Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 199 / Friday, October 15, 2004 / Notices 61199

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service 

Notice of Availability Application for 

Transportation and Utility Systems and 

Facilities for the Village at Wolf Creek 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, Rio Grande 

National Forest.

ACTION: Notice of availability and public 

meetings. 

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service 

(USFS), Rio Grande National Forest 

(RGNF) announces the availability of 

the Application for Transportation and 

Utility Systems and Facilities for the 

Village at Wolf Creek Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Draft EIS was prepared in accordance 

with the Council on Environmental 

Quality’s National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) Implementing Regulations 

(40 CFR parts 1500–1508). The EIS 

analyzes the environmental impacts of a 

proposal to authorize the construction 

and use of road and utility corridors 

across Federal land administered by the 

USFS RGNF to a 287.5-acre private 

parcel of land (private property). Four 

alternatives are considered: (1) The No 

Action Alternative; (2) the Proposed 

Action (Tranquility Road); (3) the Snow 

Shed—East Village Access Alternative; 

and (4) the Dual Access Road 

Alternative—Tranquility Road and the 

Snow Shed—East Village Access 

Alternative. More than one access road 

and utility corridor may be authorized 

by the USFS as a result of the 

Application.

DATES: USFS invites Federal agencies, 

State and local governments, Native 

American tribes, and the public to 

comment on the Draft EIS. The 

comment period extends for forty-five 

days from the publication of the Notice 

of Availability published by the 

Environmental Protection Agency on 

October 8, 2004. Comments submitted 

after that date will be considered to the 

extent practicable. The USFS will 

consider the comments in the 

preparation of the Final EIS. Public 

meetings to present information and 

receive written comments on the Draft 

EIS will be held at three locations. This 

information will also be published in 

local Colorado newspapers prior to the 

meetings. Any necessary changes will 

be announced in the local media and on 

the Web site noted in the ADDRESSES

section of this notice. Written comments 

will be accepted at the public meetings. 

The locations, dates, and times for 

these public meetings are as follows:

Tuesday, October 26, 2004 3 p.m.–7 

p.m., Creede Community Center, 

Forest Service Road 503 #9, Creede, 

Colorado 81130. 

Wednesday, October 27, 2004, 3 p.m.–

7 p.m., South Fork Community 

Center, 0254 Highway 49, South Fork, 

Colorado 81154. 

Thursday, October 28, 2004, 3 p.m.–7 

p.m., Pagosa Springs Community 

Center, 451 Hot Springs Boulevard, 

Pagosa Springs, Colorado 81147.

The following Web site may be accessed 

for additional information: http://

www.fs.fed.us/r2/riogrande/planning/

planning.htm.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on 

the Draft EIS or requests for copies of 

the Draft EIS to: VWC DEIS Comments, 

Tetra Tech Inc., 5205 Leesburg Pike, 

Suite 1400, Falls Church, VA 22041. 

You may send electronic comments to 

comments-rocky-mountain-riogrande@fs.fed.us, or comments may be 

faxed to (703) 931–9222. 

A copy of the Draft EIS is available on 

the Internet at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/

riogrande/planning/planning.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Mr. Robert Dalrymple, Forest 

Planner, USDA–USFS, Rio Grande 

National Forest, (719) 852–5941. Refer 

to SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

regarding public disclosure of submitted 

comment information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Rio 

Grande National Forest is comprised of 

1.86 million acres located in 

southwestern Colorado. Denver, 

Colorado, is approximately 300 miles to 

the north of the RGNF, and 

Albuquerque, New Mexico, is 

approximately 270 miles to the south. 

The Continental Divide runs for 236 

miles along most of the western border 

of the RGNF. The Wolf Creek Ski Area 

(Ski Area) is located on lands 

administered by the RGNF. 

On May 14, 1987, the USFS conveyed 

to the Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture 

287.5 acres of private property in 

exchange for property in Saguache 

County, Colorado. The 287.5 acres is 

entirely surrounded by Federal lands; a 

condition that was recognized at the 

time the land exchange was approved. 

