[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 83 (Friday, April 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 23354]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10801]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment Pertaining 
to a Request by the City of New Orleans to the Secretary of the 
Interior for Approval To Relocate the Place de France, the Jeanne d'Arc 
Statue and Two Bronze Cannons Within the City of New Orleans

summary: Due to the construction adjacent to the Place de France, the 
City, Mayor Marc H. Morial, has requested the Secretary of the Interior 
to approve relocation of the Place de France (also known as the Joan of 
Arc Plaza), a statue of Jeanne d'Arc and two bronze cannons from the 
current location in the median between the International Trade Mart 
buildings and the former Rivergate to the Decatur/North Peters Street 
Triangle in the Vieux Carre (the French Quarter), a National Historic 
Landmark District. Using a grant received under the Housing and Urban 
Development Act of 1970, Pub. L. 91-609, the City developed the Place 
de France as a park for the statue and two bronze cannons donated to 
the City by the French Government. This law provides that ``no open-
space land involving historic or architectural purposes for which 
assistance has been granted under this title shall be converted to use 
for any other purposes without the prior approval of the Secretary of 
the Interior.'' In Louisiana Landmarks Society, Inc. v. City of New 
Orleans, No. 94-3880 (E.D. La. 1995) the court reiterated the necessity 
for prior approval of the Secretary, but provided no standard by which 
to evaluate the historic purposes of the Place de France. The court, 
however, found that the term ``historic'' is not limited to property 
listed on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register of 
Historic Places pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 
1966.

dates: Comments on this Environmental Assessment will be received on or 
before June 1, 1999.

addresses: Comments should be mailed to: Regional Director, Southeast 
Region, National Park Service, Atlanta Federal Center, 1924 Building, 
100 Alabama Street, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

supplementary information: Pursuant to the National Environmental 
Policy Act, this Environmental Assessment is intended to identify and 
analyze the potential environmental effects of the proposed action, 
which is the approval by the Secretary of the proposed conversion and 
relocation of the Place de France, together with statue and cannons as 
proposed by the City of New Orleans. Concurrent with this NEPA process, 
the Department of the Interior has also initiated the Section 106 
compliance process of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 
and 36 CFR 800, Protection of Historic Properties.

    Dated: April 22, 1999.
Charlie Powell,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc 99-10801 Filed 4-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M