Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort Parking Improvements, 40322-40324 [2011-17143]

Download as PDF 40322 Notices Federal Register Vol. 76, No. 131 Friday, July 8, 2011 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort Parking Improvements Forest Service, USDA. Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. AGENCY: ACTION: The Mt. Hood National Forest (Forest) will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document and disclose the potential environmental effects of improving the parking at Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort. The proposed action is to construct the Twilight Parking Lot, an eight-acre parking lot for both downhill and Nordic customers at Mt Hood Meadows Ski Area. An additional 4.5 acres would be cleared for access roads, cut/fill slopes, storm water swales, snow storage, and an equipment maintenance yard. In addition, the proposed action includes the construction of the new Sunrise Vehicle Maintenance Shop on the north side of the Sunrise parking lot. DATES: Comments concerning the scope of this analysis must be received no later than August 8, 2011 to ensure they are fully incorporated into the Draft EIS. ADDRESSES: Please send your written comments to: Jennie O’Connor Card, Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort Parking Improvements Team Leader, 6780 Highway 35, Parkdale, Oregon 97041; Fax: (541) 352–7365. You may also hand-deliver your comments to the above address during normal business hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Electronic comments may be submitted to comments-pacific northwest-mthood-hoodriver@fs.fed.us in a format such as an e-mail message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennie O’Connor Card, Natural Resource Planner, Mt. Hood National Forest, 6780 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:52 Jul 07, 2011 Jkt 223001 Highway 35, Parkdale, Oregon 97041 or by e-mailing jennieoconnorcard@fs.fed.us or by calling (541) 352–1255. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Need for the Proposal The overall purpose of this project is to improve public and customer safety by increasing parking capacity and improving traffic flow in at Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort. Parking capacity would be increased by building the new Twilight Parking Lot and by moving the vehicle maintenance operations from the main lot to an alternate location. Also, traffic flow would be improved by constructing a left turn lane for northbound traffic turning onto the Mt. Hood Meadows Access Road. Specific management objectives and underlying needs are to: • Provide for public and customer safety by improving parking capacity; • Provide for public safety on Highway 35 by constructing a left turn lane, with adequate vehicle capacity, for ski traffic waiting to turn onto the Mt. Hood Meadows Access Road; • Provide additional parking, including area for snow storage, to serve the design capacity that was conceptually approved in the Record of Decision for the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area Master Plan published in 1997 while also minimizing environmental impact from parking lot construction and maintenance; and, • Separate the industrial bus parking and vehicle maintenance functions away from public areas at the Mt Hood Meadows Main Parking lot to further improve safety and parking capacity. Proposed Action The Proposed Action is to construct the Twilight Parking Lot, an eight-acre parking lot for both downhill and Nordic customers at Mt Hood Meadows Ski Area (see attached map). An additional 4.5 acres would be cleared for access roads, cut/fill slopes, storm water swales, snow storage, and an equipment maintenance yard. In order to facilitate the building of the new parking lot, the following actions are included in the proposal. • Construct a one-half acre equipment maintenance yard including bus and snow equipment parking, and equipment maintenance building. • Construct a Guest Services building to serve both downhill and Nordic PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 customers. Services to be provided include: bathrooms, lockers, limited food and beverage services, guest seating, Nordic equipment rental, and covered bus stop. • Construct a left turn lane with adequate vehicle storage for north bound traffic at the intersection of Highway 35 and the Mt. Hood Meadows Access Road (Forest Service Road 3545). • Bury utility lines from existing Nordic Center to the Twilight Lot in two 36-inch deep trenches separated by at least 10-feet following existing clearings. • Construct 0.42 miles of Nordic ski trails (to replace trail segments bisected by the proposed parking area). New trails would result in disturbance of an additional 2.75 acres. There would be no net loss of Nordic ski trails. • Any live whitebark pine trees that are removed as part of this project would be transplanted within the MHM permit area, if feasible. If it is not feasible to transplant the impacted whitebark pine, a new rust resistant seedling would be planted within the permit area. The equipment maintenance associated with the Twilight Parking Lot is light maintenance and de-icing/ washing of buses and snow removal equipment. In addition to the new Twilight Parking Lot, the Proposed Action includes the construction of the new Sunrise Vehicle Maintenance Shop on the north side of the Sunrise parking lot to provide maintenance services for snow cats and a location for larger maintenance needs (see attached map). The existing shop, built in 1967, is not large enough to service the number and size of the present snow cat, snowmobile, truck, and bus fleet. Also, the location of the current maintenance shop impedes traffic flow and removes potential parking capacity at the main lot. The new facility would include a fueling station and storm water management system. A water supply line and fiber optic communication line would be buried from the Administration