[Federal Register: March 29, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 61)]
[Notices]
[Page 15223-15224]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29mr02-106]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Winter Use Plan, Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway, Wyoming and Montana
AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement for the Winter Use Plan for the Yellowstone and Grand
Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial
Parkway.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service announces the
availability of Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for
the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D.
Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway, Wyoming and Montana. The purpose
for preparing the Plan/SEIS is to further the purposes of NEPA by
soliciting more public comment and to consider additional information
on new snowmobile technology not available at the time of the earlier
decision. It analyzes 4 winter use management alternatives for the
parks and evaluates the environmental consequences of the alternatives
on wildlife, air quality, natural quiet, socioeconomics, and visitor
experience.
Under alternative 1a-No Action, use and management practices in the
parks and Parkway as decided by the November 22, 2000 record of
decision for the Winter Use Plan, Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and John D.
Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway would continue. The decision
eliminated recreational snowmobile and snowplane use from the parks and
Parkway by the winter of 2003-2004. Oversnow motorized access would be
provided by means of mass transit snowcoaches. Alternative 1b is
essentially the same as alternative 1a with the exception that an
additional year would be allowed for the phasing
[[Page 15224]]
in of snowcoach only travel. Alternative 2 allows for the use of
snowmobiles provided that EPA's proposed 2010 emission standards are
met and sound levels do not exceed 78 decibels for publicly owned
machines. It calls for a daily cap on numbers of snowmobiles and for
increased NPS management of winter use. Alternative 3 provides for
guided use of snowmobiles provided that best available technology
standards for both emissions and noise levels are met for all machines.
All alternatives emphasize an adaptive management strategy under which
the number of snowmobiles allowed in the parks may be adjusted based on
the results of monitoring and carrying capacity studies.
DATES: The NPS will accept comments on the DSEIS for 60 days beginning
March 29, 2002. No public meetings are scheduled at this time.
ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment
in the offices of the Superintendents and on the internet at
www.nps.gov/grte/winteruse/intro.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Grand Teton National
Park, (307) 739-3410.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment, you may submit your
comments by any one of several methods. You may mail comments to
Planning Office, Grand Teton National Park, PO Box 352, Moose, WY
83012. You may also comment via email to grte_winter_use_seis@nps.gov.
Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to Grand Teton National Park,
Moose, WY. We will not consider comments that do not include the name
and mailing address of the submitter(s). Our practice is to make
comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available
for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents
may request that we withhold their home address from the record, which
we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There also may be
circumstances in which we would withhold from the record a respondent's
identity, as allowable by law. 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 or
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available
for public inspection in their entirety.
Dated: March 13, 2002.
R. Everhart,
Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 02-7627 Filed 3-28-02; 8:45 am]
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