Department of Agriculture April 22, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The North Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet on Thursday, May 12, 2005 at the Mt. Baker Ranger District office, 810 State Route 20, Sedro Woolley, WA, and on Friday, May 20, 2005 at the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department Conference Room, 3373 Mt. Baker Highway, Bellingham, WA. Both meetings will begin at 9 a.m. The purpose of the first meeting will be to (1) elect a new RAC Chairperson, (2) discuss a Charter, and (3) begin review of proposed projects for 2006. The second meeting will (1) finish the review of proposed projects for 2006 and (2) conduct committee member voting on proposed projects. All North Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Resource Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend. The North Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Resource Advisory Committee advises Whatcom and Skagit Counties on projects, reviews project proposals, and makes recommendations to the appropriate USDA official for projects to be funded by Title II dollars. The North Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Resource Advisory Committee was established to carry out the requirements of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.

The USDA Forest Service, Monongahela National Forest intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental consequences of authorizing an easement on National Forest System lands. In the EIS, the USDA Forest Service will address the potential environmental impacts of authorizing the use of an existing abandoned railroad grade to provide reasonable access to a landowner to private lands in the Blackwater Canyon area of Tucker County, West Virginia. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the Purpose and Need for this action.

The USDA Forest Service will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Mission Brush project. The Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS for the Mission Brush project was published in the Federal Register (68 FR 53730) on September 12, 2003 and the notice of the Final EIS (69 FR 31613) was published on June 4, 2004. The Record of Decision on this project was administratively appealed to the Regional Forester per 36 CFR part 215. The Regional Forester affirmed my decision on August 30, 2004. However, due to information that has been identified since the availability of the final EIS and ROD, I have determined the need for a supplement. The proposed action is unchanged from the final EIS. A Supplemental EIS is being prepared to address analysis issues raised through the recent opinion issued through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Lands Council v. Powell, 395 F.3d 1015-1046 (9th Cir. 2005).