building to the shop following the route of existing buried power line. The maintenance shop would provide adequate capacity for the size of the current and projected future fleet. The existing maintenance shop initially would be used for storage and eventually redeveloped for skier E:\FR\FM\08JYN1.SGM 08JYN1 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 131 / Friday, July 8, 2011 / Notices services. The existing maintenance shop has three underground fuel storage tanks. Two of the tanks would be moved to the new maintenance facilities for the fueling operation at the new Sunrise Maintenance Shop. The area would be decommissioned per Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) standards. One of the existing tanks would remain for fuel for the emergency power generators. It will be maintained, as it is now, per DEQ standards. The redevelopment of the building for skier services would require additional site-specific NEPA as required by the ROD, if any additional exterior improvements or changes are made to the building. The Proposed Action would be implemented as described below: • Remove trees and vegetation from a 12.5-acres site near the state sand shed for parking for the Twilight Parking Lot, storm water treatment, snow storage, circulation, buildings, and access roads. Pile and burn stumps and slash. • Remove trees from 2.8-acres to replace nordic trails impacted by parking lot construction. Flush cut or grind stumps, scatter or hand pile and burn slash, minimize damage to existing low growing vegetation. • Remove trees from 1.8-acre site next to Sunrise Lot for the vehicle maintenance shop. Pile and burn stumps and slash. • Install silt fence and other construction Best Mangement Practices (BMP) in compliance with erosion control plan. • Stockpile topsoil within the disturbed areas. Grade areas to prepare for surfacing then place saved topsoil on cut and fill slopes. • Hydro-seed disturbed areas with approved native vegetation. Place jute matting on steep slopes. • Place gravel sub-grade and install asphalt. • Construct buildings. • Twilight utility line installation would result in 1.1-acres of disturbance within an existing ski trail • Sunrise utility line installation would result in 0.38-acres of disturbance in an existing buried power line corridor. • Include passive storm water treatment features into design of project. • The fill associated with these projects would be used and balanced between the Twilight Park Lot, Sunrise Maintenance Shop and Highway 35 left turn lane. The total disturbance associated with this project is approximately 18 acres. All projects would occur within the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort Permit Area. The entire permit area occurs on A11– VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:52 Jul 07, 2011 Jkt 223001 Winter Recreation Area according to the Mt. Hood National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The proposed projects meet the standards and guidelines for this land use allocation. The legal description of these projects is: Sections 10 & 11, T3S, R 9E. Proposed Scoping As directed by the National Environmental Policy Act (1969), the Forest Service is now seeking comments from individuals, organizations, local and state governments, and other federal agencies that may be interested in or affected by the proposed action. Comments may pertain to the nature and scope of the environmental, social, and economic issues, and possible alternatives to the proposed action. Comments will help the Forest Service assess the proposed action, develop alternatives and prepare a draft environmental impact statement. Alternatives Considered The No Action alternative will serve as a baseline for comparison of alternatives. This alternative will offer no changes to the parking within the permit area. It will be fully developed and analyzed. The proposed action, as described above will be considered as an alternative. Additional alternatives may be developed around the proposed action to address key issues identified in the scoping and public involvement process. Estimated Dates for Draft and Final EIS The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for public comment by April 2012. The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register. The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of the draft EIS must structure their participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer’s position and contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC. 435 U.S. 519. 553 (1978). Also, environmental objectives that could be raised at the draft EIS stage but that are not raised until after the 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 Wisconsin Heritage, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334 (E.D.Wis. PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 40323 1980). Because of these court rulings, it is very important that those interested in this proposed action participate by the close of the 45-day 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 the comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the draft statement. 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 provision of the National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 1503.3). Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposed action and will be available for public inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments may not have standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Part 215. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality. Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service will inform the requester of the agency’s decision regarding the request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within a specified number of days. Comments on the draft EIS will be analyzed, considered, and responded to by the Forest Service in preparing the final EIS. The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in November 2012. The Responsible Official will be Daina Bambe, Hood River District Ranger on the Mt. Hood National Forest. She will consider comments, responses, environmental consequences discussed in the final EIS, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies in making a decision regarding this proposed action. E:\FR\FM\08JYN1.SGM 08JYN1 40324 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 131 / Friday, July 8, 2011 / Notices The responsible official will document the decision and rationale for the decision in the Record of Decision. It will be subject to Forest Service Appeal Regulations (36 CFR Part 215). Dated: June 29, 2011. Daina L. Bambe, Hood River District Ranger, Mt. Hood National Forest. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Ravalli County Resource Advisory Committee Forest Service, USDA. Notice of meeting. AGENCY: The Ravalli County Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Hamilton, Montana. The purpose of the meeting is project discussion and presentations. SUMMARY: The meeting will be held August 23, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 1801 N. First Street. Written comments should be sent to Stevensville RD, 88 Main Street, Stevensville, MT 59870. Comments may also be sent via e-mail to dritter@fs.fed.us or via facsimile to 406–777–5461. All comments, including names and addresses when provided, are placed in the record and are available for public inspection and copying. The public may inspect comments received at 88 Main Street, Stevensville, MT. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to 406–777– 5461 to facilitate entry into the building. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Ritter, District Ranger, 406–777–7410 or Nancy Trotter, RAC coordinator, 406– 777–7413. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meeting is open to the public. Council discussion is limited to Forest Service staff and Council members. However, persons who wish to bring concerns to the attention of the Council may file written statements with the Council staff before or after the meeting. Public input sessions will be provided and individuals who made written requests by August 22, 2011 will have the opportunity to address the Council at those sessions. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:52 Jul 07, 2011 Jkt 223001 BILLING CODE P Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request BILLING CODE 3410–11–P DATES: [FR Doc. 2011–17198 Filed 7–7–11; 8:45 am] DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE [FR Doc. 2011–17143 Filed 7–7–11; 8:45 am] ACTION: Dated: July 1, 2011. Julie K. King, Forest Supervisor. The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Title: Economic Surveys of American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Small Boat-based Fisheries. OMB Control Number: None. Form Number(s): NA. Type of Request: Regular submission (request for a new information collection). Number of Respondents: 366. Average Hours per Response: 10 minutes. Burden Hours: 160. Needs and Uses: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to collect information about fishing expenses in the American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) boatbased reef fish, bottomfish, and pelagics fisheries with which to conduct economic analyses that will improve fishery management in those fisheries; satisfy NMFS’ legal mandates under Executive Order 12866, the MagnusonSteven Fishery Conservation and Management Act (U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act; and quantify achievement of the performances measures in the NMFS Strategic Operating Plans. An example of these performance measures: The economic data collected will allow quantitative assessment of the fisheries sector’s social and economic contribution, linkages and impacts of the fisheries sector to the overall economy through Input-output (I–O) models analyses. Results from I–O analyses will not only provide indicators of social-economic benefits of the marine ecosystem, a performance measure in the NMFS Strategic Operating Plans, but also be used to assess how fishermen and economy will be impacted by and respond to PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 regulations likely to be considered by fishery managers. These data will be collected in conjunction with catch and effort data already being collected in this fishery as part of a creel survey program.1 Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. Frequency: On occasion. Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. OMB Desk Officer: OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov. Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, (202) 482–0266, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at dHynek@doc.gov). Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov. Dated: July 5, 2011. Gwellnar Banks, Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 2011–17177 Filed 7–7–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A–580–855] Diamond Sawblades and Parts Thereof From the Republic of Korea: Extension of Time Limit for the Preliminary Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. AGENCY: DATES: Effective Date: July 8, 2011. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Holland or Chris Siepmann, AD/ CVD Operations, Office 1, Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone (202) 482–1279 and (202) 482–7958, respectively. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1 The Creel Survey Program is one of the major data collection systems to monitor fisheries resources in these three geographic areas. The survey monitors the islands’ fishing activities and interviews returning fishermen at the most active launching ramps/docks during selected time periods on the islands. E:\FR\FM\08JYN1.SGM 08JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 131 (Friday, July 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40322-40324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17143]


