[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 177 (Tuesday, September 12, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55040-55041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-23328]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Commercial Services Plan/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 Commercial Services Plan, 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 Commercial Services Plan for Glacier National Park. 
This plan and Environmental Impact Statement will be approved by the 
Intermountain Regional Director. This plan will implement decisions 
previously made in the newly completed General Management Plan.
    The approved General Management Plan (GMP) for Glacier National 
Park committed the park to rehabilitate the historic lodging facilities 
in Glacier and outlined general direction for the park and its 
commercial services. The GMP states, ``Historic visitor lodging 
experiences would continue. . .from camping cabins to the grand hotels, 
as appropriate to the geographic area and management zones.''
    The GMP also required the park to develop a commercial services 
plan to deal more specifically with concessioner activities.

    ``The overall mix of services to be offered would be determined 
through the development of a commercial services plan. The type and 
level of these services would be guided by the management philosophy 
of the General Management Plan, to retain Glacier's classic western 
park character. A minimum of approximately 500 rooms would be 
retained. . .Develop a commercial service plan that analyzes visitor 
needs, expectations and demands; resource constraints and 
implications; and determine economic feasibility to establish the 
number of rooms and service that should be made available in the 
park. . .'' GMP 1999

    The effort will result in a comprehensive Commercial Services Plan. 
Alternatives to be considered include no-action and alternatives that 
address the following. A preferred alternative will be identified in 
the draft Environmental Impact Statement.
    1. Determine the overall mix of commercial services.
    2. Establish the framework for future decisions.
    3. Establish the types and level of service by park area based on 
need, expectations, economic feasibility, resource concerns, etc.
    4. Provide a vision and implementation strategy for rehabilitating 
the historic hotels and continuing a wide range of visitor experiences.
    5. Provide the specific information necessary for issuance of new 
concession contracts including those that allow the rehabilitation 
efforts.
    Congress defined concession activity and enacted Title IV of the 
National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998, under which the National 
Park Service (NPS) authorizes park concession operations. It requires 
that development ``be limited to those accommodations, facilities, 
services that are necessary and appropriate for public use and 
enjoyment. . .'' of the national park area in which they are located 
``. . .and that are consistent to the highest practicable degree with 
the preservation and conservation of the resources and values of the 
unit.''
    The plan will tier down from the General Management plan to provide 
a framework or broad, general direction for commercial services as well 
as specific information such as the number of a particular facility 
type in a given area. It would also provide site-specific schematic 
design for key areas of the park. While providing direction for the 
park's commercial services, the plan would also provide the information 
necessary for development of prospectuses for new concession contracts.
    A scoping newsletter will be prepared which details the issues 
identified to date. Copies will be distributed in the fall of 2000 and 
will be available online on the Commercial Services Plan website at: 
http://www.nps.gov/planning/glac/ or by writing to: Commercial Services 
Plan/EIS Glacier National Park West Glacier, MT 59936-0128.
    If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any one of

[[Page 55041]]

several methods. You may mail comments to the address noted above. You 
may also comment via the Internet address noted above. Please also 
include your name and return mailing address in your Internet message. 
If you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have 
received your Internet message, contact us directly at the address 
noted above. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to Glacier National 
Park at park headquarters in 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 respondent's 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. However, 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Superintendent, Glacier 
National Park, 406-888-7801.

R. Everhart,
Regional Director, Intermountain Region.
[FR Doc. 00-23328 Filed 9-11-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P