[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 74 (Friday, April 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20660-20661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8715]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Environmental Assessment for the Air Tour Management Plan Program 
at Mount Rushmore National Memorial

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental assessment and 
notice of initiation of public scoping.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in cooperation with 
the National Park Service (NPS), has initiated the development of an 
Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) for Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 
pursuant to the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 (Public 
Law 106-181) and its implementing regulations contained in Title 14, 
Code of Federal Regulations, Part 136, National Parks Air Tour 
Management. The objective of each ATMP is to develop acceptable and 
effective measures to mitigate or prevent the significant adverse 
impacts, if any, of commercial air tour operations upon the natural and 
cultural resources, visitor experiences, and tribal lands of the 
subject national park unit.

DATES: 
    Scoping Period: The 45-day scoping period will be initiated upon 
publication of this notice. Please submit any written response you may 
have within 45 days from the date of this Notice, or no later than June 
1, 2004.
    Scoping Meeting: A combined public scoping meeting has been 
scheduled for the Badlands National Park ATMP and the Mount Rushmore 
National Memorial ATMP as follows:

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            Subject park                        Date                   Time                    Location
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Badlands National Park..............  Tuesday, May 4, 2004...  6 p.m...............  Holiday Inn Rapid City-
                                                                                      Rushmore Plaza, Hammons
                                                                                      Conference Room, 505 N
                                                                                      Fifth Street, Rapid City,
                                                                                      South Dakota.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial....  Tuesday, May 4, 2004...  6 p.m...............  Holiday Inn Rapid City-
                                                                                      Rushmore Plaza, Hammons
                                                                                      Conference Room, 505 N
                                                                                      Fifth Street, Rapid City,
                                                                                      South Dakota.
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ADDRESSES: Please submit any written response you may have within 45 
days from the date of this Notice, or no later than June 1, 2004. 
Address your comments for Mount Rushmore National Memorial to: Docket 
Management System, Doc No. FAA-2004-17459, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Room Plaza 401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590-0001.
    You must identify the docket number FAA-2004-17459 for Mount 
Rushmore National Memorial at the beginning of your comments. If you 
wish to receive confirmation that FAA received your comments, include a 
self-addressed, stamped postcard. You may also submit comments through 
the Internet to http://dms.dot.gov. You may review the public docket 
containing comments in person in the Dockets Office between 9 a.m. and 
5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Dockets 
Office is on the plaza level of the NASSIF Building at the Department 
of Transportation at the above address. Also, you may review public 
dockets on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov. Additionally, comments 
will be received and recorded at the public scoping meetings. Please 
note that names and addresses of people who comment become part of the 
public record. 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, 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: Steve May, Air Tour Management Plan 
Program Manager, Executive Resource Staff, AWP-4, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Western-Pacific Region. Mailing address: P.O. Box 
92007, Los Angeles, California 90009-2007. Telephone: (310) 725-3808. 
Street address: 15000 Aviation Boulevard, Lawndale, California 90261. 
E-mail: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In developing each ATMP and any associated 
rulemaking actions, the FAA is required to comply with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, which calls on Federal agencies to 
consider environmental issues as part of their decision making process. 
For the purposes of compliance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act, the FAA is the Lead Agency and the NPS is a Cooperating Agency. 
The FAA Air Tour Management Plan Program Office and the NPS Natural 
Sounds Program Office are responsible for the overall implementation of 
the ATMP Program.

[[Page 20661]]

    An Environmental Assessment is being prepared in accordance with 
FAA Order 1050.1D, Policies and Procedures for Considering 
Environmental Impacts. The FAA is now inviting the public, agencies, 
tribes, and other interested parties to provide comments, suggestions, 
and input regarding: (1) The scope, issues, and concerns related to the 
development of each ATMP; (2) the scope of issues and the 
identification of significant issues regarding commercial air tours and 
their potential impacts to be addressed in the environmental process; 
(3) the potential effects of commercial air tours on cultural and 
historic resources; (4) past, present, and reasonably foreseeable 
future actions which, when considered with ATMP alternatives, may 
result in significant cumulative impacts; (5) potential ATMP 
alternatives; and (6) the potential impacts on natural resources and 
visitor experiences. The FAA requests that comments be as specific as 
possible in response to actions that are being proposed under this 
notice.
    A combined public scoping meeting has been scheduled for the 
Badlands National Park ATMP and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial 
ATMP. The purpose of this scoping meeting is to describe the ATMP 
development and environmental processes, obtain public input regarding 
the ATMP and potential environmental concerns that may be appropriate 
for consideration in the Environmental Assessment, and to identify 
alternatives to be considered. Both oral and written comments will be 
accepted during this meeting. Agency personnel will be available to 
record your spoken comments. All recorded and written comments become 
part of the official record. The public scoping meeting will consist of 
a presentation in which the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 
2000 is introduced, existing conditions at Badlands National Park and 
Mount Rushmore National Memorial will be described and the ATMP 
development process at each park unit will be explained. Following the 
presentation, the floor will be opened for public comments to be 
received.
    Park-specific scoping documents that describe the project in 
greater detail are available at the following locations:
     Rapid City Public Library, 610 Quincy Street, 
Rapid City, South Dakota
     Oglala Lakota College Library, 3 Mile Creek 
Road, Kyle, South Dakota
     Keystone Town Library, 1101 Madill Street, 
Keystone, South Dakota
     E. Y. Berry Library, Black Hills State 
University, 1200 University, Spearfish, South Dakota
     South Dakota State Library, Mercedes MacKay 
Building, 800 Governors Drive, Pierre, South Dakota
     FAA Air Tour Management Plan Program Web site, 
http://www.atmp.faa.gov/
     FAA Docket Management System Web site, http://dms.dot.gov

    Issued in Hawthorne, California on April 8, 2004.
Steve May,
Program Manager, Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) Program.
[FR Doc. 04-8715 Filed 4-15-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P