2008-02-22_APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE - C2008086 (2)

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CNAliERFNE Public Involvement summary The JD request concluded that no potentially jurisdictional W4Us were present in the project area north of the Highline Canal. South of the Highline Canal, several wetlands and one Relatively Permanent Water ?RPW} were identified. Most of the wetlands are related directly to application of irrigation water on agricultural lands, and on the basis of March 2007 USAGE Regulatory Branch Memorandum 2007-1 ?USACE 2007} were considered to be non- jurisdictional. Several wetlands were found to be related to groundwater seeps that are also likely related to irrigation water application. However, since no existing scientific data are available to demonstrate this relationship to irrigation, these wetlands were considered to be potentially jurisdictional. The RPW, Mack Wash, was also considered to be jurisdictional. Consultation with the USAGE is currently in progress. Consultation letters can be found in Appendix D. 5.1.6 Native American Interests Consultation with Native American tribes is part of the NEPA scoping process and a requirement of FLPMA. The Grand Junction Field office took multiple steps to contact the tribes and include them in the scoping process. 0n February 12, 2008, the following federally recognized tribes with an established interest in the project area were invited to participate as consulting parties: ? Northern Ute Indian Tribe ? Southern Ute Indian Tribe ? Ute Mountain Indian Tribe Consultation with Native American tribes is currently in progress. Consultation letters can be found in Appendix D. 5.2 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT The BLM decision-making process is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the NEPA, Council on Environmental Quality CEQ} regulations implementing NEPA, and the U.S. Department of the Interior and BLM policies and procedures implementing NEPA. NEPA and the associated regulatory and policy framework require that federal agencies involve the interested general public in their decision-making. In accordance with CEQ scoping guidance, the BLM provided avenues for public involvement as an integral part of preparing the EIS. CEQ scoping guidance defines scoping as the "process by which lead agencies solicit input from the public and interested agencies on the nature and extent of issues and impacts to be addressed and the methods by which they will be evaluated" CEQ 1981}. The scoping report, entitled "Public scoping Report for the Environmental Impact Statement: Proposed Red Cliff Mine Project near Mack, Colorado December 2006}," BLM 200G} summarizes issues identified during the scoping process and is available upon request from the BLM Grand Junction Field office. The intent of the scoping process is to provide opportunity for the general public, tribes, other government agencies, and interest groups to scope the planning process and to identify planning issues to be addressed by alternatives or analysis in the EIS. In general, public involvement assists the agencies by the following: 5-3 DRMS X45