[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 250 (Friday, December 27, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68285-68287]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-32926]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Preparation of a joint Environmental Impact Statement /
Environmental Impact Report for Federal and State Actions Associated 
with Furthering the Purposes of the September 28, 1996, Agreement 
Between the United States, State of California, and MAXXAM, Inc. and 
its Subsidiary, Pacific Lumber Company

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. (Lead Agency)
    Cooperating Agencies:

National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Commerce.
Environmental Protection Agency
Forest Service, Agriculture
Bureau of Land Management, Interior
California State Resources Agency
California State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
California State Department of Fish and Game

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (collectively ``the 
Services''), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and California Resources 
Agency (Agency), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 
(CDF), and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) intend to 
gather information necessary for the preparation of an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS)/ Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The EIS/EIR 
will consider the Federal and State actions associated with the 
September 28, 1996 agreement, (agreement) namely:
    (1) Transfer of the Headwaters Forest and the Elk Head Forest and 
adjacent forest lands, totaling approximately 7,500 acres, to the 
United States and California in exchange for (i) the Elk River Exchange 
Property (described below), and (ii) property and other consideration 
from both the United States and California (including cash) having an 
aggregate fair market value of $300 million;
    (2) Acquisition by the United States and California of the 
approximately 9,600-acre Elk River Timber Company property through 
exchange for up to 10,000 acres of National Forest System lands in the 
Eldorado, Plumas, Stanislaus, and Tahoe National Forests or other 
considerations;
    (3) Transfer of approximately 7,775 acres of the Elk River Timber 
Lands (the Elk River Exchanged Property) to the Pacific Lumber Company 
and its parent MAXXAM, Inc. in return for acquisition of the Headwaters 
Forest and Elk Head Forest; with the remaining approximately 1,825 
acres of the Elk River Timber lands becoming part of the Headwaters-Elk 
Head Reserve;
    (4) Issuance of an incidental take permit under the Endangered 
Species Act (Act) by the Services in anticipation of a permit 
application by The Pacific Lumber Company (a subsidiary of MAXXAM, 
Inc.) to take federally listed species and requesting assurances 
regarding other species occurring or potentially occurring on the 
remaining lands of The Pacific Lumber Company, the Elk River Property, 
and any other timberlands or timber harvesting rights acquired by 
Pacific Lumber and its parent MAXXAM, Inc. as a result of the above 
described transactions; and
    (5) Approval of The Pacific Lumber Company's Sustained Yield Plan 
(SYP) by CDF including consideration of conservation measures or plans 
addressing State-listed species.
    The EIS/EIR will also consider any actions by other Federal or 
State agencies that are necessary or appropriate to perform the 
agreement.
    This notice is being furnished pursuant to the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing The Procedural 
Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Regulations 
(40 CFR sections 1501.7 and 1508.22) to obtain suggestions and 
information from other agencies and the public on the scope of issues 
and alternatives to be considered in preparation of the EIS.
    To satisfy both Federal and State environmental policy act 
requirements, the above Federal agencies and California agencies are 
conducting a joint scoping process for the preparation of environmental 
documents. In order to expedite the planning process, the above 
agencies request all scoping

[[Page 68286]]

comments to this notice be received by February 10, 1997.

DATES: As an opportunity for interested persons to comment on the scope 
of the EIS, public scoping meetings are scheduled as follows:
     Thursday, January 16, 1997, Oakland Convention Center, 
West Hall, 550 Tenth Street (at Broadway), Oakland, California
     Thursday, January 23, 1997, Red Lion Hotel, 3100 Camino 
del Rio Court, Bakersfield, California
     Tuesday, January 28, 1997, Red Lion Hotel, 1830 Hilltop 
Drive, Redding, California
     Thursday, January 30, 1997, Radisson Hotel, 500 Leisure 
Lane, Sacramento, California
     Wednesday, February 5, 1997, Redwood Acres Fairgrounds, 
Franceschi Hall, 3750 Harris Street, Eureka, California
    All scoping meetings will be held from 1:00 p.m. to no later than 
4:00 p.m., and from 6:00 p.m. to no later than 9:00 p.m.

