USDA Forest Service

The Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act authorizes and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into a land exchange with Resolution Copper Mining, LLC.

Notice is hereby given that the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, and Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Interior are evaluating the exchange of land with Resolution Copper Mining LLC, as directed by the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act.

Resolution Copper submitted the General Plan of Operations to the Forest Service in November 2013. After review and subsequent modifications, the Forest Supervisor issued a completeness review letter in December 2014. The Forest Supervisor determined that the Plan is complete in accordance with applicable law, regulation, and policy.

This Draft Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact responds to the proposed Baseline Plan only. The Forest Service is developing a separate Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to respond to the proposed MPO, which will rely, in part, on the data collected under the approved Baseline Plan.

The Forest Service prepared this Environmental Assessment to consider approval of the proposed plans of operations. It discloses direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental effects that would result from Forest Service approval of the for the proposed Baseline activities and alternatives.

The Arizona National Scenic Trail Comprehensive Plan is a long-term programmatic plan that fulfills the legislative requirements described in Section 5(e) of the National Trails System Act (Pub.L. 90-543, as amended) (NTSA).

The purpose of the withdrawal requested is to protect the lands pending conveyance to the Town of Superior (Town), Pinal County, Arizona as directed by Congress.

This land and resource management plan (referred to as the forest plan throughout this document) guides the Tonto National Forest in fulfilling its stewardship responsibilities to best meet the current and future needs of the people and communities we serve.

This environmental impact statement documents analysis of impacts of four alternatives developed for programmatic management of the nearly three million acres administered by the Tonto National Forest.

This Biological Assessment (BA) discloses the effects that occurred or may have occurred from suppression related impacts to species and critical habitats listed or proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act from the Carlota Fire.