========================================================================
Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
appearing in this section.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 131 / Friday, July 8, 2011 / 
Notices

[[Page 40322]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort Parking Improvements

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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

SUMMARY: The Mt. Hood National Forest (Forest) will prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document and disclose the 
potential environmental effects of improving the parking at Mt. Hood 
Meadows Ski Resort. The proposed action is to construct the Twilight 
Parking Lot, an eight-acre parking lot for both downhill and Nordic 
customers at Mt Hood Meadows Ski Area. An additional 4.5 acres would be 
cleared for access roads, cut/fill slopes, storm water swales, snow 
storage, and an equipment maintenance yard. In addition, the proposed 
action includes the construction of the new Sunrise Vehicle Maintenance 
Shop on the north side of the Sunrise parking lot.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of this analysis must be received 
no later than August 8, 2011 to ensure they are fully incorporated into 
the Draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: Please send your written comments to: Jennie O'Connor Card, 
Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort Parking Improvements Team Leader, 6780 
Highway 35, Parkdale, Oregon 97041; Fax: (541) 352-7365. You may also 
hand-deliver your comments to the above address during normal business 
hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 Monday through Friday, excluding federal 
holidays. Electronic comments may be submitted to comments-pacificnorthwest-mthood-hoodriver@fs.fed.us in a format such as an e-
mail message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word 
(.doc).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennie O'Connor Card, Natural Resource 
Planner, Mt. Hood National Forest, 6780 Highway 35, Parkdale, Oregon 
97041 or by e-mailing jennieoconnorcard@fs.fed.us or by calling (541) 
352-1255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Need for the Proposal

    The overall purpose of this project is to improve public and 
customer safety by increasing parking capacity and improving traffic 
flow in at Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort. Parking capacity would be 
increased by building the new Twilight Parking Lot and by moving the 
vehicle maintenance operations from the main lot to an alternate 
location. Also, traffic flow would be improved by constructing a left 
turn lane for northbound traffic turning onto the Mt. Hood Meadows 
Access Road.
    Specific management objectives and underlying needs are to:
     Provide for public and customer safety by improving 
parking capacity;
     Provide for public safety on Highway 35 by constructing a 
left turn lane, with adequate vehicle capacity, for ski traffic waiting 
to turn onto the Mt. Hood Meadows Access Road;
     Provide additional parking, including area for snow 
storage, to serve the design capacity that was conceptually approved in 
the Record of Decision for the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area Master Plan 
published in 1997 while also minimizing environmental impact from 
parking lot construction and maintenance; and,
     Separate the industrial bus parking and vehicle 
maintenance functions away from public areas at the Mt Hood Meadows 
Main Parking lot to further improve safety and parking capacity.

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action is to construct the Twilight Parking Lot, an 
eight-acre parking lot for both downhill and Nordic customers at Mt 
Hood Meadows Ski Area (see attached map). An additional 4.5 acres would 
be cleared for access roads, cut/fill slopes, storm water swales, snow 
storage, and an equipment maintenance yard. In order to facilitate the 
building of the new parking lot, the following actions are included in 
the proposal.
     Construct a one-half acre equipment maintenance yard 
including bus and snow equipment parking, and equipment maintenance 
building.
     Construct a Guest Services building to serve both downhill 
and Nordic customers. Services to be provided include: bathrooms, 
lockers, limited food and beverage services, guest seating, Nordic 
equipment rental, and covered bus stop.
     Construct a left turn lane with adequate vehicle storage 
for north bound traffic at the intersection of Highway 35 and the Mt. 
Hood Meadows Access Road (Forest Service Road 3545).
     Bury utility lines from existing Nordic Center to the 
Twilight Lot in two 36-inch deep trenches separated by at least 10-feet 
following existing clearings.
     Construct 0.42 miles of Nordic ski trails (to replace 
trail segments bisected by the proposed parking area). New trails would 
result in disturbance of an additional 2.75 acres. There would be no 
net loss of Nordic ski trails.
     Any live whitebark pine trees that are removed as part of 
this project would be transplanted within the MHM permit area, if 
feasible. If it is not feasible to transplant the impacted whitebark 
pine, a new rust resistant seedling would be planted within the permit 
area.
    The equipment maintenance associated with the Twilight Parking Lot 
is light maintenance and de-icing/washing of buses and snow removal 
equipment. In addition to the new Twilight Parking Lot, the Proposed 
Action includes the construction of the new Sunrise Vehicle Maintenance 
Shop on the north side of the Sunrise parking lot to provide 
maintenance services for snow cats and a location for larger 
maintenance needs (see attached map). The existing shop, built in 1967, 
is not large enough to service the number and size of the present snow 
cat, snowmobile, truck, and bus fleet. Also, the location of the 
current maintenance shop impedes traffic flow and removes potential 
parking capacity at the main lot. The new facility would include a 
fueling station and storm water management system. A water supply line 
and fiber optic communication line would be buried from the 
Administration building to the shop following the route of existing 
buried power line. The maintenance shop would provide adequate capacity 
for the size of the current and projected future fleet.
    The existing maintenance shop initially would be used for storage 
and eventually redeveloped for skier

