[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3064-3065]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-986]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service, Pacific West Region


San Gabriel River Watershed Special Resource Study, Los Angeles 
and Orange Counties, CA; Notice of Scoping

    Summary: Notice is hereby given in accordance with provisions of 
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-190) and 
Council on Environmental Quality's implementing regulations (40 CFR 
1502.9(c)) that public scoping has been initiated for the conservation 
planning and environmental impact analysis process to identify and 
assess potential impacts of alternative resource protection and other 
considerations within the San Gabriel River Watershed Special Resource 
Study area in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Region. The purpose of the 
scoping process is to elicit public comment regarding issues and 
concerns, alternatives, and the nature and extent of potential 
environmental impacts (and as appropriate, mitigation measures) which 
should be addressed.
    Background: As authorized by Public Law 108-042, the NPS is 
conducting a special resource study of the San Gabriel River and its 
tributaries from the city of Santa Fe Springs to the north, and the San 
Gabriel Mountains within the territory of the San Gabriel and Lower Los 
Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. The study area includes areas 
of the Angeles National Forest, as well as many urban communities along 
the San Gabriel River and its tributaries. Although the Angeles 
National Forest and various local and county parks provide recreational 
opportunities, many communities within the study area experience a lack 
of open space and their associated recreational opportunities.
    In conducting the San Gabriel Watershed Special Resource Study, the 
NPS will evaluate the national significance of the area's natural and 
cultural resources. The NPS will also assess the area's suitability and 
feasibility to be a unit of the National Park System. Factors which the 
NPS study team will evaluate include: Whether the study area includes 
types or quality of resources not already adequately represented in the 
National Park System; whether long-term protection and public use of 
the area are feasible; and whether the area can be adequately protected 
and administered at a reasonable cost. The NPS's conclusions may vary 
for different portions of the study area.
    The NPS will also consider: Alternative strategies for the 
management, protection and use of significant resources within the 
overall study area, including management by other public agencies or 
the private sector; technical or financial assistance available from 
established programs or special initiatives and partnerships; 
alternative designations to a national park unit and; cooperative 
management by NPS and other entities.
    The authorizing statute directs the NPS to consider regional flood 
control and drainage needs and publicly owned infrastructure such as 
wastewater treatment facilities. Opportunities for increased open space 
and recreational opportunities will also be considered in the study.
    Public Involvement: During the study process, a range of 
alternatives will be developed, in consultation with Federal, State and 
local governments and the public. The law authorizing this study 
directs the NPS to consult with the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles 
Rivers and Mountains Conservancy and with other appropriate Federal, 
State and local governmental entities. The NPS will conduct an 
environmental review of the alternatives and the potential impacts of 
resource protection considerations as part of the San Gabriel River 
Watershed Special Resource Study. At this time, it has not been 
determined whether an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental 
Impact Statement will be prepared, however, this scoping process will 
aid in the preparation of either document, and public comments will aid 
in making this determination. The public will have opportunities to 
comment and participate throughout the study

[[Page 3065]]

process, including the opportunity to review the environmental document 
and submit additional comments.
    For initial scoping and alternatives development, the most useful 
comments are those that provide the NPS with assistance in identifying 
issues and concerns which should be addressed, or providing important 
information germane to this study. All responses to this Notice will 
also be used to establish a mailing list of interested persons, 
organizations, and agencies that desire to receive further information 
as the environmental document is developed.
    The public scoping period for the San Gabriel River Watershed 
Special Resource Study will conclude 90 days after the publication of 
this Scoping Notice in the Federal Register. As soon as this date can 
be determined, it will be posted on the study Web site (noted below) 
and announced by press release to local and regional media. Scoping 
meetings will be held in the Los Angeles Region in the winter and/or 
spring of 2005. Interested individuals, organizations, and agencies 
wishing to provide written comments on issues or concerns should 
respond to: National Park Service, San Gabriel River Watershed Special 
Resource Study, 1111 Jackson Street, Suite 700, Oakland, CA 94607. 
Comments may also be submitted electronically through the NPS Planning, 
Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) system (which can be accessed 
through the study's Web site listed below). In addition, the study team 
may be contacted anytime via e-mail at [email protected]. If 
individuals submitting comments request that their name and/or address 
be withheld from public disclosure, it will be honored to the extent 
allowable by law. Such requests must be stated prominently in the 
beginning of the comments. There also may be circumstances wherein the 
NPS will withhold a respondent's identity as allowable by law. As 
always: NPS will make available to public inspection all submissions 
from organizations or businesses and from persons identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations and 
businesses; and, anonymous comments may not be considered.
    Future Information: Further information about the study process and 
opportunities for the public to participate will be distributed via 
direct mailings, regional and local news media, and announcements on 
the San Gabriel Watershed Special Resource Study Web site (http://www.nps.gov/pwro/sangabriel).
    Decision Process: Availability of the forthcoming draft 
environmental document for review and written comment will be announced 
by local and regional news media, the above listed Web site, and direct 
mailing. At this time the draft document is anticipated to be available 
for public review and comment by late 2006 or early 2007. Comments on 
the draft document will be fully considered in the decision making 
process and responded to as appropriate in the final document. The 
official responsible for the initial recommendation will be the 
Regional Director, Pacific West Region, National Park Service. The 
official responsible for amending or ratifying the recommendation and 
transmitting the final document to the Secretary of the Interior will 
be the Director of the National Park Service. The final document will 
identify the alternative that, in the professional judgment of the 
Director of the National Park Service, is the most effective and 
efficient method for protecting significant resources and providing for 
public enjoyment. The Secretary of the Interior subsequently will 
forward the completed study along with a recommendation regarding the 
Secretary's preferred management option for the area to Congress for 
their consideration. It is anticipated that the final study report will 
be available in winter 2008.

    Dated: December 14, 2004.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 05-986 Filed 1-18-05; 8:45 am]
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