[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]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
