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ST. GEORGE — The U.S. Forest Service proposed a fuels reduction project covering over 200,000 acres in southern Utah and is seeking the public's input.
On Dec. 23, Dixie National Forest's Pine Valley Ranger District published a scoping notice, opening public comment for the following 30 calendar days on a draft environmental assessment created under the National Environmental Policy Act and its finding of no significant impact.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has granted the agency authority "to take emergency actions to protect public health and safety, critical infrastructure and natural resources on National Forest System lands," such as in response to the wildfire crisis, the Forest Service states.
Activities related to the Pine Valley Wildfire Risk Reduction project have been approved for an Emergency Authorization Declaration under this law. Because of this, the environmental assessment only needs to analyze the proposed action and a no action alternative and is not subject to administrative review, the agency states.