Hoodoo Ski Bowl Master Plan, Willamette National Forest, Linn County, OR

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Hoodoo Ski Bowl Master Plan, Willamette National Forest, Linn

County, OR

agency: Forest Service, USDA.

action: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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summary: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) on the proposed Master Plan for Hoodoo Ski Bowl to be

submitted by Hoodoo Ski Bowl, Inc. The need for a new Master Plan for

Hoodoo Ski Bowl ski area is to replace the current Master Plan which

was approved April 23, 1980. The current plan expires in December 1995.

The Willamette National Forest invites written comments on the scope of

the analysis and decision making process for the proposal so interested

and affected people may participate and contribute to the final

decision.

dates: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received

in writing by October 1, 1994.

addresses: Send written comments to Phil Raab, District Recreation

Assistant, McKenzie Ranger District, McKenzie Bridge, Oregon 97413.

for further information contact: Phil Raab, District Recreation

Assistant, (503) 822-3381.

supplementary information: The USDA, Forest Service, proposal is to

prepare an environmental impact statement in order to review, modify,

and approve a Master Plan for Hoodoo Ski Area located on the McKenzie

Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest in Linn County,

Oregon. The preparation of the Master Plan and EIS will take place

concurrently.

Governmental agencies and the public who may be interested in or

affected by the proposal are invited to participate in the scoping

process. The Forest Service will hold five formal public scoping

meetings: Tuesday, Aug. 16, 1994, at the Shilo Inn, Bend, Oregon at 7

PM; Wednesday, Aug. 17, 1994, at the Sisters Firehall, Sisters, Oregon

at 7 PM; Thursday, Aug. 18, 1994, at the Springfield Red Lion Inn,

Springfield, Oregon at 7 PM; Tuesday, Aug. 23, 1994, at the Bureau of

Land Management Office, Salem, Oregon at 7 PM; and Wednesday, Aug. 24

at Linn-Benton Community College, Albany, Oregon at 7 PM. Preliminary

ideas prepared by the proponents will be available for public review.

Further meetings may be planned at a later date. Due to budgetary and

organizational uncertainties the Forest Service anticipates two

possibilities for the preparation of the EIS; preparation by the Forest

Service or by a third party company. This decision is expected by

October 1, 1994.

The EIS will consider a range of alternatives based on the issues

and concerns associated with the project. Only one alternative can be

specified at present, the No Action alternative. Other alternatives may

consist of modifications or changes in the various elements comprising

the proposal.

The draft EIS will tier to the 1990 Final EIS for the Willamette

National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan as amended by the

Record of Decision for Amendment to Forest Service and Bureau of Land

Management Planning Documents Within the Range of the Northern Spotted

Owl. The Forest Service is the lead agency.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in March of

1995. At that time, copies of the draft EIS will be distributed to

interested and affected agencies, organizations, and members of the

public for their review and comment. 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 publishes

the notice of availability in the Federal Register.

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

draft environmental impact statements 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 objections that could be raised at the

draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised

until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may

be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 f.

2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin 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 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 environmental impact statement.

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft

environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is

also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the

draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft

environmental impact statement 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 July 1995. 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 the Hoodoo Ski Bowl Master Plan. Darrel L. Kenops, Forest

Supervisor, is the Responsible Official. As the Responsible Official,

he will decide whether to implement the Master Plan. The Responsible

Official will document the decision and reasons for the decision in the

Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service

Appeal Regulations (36 CFR Part 215).

Dated: August 8, 1994.

Harold A. Legard,

Acting Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 94-20024 Filed 8-15-94; 8:45 am]

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