[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 119 (Thursday, June 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34273-34274]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12013]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Final General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, 
Flight 93 National Memorial, PA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the General Management Plan, Flight 93 National Memorial.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), the National Park 
Service announces the availability of the Final General Management Plan 
and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for Flight 93 National 
Memorial, in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Consistent with Federal 
laws, regulations, and National Park Service policies, the Final GMP/
EIS describes the proposed Federal action to establish a programmatic 
framework in the form of a General Management Plan to accomplish the 
objectives set forth in the Flight 93 National Memorial Act (Pub. L. 
107-226; 116 Stat. 1345).
    The Final GMP/EIS evaluates alternatives to guide the development 
and future management of the national memorial over the next 15 to 20 
years. Alternative 1--No Action provides a baseline evaluation of the 
existing resource conditions, facilities and management at the Flight 
93 National Memorial. Alternative 2, the agency's preferred 
alternative, focuses on the final selected design from the Flight 93 
National Memorial International Design Competition. The Final GMP/EIS 
describes the affected environment and evaluates the potential 
environmental consequences of developing a new national memorial in 
Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Impact topics evaluated include historic 
and cultural resources, natural resources, land use, transportation, 
socioeconomic impacts, visual and aesthetic impacts, energy 
requirements, and public health and safety.
    On June 16, 2006, a ``Notice of Availability'' announcing the 
public availability of the Flight 93 National Memorial Draft General 
Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement was published in the 
Federal Register (71 FR 34964). This public review period extended for 
60 days from June 16 to August 15, 2006. On July 20, 2006, the National 
Park Service conducted an open house style public meeting at the 
Shanksville-Stonycreek School in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

[[Page 34274]]


DATES: The NPS will prepare a Record of Decision no sooner than 30 days 
following publication by the Environmental Protection Agency of the 
Notice of Availability of the Final GMP/EIS in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: The Final GMP/EIS is available online at http://www.flight93memorialproject.org. The Final General Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement is also available at the National Park 
Service office at the address below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Flight 93 National 
Memorial, 109 W. Main Street, Suite 104, Somerset, PA 15501.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Flight 93 National Memorial Act (Pub. L. 
107-226; 116 Stat. 1345), enacted on September 24, 2002, authorized ''a 
national memorial to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93 
who, on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby 
thwarting a planned attack on our Nation's Capital.'' This legislation 
enabled the creation and development of the new Flight 93 National 
Memorial in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania and 
specifically designated the crash site of Flight 93 as the site to 
honor the passengers and crew of Flight 93. Pub. L. 107-226 authorized 
the Secretary of the Interior to administer the Flight 93 National 
Memorial as a unit of the national park system. This Act also created 
the Flight 93 Advisory Commission and charged it with: (1) Advising the 
Secretary on the boundary of the memorial site; (2) submitting to the 
Secretary a report containing recommendations for the planning, design, 
construction, and long-term management of a permanent memorial at the 
crash site; and (3) advising the Secretary in the development of a 
management plan for the site.
    On January 14, 2005, the Secretary of the Interior approved a 
boundary recommendation for the memorial presented by the Flight 93 
Advisory Commission. The details of the boundary were published in the 
Federal Register (70 FR 13538) on March 21, 2005. The boundary includes 
1,355 acres, which comprises the crash site, the debris field and areas 
where human remains were found, and lands necessary for viewing and 
accessing the national memorial. Approximately 907 additional acres 
comprise the perimeter viewshed, which would be protected through 
conservation or scenic easements acquired by partners, nonprofit 
organizations or other governmental agencies.
    On September 11, 2004, the Partners opened a two-stage 
international design competition to solicit a broad range of concepts 
for the design of the new memorial. More than 1,000 design 
professionals and members of the public submitted design concepts. 
During Stage 1 of the competition, five top designs were selected by a 
jury of professionals, family members and local leaders after extensive 
public exhibit of the designs. A Stage 2 design jury selected the final 
design that best achieved the mission of the new memorial. The selected 
design was announced to the public on September 7, 2005, and is the 
basis of the preferred alternative in the Draft GMP/EIS. Subsequent to 
the announcement of the final design and during the public review 
period for the Draft GMP/EIS, comments were received criticizing the 
design's primary circular landscape feature, comparing it to an Islamic 
crescent symbol. The design was subsequently refined. These refinements 
will be reflected in the final design.
    The Environmental Impact Statement assesses the potential effects 
of implementing the No Action Alternative, which represents existing 
conditions, and the Preferred Design Concept. During this process, the 
National Park Service conducted an open and inclusive public scoping 
process, and an extensive public participation process, involving 
consultations with local, State, and Federal agencies, as well as 
nonprofit organizations and the community.

    Dated: March 23, 2007.
Chrysandra L. Walter,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. E7-12013 Filed 6-20-07; 8:45 am]
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