Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 16, 2016 / Notices 7743 

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 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 

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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] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Eastern Washington Cascades 

Provincial Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: 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: http://

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. 

ADDRESSES: 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. 

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 

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 

TIME AND DATE: 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. 

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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