[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2605-2606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-718]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Rocky Mountain Region; Pikes Peak Ranger District, Pike National 
Forest, El Paso County, CO

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Gold Camp Road Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service has prepared a Draft Plan/Environmental

[[Page 2606]]

Impact Statement (EIS), which is available for public review. The Draft 
Plan/EIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts that may result 
from various management options for an 8.5-mile segment of a Forest 
Service road that has been closed for safety reasons since 1988. The 
objective of the management plan is to best accommodate public use and 
access to National Forest lands and nearby private in-holdings while 
maintaining public safety and the historic character of the road. The 
analysis is intended to accomplish the following: Inform the public of 
the proposed action and alternatives; address public comment received 
during the scoping period; disclose the direct, indirect, and 
cumulative environmental effects of the proposed actions and each of 
the alternatives; and indicate any irreversible commitment of resources 
that would result from implementation of the proposed action. The 
Forest Service's preferred alternative (Alternative E) is to restore 
and reopen a collapsed railroad tunnel and reopen the closed section of 
Gold Camp Road to one-way traffic. There would continue to be seasonal 
closure of the road from November 1 to April 1.
    The Forest Service invites the public to comment on the Draft Plan/
EIS. All comments received from individuals become part of the official 
public record. Requests for such comments will be handled in accordance 
with the Freedom of Information Act and the Council on Environmental 
Quality's National Environmental Policy Act regulations (40 CFR 
1506.6(f)). Our practice is to make comments available for public 
review during regular business hours. Individual respondents may 
request that we withhold their home address from the record, which we 
will honor to the extent allowable by law. If a respondent wishes us to 
withhold his/her name and/or address, this must be stated prominently 
at the beginning of the comment.
    Comment Period: Comments may be submitted in writing, orally, or 
through electronic means before March 15, 2005. Electronic comments may 
be submitted to http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/pp and follow the Gold 
Camp Road link. Acceptable formats for attachments are MS Word, text, 
PDF, or RTF. Written comments through the mail should be directed to: 
Gold Camp Road Project, Pikes Peak Ranger District, 601 S. Weber 
Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. In order to have administrative 
rights, you must provide substantive comments during this formal 
comment period. A Final Plan/Environmental Impact Statement will then 
be prepared and provided to the public for review.
    Requesting Further Information: Individuals wishing copies of this 
Draft Plan/EIS for review should contact: Frank Landis, Supervisory 
Outdoor Recreation Planner, Pike National Forest, Pikes Peak Ranger 
District, 601 S. Weber St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903. The Draft Plan/
EIS is also available on the Internet at http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/projects/gold_camp/ and at the Colorado libraries listed below:

Penrose Public Library, 20 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903, 
719-531-6333.
East Library, 5550 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80918, 719-531-
6333.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Landis at the address listed 
above or by telephone at 719-477-4203.
    Public Open Houses: Public open houses will be held during the 
comment period to solicit oral comments from the public. The dates and 
locations will be:
    Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2005.
    Time: 4 to 8 p.m.
    Place: Cheyenne Mountain High School, 1200 Cresta Road, Colorado 
Springs, Colorado.

    Date: Thursday, February 17, 2005.
    Time: 5 to 7 p.m.
    Place: City Hall, Bennett Avenue, Cripple Creek, Colorado.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 30, 2004, a notice was published in 
the Federal Register (69 FR 39401) announcing that the Forest Service 
intended to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement addressing the 
possible Federal action of preparing a plan for Gold Camp Road and 
inviting comments on the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement. 
Comments were received from April 12 through August 17, 2004 and were 
considered and are reflected in the Draft Plan/EIS made available for 
comment through this notice. This notice is provided pursuant to Forest 
Service regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (40 CFR 1506.6).

    Dated: January 6, 2005.
Robert J. Leaverton,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 05-718 Filed 1-13-05; 8:45 am]
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