[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 114 (Thursday, June 13, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40749-40750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14977]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Colorado River Management Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, 
Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
for the Colorado River Management Plan, Grand Canyon National Park.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing an environmental 
impact statement (EIS) for the Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP) 
for Grand Canyon National Park. The purpose of this EIS/CRMP is to 
update management guidelines for the Colorado River corridor through 
Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon National Park's 1995 General 
Management Plan provides a high level of direction for the park's 
developed areas. Additional guidance is needed to effectively manage 
the Colorado River corridor.
    Completion of the EIS process will fulfill an agreement reached 
through a negotiated settlement of recent litigation between several 
organization and individuals and the federal government. The settlement 
requires the NPS to complete the EIS/CRMP by December 31, 2004.
    This effort will identify and evaluate alternative for visitor use 
and levels of motorized and non-motorized trips, the allocation and 
distribution of use for user groups, and a permit distribution system 
for noncommercial users. During this process, the NPS will develop and 
evaluate alternative to address resource protection issues, potential 
resource impacts, user capacities, and mitigation measures necessary or 
desirable to avoid or minimize impairment of natural and cultural 
resources. The NPS will conduct the environmental impact process in 
consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the State 
Historic Preservation Officer; federal and state natural resource 
management agencies; federally recognized, culturally affiliated 
American Indian tribes; and other interested parties. The NPS will give 
attention to resource issues outside of the park's boundaries that 
affect the integrity of the Grand Canyon. Finally, the NPS will 
consider alternatives that include no-action (status quo), no motorized 
use, and varying levels of motorized and non-motorized use.
    Major issues include the following: Appropriate levels of visitor 
use consistent with natural and cultural resource protection and 
preservation mandates; allocation of use between commercial and non-
commercial groups; the permitting system; the level of motorized versus 
non-motorized raft use; the range of services provided to the public; 
and, in consultation with the Hualapai Indian Tribe and other 
appropriate parties, the continued use of helicopters to transport 
river passengers from the Colorado River near Whitmore Wash.
    The public scoping process will involve distribution of a 
newsletter or scoping brochure for public response and comment. Public 
meetings will be held at a minimum in Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, 
Arizona; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition to 
providing specific meeting dates and locations, the newsletter or 
brochure will describe the proposed project, the issues identified to 
date, the dates of public scoping meetings, and alternative concepts. 
Copies of that information may be obtained from CRMP Project Leader, 
Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023, 928-
638-7945.

DATES: The scoping period will be 60 days from the date this notice is 
published in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment 
in the Office of the Superintendent, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. 
Box 129, Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023; 923-638-7945.

FUR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Alston, Superintendent, Grand 
Canyon National Park, 928-638-7945.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment on the scoping 
brochure, you may submit your comments by any one of several methods. 
You may mail comments to CRMP Project, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. 
Box 129, Grant Canyon, Arizona 86023. You may also comment via 
electronic mail (e-mail) to [email protected]. Please submit e-mail 
comments as a text file avoiding the use of special characters and any 
form of encryption. Please also include your name, e-mail address, and 
return address in your e-message. If you do not receive a confirmation 
from the system that we have received your Internet message, contact 
Linda Jalbert at 928-638-7909. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments 
to Grand Canyon National Park. 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.

[[Page 40750]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Grand Canyon National 
Park, 928-638-7945.

    Dated: May 3, 2002.
Michael D. Synder,
Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 02-14977 Filed 6-12-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M