Mt. Hood National Forest; Oregon; Cooper Spur-Government Camp Land Exchange, 7743-7744 [2016-03047]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 16, 2016 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Mt. Hood National Forest; Oregon;
Cooper Spur—Government Camp Land
Exchange
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Mt. Hood National Forest
will prepare an environmental impact
statement to document and disclose the
projected effects of a congressionally
directed and conditioned land
exchange. This land exchange includes
the conveyance of approximately 110
acres of National Forest System lands
adjacent to Government Camp in
Clackamas County, Oregon, in exchange
for the acquisition of approximately 765
acres of land owned by Mt. Hood
Meadows Oreg., LLC, in Hood River
County, Oregon.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by
March 17, 2016. The draft
environmental impact statement is
expected November 2016 and the final
environmental impact statement is
expected January 2018.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
the Mt. Hood National Forest, 16400
Champion Way, Sandy, OR 97055.
Comments may also be sent via email to
comments-pacificnorthwest-mthood@
fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to (503) 668–
1423.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle Lombardo, Forest
Environmental Coordinator, Mt. Hood
National Forest, at (503) 668–1796 or by
email at mlombardo@fs.fed.us.
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 Time, Monday
through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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SUMMARY:
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of the congressionally
directed and conditioned land exchange
between the Mt. Hood National Forest
and the Mt. Hood Meadows Oregon,
LLC, is to comply with and carry out the
Omnibus Public Land Management Act
of March 30, 2009 (123 Stat. 991, Pub.
L. 111–11), which provides direction for
this land exchange.
Proposed Action
The proposed action includes the
conveyance of two parcels of National
Forest System lands, totaling
approximately 110 acres, in exchange
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22:15 Feb 12, 2016
Jkt 238001
for the acquisition of approximately 765
acres of land owned by Mt. Hood
Meadows. The Federal land proposed
for conveyance is located to the north of
the Government Camp Loop Road in
Government Camp, Oregon, in T3S,
R8E, sections 13 & 24, and T3S, R8.5E,
section 14 in Clackamas County. The
land owned by Mt. Hood Meadows that
is proposed for acquisition is located
about one-half mile to the west of
Highway 35 in the vicinity of the
Cooper Spur Ski Area in T2S, R10E,
sections 6 & 7, T1S, R10E, Sections 30
& 31, and T1S, R9E, Section 36 in Hood
River County.
The Omnibus Act (Section
1206(a)(2)(G)) prescribes as a condition
to the land exchange that the Forest
Service reserve wetland and trail
easements on the Federal parcels to be
exchanged. More specifically, the
Omnibus Act requires the U.S. to
reserve a conservation easement on the
Federal land to protect existing wetland,
as identified by the Oregon Department
of State Lands, that allows equivalent
wetland mitigation measures to
compensate for minor wetland
encroachments necessary for the orderly
development of that land following the
exchange. The Omnibus Act also
requires the U.S. to reserve a trail
easement on the Federal land that
allows non-motorized use by the public
of existing trails; roads, utilities, and
infrastructure facilities to cross the
trails; and improvement or relocation of
the trails to accommodate development
of the Federal land. The Omnibus Act
also provides that, on completion of the
land exchange, additional lands would
be considered part of the Mt. Hood
Wilderness and that the Crystal Springs
Watershed Special Resource
Management Unit would be created.
The environmental impact statement
to be prepared will also consider a
proposed amendment to the the Mt.
Hood National Forest Land and
Resources Management Plan (1990), as
amended by the Northwest Forest Plan
(1994), that will be necessary to assign
land use allocations to the acquired
lands, change the land use allocations
for the new Tilly Jane Wilderness
Addition and the Crystal Springs
Watershed Special Resource
Management Unit, and add standards
and guidelines for the Crystal Springs
Watershed Special Resource
Management Unit upon its creation.
Possible Alternatives
A bill, referred to as the ‘‘Mount Hood
Cooper Spur Land Exchange
Clarification Act,’’ has been introduced
in the U.S. Congress that would amend
the Omnibus Act to modify certain
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Sfmt 4703
7743
conditions of the land exchange as
described in the proposed action. The
proposed modifications set forth in the
bill will be analyzed in the
environmental impact statement as
appropriate, depending upon future
congressional developments regarding
its status.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official for this
project is the Mt. Hood Forest
Supervisor.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Official will decide
whether to adopt and implement the
proposed action, an alternative to the
proposed action, or take no action. It
should be noted that, in this context,
this decision is necessarily informed
and constrained by the Omnibus Act,
which provides direction for the
proposed action, and therefore, if the
Responsible Official finds the
congressionally-mandated conditions
are satisfied, the Forest Service will
execute the land exchange.
