[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 18, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49109-49110]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-23859]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Steward Mining Operation, Umpqua National Forest, Douglas County,
Oregon
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, USDA, will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for the purpose of approving a Plan of Operations to
conduct mining operations in the City Creek Watershed. The EIS will
document the environmental analyses and effects of a range of
alternatives, including a no-action alternative. The EIS will analyze
at least three alternatives: (1) The no action alternative; (2) the
proposed action, as submitted by the operator; and (3) a modification
to the proposed action, which includes appropriate mitigation measures.
Under the 1872 mining law, the no-action alternative is not a viable
alternative. It is required by the Council on Environmental Quality
regulations and serves as a baseline to measure the environmental
effects of other alternatives. Additional alternatives and/or revisions
to the above alternatives will be evaluated in the EIS. This approval
is in accordance with direction set forth in the Umpqua National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan (September 1990), as amended, which
provides for mining operations within applicable standards, guidelines,
and management prescriptions. The agency invites written comments on
the scope of this project. In addition, the agency gives
[[Page 49110]]
notice of this analysis so that interested and affected parties are
aware of how they may participate and contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of this proposal must be received
by October 4, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions concerning the scope
of the analysis to Ned Davis, District Ranger, North Umpqua Ranger
District, 18782 North Umpqua Highway, Glide, Oregon 97443.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions and comments about this EIS
should be directed to Debbie Anderson, EIS Project Leader, North Umpqua
Ranger District, 18782 North Umpqua Highway, Glide, Oregon 97443.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed mining operation will construct
and/or maintain approximately .65 mile of road, .9 mile of cat road,
2.5 miles of ATV trail, 1.1 miles of foot trail, and proposes to move
approximately 21,000 cubic yards of ore and/or waste rock material. On
the unpatented claims (27 in total), discovery cuts and veins would be
sampled, existing adits would be opened and timbered, a new adit would
be excavated, and corners and claim lines would be brushed. The
proposal also includes installing a sluice box in St. Peter Creek, a
catch basin and a dam in a small tributary, installation of a 4' spring
box, and maintenance and installation of two gates.
The 6,458 acre City Creek watershed encompasses both City Creek and
St. Peter Creek. A tributary to Steamboat Creek, City Creek is located
17 river-miles north of the confluence of Steamboat Creek and the North
Umpqua River. Steamboat Creek is located approximately 38 miles East of
Roseburg, Oregon.
Scoping for this project began in January of 1996 through the
environmental assessment process. Public notice and participation has
occurred through notices in Forest's quarterly Schedule of Proposed
Actions, field trips, and public comments received during the formal
30-day comment period under 36 CFR 215. The extensive information
gathered during the environmental assessment process will be used in
the preparation of the draft EIS.
The scoping effort for this project has achieved the following:
1. Identification of issues.
2. Identification of key issues.
3. Elimination of insignificant issues, issues which have been
covered by a relevant previous environmental process, and issues that
could be successfully mitigated.
4. Exploration of additional alternatives based on the key issues
identified during the scoping process.
5. Identification of potential environmental effects of the
proposed action and alternatives (i.e. direct, indirect, and cumulative
effects and connected actions).
The following issues have been identified as a result of the
extensive scoping performed through the environmental assessment
process: late-successional species; late-successional habitat;
threatened, endangered and sensitive species; survey and manage
species; water quality; acquatic habitat; archaeological sites from
road maintenance; and introduction and dispersal of noxious weeds and
aggressive non-native species.
The 1990 Umpqua National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan,
as amended, allocates Steamboat Creek and all of its tributaries,
including City and St. Peter Creeks, as a Late-Successional Reserve and
Tier 1 Key Watershed. The Forest Plan's overall objective for Late
Successional Reserves is to protect and enhance conditions of late-
successional and old-growth forest ecosystems, which serve as habitat
for late-successional and old-growth related species including the
northern spotted owl. In addition, tier 1 Key Watersheds contribute
directly to conservation of at-risk anadromous salmonids, bull trout,
and resident fish species. They also have a high potential of being
restored as part of a watershed restoration program. The city and St.
Peter Creek watersheds are also a part of Management Area 13, as
allocated by the 1990 Umpqua National Forest Land and Resource
Management Plan, which provides for additional emphasis for the orderly
exploration, development, extraction, and production of mineral
resources on lands within the Fairview-Bohemia mineralized area.
The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for public review in
October of 1996. At that time, copies of the draft EIS will be
distributed to interest and affected agencies, organizations, and
members of the public for their review and comment. EPA will publish a
Notice of Availability of the draft EIS in the Federal Register.
The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date
the EPA notice appears in the Federal Register. It is very important
that those interested in the management of the Umpqua National Forest
participate at that time.
The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers
notice at this early stage of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviews of
the draft EIS's must structure their participation in the environmental
review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts the agency
to the reviewers position and contentions. Vermont yankee Nuclear Power
Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,553 (1978). Also, environmental objections
that could be raised at the draft EIS stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final EIS may be waived or dismissed by
the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 f. 2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir,
1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338
(E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, it is very important
that those interested in this proposed action participate by the close
of the comment period so that substantive comments and objections are
made available to the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully
consider them and respond to them in the final EIS.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS should
be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to
specific pages or chapters of the draft EIS. Comments may also address
the adequacy of the draft EIS or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement.
The final EIS is scheduled to be completed by January, 1997. In the
final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to comments and
responses received during the comment period that pertain to the
environmental consequences discussed in the draft EIS, as well as
applicable laws, regulations, and policies considered in making the
decision regarding this proposal. The lead agency is the Forest
Service. Don Ostby, Forest Supervisor, Umpqua National Forest, P.O. Box
1008, Roseburg, Oregon, 97470, is the responsible official. As the
responsible official, he will document the decision and reasons for the
decision in the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to
Forest Service appeal regulations (36 CFR Part 215 and 36 CFR Part
251).
Dated: September 10, 1996.
Don Ostby,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 96-23859 Filed 9-17-96; 8:45 am]
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