[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 170 (Friday, August 30, 1996)] [Proposed Rules] [Pages 45921-45923] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-22208] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 14 CFR Parts 91, 93, 121, and 135 Public Meeting on Special Flight Rules in the Vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Draft Environmental Assessment AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of two public meetings on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), Special Flight Rules in the Vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park, published in the Federal Register on July 31, 1996, and the corresponding draft environmental assessment (EA), the availability of which was announced on August 19, 1996. The purpose of these meetings is to provide an additional opportunity for the public to comment on the proposal and the draft assessment. DATES: The meetings will be held on September 16 and 17, and September 19 and 20. See Supplementary Information for details. ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in Scottsdale, AZ and Las Vegas, NV. See Supplementary Information for details. Persons unable to attend the [[Page 45922]] meetings may mail their comments on the NPRM in triplicate to: Federal Aviation Administration, Office of the Chief Counsel, Rules Docket (AGC-200), Docket No. 28537, 800 Independence Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20591. Written comments to the docket will receive the same consideration as statements made at the public meetings. Comments on the draft EA should also be sent to the Rules Docket in triplicate, but to Docket No. 28653. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests to present a statement at the public meetings on the Grand Canyon NPRM or draft EA and questions regarding the logistics of the meetings should be directed to Linda Williams, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Rulemaking (ARM-109), 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, telephone (202) 267-9685; fax (202) 267-5075. Questions concerning the NPRM should be directed to Neil Saunders, Airspace and Rules Program, Airspace Management, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave., Washington, DC 20591. Telephone: (202) 267-9241. Questions on the draft EA should be directed to William J. Marx, Division Manager, ATA-300, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-9367. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Meeting dates, locations, and times are as follows: September 16 and 17--Scottsdale, AZ Arizona and Barcelona Rooms, 4th Floor, Embassy Suites, 5001 North Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85250, telephone: 1-800-528-1456 or (602) 949-1414 Registration: 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Meeting: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. September 19 and 20--Las Vegas, NV Cashman Field, Meeting Rooms 107 and 108, 850 Las Vegas Blvd. North (use parking lot B), Las Vegas, NV 89101 Registration: 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Meeting 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Please note: The first day of the meetings (September 16 and 19 will address the NPRM; the second day of the meetings (September 17 and 20) will address the draft EA. Background The FAA will conduct two public meetings on the recently published Grand Canyon National Park proposed rule and draft environmental assessment. Comments from the public at these meetings should be directed specifically to the proposed rule on the first day of each meeting and to the environmental assessment on the second day of each meeting. The notice of proposed rulemaking was published in the Federal Register on July 31, 1996 [61 FR 40120]. The NPRM proposed to add new flight-free areas and corridors and proposed a number of options, including flight curfews and a moratorium or cap on flights allowed in the park. The NPRM also states that the FAA may adopt any combination of the options in a final rule. The notice of availability for the draft environmental assessment was issued on August 19, 1996, and published in the Federal Register on August 21, 1996. The closing date for comments on the proposal is September 30, 1996; the closing date for comments on the draft EA is October 4, 1996. In order to give the public an additional opportunity to comment on the proposed rule and the draft EA, the FAA is planning these public meetings. Because this additional opportunity to comment on the proposed rule and draft EA is provided, the FAA does not intend to extend the closing date for comments on the NPRM or draft EA. Persons interested in obtaining a copy of the Grand Canyon proposed rule should contact Linda Williams at the address or telephone number provided in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. For a copy of the draft EA contact William Marx at the address or telephone number provided. Participation at the Public Meetings on the NPRM or Draft EA Requests from persons who wish to present oral statements at the public meetings on the Grand Canyon National Park proposal or draft assessment should be received by the FAA no later than September 10. Such requests should be submitted to Linda Williams as listed in the section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Requests received after September 10 will be scheduled if time is available during the meetings; however, the name of those individuals may not appear on the written agenda. The FAA will prepare an agenda of speakers that will be available at the meetings. To accommodate as many speakers as possible, the amount of time allocated to each speaker may be less than the amount of time requested. Those persons desiring to have available audiovisual equipment should notify the FAA when requesting to be placed on the agenda. Public Meeting Procedures The following procedures are established to facilitate the public meetings on the NPRM and draft EA: 1. There will be no admission fee or other charge to attend or to participate in the public meetings. The meetings will be open to all persons who have requested in advance to present statements or who register on the day of the meeting (between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.) subject to availability of space in the meeting room. 2. The public meetings may adjourn early if scheduled speakers complete their statements in less time than currently is scheduled for the meeting. 3. The FAA will try to accommodate all speakers; therefore, it may be necessary to limit the time available for an individual or group. 4. Participants should address their comments to the panel. No individual will be subject to cross-examination by any other participant. 5. Sign and oral interpretation can be made available at the meetings, as well as an assistive listening device, if requested 10 calendar days before the meetings. 6. Representatives of the FAA will conduct the public meetings. A panel of FAA and National Park Service (NPS) personnel involved in this issue will be present. 7. The meetings will be recorded by a court reporter. A transcript of the meetings and any material accepted by the panel during the meetings will be included in the public docket (Docket No. 28537 for the NPRM and 28653 for the draft EA). Any person who is interested in purchasing a copy of the transcript should contact the court reporter directly. This information will be available at the meetings. 8. The FAA will review and consider all material presented by participants at the public meetings. Position papers or material presenting views or information related to the proposed NPRM or the draft EA may be accepted at the discretion of the presiding officer and subsequently placed in the public docket. The FAA requests that persons participating in the meetings provide 10 copies of all materials to be presented for distribution to the panel members; other copies may be provided to the audience at the discretion of the participant. 9. Statements made by members of the public meetings panel are intended to facilitate discussion of the issues or to clarify issues. Because the meetings concerning the Grand Canyon NPRM and draft EA are being held during the comment period, final decisions [[Page 45923]] concerning issues that the public may raise cannot be made at the meetings. FAA and NPS officials may, however, ask questions to clarify statements made by the public and to ensure a complete and accurate record. Comments made at these public meetings will be considered by the FAA and NPS when deliberations begin concerning whether to adopt any or all of the proposed rules. 10. The meetings are designed to solicit public views and more complete information on the proposed rule. Therefore, the meetings will be conducted in an informal and non-adversarial manner. Issued in Washington, DC on August 27, 1996. Chris A. Christie, Director of Rulemaking. [FR Doc. 96-22208 Filed 8-27-96; 12:13 pm] BILLING CODE 4910-13-M