[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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