Environmental Assessment for the Air Tour Management Plan Program at Lake Mead National Recreation Area

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of intent to prepare an environmental assessment and notice of initiation of public scoping.

SUMMARY:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), has initiated the development of an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) for Lake Mead National Recreation Area, pursuant to the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-181) and its implementing regulations contained in Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 136, National Parks Air Tour Management. The objective of the ATMP is to develop acceptable and effective measures to mitigate or prevent the significant adverse impacts, if any, of commercial air tour operations upon the natural and cultural resources, visitor experiences, and tribal lands of the subject national park unit.

DATES:

Scoping Period: The 45-day scoping period will begin on April 16, 2004 and will close May 31, 2004. Please submit any written response you may have no later than May 31, 2004.

Scoping Meeting: A public scoping meeting has been scheduled for this project as follows:

ADDRESSES:

Please submit any written response no later than May 31, 2004. Address your comments to: Docket Management System, Doc No. FAA-2004-17460, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room Plaza 401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.

You must identify the docket number FAA-2004-17460 for Lake Mead National Recreation Area at the beginning of your comments. If you wish to receive confirmation that FAA received your comments, include a self-addressed, stamped postcard. You may also submit comments through the Internet to http://dms.dot.gov. You may review the public docket containing comments in person in the Dockets Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Dockets Office is on the plaza level of the NASSIF Building at the Department of Transportation at the above address. Also, you may review public dockets on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov. Additionally, comments will be received and recorded at the public scoping meeting. Please note that names and addresses of people who comment become part of the public record. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions from organizations, businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brian Armstrong, Air Tour Management Plan Program Manager, Executive Resource Staff, AWP-4, Federal Aviation Administration, Western-Pacific Region. Mailing address: P.O. Box 92007, Los Angeles, California 90009-2007. Telephone: (310) 725-3818. Street address: 15000 Aviation Boulevard, Lawndale, California 90261. E-mail: Brian.Armstrong@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In developing the ATMP and any associated rulemaking actions, the FAA is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, which calls on Federal agencies to consider environmental issues as part of their decision making process. For the purposes of compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the FAA is the Lead Agency and the NPS is a Cooperating Agency. The FAA Air Tour Management Plan Program Office and the NPS Natural Sounds Program Office are responsible for the overall implementation of the ATMP Program.

Environmental Assessments are being prepared in accordance with FAA Order 1050.1D, Policies and Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts. The FAA is now inviting the public, agencies, tribes, and other interested parties to provide comments, suggestions, and input regarding: (1) The scope, issues, and concerns related to the development of each ATMP; (2) the scope of issues and the identification of significant issues regarding commercial air tours and their potential impacts to be addressed in the environmental process; (3) the potential effects of commercial air tours on cultural and historic resources; (4) past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions which, when considered with ATMP alternatives, may result in significant cumulative impacts; (5) potential ATMP alternatives; and (6) the potential impacts on natural resources and visitor experiences. The FAA requests that comments be as specific as possible in response to actions that are being proposed under this notice.

A public scoping meeting has been scheduled for this project. The purpose of this scoping meeting is to describe the ATMP development and environmental processes, obtain public input regarding the ATMP and potential environmental concerns that may be appropriate for consideration in the Environmental Assessment, and to identify alternatives to be considered. Both oral and written comments will be accepted during this meeting. Agency personnel will be available to record your spoken comments. All recorded and written comments become part of the official record. The public scoping meeting will consist of a presentation in which the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 is introduced, existing conditions at Lake Mead National Recreation Area will be described and the ATMP development process at the park unit will be explained. Following the presentation, the floor will be opened for public comments to be received.

Park-specific scoping documents that describe the project in greater detail are available at the following locations:

• Green Valley Library, 2797 N. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson, NV
• Laughlin Library, 2840 South Needles Highway, Laughline, NV
• Las Vegas Library, 833 Las Vegas Boulevard North, Las Vegas, NV
• Boulder City Library, 701 Adams, Boulder City, NV
• Henderson District James I. Gibson Library, 280 S. Water Street, Henderson, NV
• North Las Vegas Library, 2300 Civic Center Drive, North Las Vegas, NV
• Valle Vista Library, 7193 Concho Drive, Kingman, UT
• St. George Public Library, 50 S. Main Street, St. George, UT
• Moapa Valley Library, 350 North Moapa Valley Boulevard, Overton, NV
• Mojave Community College, 1971 Jagerson Avenue, Kingman, AZ
• Bullhead Public Library, 1170 Hancock Road, Bullhead City, AZ
• Phoenix Reference Library, 411 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ
• Cedar City Public Library, 303 North 100 East, Cedar City, UT
• Hurricane City Library, 36 South 300 West, Hurricane, UT
• FAA Air Tour Management Plan Program Web site, http://www.atmp.faa.gov/
• FAA Docket Management System Web site, http://dms.dot.gov