Environmental statements; availability, etc.: Flight 93 National Memorial, PA; general management plan, 34273-34274 [E7-12013]

Agencies

• National Park Service

[Federal Register: June 21, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 119)]
[Notices]
[Page 34273-34274]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21jn07-58]

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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 https://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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