to objection. (4) Comments previously provided to the Forest Service by the objector during public involvement opportunities for the proposed project where written comments were requested by the responsible official. (c) Issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project or activity and attributed to the objector, unless the issue is based on new information that arose after the opportunities for comment. The burden is on the objector to demonstrate compliance with this requirement for objection issues (see paragraph (d)(6) of this section). (d) At a minimum, an objection must include the following: (1) Objector's name and address as defined in § 218.2, with a telephone number, if available; (2) Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a scanned signature for electronic mail may be filed with the objection); (3) When multiple names are listed on an objection, identification of the lead objector as defined in § 218.2. Verification of the identity of the lead objector must be provided upon request or the reviewing officer will designate a lead objector as provided in § 218.5(d); (4) The name of the proposed project, the name and title of the responsible official, and the name(s) of the national forest(s) and/or ranger district(s) 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 the connection between prior specific written comments on the particular proposed project or activity and the content of the objection, unless the objection concerns an issue that arose after the designated opportunity(ies) for comment (see paragraph (c) of this section). § 218.9 Evidence of timely filing. (a) It is the objector's responsibility to ensure timely filing of a written objection with the reviewing officer. Timeliness must be determined by the following indicators: (1) The date of the U.S. Postal Service postmark for an objection received before the close of the fifth business day after the objection filing period; (2) The agency's electronically generated posted date and time for email and facsimiles; (3) The shipping date for delivery by private carrier for an objection received before the close of the fifth business day after the objection filing period; or (4) The official agency date stamp showing receipt of hand delivery. (b) For emailed objections, the sender should receive an automated electronic acknowledgement from the agency as confirmation of receipt. If the sender does not receive an automated acknowledgment of receipt of the objection, it is the sender's responsibility to ensure timely filing by other means. § 218.10 Objections set aside from review. (a) The reviewing officer must set aside and not review an objection when one or more of the following applies: (1) Objections are not filed in a timely manner (see §§ 218.7(c)(2)(v) and 218.9). (2) The proposed project is not subject to the objection procedures in §§ 218.1, 218.4, 218.20, and 218.31. (3) The individual or entity did not submit timely and specific written comments regarding the proposed project or activity during scoping or another designated opportunity for public comment (see § 218.5(a)). (4) Except for issues that arose after the opportunities for comment, none of the issues included in the objection are based on previously submitted specific written comments and the objector has not provided a statement demonstrating a connection between the comments and objection issues (see §§ 218.8(c) and 218.8(d)(6)). (5) The objection does not provide sufficient information as required by § 218.8(d)(5) and (6) for the reviewing officer to review. (6) The objector withdraws the objection. (7) An objector's identity is not provided or cannot be determined from the signature (written or electronically scanned) and a reasonable means of contact is not provided (see § 218.8(d)(1) and (2)). (8) The objection is illegible for any reason, including submissions in an electronic format different from that specified in the legal notice. (9) The responsible official cancels the objection process underway to reinitiate the objection procedures at a later date or withdraw the proposed project or activity. (b) The reviewing officer must give prompt written notice to the objector and the responsible official when an objection is set aside from review and must state the reasons for not reviewing the objection. If the objection is set aside from review for reasons of illegibility or lack of a means of contact, the reasons must be documented and a copy placed in the objection record. § 218.11 Resolution of objections. (a) Meetings. (b) Reviewing officer's response to objections. (2) No further review from any other Forest Service or USDA official of the reviewing officer's written response to an objection is available. § 218.12 Timing of project decision. (a) The responsible official may not sign a ROD or DN subject to the provisions of this part until the reviewing officer has responded in writing to all pending objections (see § 218.11(b)(1)). (b) The responsible official may not sign a ROD or DN subject to the provisions of this part until all concerns and instructions identified by the reviewing officer in the objection response have been addressed. (c) When no objection is filed within the objection filing period (see §§ 218.26 and 218.32): (1) The reviewing officer must notify the responsible official. (2) Approval of the proposed project or activity documented in a ROD in accordance with 40 CFR 1506.10, or in a DN may occur on, but not before, the fifth business day following the end of the objection filing period. (d) When a proposed project or activity is not subject to objection because no timely, specific written comments regarding the proposal were received during a designated opportunity for public comment (see § 218.4), the approval of a proposed project or activity documented in a ROD must be in accordance with 40 CFR 1506.10 and 36 CFR 220.5(g), and the approval of a proposed project or activity documented in a DN must be made in accordance with 36 CFR 220.7(c) and (d). § 218.13 Secretary's authority. (a) Nothing in this section shall restrict the Secretary of Agriculture from exercising any statutory authority regarding the protection, management, or administration of National Forest System lands. (b) Projects and activities proposed by the Secretary of Agriculture or the Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment, are not subject to the procedures set forth in this part. Approval of projects and activities by the Secretary or Under Secretary constitutes the final administrative determination of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. § 218.14 Judicial proceedings. (a) The objection process set forth in this subpart fully implements Congress' design for a predecisional administrative review process. These procedures present a full and fair opportunity for concerns to be raised and considered on a project-by-project basis. Individuals