[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 96 (Wednesday, May 19, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 27293]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-12539]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve; Intention To Issue 
Concession Permits

AGENCY: National Park Service, DOI.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Under the authority of section 404(11)(B) of the National Park 
Service Concessions Management Improvement Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-
391), the National Park Service intends to award noncompetitively six 
concession permits at Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve. The 
proposed permits will authorize hunting guide services within Wrangell-
St. Elias National Preserve and will be for a term of approximately 4 
years from February 1, 1999, through November 30, 2003. The National 
Park Service proposes to award these six permits to the following 
individuals: Terry Overly, Dick Gunlogson, Tom Vaden, Ray MuNutt, Urban 
Rahoi and Kirk Ellis.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: These six operations were included in a 
prospectus for seventeen hunting guides at Wrangell-St. Elias National 
Preserve that was issued in October 1997. Because these six operations 
contain overlaps with other guide areas, the offerors were told that 
they would be required to developed a cooperative joint use agreement 
before the six permits could be issued, to prevent reoccurrence of 
problems within the overlapping guide areas. Offers in response to the 
prospectus were evaluated in March 1998. Seventeen guides were selected 
and all signed the permits proposed by the park. The National Park 
Service executed eleven of the permits. The remaining six permits, 
which contain overlapping guide areas, were not executed by the 
National Park Service pending the development of cooperative joint use 
agreements, which could not be finalized until late November 1998. By 
that time, the National Park Service Concessions Management Improvement 
Act of 1998 had been passed, and the park could not sign the permits 
for the remaining six guides.

    Section 404(11)(B) of the National Park Service Concessions 
Management Improvement Act of 1998 authorizes the Secretary to issue, 
without public solicitation, concession contracts in extraordinary 
circumstances where compelling and equitable considerations require the 
award of a concession contract to a particular party in the public 
interest. Although these six permits were awarded as a result of a 
competitive process under the Concession Policies Act of 1965 (Pub. L. 
89-249), they were not competed under the requirements of the new law. 
There are no inconsistencies between the terms and conditions of the 
proposed permits and the National Park Service Concessions Management 
Improvement Act of 1998. Keeping all of the permits the same will 
facilitate permit administration at the park level. More importantly, 
it will maintain consistency of guide services throughout the Preserve. 
Further, there is an issue of equity in that the execution of these six 
permits was delayed because of an administrative requirement imposed by 
the National Park Service. The National Park Service believes that this 
situation constitutes an extraordinary circumstance where compelling 
and equitable considerations require the award of a concession contract 
to a particular party in the public interest.

DATED: The proposed permits will be awarded on or before June 18, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendelin Mann, Concession Program, 
National Park Service, 1849 ``C'' Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240 
(202) 565-1219.

    Dated: May 5, 1999.
Robert G. Stanton,
Director, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 99-12539 Filed 5-18-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M