[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 174 (Friday, September 9, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53686-53687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17853]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Utah Museum of Natural History, Environmental Impact Statement, 
University of Utah and National Park Service and as Joint Lead 
Agencies, Salt Lake County, UT

AGENCY: The University of Utah and National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the construction and operation of a proposed new Utah Museum 
of Natural History at the University of Utah.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 
U.S.C. 4332 (C) and (D) (NEPA), the University of Utah and the National 
Park Service as Joint Lead Agencies, are preparing an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) on the construction and operation of a proposed 
new Utah Museum of Natural History museum facility at the University of 
Utah, Salt Lake County, Utah.
    The NEPA process is being followed because federal funds, as grants 
through the National Park Service, are contributing to the design and 
construction costs of the new museum facility. The EIS will identify 
potential environmental effects of construction and operation of the 
proposed 169,000 square foot museum building, parking, and related 
appurtenances and mitigation measures to minimize adverse environmental 
impacts on the 17-acre site provided to the Museum by the University of 
Utah. This site is near the University of Utah's Research Park, south 
of Red Butte Gardens and Arboretum in Salt Lake County, Utah.
    The Utah Public Lands Artifact Preservation Act, Pub. L. 107-329, 
enacted in 2002, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make a 
grant to the University of Utah to pay the Federal share of the costs 
of construction of a new facility including design, planning, 
furnishing, and equipping of the Museum. Seventy-five percent of the 
Museum's collection is material recovered from federally managed public 
lands including lands administered by the National Park Service. In 
January 2005, the Museum initiated an Environmental Assessment on the 
proposed project. After completion of public scoping and the 
identification of issues, the agencies decided to prepare an EIS.
    The EIS will analyze the proposed action, a no action alternative, 
alternative approaches to site and facilities design and placement, and 
other reasonable alternatives, if any, identified during the NEPA 
process. The EIS will also consider mitigation measures to minimize 
potential adverse environmental effects. Based on current information 
it is not expected that the EIS alternatives will include alternative 
sites for the museum facility, for several reasons. (1) The University 
of Utah and the Museum concluded a site selection process in 1995, and 
in 1997 the University of Utah Board of Trustees reserved the Research 
Park site for use by the Museum. Since that time considerable resources 
have been devoted to site planning, and substantial private, state and 
federal financial commitments have been received for design, 
construction and operation of a museum on the designated site. It would 
not be practical or economically feasible for the Museum to abandon 
this site for an alternative location. (2) Congress, in enacting the 
2002 Utah Public Lands Artifact Preservation Act and in making 
subsequent appropriations, contemplated that the new museum would be 
located at the 17-acre Research Park site and it authorized and has 
since appropriated funding for a facility at that site. (3) If the new 
museum were built at an alternative location, the Research Park site 
would nonetheless still be developed, meaning that there would not 
likely be a decrease in overall impacts.
    Issues that were identified by the public during scoping for the EA 
and that will be addressed in the EIS include: vegetation and wildlife; 
recreation and trail use; open space, visual quality and aesthetics; 
traffic, transportation and parking; socioeconomics/cultural; air 
quality; soils, geological and seismic concerns; surface and 
groundwater quality and management; consideration of alternative sites; 
hazardous materials; and archaeological, cultural, historic and 
paleontological resources. Scoping for the EA was conducted February 15 
through March 16, 2005 with a scoping meeting on March 8. The meeting 
was widely publicized and was attended by over 90 members of the 
public. Approximately 350 comments were received by letter or email. A 
scoping brochure has been prepared that details the issues identified 
to date. Copies of the brochure may be obtained from the project's NEPA 
contractor, Bear West, 145 South 400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111, 
phone (801) 355-8816. The scoping brochure along with a request for any 
additional scoping comments is being mailed to the project mailing list 
including those who attended the initial scoping meeting or submitted 
written

[[Page 53687]]

comments. One or more workshops, open houses or similar meetings may be 
conducted during preparation of the EIS. Because there was a well 
attended public meeting during scoping for the EA, no additional public 
meetings are planned as part of the EIS scoping process.
    For questions regarding the proposed action, contact Utah Museum of 
Natural History, Sarah George, Director, 1390 E. Presidents Circle, 
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0050. For questions 
regarding NEPA compliance, contact National Park Service, Cordell Roy, 
Utah State Coordinator, 324 South State Street, Suite 200, Box 30, Salt 
Lake City, UT 84111.

DATES: Comments from the public will be accepted through October 11, 
2005. Any comments received during that time will be reviewed and, if 
appropriate, a supplemental scoping brochure will be prepared. Comments 
received after the close of formal scoping will continue to be accepted 
and considered. It is anticipated that a Draft EIS will be available 
for public review in early 2006 and the Final EIS will be completed in 
the summer 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ralph Becker, Bear West, 145 South 400 
East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 (801-355-8816), or e-mail to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment on the scoping 
brochure or on any other issues associated with the proposed project, 
you may submit your comments by mail to UMNH EIS, c/o Bear West, 145 
South 400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 or via the internet to 
[email protected]. Please include in any internet comments your name 
and return address for the project mailing list. If you do not receive 
a confirmation of receipt of your email message, contact Bear West 
directly at (801) 355-8816. Comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents will be available for public review. 
Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address 
from the record, which will be honored to the maximum 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 to 
have your address withheld, you must state this prominently at the 
beginning of your comment. All submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public inspection in their entirety.

    Dated: August 2, 2005.
Kate Cannon,
Acting Deputy Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 05-17853 Filed 9-8-05; 8:45 am]
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