[Federal Register: April 16, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 74)]
[Notices]
[Page 20658-20659]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16ap04-111]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Environmental Assessment for the Air Tour Management Plan Program
at Badlands National Park
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental assessment and
notice of initiation of public scoping.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in cooperation with
the National Park Service (NPS), has initiated the development of an
Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) for Badlands National Park, pursuant to
the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-181)
and its implementing regulations contained in Title 14, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 136, National Parks Air Tour Management. The
objective of each ATMP is to develop acceptable and effective measures
to mitigate or prevent the significant adverse impacts, if any, of
commercial air tour operations upon the natural and cultural resources,
visitor experiences, and tribal lands of the subject national park
unit.
DATES:
Scoping Period: The 45-day scoping period will be initiated upon
publication of this notice. Please submit any written response you may
have within 45 days from the date of this Notice, or no later than June
1, 2004.
Scoping Meeting: A combined public scoping meeting has been
scheduled for the Badlands National Park ATMP and the Mount Rushmore
National Memorial ATMP as follows:
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Subject park Date Time Location
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Badlands National Park............. Tuesday, May 4, 2004.. 6 p.m............. Holiday Inn Rapid City-Rushmore
Plaza, Hammons Conference
Room, 505 N Fifth Street,
Rapid City, South Dakota.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial... Tuesday May 4, 2004... 6 p.m............. Holiday Inn Rapid City-Rushmore
Plaza, Hammons Conference
Room, 505 N Fifth Street,
Rapid City, South Dakota.
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ADDRESSES: Please submit any written response you may have within 45
days from the date of this Notice, or no later than June 1, 2004.
Address your comments for Badlands National Park to: Docket Management
System, Doc No. FAA-2004-17458, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room
Plaza 401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
You must identify the docket number FAA-2004-17458 for Badlands
National Park at the beginning of your comments. If you wish to receive
confirmation that FAA received your comments, include a self-addressed,
stamped postcard. You may also submit comments through the Internet to
http://dms.dot.gov. You may review the public docket containing
comments in person in the Dockets Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Dockets Office is
on the plaza level of the NASSIF Building at the Department of
Transportation at the above address. Also, you may review public
dockets on the Internet at http: //dms.dot.gov. Additionally, comments
will be received and recorded at the public scoping meetings. Please
note that names and addresses of people who comment become part of the
public record. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you
must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will
make all submissions from organizations, businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses available for public inspection in their
entirety.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve May, Air Tour Management Plan
Program Manager, Executive Resource Staff, AWP-4, Federal Aviation
Administration, Western-Pacific Region. Mailing address: P.O. Box
92007, Los Angeles, California 90009-2007. Telephone: (310) 725-3808.
Street address: 15000 Aviation Boulevard, Lawndale, California 90261.
E-mail: Steve.May@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In developing each ATMP and any associated
rulemaking actions, the FAA is required to comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, which calls on Federal agencies to
consider environmental issues as part of their decision making process.
For the purposes of compliance with the National Environmental Policy
Act, the FAA is the Lead Agency and the NPS is a Cooperating Agency.
The FAA Air Tour Management Plan Program Office and the NPS Natural
Sounds Program Office are responsible for the overall implementation of
the ATMP Program.
An Environmental Assessment is being prepared in accordance with
FAA Order 1050.1D, Policies and Procedures for Considering
Environmental Impacts. The FAA is now inviting the public, agencies,
tribes, and other interested parties to provide comments, suggestions,
and input regarding: (1) The scope, issues, and concerns related to the
development of each ATMP; (2) the scope of issues and the
identification of significant issues regarding commercial air tours and
their potential impacts to be addressed in the environmental process;
(3) the potential effects of commercial air tours on cultural and
historic resources; (4) past, present, and reasonably foreseeable
future actions which, when considered with ATMP alternatives, may
result in significant cumulative impacts; (5) potential ATMP
alternatives; and (6) the potential impacts on natural resources and
visitor experiences. The FAA requests that comments be as specific as
possible in response to actions that are being proposed under this
notice.
A combined public scoping meeting has been scheduled for the
Badlands National Park ATMP and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial
ATMP. The purpose of this scoping meeting is to describe the ATMP
development and environmental processes, obtain public input regarding
the ATMP and potential environmental concerns that may be appropriate
for consideration in the Environmental Assessment, and to identify
alternatives to be considered. Both oral and written comments will be
accepted during this meeting. Agency personnel will be available to
record your spoken comments. All recorded and written comments become
part of the official record. The public scoping meeting will consist of
a presentation in which the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of
2000 is introduced, existing conditions at Badlands National Park and
Mount Rushmore National Memorial will be described and the
[[Page 20659]]
ATMP development process at each park unit will be explained. Following
the presentation, the floor will be opened for public comments to be
received.
Park-specific scoping documents that describe the project in
greater detail are available at the following locations:
Rapid City Public Library, 610 Quincy Street,
Rapid City, South Dakota
Oglala Lakota College Library, 3 Mile Creek
Road, Kyle, South Dakota
Keystone Town Library, 1101 Madill Street,
Keystone, South Dakota
E. Y. Berry Library, Black Hills State
University, 1200 University, Spearfish, South Dakota
South Dakota State Library, Mercedes MacKay
Building, 800 Governors Drive, Pierre, South Dakota
FAA Air Tour Management Plan Program Web site,
http://www.atmp.faa.gov/ FAA Docket Management System Web site, http://
dms.dot.gov
Issued in Hawthorne, California on April 8, 2004.
Steve May,
Program Manager, Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) Program.
[FR Doc. 04-8714 Filed 4-15-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P