The 287.5-acre private property is also 

entirely within the Wolf Creek Ski 

Corporation (WCSC) Special Use Permit 

(SUP) boundary managed by the USFS 

as a winter use area. Presently, the 

Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture is 

requesting authorization to construct 

and use road and utility corridors across 

Federal land to access their private 

property.

The all-weather, year-round access 

road would not exceed 2,350 feet in 

length within a 60-foot width. Any new 

or upgraded sections of the roadway 

would be constructed to USFS 

specifications and would cross USFS 

land from United States Highway 160 

(Highway 160) to the private property. 

Approximately 2,100 feet of this 

proposed route has been developed as a 

road, known as ‘‘Tranquility Road,’’ for 

access to Ski Area parking lots and will 

be operated and maintained under the 

WCSC SUP. Vehicle traffic would 

consist of passenger vehicles, buses, and 

other vehicles and transport necessary 

to develop, construct, operate, and 

support the residents and businesses 

associated with the Village at Wolf 

Creek. 

The Application would also grant two 

10-foot wide permanent utility corridors 

for the installation, operation, 

maintenance, repair, and replacement of 

electrical transmission lines and 

facilities; television cables, 

communication cables and lines, fiberoptic lines, and other utilities as 

required to serve the private property 

(Village at Wolf Creek). An additional 

1,000-foot long, 20-foot wide utility 

corridor from Highway 160 to the 

northwest section of the property is also 

proposed. 

The responsible Official is the Forest 

Supervisor, Rio Grande National Forest, 

1803 West Highway 160, Monte Vista, 

CO 81132. The NEPA decision to be 

made by the USFS official is whether or 

not to authorize the Application for 

Transportation and Utility Systems and 

Facilities on Federal lands as proposed 

by the Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture, 

or alternatives to the proposed access 

road(s) and utility corridors. 

No Action: The No Action Alternative 

is the current USFS management 

situation. Under this alternative, USFS 

would not issue the Applicant any 

special-use authorization for access or 

utility corridors across USFS lands to 

the private property. However, this 

action would not preclude the 

Applicant from continuing to have 

limited access to the private property 

via Forest System Road (FSR) 391. The 

Applicant has stated the intent to 

develop 2,172 units on the private 

property as the Village at Wolf Creek 

even if the No Action Alternative is 

selected by the USFS. 

Proposed Action: The Applicant 

submitted a request for authorization to 

construct and use an 80-foot wide 

corridor across USFS lands for both 

road and utility purposes, from 

Highway 160 to the private property via 

an extension of ‘‘Tranquility Road’’. 

Tranquility Road has a 23-foot driving 

surface, and WCSC plans to complete it 

in 2004. To access the western boundary 

61200 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 199 / Friday, October 15, 2004 / Notices 

of the private property, the Applicant is 

proposing to extend Tranquility Road by 

adding approximately 250 feet of road 

length. The extensions would have a 

minimum 24-foot wide running surface. 

The road access associated with this 

alternative would merge into the current 

entrance to the Ski Area at the junction 

with Highway 160. Utility corridors to 

the east and the north of the 

approximately 2,350-foot access road 

would include buried electrical 

transmission lines, television and 

communication cables, fiber-optic lines, 

and other utilities. An additional 1,000-

foot long, 20-foot wide utility corridor 

from Highway 160 to the northwest 

section of the private property is also 

proposed. Public access across the 

private property on FSR 391 would 

remain unchanged from the current 

USFS management conditions. 

Snow Shed—East Village Access 

Alternative: The Snow Shed—East 

Village Access Alternative would 

authorize the construction and use of an 

access road and three utility corridors 

that begin on Highway 160, at a point 

approximately 0.33 mile east of the 

current entrance to the Ski Area and 

approximately 0.25 mile west of the 

Snow Shed. Utility corridors alongside 

the approximately 1,500-foot access 

road would include buried electrical 

transmission lines, television and 

communication cables, fiber-optic lines, 

and other utilities. Public access across 

private lands on FSR 391 would remain 

unchanged from the current 

management conditions. 

