Public paper · October 5, 2026 · Forest desk
Brian Head Resort Expansion: Dixie National Forest Draft EIS Open for Comment Through October 29 on a 1,651-Acre Ski Permit Addition
The Forest Service's Draft EIS for the Brian Head Resort Expansion on the Dixie National Forest (Iron County, Utah) is open for public comment through October 29, 2026. The proposal would add about 1,651 acres to the resort's special use permit with new lifts, trails, roads, and snowmaking.
noticenearby.com/papers/brian-head-resort-expansion-deis-dixie-oct-29.pdf
The USDA Forest Service is taking public comment on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Brian Head Resort Expansion on the Dixie National Forest in southern Utah. The EPA's weekly EIS notice of availability, published in the Federal Register on July 31, 2026, lists the Draft EIS (EIS No. 20260086, USFS, UT) with a comment period ending October 29, 2026.
What the resort is asking for
The Forest Service project page says Brian Head Resort is proposing terrain and ski area improvements within and adjacent to its current special use permit (SUP), including adding 1,651 acres to the SUP boundary. The project is led by the Cedar City Ranger District and sits around Brian Head Town in Iron County.
The Forest Service's July 15, 2025 Notice of Intent described the proposed action as including:
- expansion of the existing special use permit area;
- installation of new lifts;
- construction of new ski trails (tree and stump removal and grading);
- new on-mountain facilities and snowmaking facilities;
- new utilities and administrative roads, plus improvements to existing roadbeds to reach upper lift terminals;
- re-routing an existing snowmobile route; and
- hazard tree removal and post-fire treatment in areas burned by the 2017 Brian Head Fire.
Issues the Forest Service flagged
The NOI listed potential impacts to water, cultural resources, scenery, recreation, traffic and transportation, wildlife, and socioeconomics, including hydrologic and groundwater effects from additional water use. It also said the EIS would disclose whether amendments to the 1986 Dixie National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan are needed for scenery and recreation settings in the expanded permit area.
How to comment
- Deadline: October 29, 2026 (EPA NOA comment period end date).
- Online: through the project page's "Comment/Object on Project" link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/dixie/projects/65965
- Mail: Kevin Wright, Forest Supervisor, c/o Matt Loscalzo, Project Manager, Dixie National Forest, 820 N Main Street, Cedar City, UT 84721.
- Project contact: Matt Loscalzo, (720) 908-1213.
- The project page lists an expected decision date of July 2027 (estimated).
Draft EIS comments matter procedurally: under Forest Service objection rules, people who submit specific written comments during designated opportunities are generally the ones eligible to object later. Read the draft and the objection rules before relying on that.
Sources
- Federal Register (July 31, 2026), Document 2026-15536: EPA Environmental Impact Statements; Notice of Availability — EIS No. 20260086, Draft, USFS, UT, Brian Head Ski Resort Expansion, comment period ends 10/29/2026. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/31/2026-15536/environmental-impact-statements-notice-of-availability
- Federal Register (July 15, 2025), Document 2025-13252: Dixie National Forest; Utah; Brian Head Resort Expansion Environmental Impact Statement (Notice of Intent). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/07/15/2025-13252/dixie-national-forest-utah-brian-head-resort-expansion-environmental-impact-statement
- Forest Service project page: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/dixie/projects/292353
Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).
Notes and sources
- Author: Ryan Standley / Record of Sale, LLC / Notice Nearby.
- Discussed on @NoticeNearYou: (pending — fill xPostUrl after live post).
- Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).
Forest desk · Notice Nearby public papers shelf. @NoticeNearYou post pending.
Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).