[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 147 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 41910]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19645]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Mining Activities on Piru Creek, Los Padres National Forest, 
Ventura County, CA; Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

    The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service is preparing an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) for approval of proposed Plans of 
Operation for mining activities along Piru Creek from Lockwood Flat to 
Pyramid Lake on the Mount Pinos Ranger District. Management emphases in 
the Los Padres National Forest Land Resources Management Plan (1988) 
are to improve water quality, vegetative diversity, and to protect 
property and cultural resources. Management emphasis for the project 
area is to manage as a potential Wild and Scenic River candidate.
    Potential resource issues which may affect alternative development 
include the presence of riparian-dependent sensitive amphibians and 
reptiles; the presence of an amphibian species which is listed as 
endangered; sensitive heritage resources; water quality; conflicts in 
recreational uses of Piru Creek; inclusion of Piru Creek into the Wild 
and Scenic River System; maintaining biodiversity; and protecting the 
sensitive riparian ecosystem.
    The California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service are invited to participate as cooperative agencies to 
evaluate potential impacts on threatened and endangered species 
habitat. Representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers and the 
Regional Water Quality Control Board are invited to participate in 
resolving issues that deal with water quality. Federal, State, and 
local agencies, as well as industry; and other individual and 
organizations who may be interested in or affected by the decision, 
were invited to participate in the scoping process that was initiated 
during the fall of 1993 and completed in the spring of 1994. This 
process included:
    1. Identification of potential issues and/or concerns.
    2. Identification of issues to be identified in depth.
    3. Identification of issues which may be eliminated from further 
analysis.
    The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review and comment by 
October of 1999. EPA will publish a notice of availability for the 
draft EIS in the Federal Register. The comment period will be 45 days 
from the date of the EPA's published notice of availability. All 
persons interested in the proposed project are urged to participate at 
that time. Comments on the draft EIS should be as specific as possible 
and may address the adequacy of the EIS or the merits of the 
alternatives considered. In addition, Federal court decisions have 
established that reviewers of a draft EIS must structure their 
participation in the environmental review so that it is meaningful and 
alerts an agency to the reviewer's positions and contentions. 
Environmental objections that could have been raised at the draft EIS 
review stage may be waived if not raised until after completion of the 
final EIS. The reason for this is to ensure that substantive comments 
and objections are made available to the Forest Service in a timely 
manner so that the agency can respond to them in the final EIS.
    The final EIS is scheduled to be completed by April, 2000. In the 
final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to comments 
received from the public and consulted agencies. The responsible 
official will consider the comments, responses, laws, regulations and 
policies in making a decision regarding these project proposals. The 
responsible official will document the decision and reasons for the 
decision in the Record of Decision. The decision will be subject to 
appeal.
    Jeanine Derby, Forest Supervisor, Los Padres National Forest, 
Goleta, CA, is the responsible official. Written comments, questions, 
and suggestions concerning the analysis should be sent to Mark Bethke, 
District Ranger, Mount Pinos Ranger District, 34580 Lockwood Valley 
road, Frazier Park, California 93225, (phone 661-245-3731).

    Dated: June 25, 1999.
Jeanine A. Derby,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 99-19645 Filed 7-30-99; 8:45 am]
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