[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59532-59533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24048]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Available of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for 
the National Coal Heritage Area, Management Action Plan

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of Interior.

ACTION: Availability of the final environmental impact statement for 
the National Coal Heritage Area Management Plan.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service announces the 
availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 
National Coal Heritage Area (HCHA) in West Virginia. The National Coal 
Heritage Area Act of 1996 requires the NCHA, with guidance from the 
National Park Service, to prepare a management plan for the heritage 
area. The purpose of the Management Action Plan is to: (1) Set forth 
the integrated cultural, historical, and land resource management 
policies and programs in order to retain, enhance, and interpret the 
significant values of the lands, water, and structures of the Area. (2) 
describe the guidelines and standards for projects that involve 
preservation, restoration, maintenance, operations, interpretation, and 
promotion of buildings, structures, facilities, and sites; and (3) set 
forth the responsibilities of the State of West Virginia, units of 
local government, nonprofit entities, in order to further historic 
preservation and compatible economic revitalization.
    The study area, designated as the National Coal Heritage Area, 
includes the following eleven counties in the southern region of West 
Virginia: Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, 
Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming.
    The National Park Service (NPS) maintains three park sites within 
the region: New River Gorge National River, The Bluestone National 
Scenic River and the Gauley National Recreation Area. Otherwise the 
majority of land is non-federal and the NPS assumes a management role 
only within their park units. Instead, conservation, interpretation and 
other activities are managed by partnerships among federal, state, an 
local governments and private nonprofit organizations. The national 
heritage area is managed by the State of West Virginia Division of 
Culture and History, and Division of Tourism, but will be managed in 
the future by a State Authority. The National Park Service has been 
authorized by Congress to provide technical and financial assistance 
for a limited period to the state (up to 10 years from the time of the 
designation in 1996).

DATES: The FEIS will remain on Public Review for thirty days after 
announcement is made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of its 
availability.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Samuel, Project Leader, 
Philadelphia Support Office, National Park Service, U.S. Custom House, 
200 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, [email protected], 
215-597-1848.
    If you correspond using the internet, please include your name and 
return address in your e-mail message. Our practice is to make 
comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available 
for public review. 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 identify, as allowable by law. 
If you wish 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

[[Page 59533]]

organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

    Dated: September 7, 2002.
David Hollenberg,
Assistant Regional Director, National Heritage Partnerships, NPS 
Northeast Region.
[FR Doc. 02-24048 Filed 9-20-02; 8:45 am]
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