[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 104 (Thursday, May 31, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30392-30393]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-2689]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Quarry Visitor Center, Draft Environmental Impact Statement,
Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah
AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft environmental impact
statement for the quarry visitor center, dinosaur national monument.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42
U.S.C. 4332(c)(C), the National Park Service announces the availability
of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Quarry Visitor Center
at Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement contains five
alternatives.
Alternative A--No Action. The Quarry Visitor Center (QVC) was
closed to the staff and public because of serious life safety issues
caused by building instability on July 12, 2006. The QVC protected
1,500 dinosaur fossils in situ and provided access to the park's
primary resource. The building would remain closed to the public;
functions would remain displaced; and critical resources would be
threatened.
Alternative B--Preferred Alternative--Rehabilitate the Exhibit Hall
and Construct a New Facility Off-site. The existing exhibit hall would
be rehabilitated to adequately protect fossil resources and provide
access to the public. Currently displaced functions would be
constructed at a location off-site that has stable soil.
Alternative C--Retain the Exhibit Hall and Construct a New Facility
at the Quarry Visitor Center. The exhibit hall would be rehabilitated
to protect fossil resources and provide access to the public, and the
currently displaced functions would be reconstructed on the unstable
soil that has caused building movement for more than 50 years.
Alternative D--Retain the Exhibit Hall and Construct Wings Similar.
The exhibit hall would be rehabilitated to protect fossil resources and
provide access to the public. The remaining portions of the building
would be reconstructed in the original footprint and dysfunctional
configuration on the unstable soil that has caused building movement
for more than 50 years.
Alternative E--Demolish the Entire Facility and Construct a New
Facility at the QVC Site. The entire building would be demolished and
rebuilt on the unstable soil that has caused building movement for more
than 50 years.
General Assumptions/Conditions that Apply to all Alternatives--
Engineers and architects estimate that only 10% of the historic fabric
could be used for any of the alternatives. All alternatives would
result in reconstruction, which is not an approved treatment under the
Secretary's guidelines. Thus, the National Historic Landmark
designation cannot be preserved under any alternative.
DATES: The National Park Service will accept comments on the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement from the public for 60 days from the
date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the Notice of
Availability. No public meetings are scheduled at this time.
ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment
online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov, in the office of the
Superintendent, Mary Risser, 4545 E. Highway 40, Dinosaur, CO, (970)
374-3001 and the following locations: The Moffatt County Library, 570
Green St., Craig, CO 81625 and the Uintah County Library, 155 East
Main, Vernal, UT 84078.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Risser, 4545 E. Highway 40,
Dinosaur, CO, (970) 374-3001, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment, you may submit your
comments by any one of several methods. You may mail comments to
Dinosaur National Monument Headquarters, 4545 E. Highway 40, Dinosaur,
CO. You may also comment via the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. If you do not receive a confirmation from the
system that we have received your Internet message, contact us directly
at 970.374.3001. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to the park
headquarters at the above address. Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available
at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
[[Page 30393]]
Dated: May 17, 2007.
Michael D. Snyder,
Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 07-2689 Filed 5-30-07; 8:45 am]
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