[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 4, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17700-17701]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8032]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Availability of the Final Supplemental Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed Actions Relating to the Grand Canyon 
National Park

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in cooperation with 
the National Park Service (NPS) and the Hualapai Indian Tribe, 
announces the availability of the Final Supplemental Environmental 
Assessment (SEA) for the proposed Special Flight Rules in the vicinity 
of Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) and Commercial Air Tour Routes (64 
FR 37296 and 37304, July 9, 1999).
    The Final SEA (FSEA) 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 FSEA assesses 
the effects of proposed Federal actions under consideration by the FAA 
and the Department of the Interior (DOI). These actions are vital for 
the FAA to assist the

[[Page 17701]]

NPS in fulfilling its statutory mandate of the National Park 
Overflights Act, Public Law 100-91, to provide for the substantial 
restoration of natural quiet in the GCNP by 2008, as called for by 
Presidential Memorandum dated April 22, 1996, Earth Day Initiative, 
Parks for Tomorrow. The Undertaking includes those actions for which 
implementation has been delayed since December 1996, as well as those 
currently proposed by the FAA. The currently proposed actions include 
(1) modifying the Special Federal Aviation Regulation Number 50-2; (2) 
modifying the commercial air tour routes within the Special Flight 
Rules Area (SFRA); and (3) limiting the commercial air tour operations.

DATES: There is no comment period associated with release of this 
document. However, any party to this proceeding, having a substantial 
interest may appeal the order to the Courts of Appeals of the United 
States or to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of 
Columbia upon petition, filed within 60 days of issuance of the Final 
Rules.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the Final SEA is being mailed to all those 
commenting, either in writing or orally at one of the public meetings 
and who provided a return address, on the Draft SEA (DSEA). A postcard 
will be mailed to those individuals that received a copy of the DSEA 
but did not provide comments indicating how a copy of the FSEA can be 
obtained. Additional requests for copies of the FSEA should be directed 
to: Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Airspace Management, 
Environmental Programs Division, Attention: Tina Hunter, ATA-300.1, 800 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning this Final SEA or 
the environmental process followed should be directed to the FAA, Air 
Traffic Airspace Management, Environmental Programs Division, ATA-300, 
Attention: Mr. William Marx, via telephone at (202) 267-3075, or in 
writing to the address above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA and DOI considered 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 consultation with Federal, State and local agencies and Native 
American tribal representatives, and in response to public comments, 
FAA made revisions to the DSEA and prepared the Final SEA. The FAA 
modified the Preferred Alternative to address socioeconomic concerns of 
the Hualapai Tribe and the Navajo Nation and concerns expressed by air 
tour operators and general aviation pilots. The major changes to the 
Preferred Alternative between the DSEA and Final SEA are as follows:
    (1) Commercial air tour operations that transit the SFRA along 
Blue-2 and Green-4, that operate under a written contract with the 
Hualapai Tribe, and that have an operations specification authorizing 
such flights will be excepted from the commercial air tour allocation 
requirement. The Hualapai Tribe indicated that the Operations 
Limitation as proposed in the June 1999 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
would significantly adversely impact the Tribe's economic development 
efforts. The modifications to the Preferred Alternative will avoid 
negative impacts to the socioeconomic activities of the Hualapai Indian 
Tribe;
    (2) A turnaround has been added in the Zuni Point Corridor in the 
vicinity of Gunthers Castle in response to comments from the commercial 
air tour industry that a turn-around in this corridor was necessary to 
provide the operators with a safe and economic alternative to the 
Saddle Mountain route;
    (3) The Desert View Flight Free Zone (FFZ) has been modified to 
extend eastward only to the GCNP boundary in response to safety 
concerns expressed by general aviation pilots and socioeconomic 
concerns expressed by the Cameron and Gap/Bodaway Chapters of the 
Navajo Nation. To allow protection for areas containing TCPs identified 
during Section 106 consultation, FAA left in place the proposed 
enlargement of the SFRA eastern boundary and the relocation of 
commercial air tour routes known as Black-2 and Green-3;
    (4) The SRFA boundary has been modified on the southeast corner in 
response to comments from the general aviation community regarding the 
Sunny Military Operating Area, and the latitude and longitude 
dimensions within the proposed Final Rule have been corrected;
    (5) The description of the future Bright Angel Incentive Corridor 
has been corrected;
    (6) The Toroweap/Shinumo FFZ has been modified to exclude Hualapai 
reservation lands; and,
    (7) The wording in the document has been clarified based on public 
and agency comments.
    The Final Rule for the Modification to the Airspace in the SFRA, 
the Final Rule for Limitations to Commercial Air Tours and the Notice 
of Route Availability (with the accompanying chart) are also being 
released concurrently with this Final SEA. A summary of the background 
information relative to the Undertaking is contained in each of these 
documents.

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 SEA, published in June 1999 contained a summary of those 
comments in Appendix G. FAA and DOI held two public hearings during the 
comment period, the first in Flagstaff, Arizona on August 17, 1999 and 
the second in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 19, 1999. The FAA received a 
total of 51 comments on the Draft SEA (both written and verbal).
    Information, data, opinions, and comments obtained throughout the 
process were used in preparing the FSEA. The purpose of this Notice is 
to inform Federal, State, local and government agencies, and the public 
of the availability of the Final SEA. To maximize the opportunities for 
public participation in this environmental process, the FAA has mailed 
copies of the Final SEA, the two Final Rules, and the Notice of Route 
Availability and graphic to those individuals and agencies that 
commented on the Draft SEA. 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.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on March 28, 2000.
William J. Marx,
Manager, Environmental Programs Division, Office of Air Traffic 
Airspace Management.
[FR Doc. 00-8032 Filed 3-28-00; 4:59 pm]
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