Dual Access Road Alternative: This 

alternative provides two access roads to 

the private property and utility 

corridors associated with those roads. 

This alternative would be a combination 

of Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) and 

the first 750 feet of Alternative 3 (from 

Highway 160 to the northwestern 

boundary of the private property). 

Public access across private lands on 

FSR 391 would remain unchanged from 

the current management conditions. 

After the end of the public comment 

period, the USFS will consider and 

respond to the comments received, 

revise the Draft EIS as appropriate, and 

issue the Final EIS. The USFS will 

consider the analysis in the Final EIS, 

along with other information, in making 

a decision on the request for authorized 

use of the access road(s) and corridor(s). 

Comments Requested 

The Notice of Availability published 

by the Environmental Protection Agency 

on October 8, 2004 initiated the public 

comment process that guides the 

development of the Final EIS. The USFS 

invites written comments and 

suggestions on the proposed action and 

alternatives, including any issues to 

consider, as well as any concerns 

relevant to the analysis. Pursuant to 30 

CFR 215.13(b), only those individuals or 

organizations who submitted 

substantive comments during the 

comment period may file an appeal. 

Comments received in response to 

this notice, 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. If you 

wish to withhold your name or street 

address from public review or from 

disclosure under the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA), you must state 

this prominently at the beginning of 

your written comment. Such requests 

will be honored to the extent allowed by 

law, but 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 USFS 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. All submissions from 

organizations and business, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, will be 

available for public inspection in their 

entirety. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered; however, those who submit 

anonymous comments will not have 

standing to appeal the subsequent 

decision pursuant to 36 CFR part 215. 

Comments and USFS responses will be 

addressed in the Final EIS.

Dated: October 8, 2004. 

Peter L. Clark, 

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 04–23155 Filed 10–14–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service 

Intergovernmental Advisory 

Committee Meeting, Northwest Forest 

Plan

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Intergovernmental 

Advisory Committee (IAC), Northwest 

Forest Plan (NWFP), will meet on 

November 3, 2004, in the Broadway/

Weidler Conference Rooms at the 

DoubleTree at Lloyd Center Hotel, 1000 

NE Multnomah, Portland, Oregon (503–

249–3110). The meeting will begin at 9 

a.m. and adjourn at approximately 4 

p.m. The purpose of the meeting, in 

general, is to continue committee 

discussions related to Northwest Forest 

Plan implementation. Meeting agenda 

items include, but are not limited to the 

10-year monitoring report process, 

Natural Resources Conservation Service 

Conservation Security Program, Pacific 

Northwest Aquatic Monitoring 

Partnerships, update on Bureau of Land 

Management Resource Management 

Plan Revisions, and several short 

written or oral reports related to ongoing 

implementation improvement activities. 

The meeting is open to the public and 

fully accessible for people with 

disabilities. A 15-minute time slot is 

reserved for public comments at 9:15 

a.m. Interpreters are available upon 

request at least 10 days prior to the 

meeting. Written comments may be 

submitted for the meeting record. 

Interested persons are encouraged to 

attend.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions regarding this meeting may 

be directed to Kath Collier, Management 

Analyst, Regional Ecosystem Office, 333 

SW First Avenue, P.O. Box 3623, 

Portland, OR 97208 (telephone: 503–

808–2165).

Dated: October 7, 2004. 

Anne Badgley, 

Designated Federal Official.

[FR Doc. 04–23144 Filed 10–14–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service 

Wrangell-Petersburg Resource 

Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: Wrangell-Petersburg Resource 

Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet 

from 1 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. (or until the 

conclusion of public testimony) on 

Friday, November 5, and from 8 a.m. 

until 2 p.m., Saturday, November 6, 

2004, in Petersburg, Alaska. The 

purpose of this meeting is to review, 

discuss and potentially recommend for 

funding proposals received pursuant to 

Title II, Public Law 106–393, H.R. 2389, 

the Secure Rural Schools and 

Community Self-Determination Act of 

2000, also called the ‘‘Payments to