[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 197 (Friday, October 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52965-52966]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26982]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Plum Creek Checkerboard Access Project, Wenatchee National 
Forest, Kittitas County, Washington

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to analyze and disclose the environmental impacts of a 
site-specific proposal to issue easements and authorize construction of 
roads across National Forest System (NFS) lands located in the Yakima 
River Basin. The action is proposed in response to an application from 
Plum Creek Timber Company (PCTC) who seeks legal access to 
approximately 45 parcels of PCTC land within the Wenatchee National 
Forest boundary, on the Cle Elum and Naches Ranger Districts. The 
proposed access locations range from approximately 5 to 20 miles south 
and southeast, and 5 to 25 miles north and northeast of the town of Cle 
Elum, Washington, and both north and south of Interstate 90, east of 
Snoqualmie Pass.
    The purpose of the EIS will be to develop and evaluate a range of 
alternatives including a No Action Alternative, to respond to issues 
identified during the scoping process. The proposed project will be in 
compliance with 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 non-Federal lands involved are covered by 
PCTC's Cascade Habitat Conservation Plan (1996).
    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 November 5, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions to Sonny J. O'Neal, 
Forest Supervisor, Wenatchee National

[[Page 52966]]

Forest, 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee, Washington 98801.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions and comments about this EIS 
should be directed to Floyd Rogalski, Project Planner, Cle Elum Ranger 
District, 803 West Second Street, Cle Elum, Washington 98922; phone 
509-674-4411, ext. 315.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest Service is initiating this action 
in response to an application filed by PCTC. The applicant requests 
permanent easements across NFS lands for the purpose of constructing 
and maintaining access roads to approximately 45 separate parcels of 
land owned by the PCTC. Because these lands form a ``checkerboard'' 
ownership patter, the parcels to be accessed are surrounded by NFS 
lands; no legal road access to the sections currently exists.
    The applicant seeks legal access pursuant to Section 1323 of the 
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). The ANILCA 
directs the Forest Service to grant access to inholdings of non-Federal 
land within the National Forest boundary for the reasonable use and 
enjoyment of those lands by the landowner. The applicant has stated 
that it intends to manage the lands to be accessed for long term timber 
management under its approved Habitat Conservation Plan. The applicant 
intends to build roads on the authorized rights-of-way sufficient to 
support the intended use of the land. The proposed access involves a 
total of approximately 24 miles of road across 194 acres of NFS land in 
45 different locations. These include the Gold Creek, Rock Creek, 
Little Naches, Big Creek, Little Creek, and North and South Forks and 
Taneum Creek drainages, all south of I-90 and Cle Elum, Washington; and 
lands to the east and west of Lakes Keechelus, Kachess and Cle Elum; 
Little Salmon La Sac Creek, Salmon La Sac Creek, Paris Creek, Boulder 
Creek and Fortune Creek in the Cle Elum River drainage; and the West 
Fork Teanway River drainage; all north of I-90 and Cle Elum, 
Washington. Management allocations of the NFS lands under the Northwest 
Forest Plan are predominately Adaptive Management Area (Snoqualmie Pass 
AMA) and Late Successional Reserves, with some Matrix.
    A range of alternative 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 
impact to heritage resources; the potential reduction in the spectrum 
of recreational opportunities currently available; the impact on the 
economy of the county; the impact to the roadless areas; the impact to 
late-successional habitat; and the impact to water quality.
    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, 
Tribes, and other organizations or individuals who may be interested in 
or affected by the proposed action. 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 and identifying 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.
    Public meetings are not scheduled prior to the release of the draft 
EIS. Meetings will be held during the comment period between the draft 
and final EIS. The location of these meetings will be determined by the 
addresses on the project mailing list. Notice of meeting dates and 
locations will be published in the newspaper of record for the 
Wenatchee National Forest, The Wenatchee World, and the following 
localized newspapers: Northern Kittitas County Tribune; Ellensburg 
Record; and Yakima Herald Republic.
    The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for public review by 
December, 1997. 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.
    Copies of the draft EIS will be distributed to interested and 
affected agencies, organizations, and members of the public for their 
review and comment. It is very important that those interested in the 
management of the Wenatchee 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, reviewers of 
a draft EIS must structure their participation in the environmental 
review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to 
the review's 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 Wisconsisn 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 in October 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. The responsible official will document the 
decision and rationale for the decision in the Record of Decision. That 
decision will be subject to Forest Service appeal regulations (36 CFR 
part 215).

    Dated: October 3, 1997.
Sonny J. O'Neal,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 97-26982 Filed 10-9-97; 8:45 am]
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