[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 83 (Monday, May 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25606-25607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6485]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the 
Environmental Impact Statement on the Falls Creek Hydroelectric Project 
and Land Exchange, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the 
Environmental Impact Statement on the Falls Creek Hydroelectric Project 
and Land Exchange, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of 
the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Falls Creek Hydroelectric Project 
and Land Exchange, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
    This ROD documents the decision by the NPS on behalf of the 
Secretary of Interior (Secretary) to implement applicable portions of 
the Glacier Bay National Park Boundary Adjustment Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 
105-317) (Act). The Act mandated the Secretary implement specific 
actions once certain provisions were met. In this ROD the NPS addresses 
its decision to:
     Exchange land presently in Glacier Bay National Park 
(Glacier Bay) to the State of Alaska (state);
     Add state land to Klondike Gold Rush National Historical 
Park (Klondike Gold Rush);
     Designate an island in Blue Mouse Cove and Cenotaph Island 
in Glacier Bay as wilderness; and
     Adjust national park and wilderness boundaries as 
necessary to compensate for the land exchange.
    By addressing these actions the NPS will fulfill the Department of 
Interior's responsibility under the Act.
    This ROD follows the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) 
October 29, 2004 decision to issue a license to Gustavus Electric 
Company allowing the construction and operation of the Falls Creek 
Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 11659). It also follows the FERC Order 
Denying Rehearing on March 24, 2005 and FERC's June 17, 2005 denial of 
a request to reconsider the March 24, 2005 Order. This record of 
decision does not address any of FERC's responsibility under the Act 
nor does it address any aspect of the licensing process and decision as 
discussed in the final environmental impact statement (final EIS) and 
the FERC Order Issuing License and the subsequent rehearing denials.
    The NPS has decided to adopt the Preferred Alternative as presented 
in the final EIS. This will result in conveying approximately 1,034 
acres in Glacier Bay to the State of Alaska and in exchange receiving 
approximately 1,040 acres in Klondike Gold Rush. Included is the 
designation of 1,069 acres in Glacier Bay as wilderness and deletion of 
1040 acres of wilderness in Glacier Bay. The National Park and National 
Wilderness boundaries will be adjusted.
    The ROD briefly discusses the Act and background of the 
hydroelectric project and land exchange, summarizes public involvement 
during the planning process, states the decision and discusses the 
basis for it, describes other alternatives considered, specifies the 
environmentally preferable alternative, identifies measures adopted to 
minimize potential environmental harm, and provides a non-impairment 
determination.

ADDRESSES: The ROD can be found online at the http://www.nps.gov/glba. 
Copies of the ROD are available on request from: Bruce Greenwood, 
National Park Service, Alaska Regional Office, 240 West 5th Avenue, 
Anchorage, Alaska 99501. Telephone: (907) 644-3503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Greenwood, Project Manager, 
National Park Service, Alaska Region, 240 West 5th Avenue, Anchorage, 
Alaska 99501. Telephone: (907) 644-3503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NPS prepared a final EIS, as required, 
under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and Council of 
Environmental Quality regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
Part 1500).
    A Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement, 
published in the Federal Register on July 5, 2002 (67 FR 129), formally 
initiated the environmental impact statement (EIS) process. A draft EIS 
was issued on November 7, 2003 (68 FR 216) for a 60-day public comment 
period, that ended January 6, 2004. A Federal Register notice 
announcing the availability of the final EIS was

[[Page 25607]]

published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on July 9, 2004 
(69 FR 41476), commencing the required 30-day no-action period. The 
final EIS describes and analyzes the environmental impacts of four 
action alternatives and a no-action alternative.
    The NPS has decided to adopt the Preferred Alternative as presented 
in the final EIS. This will result in conveyance of 1,034 acres to the 
state of Alaska. The Preferred Alternative is a slight variation of the 
final EIS Maximum Boundary Alternative. The Maximum Boundary 
Alternative included the entire 1,145 acres of Glacier Bay park land 
identified in the Act as potentially available for exchange and the 
development of a hydroelectric power project. Because 95 acres in the 
upper portion of the Falls Creek area was not needed for construction 
of the hydroelectric power project, the Maximum Boundary Alternative 
was reduced by this amount. To compensate for the 1,034 acres in 
Glacier Bay that will be exchanged to the state of Alaska, the state of 
Alaska will transfer to NPS, approximately 1,040 acres of Chilkoot 
parcels within Klondike Gold Rush. This land will be administered as 
part of the historical park. Upon completion of the exchange of land 
under this Act, the Secretary shall adjust, as necessary, the 
boundaries of Glacier Bay to exclude the land exchanged to the State of 
Alaska and at Klondike Gold Rush to include the land acquired from the 
State of Alaska.
    In accordance with Section 2(b) of the Boundary Act, to compensate 
for the 1,034 acres deleted from the National Wilderness Preservation 
System at Glacier Bay, the unnamed island near Blue Mouse Cove and 
Cenotaph Island, totaling 1,069 acres, will be designated as 
wilderness. The wilderness boundaries in the Falls Creek, Blue Mouse 
Cove, and Cenotaph Island areas will be adjusted accordingly.

    Dated: March 21, 2006.
Marcia Blaszak,
Regional Director, Alaska.
 [FR Doc. E6-6485 Filed 4-28-06; 8:45 am]
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