ADDRESS: Comments regarding the scope of the EIS should be addressed to 
Mr. Bruce Halstead, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1125 16th Street, 
Room 209, Arcata, CA 95521-5582. Comments should be received on or 
before January 31, 1997, at the above address. Written comments may 
also be sent by facsimile to (707) 822-8136. Comments received will be 
available for public inspection by appointment during normal business 
hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday) at the above 
office; please call for an appointment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis Mackey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232-4181, Telephone: 
(503) 231-6241. Specific information regarding the location of the 
National Forest System lands proposed for exchange may be obtained from 
Phil Bayles, 630, Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 94111, (415) 705-
2772.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MAXXAM, Inc. and its subsidiary, Pacific 
Lumber Company own and manage approximately 200,000 acres of commercial 
forest land in Northern California. Pacific Lumber Company and MAXXAM 
Corporation signed an agreement on September 28, 1996, with the United 
States, and the State of California. The agreement calls for transfer 
of approximately 7,500 acres of private forest lands in the Headwaters 
and Elk Head forests to State and Federal ownership in exchange for the 
Elk River Exchange Property and a combination of cash and yet to be 
determined assets, valued at $300 million. The Federal and State assets 
currently proposed for exchange include the following, however, it 
should be noted these may change during the planning process and any 
changes would be disclosed in the appropriate environmental documents:
     Approximately 2,967 acres of timber land in Humboldt 
County, California (estimated to contain 11 million board feet of 
timber) managed by the BLM,
     Federal mineral interests in California, managed by BLM, 
many of which are located in Kern County,
     Approximately 30 acres of excess land adjacent to Chet 
Holifield Federal Office in Laguna Niguel, California,
     Not more than 17,000 acres of National Forest System lands 
are proposed for exchange to Elk River Timber Company for a portion of 
the lands known as the Elk River Timber Company property. The 17,000 
acres are identified on four National Forests, including 7,000 on the 
Eldorado National Forest, 2,000 on the Plumas National Forest, 7,000 on 
the Stanislaus National Forest , and 1,000 on the Tahoe National 
Forest. The precise acreage that would actually be exchanged will be 
that amount equaling approximately $30,000,000 in value based on actual 
appraisal, current at the time of decision. Cash or other valuable 
considerations up to $30,000,000 in value may be substituted, and
     Approximately 9,013 acres of State property within the 
Latour State Forest, 1,100 acres of State agricultural land in San 
Bernardino County, approximately 1,313 acres (in 18 parcels, 13 of 
which are less than 40 acres) of State General Surplus property, 
including the 488- acre California Department of Forestry (CDF) Black 
Mountain property, 140-acre CDF Deadwood Camp property, and 415-acre 
Rector Canyon property, 5 parcels approximating 110 acres within the 
city limits of Eureka, and 25 parcels of surplus Caltrans property (24 
of which are less than 10 acres), including the Transbay Bus Terminal.
    The USFS, pursuant to National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 
1976, and BLM, pursuant to Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
(FLPMA) of 1976 are agencies authorized to acquire, excess, exchange, 
and transfer Federal lands and will be the agencies primarily 
responsible for furthering the federal realty actions.
    The agreement also calls for the expedited development and 
submission by Pacific Lumber Company and processing by the Services of 
an application for an incidental take permit, which would be 
accompanied by a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), pursuant to the 
provisions of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act. Under the terms of the 
agreement, Pacific Lumber Company is to develop a multi-species habitat 
conservation plan for forested lands currently within their ownership, 
as well as other lands which would be acquired by Pacific Lumber under 
the agreement. It is anticipated that the permit application for 
incidental take will include the threatened northern spotted owl (Strix 
occidentalis caurina), the threatened marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus 
marmoratus marmoratus), the threatened bald eagle (Haliaeetus 
leucocephalus), and the endangered American peregrine falcon (Falco 
peregrinus anatum) as well as an agreement covering conservation of 
unlisted species including the proposed threatened steelhead 
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) and proposed threatened coho salmon (Oncorhynchus 
kisutch).
    Once completed, it is expected that Pacific Lumber Company will 
submit the HCP as part of the incidental take permit application 
process, as required under the provisions of section 10(a)(2)(A) of the 
Act. The Service and NMFS will evaluate the incidental take permit 
application and associated HCP in accordance with section 10(a)(2)(B) 
of the Act, and its implementing regulations. The environmental review 
of the HCP will be conducted in accordance with the Act and the 
requirements of NEPA and its implementing regulations. A No Action/No 
Project alternative will be considered consistent with the requirements 
of NEPA and CEQA. As a cooperating agency EPA will also review the plan 
for consistency with the provisions of the Clean Water Act. Several 
streams in watersheds in which Pacific Lumber owns land are listed as 
water quality limited under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. If 
feasible, EPA will work with Pacific Lumber Company, sister Federal 
Agencies, the State, and the public to address water quality issues of 
these limited waterbodies at the same time the HCP and SYP are 
developed.
    As a party to the agreement, the Agency has agreed to the expedited 
development and submission by Pacific Lumber and processing by the CDF 
of a Sustained Yield Plan pursuant to the provisions under Article 6.75 
of the California Forest Practice Rules including consideration of 
conservation measures or plans addressing State-listed species under 
the California Endangered Species Act. Land transactions proposed under 
the agreement may be subject to the approval of the Eureka City 
Council, California Transportation Commission,

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or the State of California legislature. The State-sponsored actions are 
being reviewed under the California Environmental Quality Act.

    Dated: December 19, 1996.
Michael J. Spear,
Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 96-32926 Filed 12-26-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P