Preliminary Issues
A preliminary analysis of potential
effects revealed the following
preliminary issues:
(1) Camp Creek and an intermittent
tributary of Camp Creek run through the
Federal parcels. Neither reach of the
stream is fish-bearing. Camp Creek is
not 303(d)-listed under the Clean Water
Act, but it does have water quality
issues associated with Government
Camp (such as sewage and runoff from
the roads). Depending on the type and
quality of development that might occur
on the parcels after the exchange, the
water quality could further decrease.
However, the impacts of development
should be lessened by the
congressionally-mandated conservation
easement on the wetland, through
which the streams flow. Detailed
information is not available regarding
fisheries or water quality on the nonFederal parcel.
(2) Surveys for wetlands and
floodplains on both parcels have been
completed. Wetlands are present on the
Federal parcels, and narrow, streamassociated wetlands exist on the nonFederal parcel. It appears that the Forest
Service will be conveying more
wetlands than would be acquired. In the
Omnibus Act (Section 1206(a)(G)(i)),
however, Congress mandated that a
conservation easement be placed upon
the wetlands at Government Camp. The
Act directs that the easement protect the
wetland and allow for equivalent
wetland mitigation measures necessary
for the orderly development of the
E:\FR\FM\16FEN1.SGM
16FEN1
7744
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 16, 2016 / Notices
conveyed land. The acquisition of the
wetlands at Cooper Spur and the
easement on the wetlands at
Government Camp may therefore result
in no net loss of wetlands.
(3) A cultural and heritage resource
survey was conducted on the Federal
parcel. The survey revealed the
potential for an adverse effect to a site
of archaeological/cultural interest.
Mitigation measures will be developed
with Tribal and State Historic
Preservation Officer (SHPO)
consultation.
(4) Trails 755, 755A, and 755B cross
the Federal parcels. A trail easement has
been congressionally mandated so that
non-motorized users would continue to
be able to use the trails to get to Federal
land, so that roads, utilities, and
infrastructure facilities could be built
across the trails, and to allow for
improvement or relocation of the trails
so that development of the conveyed
parcels could occur. While the trails (or
relocated trails) would still exist, the
recreation experience could be
negatively impacted by new
development (such as buildings and
parking lots) or the presence of new
infrastructure.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the
scoping process, which guides the
development of the environmental
impact statement. It is important that
reviewers provide their comments at
such times and in such manner that
they are useful to the agency’s
preparation of the environmental impact
statement. Therefore, comments should
be provided prior to the close of the
comment period and should clearly
articulate the reviewer’s concerns and
contentions. Comments received in
response to this solicitation, including
names and addresses of those who
comment, will be part of the public
record for this proposed action.
Comments submitted anonymously will
be accepted and considered, however.
Dated: February 9, 2016.
Lisa A. Northrop,
Mt. Hood Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2016–03047 Filed 2–12–16; 8:45 am]
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BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Eastern Washington Cascades
Provincial Advisory Committee
Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
22:15 Feb 12, 2016
Jkt 238001
The Eastern Washington
Cascades Provincial Advisory
Committee (PAC) will meet in
Wenatchee, Washington. The committee
is authorized pursuant to the
implementation of E–19 of the Record of
Decision and operates in compliance
with the Federal Advisory Committee
Act. The purpose of the committee is to
provide advice and make
recommendations to promote a better
integration of forest management
activities between Federal and nonFederal entities to ensure that such
activities are complementary. PAC
information can be found at the
following Web site: https://
www.fs.usda.gov/main/okawen/
workingtogether/advisorycommittees.
DATES: The meeting will be held from
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday,
March 22.
All PAC meetings are subject to
cancellation. For status of meeting prior
to attendance, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
SUMMARY:
The meeting will be held at
the Okanogan-Wenatchee National
Forest headquarters office located at 215
Melody Lane, Wenatchee, Washington.
Written comments may be submitted
as described under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION. 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 215 Melody Lane,
Wenatchee, Washington. Please call
ahead to facilitate entry into the
building.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Public Affairs Specialist Robin DeMario
by phone at 509–664–9292 or via email
at rdemario@fs.fed.us.
Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.,
Eastern Standard Time, Monday
through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
purpose of the meeting is:
1. To provide updates to advisory
committee members on Forest Plan
Revision, Travel Management Planning,
Forest Restoration Strategy, review of
the fires that occurred in 2015 on the
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest,
and Burned Area Emergency Response
efforts.
The meeting is open to the public.
The agenda will include time for people
to make oral statements of three minutes
or less. Individuals wishing to make an
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
oral statement should request in writing
by March 14, 2016 to be scheduled on
the agenda. Anyone who would like to
bring related matters to the attention of
the committee may file written
statements with the committee staff
before or after the meeting. Written
comments and requests for time to make
oral comments must be sent to Pubic
Affairs Specialist Robin DeMario, 216
Melody Lane, Wenatchee, Washington,
98801; by email to rdemario@fs.fed.us,
or via facsimile to 509–664–9286.
Meeting Accommodations: If you are
a person requiring reasonable
accommodation, please make requests
in advance for sign language
interpreting, assistive listening devices
or other reasonable accommodation for
access to the facility or proceedings by
contacting the person listed in the
section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT. All reasonable
accommodation requests are managed
on a case by case basis.
Dated: February 9, 2016.
Jason Kuiken,
Deputy Forest Supervisor, OkanoganWenatchee National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2016–03042 Filed 2–12–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
CHEMICAL SAFETY AND HAZARD
INVESTIGATION BOARD
Sunshine Act Meeting
February 23, 2016, 1:00
p.m. EST
PLACE: U.S. Chemical Safety Board,
1750 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Suite 910,
Washington, DC 20006.
STATUS: Open to the public.
TIME AND DATE:
Matters To Be Considered
The Chemical Safety and Hazard
Investigation Board (CSB) will convene
a public meeting on February 23, 2016,
starting at 1:00 p.m. EST in Washington,
DC at the CSB offices located at 1750
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite 910.
The Board will discuss the status of
open investigations, advocacy related to
the State of California’s Process Safety
Management (PSM) reforms, on the
status of audits from the Office of the
Inspector General, financial and
organizational updates, and a review of
the agency’s action plan. An
opportunity for public comment will be
provided.
Additional Information
The meeting is free and open to the
public. If you require a translator or
interpreter, please notify the individual
listed below as the ‘‘Contact Person for
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7743-7744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03047]
[[Page 7743]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Mt. Hood National Forest; Oregon; Cooper Spur--Government Camp
Land Exchange
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Mt. Hood National Forest will prepare an environmental
impact statement to document and disclose the projected effects of a
congressionally directed and conditioned land exchange. This land
exchange includes the conveyance of approximately 110 acres of National
Forest System lands adjacent to Government Camp in Clackamas County,
Oregon, in exchange for the acquisition of approximately 765 acres of
land owned by Mt. Hood Meadows Oreg., LLC, in Hood River County,
Oregon.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by March 17, 2016. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
November 2016 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
January 2018.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to the Mt. Hood National Forest, 16400
Champion Way, Sandy, OR 97055. Comments may also be sent via email to
comments-pacificnorthwest-mthood@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to (503)
668-1423.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Lombardo, Forest
Environmental Coordinator, Mt. Hood National Forest, at (503) 668-1796
or by email at mlombardo@fs.fed.us. 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 Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of the congressionally directed and conditioned land
exchange between the Mt. Hood National Forest and the Mt. Hood Meadows
Oregon, LLC, is to comply with and carry out the Omnibus Public Land
Management Act of March 30, 2009 (123 Stat. 991, Pub. L. 111-11), which
provides direction for this land exchange.
Proposed Action
The proposed action includes the conveyance of two parcels of
National Forest System lands, totaling approximately 110 acres, in
exchange for the acquisition of approximately 765 acres of land owned
by Mt. Hood Meadows. The Federal land proposed for conveyance is
located to the north of the Government Camp Loop Road in Government
Camp, Oregon, in T3S, R8E, sections 13 & 24, and T3S, R8.5E, section 14
in Clackamas County. The land owned by Mt. Hood Meadows that is
proposed for acquisition is located about one-half mile to the west of
Highway 35 in the vicinity of the Cooper Spur Ski Area in T2S, R10E,
sections 6 & 7, T1S, R10E, Sections 30 & 31, and T1S, R9E, Section 36
in Hood River County.
