[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52520-52521]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25248]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Wild and Scenic River Suitability Study/Recommendation for the 
Escalante River Drainage, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, 
Garfield County, UT

AGENCY: National Park Service, USDI.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the National Park Service, USDI, 
will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) which analyzes the 
suitability of sections of the Escalante River, Harris Wash, Coyote 
Gulch, Fortymile Gulch, Willow Gulch, Fiftymile Creek, Davis Gulch, Cow 
Canyon, Fence Canyon, Silver Falls Creek, Choprock Canyon, Neon Canyon, 
Moody Creek, East Moody Creek, Twentyfive Mile Wash (Glen Canyon NRA 
portion), Georgie's Canyon, Scorpion Gulch, Fools Canyon, Fold Canyon, 
Eastside Tributaries 1-4, Stevens Canyon, Big Hollow Wash, Hurricane 
Wash, Carcass Wash, Sooner Wash, Unnamed Wash of the Escalante River (3 
miles upriver of Silver Falls Creek), North Fork of Silver Falls Creek, 
Middle Moody Creek, within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 
boundary in Garfield County, Utah for inclusion into the National Wild 
and

[[Page 52521]]

Scenic River System. The National Park Service invites written comments 
and suggestions on the suitability of these river sections. The Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will also include a General 
Management Plan amendment. The amendment will provide interim 
protection for those rivers recommended to Congress until Congress 
rules on a final recommendation.
    Further, the agency gives notice that the environmental analysis 
process is underway. Interested and potentially affected persons, along 
with local, state, and other federal agencies, are invited to 
participate and contribute to the environmental analysis prior to final 
recommendation to Congress. Persons who comment on this process should 
note that the Department may make the names and addresses of commenters 
public. However, commenters may request that this information not be 
released and the Department of the Interior will then determine whether 
the information may be withheld under the Freedom of Information Act.

DATES: Written comments to be considered in the preparation of the DEIS 
should be submitted on or before October 29, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to: Superintendent, Glen Canyon 
National Recreation Area, P.O. Box 1507, Page, AZ 86040.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and draft EIS should be directed to Norm Henderson, Wild and Scenic 
River EIS Team Leader, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, P.O. Box 
1507, Page, AZ 86040; telephone 520-608-6272.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This suitability analysis is being initiated 
in response to the Management Plan currently being prepared by the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the Grand Staircase-Escalante 
National Monument (GSENM). A portion of this Plan includes an 
assessment of streams and rivers within the boundary of the GSENM for 
inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Recognizing 
the need for consistency across jurisdictional boundaries, Glen Canyon 
National Recreation Area (NRA), Bryce Canyon National Park, and the 
Dixie National Forest have worked together with the GSENM during the 
eligibility phase of their wild and scenic rivers analysis. This 
increased the Monument's study area to include portions of rivers that 
extended onto other Federally managed areas and allowed the planning 
team to look at entire watersheds.
    Section 5(d)(1) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public 
Law 90-542, 82 Stat. 906, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 1271-1287) allows for 
the study of new potential wild and scenic rivers not designated under 
Section 3(a) or designated for study under Section 5(a) of the Act. 
Section 5(d)(1) states ``In all planning for the use and development of 
water and related land resources, consideration shall be given by all 
Federal agencies involved to potential national wild, scenic, and 
recreational river areas. The analysis will also include lands within 
\1/4\ mile from each stream bank. Preliminary alternatives include 
recommending a wild, scenic, or recreation designation for each segment 
and an alternative that recommends none of the segments for 
designation. Other appropriate alternatives may be considered.
    Joseph Alston, Superintendent, Glen Canyon NRA, is the responsible 
official for preparing the suitability study and DEIS. The Secretary of 
the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington DC 20250 is 
the responsible official for recommendations for wild and scenic 
designation. Public input is now requested and will be used in 
preparation of the DEIS that is expected to be filed with the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and available for the public. At 
that time, the EPA will publish a notice of availability of the DEIS in 
the Federal Register. The comment period on the DEIS will be 60 days 
from the date the EPA's notice of availability appears in the Federal 
Register.
    After the comment period ends on the DEIS, comments will be 
analyzed and considered by the National Park Service in preparing the 
final EIS (FEIS). In the FEIS, the National Park Service will respond 
to comments received. The Secretary of the Interior will consider the 
comments, responses, and consequences discussed in the EIS, applicable 
laws, regulations, and policies in making a recommendation to the 
President regarding suitability of these river segments for inclusion 
into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The final decision on 
inclusion of a river in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System 
rests with the Congress of the United States.

    Dated: September 21, 1999.
Willie R. Taylor,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 99-25248 Filed 9-28-99; 8:45 am]
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