Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement on Hatcher Pass Recreational Area Trails and Transit Facilities in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK, 67923-67924 [E8-27147]

Agencies

• Federal Transit Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 222 (Monday, November 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67923-67924]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-27147]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement on Hatcher Pass 
Recreational Area Trails and Transit Facilities in the Matanuska-
Susitna Borough, AK

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of 
Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FTA and Matanuska-Susitna Borough are issuing this notice 
to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will 
be prepared for the proposed Hatcher Pass Recreational Area Trails and 
Transit Facilities project in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. 
The project would construct access roads, parking areas, and pedestrian 
facilities for two day-use areas that would provide an opportunity for 
skiing and other recreational opportunities for local and regional 
residents. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with regulations 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as well as 
provisions of the recently enacted Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). 
The purpose of the Notice of Intent (NOI) is to alert interested 
parties regarding the plan to prepare the EIS, to provide information 
on the nature of the proposed project, to invite participation in the 
EIS process, including comments on the scope of the EIS proposed in 
this notice, and to announce that public scoping meetings will be 
conducted.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to Ms. 
Kristi Stuller, DOWL HKM Public Involvement Coordinator, by December 
24, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. at the location indicated under ADDRESSES below. 
An interagency scoping meeting has been scheduled for December 8, 2008, 
and the public scoping meeting will be held on December 11, 2008, from 
5:30-8:30 p.m. at the location indicated under ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to 
Ms. Kristi Stuller, DOWL HKM Public Involvement Coordinator, 4041 B 
Street, Anchorage, Alaska 99503. Comments may also be offered at the 
public and agency scoping meetings. The address for the public scoping 
meeting is as follows: Colony Middle School, 9250 Colony Schools Drive, 
Palmer, AK 99645.
    The address for the agency scoping meeting is as follows: 
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Lower Level Conference Room, 350 East Dahlia 
Avenue, Palmer, AK 99645.
    These locations are accessible to persons with disabilities. If 
translation signing services or other special accommodations are 
needed, please contact Public Involvement Coordinator Kristi Stuller at 
(907) 562-2000 at least 48 hours before the meeting. A scoping 
information packet is available on the project Web site at: https://
www.hatcherpass.com, or by calling Public Involvement Coordinator 
Kristi Stuller at (907) 562-2000. Copies will also be available at the 
scoping meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Linda Gehrke, Deputy Regional 
Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Region 10 Office, at 
(206) 220-4463.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    The Proposed Project: The FTA and Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB) 
are proposing a project to construct access roads, parking lots, and 
trail connections for two day-use areas that would provide 
transportation access and transit facilities to serve recreational 
opportunities for local and regional residents in the Hatcher Pass 
area. The MSB intends to create a moderate sized development that would 
include Nordic and alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, mountain 
biking, hiking, sledding, and equestrian access in Hatcher Pass, 
Alaska. The study area is located at approximately 61.734 north 
latitude and 149.299 west longitude (Sections 2-5, 8-11, 14-22, and 26-
30 of T19N, R1E, Seward Meridian) (USGS Quadrangle Anchorage C6, C7, 
and D7 1:63,360 Scale).

Preliminary Purposes and Need for the Proposed Project

    Purpose. The preliminary statement of purpose of this project is to 
provide transportation access and transit facilities to assist in the 
transportation needs of proposed new Nordic and alpine ski and 
recreational areas in Hatcher Pass, Alaska. Hatcher Pass is located 
approximately 55 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska, in the heart of the 
MSB, Alaska's fastest growing community.
    Need. The preliminary statement of need for the project is the lack 
of existing transportation access, pedestrian amenities and trails, and 
transit facilities to accommodate the proposed development of new 
recreational areas at Hatcher Pass that otherwise has excellent road 
access by both the Glenn and Parks Highways and is paved to the Alpine 
base area as well as to nearly the top of the pass.
    In the summer months, Hatcher Pass is a popular tourist destination 
with activity focused around the Independence Mine State Historical 
Park, which features the area's brief but intense hard rock mining 
history. The area is also a very popular family hiking area with many 
trail destinations. Hatcher Pass has been used as a winter sports venue 
since the 1940s and sees use by cross-country and downhill skiers, 
snowboarders and snowmobile riders. Their activities are currently 
supported by small-scale businesses, which provide limited food and 
lodging and some trail grooming services.
    The Hatcher Pass Ski Area Project, as currently proposed by the 
MSB, is not the large-scale four-season resort as is currently 
described in the 1989 State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources 
Hatcher Pass Management Plan. Rather, it will be a day-use area that 
will provide an opportunity for skiing and other recreational 
opportunities for local and regional residents that is financially 
feasible and environmentally sensitive. The MSB's goal is a moderate 
sized development that would include Nordic and alpine skiing, 
snowboarding, biathlon (winter sport that combines cross-country skiing 
with rifle shooting), mountain biking, hiking, sledding, and equestrian 
access.
    Preliminary estimates indicate that approximately 1,850 skiers will 
visit the Nordic area day during the 150 day ski season. In the Alpine 
area, the estimated visitation will be between 130,000-240,000 skiers 
during the 100 day ski season. These estimates are a result of applying 
economic trends and growth rates to the estimates in the Financial 
Feasibility Study conducted by Economic Research Associates in 1995. As 
of 2006, the average daily traffic (ADT) at the intersection of Palmer 
Fishhook Road and Edgerton Parks Road was 502.
    Alternatives: The proposed project includes improvements at two 
areas in Hatcher Pass--the North Side Alpine Ski Area and the South 
Side Recreational Area. Proposed improvements include the following:

[[Page 67924]]

North Side (Alpine Ski Area)

     Reconstruction of an existing gravel access road, 
approximately 1,400-ft in length
     Reconstruction of an existing gravel parking area
     Construction of a covered 20-30 passenger transit shelter 
at the south end of the parking lot

South Side Recreational Area

     Construction of a new access road off of Edgerton Park 
Road, approximately 5,500-ft in length
     Nordic and other non-motorized multiple-use trails
     Parking areas and trailheads
     Construction of a covered 20-30 passenger transit shelter 
at the south end of the parking lot
    The Hatcher Pass Ski Area project involves MSB's plans to construct 
two Alpine ski lifts, Alpine trails, and a small day lodge providing 
food and ski concessions as part of the overall Alpine ski area 
development, and a small chalet and conference facility as part of the 
overall South Side Recreational Area development. These components are 
not part of the FTA-funded project, but will be considered in the EIS 
as part of the secondary and cumulative impact analysis.
    Three preliminary road alignments have been developed for the South 
Side Recreational Area access road. MSB plans to utilize the EIS 
scoping process to continue refining and exploring the various 
development options for this project. These refinements will be 
developed in consultation with state and local agencies and the 
surrounding community, and will be explored in the context of the EIS.
    The EIS Process and the Role of Participating Agencies and the 
Public: The purpose of the EIS process is to explore in a public 
setting potentially significant effects of implementing the proposed 
action and alternatives on the physical, human, and natural 
environment. Areas of investigation include but are not limited to: 
land use, development potential, land acquisition and displacements, 
historic resources, visual and aesthetic qualities, air quality, noise 
and vibration, energy use, safety and security, and ecosystems, 
including threatened and endangered species. Measures to avoid, 
minimize, or mitigate any significant adverse impacts will be 
identified. Regulations implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of the 
recently enacted Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation 
Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), call for public 
involvement in the EIS process. Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU requires 
that FTA and the MSB do the following: (1) Extend an invitation to 
other Federal and non-Federal agencies and Indian tribes that may have 
an interest in the proposed project to become ``participating 
agencies,'' (2) provide an opportunity for involvement by participating 
agencies and the public in helping to define the purpose and need for a 
proposed project as well as the range of alternatives for consideration 
in the impact statement, and (3) establish a plan for coordinating 
public and agency participation in and comment on the environmental 
review process. An invitation to become a participating agency, with 
the scoping information packet appended, will be extended to other 
Federal and non-Federal agencies and Indian tribes that may have an 
interest in the proposed project. It is possible that we may not be 
able to identify all Federal and non-Federal agencies and Indian tribes 
that may have such interest. Any Federal or non-Federal agency or 
Indian tribe interested in the proposed project that does not receive 
an invitation to become a participating agency should notify at the 
earliest opportunity the contacts identified above under ADDRESSES.
    A comprehensive public involvement program has been developed and a 
public and agency involvement Coordination Plan will be created. The 
program includes a project Web site (https://www.hatcherpass.com); 
outreach to local and Borough officials and community and civic groups; 
a public scoping process to define the issues of concern among all 
parties interested in the project; establishment of a community 
advisory committee and organizing periodic meetings with that 
committee; a public hearing on release of the draft environmental 
impact statement (DEIS); establishment of a walk-in project office near 
the project area; and development and distribution of project 
newsletters.
    The purposes of and need for the proposed project have been 
preliminarily identified in this notice. We invite the public and 
participating agencies to consider the preliminary statement of 
purposes of and need for the proposed project, and to provide input on 
the purpose and need statement and potential alternatives that should 
be considered. Suggestions for modifications to the statement of 
purposes of and need for the proposed project and any other 
alternatives that meet the purpose of and need for the proposed project 
are welcomed and will be given serious consideration. Comments on 
potentially significant environmental impacts that may be associated 
with the proposed project and alternatives are also welcomed. There 
will be additional opportunities to participate in the scoping process 
at the public meeting announced in this notice.
    In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105(a) and 771.133, FTA will comply 
with all Federal environmental laws, regulations, and executive orders 
applicable to the proposed project during the environmental review 
process to the maximum extent practicable. These requirements include, 
but are not limited to, the regulations of the Council on Environmental 
Quality and FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508, and 23 CFR 
Part 771), the project-level air quality conformity regulation of the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (40 CFR part 93), the 
Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR part 230), the regulation 
implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36 
CFR part 800), the regulation implementing section 7 of the Endangered 
Species Act (50 CFR part 402), Section 4(f) of the Department of 
Transportation Act (23 CFR 771.135) and Executive Orders 12898 on 
environmental justice, 11988 on floodplain management, and 11990 on 
wetlands.

    Issued on: November 6, 2008.
Linda Gehrke,
Deputy Regional Administrator, FTA Region 10.
[FR Doc. E8-27147 Filed 11-14-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P