and groups must structure their participation so as to alert the local agency officials making particular land management decisions of their positions and contentions. (b) Any filing for Federal judicial review of a decisions covered by this subpart is premature and inappropriate unless the plaintiff has exhausted the administrative review process set forth in this part (see 7 U.S.C. 6912(e) and 16 U.S.C. 6515(c)). § 218.15 Information collection requirements. The rules of this part specify the information that objectors must provide in an objection to a proposed project (see § 218.8). As such, these rules contain information collection requirements as defined in 5 CFR part 1320. These information requirements are assigned OMB Control Number 0596-0172. § 218.16 Effective dates. (a) Effective dates for HFRA-authorized projects. (2) Hazardous fuel reduction project proposals under the HFRA for which public scoping began prior to March 27, 2013 may use the predecisional objection procedures posted at http://www.fs.fed.us/objections. (3) Hazardous fuel reduction project proposals that are re-scoped with the public or re-issued for notice and comment after March 27, 2013 are subject to this part. (b) Effective dates for non-HFRA-authorized projects. (2) Project proposals which have legal notice published, but a Decision Notice or Record of Decision has not been signed. If a Decision Notice or Record of Decision is signed within 6 months of March 27, 2013, it will be subject to the 36 CFR part 215 appeal process. If the Decision Notice or Record of Decision is to be signed more than 6 months beyond March 27, 2013, the project proposal will be subject to the requirements of this part. In this case, the responsible official will notify all interested and affected parties who participated during scoping or provided specific written comment regarding the proposed project or activity during the comment period initiated with a legal notice that the project proposal will be subject to the predecisional objection regulations at 36 CFR part 218. All interested and affected parties who provided written comment as defined in § 218.2 during scoping or the comment period will be eligible to participate in the objection process. (3) Project proposals are subject to the requirements of this part when initial public scoping, re-scoping with the public, or re-issuance of notice and comment begins on or after March 27, 2013. Subpart B—Provisions Specific to Project-Level Proposals Not Authorized Under Healthy Forests Restoration Act § 218.20 Applicability and scope. This subpart includes provisions that are specific to proposed projects and activities implementing land and resource management plans and documented with a Record of Decision or Decision Notice, except those authorized under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA). The sections of this subpart must be considered in combination with the general provisions of subpart A of this part for the full complement of regulatory direction pertaining to predecisional administrative review of the applicable projects and activities. § 218.21 Emergency situations. (a) Authority. (b) Emergency situation definition. (c) Determination. (d) Implementation. (1) Immediately after notification (see 36 CFR 220.7(d)) when the decision is documented in a Decision Notice (DN). (2) Immediately after complying with the timeframes and publication requirements described in 40 CFR 1506.10(b)(2) when the decision is documented in a Record of Decision (ROD). (e) Notification. § 218.22 Proposed projects and activities subject to legal notice and opportunity to comment. The legal notice and opportunity to comment procedures of this subpart apply only to: (a) Proposed projects and activities implementing land management plans for which an environmental assessment (EA) is prepared; (b) Proposed projects and activities implementing land management plans for which a draft or supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) is prepared and notice and comment procedures are governed by 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508; (c) Proposed amendments to a land management plan that are included as part of a proposed project or activity covered in paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section which are applicable only to that proposed project or activity; (d) A proposed project or activity for which a supplemental or revised EA or EIS is prepared based on consideration of new information or changed circumstances; and (e) Proposed research activities to be conducted on National Forest System land for which an EA or EIS is prepared. § 218.23 Proposed projects and activities not subject to legal notice and opportunity to comment. The legal notice and opportunity to comment procedures of this subpart do not apply to: (a) Any project or activity categorically excluded from documentation in an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement. (b) Proposed land management plans, plan revisions, and plan amendments that are subject to the objection process set out in 36 CFR part 219, subpart B; (c) Proposed plan amendments associated with a project or activity where the amendment applies not just to the particular project or activity but to all future projects and activities (see 36 CFR 219.59(b)); (d) Proposed projects and activities not subject to the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act and the implementing regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508 and 36 CFR part 220; (e) Determinations by the responsible official, after consideration of new information or changed circumstances, that a correction, supplement, or revision of the EA or EIS is not required; (f) Rules promulgated in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551 et seq. (g) Proposed hazardous fuel reduction projects authorized under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. [78 FR 18497, Mar. 27, 2013, as amended at 79 FR 44293, July 31, 2014] § 218.24 Notification of opportunity to comment on proposed projects and activities. (a) Responsible official. (1) Provide legal notice of the opportunity to comment on a proposed project or activity implementing a land management plan. (2) Determine the most effective timing and then publish the legal notice of the opportunity to comment as provided for in paragraph (c)(2) of this section. (3) Promptly provide notice about the proposed project or activity to any individual or entity who has requested it and to those who have participated in planning for that project. (4) Accept all written comments on the proposed project or activity as provided for in § 218.25(a)(4). (b) Content of legal notice. (1) The title and brief description of the proposed project or activity. (2) A general description of the proposed project or activity's location with sufficient information to allow the interested public to identify the location. (3) When