The Omnibus Act (Section 1206(a)(2)(G)) prescribes as a condition
to the land exchange that the Forest Service reserve wetland and trail
easements on the Federal parcels to be exchanged. More specifically,
the Omnibus Act requires the U.S. to reserve a conservation easement on
the Federal land to protect existing wetland, as identified by the
Oregon Department of State Lands, that allows equivalent wetland
mitigation measures to compensate for minor wetland encroachments
necessary for the orderly development of that land following the
exchange. The Omnibus Act also requires the U.S. to reserve a trail
easement on the Federal land that allows non-motorized use by the
public of existing trails; roads, utilities, and infrastructure
facilities to cross the trails; and improvement or relocation of the
trails to accommodate development of the Federal land. The Omnibus Act
also provides that, on completion of the land exchange, additional
lands would be considered part of the Mt. Hood Wilderness and that the
Crystal Springs Watershed Special Resource Management Unit would be
created.
The environmental impact statement to be prepared will also
consider a proposed amendment to the the Mt. Hood National Forest Land
and Resources Management Plan (1990), as amended by the Northwest
Forest Plan (1994), that will be necessary to assign land use
allocations to the acquired lands, change the land use allocations for
the new Tilly Jane Wilderness Addition and the Crystal Springs
Watershed Special Resource Management Unit, and add standards and
guidelines for the Crystal Springs Watershed Special Resource
Management Unit upon its creation.
Possible Alternatives
A bill, referred to as the ``Mount Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange
Clarification Act,'' has been introduced in the U.S. Congress that
would amend the Omnibus Act to modify certain conditions of the land
exchange as described in the proposed action. The proposed
modifications set forth in the bill will be analyzed in the
environmental impact statement as appropriate, depending upon future
congressional developments regarding its status.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official for this project is the Mt. Hood Forest
Supervisor.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Official will decide whether to adopt and implement
the proposed action, an alternative to the proposed action, or take no
action. It should be noted that, in this context, this decision is
necessarily informed and constrained by the Omnibus Act, which provides
direction for the proposed action, and therefore, if the Responsible
Official finds the congressionally-mandated conditions are satisfied,
the Forest Service will execute the land exchange.
Preliminary Issues
A preliminary analysis of potential effects revealed the following
preliminary issues:
(1) Camp Creek and an intermittent tributary of Camp Creek run
through the Federal parcels. Neither reach of the stream is fish-
bearing. Camp Creek is not 303(d)-listed under the Clean Water Act, but
it does have water quality issues associated with Government Camp (such
as sewage and runoff from the roads). Depending on the type and quality
of development that might occur on the parcels after the exchange, the
water quality could further decrease. However, the impacts of
development should be lessened by the congressionally-mandated
conservation easement on the wetland, through which the streams flow.
Detailed information is not available regarding fisheries or water
quality on the non-Federal parcel.
(2) Surveys for wetlands and floodplains on both parcels have been
completed. Wetlands are present on the Federal parcels, and narrow,
stream-associated wetlands exist on the non-Federal parcel. It appears
that the Forest Service will be conveying more wetlands than would be
acquired. In the Omnibus Act (Section 1206(a)(G)(i)), however, Congress
mandated that a conservation easement be placed upon the wetlands at
Government Camp. The Act directs that the easement protect the wetland
and allow for equivalent wetland mitigation measures necessary for the
orderly development of the
[[Page 7744]]
conveyed land. The acquisition of the wetlands at Cooper Spur and the
easement on the wetlands at Government Camp may therefore result in no
net loss of wetlands.
(3) A cultural and heritage resource survey was conducted on the
Federal parcel. The survey revealed the potential for an adverse effect
to a site of archaeological/cultural interest. Mitigation measures will
be developed with Tribal and State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO)
consultation.
(4) Trails 755, 755A, and 755B cross the Federal parcels. A trail
easement has been congressionally mandated so that non-motorized users
would continue to be able to use the trails to get to Federal land, so
that roads, utilities, and infrastructure facilities could be built
across the trails, and to allow for improvement or relocation of the
trails so that development of the conveyed parcels could occur. While
the trails (or relocated trails) would still exist, the recreation
experience could be negatively impacted by new development (such as
buildings and parking lots) or the presence of new infrastructure.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. It is important
that reviewers provide their comments at such times and in such manner
that they are useful to the agency's preparation of the environmental
impact statement. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the
close of the comment period and should clearly articulate the
reviewer's concerns and contentions. Comments received in response to
this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment,
will be part of the public record for this proposed action. Comments
submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered, however.
Dated: February 9, 2016.
Lisa A. Northrop,
Mt. Hood Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2016-03047 Filed 2-12-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P