21716 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 79 / Monday, April 24, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District

Small Sales EIS, Idaho Panhandle

National Forests, Kootenai and

Shoshone Counties, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will

prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) to analyze and disclose

the environmental effects of expanding

the Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area.

The proposal would implement revised

portions of the Lookout Pass Master

Development Plan approved by the

Idaho Panhandle National Forest (IPNF)

on June 10, 1997. A Special Use Permit

would be required for the proposed

action, which would authorize

additional development, construction,

and operation of ski area facilities on

National Forest System lands.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope

of the analysis should be received in

writing by May 22, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send written comment to

Barry Dutton, Land & Water Consulting

Inc., P.O. Box 8254, Missoula, MT

59807.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barry Dutton or Nancy Winslow at Land

and Water Consulting Inc., (406) 721–

0354, or Glenn Truscott at the Coeur

d’Alene River Ranger District, (208)

644–2318.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

proposed activities are located adjacent

to the existing ski area, approximately 6

miles east of Mullan, Idaho, and

adjacent to Interstate 90 at the Idaho/

Montana border. The new project area is

on the north and south flanks of Runt

Mountain at the upper ends of the St.

Regis and Coeur d’Alene Rivers. The

existing ski area is on the east side of

Runt Mountain, which is also in the

headwaters of the St. Regis and Coeur

d’Alene Rivers.

Lookout Pass Ski Area currently

covers approximately 202 acres on Runt

Mountain. The ski area and proposed

expansion project straddle the MontanaIdaho border and the boundary between

the Lolo and Idaho Panhandle National

Forests. The Idaho Panhandle National

Forests have been designated the lead

regulatory agency for the project. The

proposed action would increase the ski

area by 364 acres, to a total of

approximately 566 acres.

The proposed expansion would

include 11 new ski runs (covering

approximately 145 acres), 6,800 feet of

new chair lifts, one primitive road

between ski runs (for tree removal, chair

lift construction, and possibly skier

use), and 1 acre of new parking. The

existing lodge would be expanded by

4,000 square feet. A 6,400 square-foot

guest services building would be added

to provide meeting rooms, a U.S. Forest

Service interpretive center, child care

facilities, caretaker’s quarters, and

overnight lodging. The rental show

would be enlarged by 1,100 square feet

and 960 feet would be added to the

maintenance building. The existing

fueling station would be upgraded, and

20 recreational vehicle (RV) hook-ups

would be added to the existing parking

lot. Approximately 1 acre of the of the

rope tow and beginner areas would be

regraded and revegetated. The septic

system that serves the lodge, guest

services building, and rental shop

would be expanded. Water would be

supplied by an existing well near the

base area.

The proposed action would add

approximately 920 vertical feet of skiing

on the south side of Runt Mountain in

the Lolo National Forest. In addition,

1,240 vertical feet of skiing would be

added on the north side of Runt

Mountain in the Idaho Panhandle

National Forests. New ski runs would be

classified as expert and advancedintermediate. Two new chair lifts would

serve the new ski runs: one on the north

side of runt Mountain and one on the

south side of Runt Mountain. The power

line to the ski area has sufficient

capacity to meet the anticipated needs

of the proposed expansion.

All of the proposed buildings, RV

hookups, new parking, and septic

systems would be located in the existing

base area adjacent to Interstate 90.

Disturbed soil areas outside the base

area would include primitive trails

between runs (for timber harvest,

construction, and possibly skier use),

lift tower foundations, lift stations,

buried water lines, and buried power

lines. Limited soil disturbance would

occur during stump removal on ski

runs.

There would be no private land

development associated with the

proposed expansion. All of the

proposed development would occur

entirely within National Forest System

lands. No inventoried roadless areas

would be affected by the proposed

expansion.

The USDA Forest Service is the lead

agency for this proposal. District Ranger

Susan Jeheber-Matthews is the

responsible official.

The Forest Service believes it is

important at this early stage to give

reviewers notice 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

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 on the

draft EIS 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 specified

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.

Dated: April 11, 2000.

Susan Jeheber-Matthews,

District Ranger.

[FR Doc. 00–10065 Filed 4–21–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

Pleasant Valley Station Plant, Notice of

Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Finding of No

Significant Impact.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS),

pursuant to the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the