Charles Trentelman provides more information on Snow Basin Resort's Forest Service use permit expansion application in this morning's Standard-Examiner front page story . Trentelman fleshes out several new fact elements, such as the abbreviated approval process which was adopted by the local Ogden Ranger District:
Normally, any request to use public land managed by the Forest Service must go through an application and approval process under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. The process can last years and includes public hearings.Although Trentelman reports that Forest Service officials did contact contact Save Our Canyons and the Sierra Club regarding the Snow Basin application, it's unclear whether objections or other formal responses were invited. Moreover no facts are reported to imply that federal officials made any effort to provide notice to the general public at all. Notably, Trentelman quotes Sierra Club Conservation Chair Dan Schoeder, who expressed surprise "that there would be no formal process." From appearances, the application approval process was designed to come in entirely under under the public radar screen, just as David Witherspoon has suggested.
Snowbasin made the request a month ago, Vallejos said. Because of the limited nature of the request, he said the Ogden Ranger District did what he called a “Small NEPA, where specialists from the Forest Service sit around the table and we present the projects, and in the small NEPA none of the specialists had any issues at all.”
The process is legal, he said.
This morning's story also presents a useful map, showing Snow Basin's planned routes, in relation to the resort and Ogden City. While we would have liked to have seen a proper topographical map, displaying the contour lines for each of the planned descents... we'll take what we can get (click to enlarge image):
We'll also note in closing that Snow Basin and Forest Service officials all reportedly continue to deny that the Snow Basin permit expansion application has anything to do with Earl Holding's son-in-law or his land.We spoke this morning with the Ogden Ranger District office. Although the key players are all off on vacation, we've been assured that public comments and/or objections will be accepted beyond the stated January 5 cutoff date, and through the upcoming week, for which purpose we provide the contact info below:
RICK VALLEJOSWell....?
Recreation Staff Officer
Ogden Ranger District
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Phone: (801)
Office - 625-5112
Fax - 625-5914
Email: rvallejos@fs.fed.us