applicable, a statement that the responsible official is requesting an emergency situation determination or it has been determined that an emergency situation exists for the proposed project or activity as provided for in § 218.21. (4) For a proposed project or activity to be analyzed and documented in an environmental assessment (EA), a statement that the opportunity to comment ends 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice in the newspaper of record (see § 218.25(a)(2)); as newspaper publication dates may vary, legal notices shall not contain the specific date. (5) For a proposed project or activity that is analyzed and documented in a draft environmental impact statement (EIS), a statement that the opportunity to comment ends 45 days following the date of publication of the notice of availability (NOA) in the Federal Register (6) A statement that only those who submit timely and specific written comments regarding the proposed project or activity during a public comment period established by the responsible official are eligible to file an objection. (7) The responsible official's name, title, telephone number, and addresses (street, postal, facsimile, and email) to whom comments are to be submitted and the responsible official's office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments (see § 218.25(a)(4)(ii)). (8) A statement indicating that for objection eligibility each individual or representative from each entity submitting timely and specific written comments regarding the proposed project or activity must either sign the comments or verify identity upon request. (9) The acceptable format(s) for electronic comments. (10) Instructions on how to obtain additional information on the proposed project or activity. (c) Publication. Federal Register, (2) Legal notice of the opportunity to comment on a proposed project or activity shall be published in the applicable newspaper of record identified in paragraph (c)(1) of this section for each National Forest System unit. When the Chief is the responsible official, notice shall also be published in the Federal Register. Federal Register (3) Within 4 calendar days of the date of publication of the legal notice in the newspaper of record or, when applicable, the Federal Register, Federal Register Federal Register, § 218.25 Comments on proposed projects and activities. (a) Opportunity to comment. Time period for submission of comments (i) Comments on a proposed project or activity to be documented in an environmental assessment shall be accepted for 30 days beginning on the first day after the date of publication of the legal notice. (ii) Comments on a proposed project or activity to be documented in an environmental impact statement shall be accepted for a minimum of 45 days beginning on the first day after the date of publication in the Federal Register (iii) Comments. (iv) Extension. (2) Computation of the comment period. (3) Requirements. (i) Name and postal address. Email address in addition is recommended but not required. (ii) Title of the proposed project or activity. (iii) Specific written comments as defined in § 218.2 regarding the proposed project or activity, along with supporting reasons. (iv) Signature or other verification of identity upon request and identification of the individual or entity who authored the comment(s). For comments listing multiple entities or multiple individuals, a signature or other means of verification must be provided for the individual authorized to represent each entity and for each individual in the case of multiple names. A scanned signature or other means of verifying the identity of the individual or entity representative may be used for electronically submitted comments. (v) Individual members of an entity must submit their own comments to establish personal eligibility; comments received on behalf of an entity are considered as those of the entity only. (4) Evidence of timely submission. When there is a question about timely submission of comments, timeliness shall be determined as follows: (i) Written comments must be postmarked by the Postal Service, emailed, faxed, or otherwise submitted (for example, express delivery service) by 11:59 p.m. in the time zone of the receiving office on the 30th calendar day following publication of the legal notice for proposed projects or activities to be analyzed and documented in an EA or the 45th calendar day following publication of the NOA in the Federal Register (ii) Hand-delivered comments must be time and date imprinted at the correct responsible official's office by the close of business on the 30th calendar day following publication of the legal notice for proposed projects or activities to be analyzed and documented in an EA or the 45th calendar day following publication of the NOA in the Federal Register (iii) For emailed comments, the sender should normally receive an automated electronic acknowledgment from the agency as confirmation of receipt. If the sender does not receive an automated acknowledgment of the receipt of the comments, it is the sender's responsibility to ensure timely receipt by other means. (b) Consideration of comments. (2) All written comments received by the responsible official shall be placed in the project file and shall become a matter of public record. § 218.26 Objection time periods. (a) Time to file an objection. Federal Register (b) Time for responding to an objection. Subpart C—Provisions Specific to Proposed Projects Authorized Under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act § 218.30 Applicability and scope. This subpart includes provisions that are specific to proposed hazardous fuel reduction projects documented with a Record of Decision or Decision Notice, and authorized under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA). The sections of this subpart must be considered in combination with the general provisions of subpart A of this part for the full complement of regulatory direction pertaining to predecisional administrative review of the applicable projects and activities. § 218.31 Authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects subject to objection. (a) Only authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects as defined by the HFRA, section 101(2), occurring on National Forest System land that have been analyzed in an EA or EIS are subject to this subpart. Authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects processed under the provisions of the HFRA are not subject to the requirements in subpart B of this part. (b) When authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects are approved contemporaneously with a plan amendment that applies only to that project, the objection process of this subpart applies to both the plan amendment and the project. § 218.32 Objection time periods. (a) Time to file an objection. Federal Register (b) Time for responding to an objection.