[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 108 (Monday, June 5, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35663-35664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13910]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Going-to-the-Sun Road Rehabilitation Environmental Impact 
Statement, Glacier National Park, Montana

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Going-to-the-Sun Road Rehabilitation, Glacier National Park.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, 
the National Park Service is preparing an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Going-to-the-Sun Road Rehabilitation for Glacier 
National Park. This Environmental Impact Statement will be approved by 
the Intermountain Regional Director.
    The Going-to-the-Sun Road, a National Historic Landmark, is in need 
of rehabilitation. Since its opening in 1932 it has had limited repairs 
and reconstruction resulting in a deteriorating condition resulting in 
visitor use, maintenance, and safety concerns. Rehabilitation of the 
road is extremely difficult because of the very narrow width and the 
limited room available for staging construction and performing repairs. 
The narrow road corridor, the short construction season, and extreme 
and unpredictable weather conditions affect both the integrity of the 
road and the rehabilitation effort. Avalanches, rock falls, and 
repeated freezing and thawing continually deteriorate the road and 
jeopardize both the public and construction workers safety.
    In the final General Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement 
for Glacier National Park, the preferred alternative reflects a desired 
condition for the road to be repaired and for its continued use, but 
not the method to achieve it. The road will continue to be protected as 
a national historic landmark. The road's historic character and 
significance will be preserved, and the needed repairs will be 
completed before the road fails. The National Park Service will 
minimize the impacts on natural resources, visitors and the economy, 
and minimize the rehabilitation costs.
    The Going-to-the-Sun Road rehabilitation project/EIS includes a 
number of technical studies including engineering studies, a socio-
economic study and marketing plan, a cultural landscape report, and a 
transportation/visitor use plan. A public advisory committee has also 
been established by authority of the Secretary of the Interior under 
Section 3 of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C 1a-2(c)) to advise the 
National Park Service during development of the Rehabilitation Study.
    The various technical studies will result in a series of findings 
and recommendations that will be combined into a range of alternatives 
to rehabilitate the road. These alternatives will be evaluated through 
the EIS process. A variety of factors will be considered in developing 
these alternatives including, but not limited to, socio-economic 
implications, natural resources, visitor use, and construction costs. 
These alternatives have not yet been developed. A no action alternative 
will also be considered as required by the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA). The effort will result in a selected course of 
action for the rehabilitation of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
    Major issues include the limited season available for 
rehabilitation activities on the critical sections of the road, 
concerns about impacts to the local and regional economy (past studies 
have considered closing the road for limited periods of time), and 
potential short-term and long-term impacts to natural resources in 
Glacier National Park. The current poor condition of the road resulting 
in potential safety concerns to visitors and the travelling public 
underscores the purpose and need for the project.
    If you wish to provide comments for consideration, you may submit 
your comments by any one of several methods. You may mail comments to 
Superintendent, Attn: Going-to-the Sun Road Study Glacier National 
Park, West Glacier, Montana 59936. You may also comment via email at 
[email protected], attention: GTTSR-Rehabilitation Project. 
Please include your name and return address in your email message. If 
you do not receive confirmation from the system that we received your 
email message, contact us directly at 406/888-7972. Finally, you may 
hand-deliver comments to Glacier National Park headquarters, West 
Glacier, Montana. Our practice is to make comments, including names and 
home addresses of respondents, available for public review during 
regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that we 
withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to the 
extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we 
would withhold from the record a respondents identity, as allowable by 
law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must 
state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will not 
consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
    When a scoping document is prepared and public meetings/open houses 
are scheduled, an announcement will be made in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Superintendent Glacier 
National Park, (406) 888-7972.


[[Page 35664]]


    Dated: May 18, 2000.
Michael D. Snyder,
Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 00-13910 Filed 6-2-00; 8:45 am]
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