[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 131 (Friday, July 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37192-37193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17342]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed Actions Relating to the Grand Canyon 
National Park and Public Comment

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in cooperation with 
the National Park Service (NPS) and the Hualapai Indian Tribe (the 
Tribe), announces the availability of the Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Assessment (DSEA) for proposed Special Flight Rules 
vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) and request for comments.
    The DSEA was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, FAA Order 1050.1D, ``Policies and 
Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts'', and other 
applicable environmental laws, and regulations. The DSEA assesses the 
effects of proposed Federal actions under consideration by the FAA and 
the Department of the Interior (DOI). These actions are to assist the 
National Park Service (NPS) in achieving its statutory mandate imposed 
by Public Law 100-91 to provide for the substantial restoration of 
natural quiet in the GCNP. The proposed actions include the following: 
(1) New air tour routes, and modifications to existing air tour routes 
for commercial aircraft operating in the Special Flight Rules Area 
(SFRA) in the vicinity of GCNP, identified as Special Federal Aviation 
Regulation Number 50-2 (SFAR 50-2); (2) new air space, and 
modifications to existing airspace in the SFRA; and (3) a limitation on 
the number of commercial air tours in the SFRA.

DATES: The opportunity to provide written comments on the DSEA will 
extend from July 7, through September 7, 1999. Late filed comments will 
be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Draft Supplemental EA may be 
delivered or mailed, in triplicate, to: Federal Aviation 
Administration, Attention: William J. Marx, Air Traffic Airspace 
Management, Environmental Programs Division, ATA-300, 800 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591. Comments may also be submitted via 
the internet. The internet address for written comments is 
[email protected]. Comments may be examined at the above address 
between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning this Draft 
Supplemental EA or the process being applied by the FAA should be 
directed to William J. Marx, via telephone at (202) 267-3075, or in 
writing to the address above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA and DOI are considering the proposed 
actions to assist the NPS in achieving its congressional mandate to 
provide for the substantial restoration of natural quiet at GCNP. Based 
upon further discussions with interested parties and consultation with 
Native American tribal representatives pursuant to Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act, the FAA is proposing additional 
revisions to the route structure in the SFRA. These proposed revisions 
will minimize impact on traditional cultural properties that we 
identified during consultation with Native American tribal 
representatives. The Notice of Route Availability (and accompanying 
chart), that details the proposed changes to the routes in the SFRA is 
being released concurrently with this DSEA, and contains a summary of 
the background information.
    Other Federal actions considered in the DSEA include:
    (1) Expansion of the Desert View Flight Free Zone (FFZ); (2) 
expansion of the boundary of the SFRA to contain the expansion of the 
Desert View FFZ; (3) reduction of the Sanup FFZ; and (4) a limitation 
on the number of commercial air tours in the SFRA. These proposals are 
contained in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the 
Modification to the Airspace in the SFRA, and the NPRM for the Proposed 
Limitations to Commercial Air Tours in the GCNP. These documents are 
also being released concurrently with this DSEA and contain a summary 
of the background information.

The Supplemental EA

    The scoping process for this Supplemental EA consisted of a public 
comment period for those interested agencies and parties to submit 
written comments representing the concerns and issues they believed 
should be addressed. The FAA received a total of 20 written comments. 
The Draft Supplemental EA contains a summary of those comments in 
Appendix G.
    Information, data, opinions, and comments obtained throughout the 
course of the scoping process were used

[[Page 37193]]

in preparing the draft supplemental EA. The purpose of this Notice is 
to inform the public and local, State, and Federal government agencies 
of the availability of the draft supplemental EA. It also provides 
interested parties with an opportunity to present to the FAA their 
opinions, comments, information, or other relevant observations 
relating to the alternatives and potential environmental impacts of 
these proposals.
    To maximize the opportunities for public participation in this 
environmental process, the FAA has mailed copies of the draft 
supplemental EA (DSEA), the two NPRMs, and the Notice of Route 
Availability and graphic to those individuals and agencies listed in 
Appendix I of the DSEA. The graphic containing the proposed route 
changes and airspace modifications is not being published in today's 
Federal Register due to the detail on the charts. Again these proposed 
actions represent concepts presently under consideration by the FAA and 
DOI.

    Issued in Washington, DC on July 2, 1999.
William J. Marx,
Manager, Environmental Programs Division, Office of Air Traffic 
Airspace Management.
[FR Doc. 99-17342 Filed 7-6-99; 12:06 pm]
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