National Forest System Land and Resource Management Planning; Extension of Compliance Deadline

The Department is issuing an interim final rule to extend the date by which all land and resource management plan amendments and revisions would otherwise be subject to the planning regulations adopted November 9, 2000. An extension of the compliance date will allow the agency to propose and adopt adjustments to the 2000 planning rule that may be necessary. On May 17, 2001 (66 FR 27555), the public was given an opportunity to comment on the advisability and effects of extending the compliance date. At that time, the Forest Service noted that the Department had instructed the agency to propose changes to the November 2000 rule to improve its implementability. The deadline for complying with the November 2000 rule was May 9, 2002, and the proposed changes to the 2000 rule are not yet published. Therefore, the Department is issuing this interim final rule to delay mandatory compliance with the 2000 rule until a new final planning rule is adopted.