[[Page 40323]]

services. The existing maintenance shop has three underground fuel 
storage tanks. Two of the tanks would be moved to the new maintenance 
facilities for the fueling operation at the new Sunrise Maintenance 
Shop. The area would be decommissioned per Oregon Department of 
Environmental Quality (DEQ) standards. One of the existing tanks would 
remain for fuel for the emergency power generators. It will be 
maintained, as it is now, per DEQ standards. The redevelopment of the 
building for skier services would require additional site-specific NEPA 
as required by the ROD, if any additional exterior improvements or 
changes are made to the building.
    The Proposed Action would be implemented as described below:
     Remove trees and vegetation from a 12.5-acres site near 
the state sand shed for parking for the Twilight Parking Lot, storm 
water treatment, snow storage, circulation, buildings, and access 
roads. Pile and burn stumps and slash.
     Remove trees from 2.8-acres to replace nordic trails 
impacted by parking lot construction. Flush cut or grind stumps, 
scatter or hand pile and burn slash, minimize damage to existing low 
growing vegetation.
     Remove trees from 1.8-acre site next to Sunrise Lot for 
the vehicle maintenance shop. Pile and burn stumps and slash.
     Install silt fence and other construction Best Mangement 
Practices (BMP) in compliance with erosion control plan.
     Stockpile topsoil within the disturbed areas. Grade areas 
to prepare for surfacing then place saved topsoil on cut and fill 
slopes.
     Hydro-seed disturbed areas with approved native 
vegetation. Place jute matting on steep slopes.
     Place gravel sub-grade and install asphalt.
     Construct buildings.
     Twilight utility line installation would result in 1.1-
acres of disturbance within an existing ski trail
     Sunrise utility line installation would result in 0.38-
acres of disturbance in an existing buried power line corridor.
     Include passive storm water treatment features into design 
of project.
     The fill associated with these projects would be used and 
balanced between the Twilight Park Lot, Sunrise Maintenance Shop and 
Highway 35 left turn lane.
    The total disturbance associated with this project is approximately 
18 acres. All projects would occur within the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski 
Resort Permit Area. The entire permit area occurs on A11-Winter 
Recreation Area according to the Mt. Hood National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The proposed projects meet the 
standards and guidelines for this land use allocation. The legal 
description of these projects is: Sections 10 & 11, T3S, R 9E.

Proposed Scoping

    As directed by the National Environmental Policy Act (1969), the 
Forest Service is now seeking comments from individuals, organizations, 
local and state governments, and other federal agencies that may be 
interested in or affected by the proposed action. Comments may pertain 
to the nature and scope of the environmental, social, and economic 
issues, and possible alternatives to the proposed action. Comments will 
help the Forest Service assess the proposed action, develop 
alternatives and prepare a draft environmental impact statement.

Alternatives Considered

    The No Action alternative will serve as a baseline for comparison 
of alternatives. This alternative will offer no changes to the parking 
within the permit area. It will be fully developed and analyzed. The 
proposed action, as described above will be considered as an 
alternative. Additional alternatives may be developed around the 
proposed action to address key issues identified in the scoping and 
public involvement process.

Estimated Dates for Draft and Final EIS

    The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for public comment by April 
2012. The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date 
the EPA publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
    The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important 
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public 
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of 
the draft EIS must structure their participation in the environmental 
review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to 
the reviewer's position and contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power 
Corp. v. NRDC. 435 U.S. 519. 553 (1978). Also, environmental objectives 
that could be raised at the draft EIS stage but that are not raised 
until after the 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 Wisconsin Heritage, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334 
(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 45-day 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 the comments refer to 
specific pages or chapters of the draft statement. 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 provision of the National Environmental Policy Act (40 
CFR 1503.3).
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the 
public record on this proposed action and will be available for public 
inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and 
considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments may not have 
standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Part 215. 
Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the 
agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing how 
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality. 
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the 
FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited 
circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service 
will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the 
request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the 
agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the 
comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within a 
specified number of days.
    Comments on the draft EIS will be analyzed, considered, and 
responded to by the Forest Service in preparing the final EIS. The 
final EIS is scheduled to be completed in November 2012. The 
Responsible Official will be Daina Bambe, Hood River District Ranger on 
the Mt. Hood National Forest. She will consider comments, responses, 
environmental consequences discussed in the final EIS, and applicable 
laws, regulations, and policies in making a decision regarding this 
proposed action.

[[Page 40324]]

The responsible official will document the decision and rationale for 
the decision in the Record of Decision. It will be subject to Forest 
Service Appeal Regulations (36 CFR Part 215).

    Dated: June 29, 2011.
Daina L. Bambe,
Hood River District Ranger, Mt. Hood National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2011-17143 Filed 7-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
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