[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 61 (Friday, March 29, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15223-15224]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7627]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Winter Use Plan, Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the 
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway, Wyoming and Montana

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Winter Use Plan for the Yellowstone and Grand 
Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial 
Parkway.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service announces the 
availability of Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. 
Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway, Wyoming and Montana. The purpose 
for preparing the Plan/SEIS is to further the purposes of NEPA by 
soliciting more public comment and to consider additional information 
on new snowmobile technology not available at the time of the earlier 
decision. It analyzes 4 winter use management alternatives for the 
parks and evaluates the environmental consequences of the alternatives 
on wildlife, air quality, natural quiet, socioeconomics, and visitor 
experience.
    Under alternative 1a-No Action, use and management practices in the 
parks and Parkway as decided by the November 22, 2000 record of 
decision for the Winter Use Plan, Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and John D. 
Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway would continue. The decision 
eliminated recreational snowmobile and snowplane use from the parks and 
Parkway by the winter of 2003-2004. Oversnow motorized access would be 
provided by means of mass transit snowcoaches. Alternative 1b is 
essentially the same as alternative 1a with the exception that an 
additional year would be allowed for the phasing

[[Page 15224]]

in of snowcoach only travel. Alternative 2 allows for the use of 
snowmobiles provided that EPA's proposed 2010 emission standards are 
met and sound levels do not exceed 78 decibels for publicly owned 
machines. It calls for a daily cap on numbers of snowmobiles and for 
increased NPS management of winter use. Alternative 3 provides for 
guided use of snowmobiles provided that best available technology 
standards for both emissions and noise levels are met for all machines. 
All alternatives emphasize an adaptive management strategy under which 
the number of snowmobiles allowed in the parks may be adjusted based on 
the results of monitoring and carrying capacity studies.

DATES: The NPS will accept comments on the DSEIS for 60 days beginning 
March 29, 2002. No public meetings are scheduled at this time.

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment 
in the offices of the Superintendents and on the internet at 
www.nps.gov/grte/winteruse/intro.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Grand Teton National 
Park, (307) 739-3410.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment, you may submit your 
comments by any one of several methods. You may mail comments to 
Planning Office, Grand Teton National Park, PO Box 352, Moose, WY 
83012. You may also comment via email to [email protected]. 
Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to Grand Teton National Park, 
Moose, WY. We will not consider comments that do not include the name 
and mailing address of the submitter(s). 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. 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.

    Dated: March 13, 2002.
R. Everhart,
Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 02-7627 Filed 3-28-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P