[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11148-11149]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-5958]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 47 / Tuesday, March 11, 1997 /
Notices
[[Page 11148]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
White Pass Ski Area Expansion, Gifford Pinchot National Forest,
Lewis County, Washington
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) to analyze and disclose the environmental impacts of a
site-specific proposal to modify the present special use permit of the
White Pass Company, present operator of the White Pass Ski Area. This
modification would authorize expansion into approximately 300 acres in
Pigtail Basin, located between the current permit area and Hogback
Basin, for the purpose of providing additional skiing opportunities.
This action is proposed in response to an application by the White Pass
Company to expand the permit area on the Packwood Ranger District of
the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The White Pass Company current
permit is administered by the Naches Ranger District of the Wenatchee
National Forest. The proposed action is at White Pass, Washington,
approximately 50 miles west of the city of Yakima. The purpose of the
EIS will be to develop and evaluate a range of alternatives including a
No Action Alternative, and possible additional alternatives to respond
to issues identified during the scoping process. The proposed project
will be in compliance with the direction in the Wenatchee National
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (March 1990), as amended by
the Northwest Forest Plan (April 1994), which provides the overall
guidance for management of the area. The Agency invites written
comments on the scope of this project. In addition, the agency gives
notice of this analysis so that interested and affected people 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 April 12, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions to Sonny J. O'Neal,
Forest Supervisor, Wenatchee National Forest, 215 Melody Lane,
Wenatchee, Washington 98801.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions and comments about this EIS
should be directed to Jim Pena, District Ranger, Naches Ranger
District, 10061 U.S. Highway 12, Naches, WA 98937; Phone 509-653-2205.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wenatchee National Forest is initiating
this action in response to a request filed by the White Pass Company on
January 7, 1997, to expand their current ski area permit boundary.
This is White Pass Company's second attempt to expand the skiing
opportunities at White Pass. Their first proposal was submitted after
passage of the Washington Wilderness Bill of 1984. The Bill, while
increasing Wilderness lands within Washington by well over one million
acres, also realigned the Wilderness boundary southwest of White Pass
in the expressed interest of skiing potential in this area. White Pass
Company's initial expansion proposal encompassed 1,300 acres, which
included Hogback Basin and the development of three chairlifts.
Subsequent litigation regarding the Forest's decision to authorize the
expansion in combination with concerns regarding new wildlife
information led to withdrawal of that decision by the Wenatchee
National Forest Supervisor in 1992.
This new proposal has been developed following (1) the review and
understanding of the issues raised during the first EIS attempt, (2)
new environmental standards such as the Northwest Forest Plan and
Aquatic Conservation Strategy, (3) recent discussions with interested
groups regarding the new proposed action and (4) the continued search
for an expansion location that best fits into the social, cultural,
environmental and skier needs categories.
A range of alternatives will be considered, including a No Action
Alternative. Other alternatives will be developed in response to issues
received during scoping. The major issues that have been identified to
date include the following: Air quality, cultural/historic/religious
uses, scenery, socioeconomics, wildlife habitat, and the cumulative
effects of the proposed action with uses within the current permit
area.
Public participation will be especially important at several points
during the analysis. The Forest Service will be seeking information,
comments, and assistance from Federal, State, and local agencies, and
other individuals or organizations who may be interested in or affected
by the proposed actions. This information will be used in preparation
of the draft EIS. The scoping process includes:
1. Identifying potential issues.
2. Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.
3. Eliminating insignificant issues or those which have been
covered by a relevant previous environmental process.
4. Exploring additional alternatives.
5. Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed
action and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect and cumulative effects
and connected actions.).
6. Determining potential cooperating agencies and task assignments.
The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for review by October 1997.
At that time, copies of the draft EIS will be distributed to interested
and affected agencies, organization, and members of the public for
their review and comment. The 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 Wenatchee and Gifford Pinchot National Forests
participate at that time.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft EIS's must structure their participation in the environmental
review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to
the reviewer's position and connections.
[[Page 11149]]
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. Reviewers may wish to refer
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
The final EIS is scheduled to be completed by March 1998. 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 and applicable
laws, regulations and policies considered in making the decision
regarding this proposal. Sonny J. O'Neal, Forest Supervisor, Wenatchee
National Forest 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 regulation (36 CFR part 215).
Dated: May 4, 1997.
G. Elton Thomas,
Natural Resources Group Leader.
[FR Doc. 97-5958 Filed 3-11-97; 8:45 am]
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