Final Environmental Impact Statement and South Florida and Caribbean Parks Exotic Plant Management Plan, 52967-52969 [2010-21550]

Download as PDF jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 167 / Monday, August 30, 2010 / Notices be designed to generate a combined total of approximately 250 MW of electricity. Phase 1 would consist of the Unit 1 (western) power block, access road, natural gas pipeline, and electric transmission line. Phase 2 would consist of the Unit 2 (eastern) power block. The project would also include above-ground and subsurface fiber optic lines. The overall site layout and generalized land uses are characterized as follows: 1. 250-MW facility including solar generation facilities; on-site switchyard (substation); administration, operations, and maintenance facilities: approximately 1,800 acres. 2. Two wastewater evaporation ponds: Up to 30 acres each (located within the 1,800-acre site). 3. A new generation-tie line to route generated electrical power transmitted from the GSEP switchyard by way of a southeasterly ROW, that would connect to the Southern California Edison 500– 230 kV Colorado River substation via the existing Blythe Energy Project Transmission Line between the Julian Hinds and Buck substations. 4. Additional linear facilities off-site, including a 6.5-mile access road and natural gas pipeline. 5. Surface water control facilities for storm water flow and discharge. 6. Temporary construction laydown area(s) within the larger site footprint. No additional laydown areas outside the project footprint are contemplated. Access to the site would be via a new 6.5-mile long, 24-foot wide (approximately 18.9 acres) paved access road extending north and west from the existing Wiley’s Well Road. Wiley’s Well Road is accessible by both eastbound and westbound traffic off Interstate 10 at the Wiley’s Well Road Interchange. The new access road would be constructed entirely on BLMadministered land. The BLM’s purpose and need for the NEPA analysis of the GSEP project is to respond to Genesis Solar, LLC’s application under Title V of FLPMA (43 U.S.C. 1761) for a ROW grant to construct, operate, and decommission a solar thermal facility on public lands in compliance with FLPMA, BLM ROW regulations, and other applicable Federal laws. The BLM will decide whether to approve, approve with modification, or deny a ROW grant to Genesis Solar, LLC for the proposed GSEP project. The BLM will also consider amending the California Desert Conservation Act (CDCA) Plan of 1980, as amended, in this analysis. The CDCA Plan, while recognizing the potential compatibility of solar generation VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:28 Aug 27, 2010 Jkt 220001 facilities on public lands, requires that all sites associated with power generation or transmission not identified in that Plan be considered through the plan amendment process. If the BLM decides to grant a ROW, the BLM would also amend the CDCA Plan. In the Final EIS, the BLM’s Preferred Alternative is the direct dry cooling project alternative with a 250 nominal MW output which includes a CDCA Plan Amendment. In addition to the Preferred Alternative, the Final EIS analyzes the following alternatives: The proposed action with a 250 nominal MW output, wet-cooling technology and an amendment the CDCA Plan to make the area suitable for solar energy development; a reduced acreage alternative which includes a 150 nominal MW output, wet cooling technology, and an amendment to the CDCA Plan to make the area suitable for solar energy development; and an amendment to the CDCA Plan without approving any project. As required under NEPA, the Final EIS analyzes a no action alternative, which would not approve the GSEP or amend the CDCA Plan. The BLM also analyzes an alternative that denies the GSEP, but amends the CDCA Plan to designate the project area as suitable for other possible solar energy power generation projects, and an alternative to deny the project and amend the CDCA Plan to designate the project area as unsuitable for solar energy power generation projects. The BLM will take into consideration the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Secretarial Orders 3283 Enhancing Renewable Energy Development on the Public Lands and 3285A1 Renewable Energy Development by the Department of the Interior in responding to the GSEP application. The Final EIS evaluates the potential impacts of the proposed GSEP on air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, water resources, geological resources and hazards, land use, noise, paleontological resources, public health, socioeconomics, soils, traffic and transportation, visual resources, wilderness characteristics, and other resources. A Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS/Staff Assessment for the proposed GSEP and Possible Plan Amendment to the CDCA Plan was published in the Federal Register on April 9, 2010 (75 FR 18204). Comments on the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS/Staff Assessment received from the public and internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as appropriate into the Proposed CDCA Plan Amendment/Final EIS. Public comments resulted in the PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 52967 addition of clarifying text and the change in the preferred alternative from wet cooling to dry cooling technology, but did not significantly change proposed land use plan decisions. Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM regarding the Proposed CDCA Plan Amendment may be found in the ‘‘Dear Reader’’ Letter of the Proposed CDCA Plan Amendment/ Final EIS and at 43 CFR 1610.5–2. E-mailed and faxed protests will not be accepted as valid protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the e-mail or faxed protest as an advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such advance notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM protest coordinator at (202) 912–7212, and emails to Brenda_HudgensWilliams@blm.gov. All protests, including the follow-up letter to e-mails or faxes, must be in writing and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES section above. Before including your phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware that your entire protest—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 1506.10 and 43 CFR 1610.2 and 1610.5. Thomas Pogacnik, Deputy State Director. [FR Doc. 2010–21570 Filed 8–27–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–40–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Final Environmental Impact Statement and South Florida and Caribbean Parks Exotic Plant Management Plan National Park Service, Interior. Notice of availability of a final environmental impact statement for the South Florida and Caribbean Parks Exotic Plant Management Plan. AGENCY: ACTION: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\30AUN1.SGM 30AUN1 jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES 52968 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 167 / Monday, August 30, 2010 / Notices CFR part 1500–1508), the National Park Service (NPS), Department of the Interior, announces the availability of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) in abbreviated form for the proposed South Florida and Caribbean Parks Exotic Plant Management Plan. This plan guides the management and control of exotic plants and restoration of native plant communities in nine national parks: Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, Canaveral National Seashore, Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park, Buck Island Reef National Monument, Christiansted National Historic Site, Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve, and Virgin Islands National Park. The FEIS identifies and evaluates the proposed plan and two alternatives and their potential environmental consequences and identifies and analyzes appropriate mitigation strategies. In accordance with the Plant Protection Act of 2000, (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), the United States Government has designated certain plants as noxious weeds; many of these are exotic plant species. Approximately 1,200 exotic plant species in Florida and the Caribbean have become established in natural areas, and as many as 4 percent of those exotic plant species have displaced native species. Exotic plants compete aggressively with native plants and are often at an advantage because they have little or no predatory control. Among other problems, exotic plants displace native species, alter native species proportion, degrade or reduce available habitat for threatened and endangered species, consume nutrients, alter fire patterns, reduce recreational opportunities, and clog waterways. The purpose of the plan/FEIS is to (1) provide a programmatic plan to manage and control exotic plants in nine parks in south Florida and the Caribbean; (2) promote restoration of native species and habitat conditions in ecosystems that have been invaded by exotic plants; and (3) protect park resources and values from adverse effects resulting from exotic plant presence and control activities. DATES: In December 2003, the NPS met with various Federal, territorial, State, and local government agencies to share information among agencies and elicit issues, concerns, and other relevant information to address during the planning process. Agency representatives participated in meetings in the Virgin Islands, (one on St. John and one on St. Croix), and in a meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida. A Notice VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:28 Aug 27, 2010 Jkt 220001 of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for South Florida and Caribbean parks exotic plant management was published in the Federal Register on January 22, 2004 (69 FR 3174). Public scoping open houses were held in March 2004 in Cruz Bay, St. John; Christiansted and Frederiksted, St. Croix; and Naples and Homestead, Florida. A project newsletter was also distributed and 40 letters or e-mails were received and used by the interdisciplinary planning team to refine the issues to be addressed in the plan/EIS. The Environmental Protection Agency published its notice of filing of the Draft EIS in the Federal Register on September 22, 2006 (71 FR 55463). The NPS notice of availability was published in the Federal Register on September 27, 2006 (71 FR 56549). Following a 60-day public comment period, NPS considered carefully the agency and public comments received, and prepared the FEIS. Not sooner than 30 days from the date of publication of the Notice of Availability for the FEIS in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency the NPS will sign a Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement/South Florida and Caribbean Parks Exotic Plant Management Plan. After the Record of Decision is signed, the NPS will publish a Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement/South Florida and Caribbean Parks Exotic Plant Management Plan in the Federal Register. ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the final document will be available online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/EVER. To request a copy contact Sandra Hamilton, Environmental Quality Division, National Park Service, Academy Place, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225, 303–969–2068. While supplies last, the document can also be picked up in person at the participating parks’ headquarters: Big Cypress National Preserve, 33100 Tamiami Trail East, Ochopee, Florida 34141; Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 328 Street, Homestead, Florida 33033; Canaveral National Seashore, 212 S. Washington Avenue, Titusville, Florida 32796; Dry Tortugas National Park 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, Florida 33034; Everglades National Park, 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, Florida 33034; Buck Island Reef National Monument, Danish Custom House, Kings Wharf, 2100 Church Street #100, Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands 00820; Christiansted National Historic Site; Salt River Bay National Historic Park and PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Ecological Preserve, and Virgin Islands National Park, 1300 Cruz Bay Creek, St. John, Virgin Islands 00830. Three alternatives are identified and potential impacts analyzed in the plan/FEIS. Alternative C, New Framework for Exotic Plant Management: Increased Planning, Monitoring, and Mitigation, with an Emphasis on Active Restoration of Native Plants, is the environmentally preferable alternative and the NPS preferred alternative. Alternative C would augment the systematic approach integral to alternative B, described below, and would add an active restoration program to enhance the return of native species to treated areas in selected high-priority areas. Under Alternative C, a decision tool would be applied to determine areas that are appropriate for active restoration, which would occur in park areas that have been previously disturbed and in areas with potential threatened and endangered species habitat or sensitive vegetation communities where a more rapid recovery would be desirable. The active restoration approach for a given treatment area would be determined based on a site-specific evaluation. Other areas in the parks would recover passively. Under Alternative B, New Framework for Exotic Plant Management: Increased Planning, Monitoring, and Mitigation, the parks would apply a systematic approach that would prioritize exotic plants for treatment, monitor effects of those treatments on exotic plants and park resources, and mitigate any adverse effects to park resources, as determined through the monitoring program. Alternative B would employ an adaptive management strategy, using the results of monitoring to adjust treatment methods or mitigation methods to reach the desired future condition of treated areas in the parks. The effectiveness of efforts to control exotic plant invasion of native habitats would increase as a result of uniform recording and storage of information acquired during monitoring and of sharing that information among the nine park units. Under Alternative A, Continue Current Management, the parks would continue to manage exotic plants under the existing management framework. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The parks would continue to treat infestations of exotic plants on an ad hoc basis using a variety of physical, mechanical, chemical, and biological methods and through currently available funding sources. Authority: The authority for publishing this notice is 40 CFR 1506.6. E:\FR\FM\30AUN1.SGM 30AUN1 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 167 / Monday, August 30, 2010 / Notices FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandra Hamilton, Environmental Quality Division, National Park Service, Academy Place, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225, 303–969–2068. The responsible official for this final EIS is the Regional Director, Southeast Region, National Park Service, 100 Alabama Street, SW., 1924 Building, Atlanta, Georgia 30303. Dated: August 16, 2010. Gordon Wissinger, Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region. [FR Doc. 2010–21550 Filed 8–27–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–70–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES Final Environmental Impact Statement; Prisoners Harbor Wetland Restoration, Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, Santa Barbara County, CA; Notice of Approval of Record of Decision Summary: Pursuant to § 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91–190, as amended) and the regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1505.2), the Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS) has prepared and approved a Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement for restoration of approximately 3 acres of coastal wetland on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park. The requisite noaction ‘‘wait period’’ was initiated April 16, 2010, with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Federal Register notification of the filing of the Final EIS. Decision: As soon as practical the NPS will begin to implement restoration of palustrine wetlands and deepwater habitat at Prisoners Harbor, as well as remove a berm constricting natural flows in lower Canada del Puerto Creek, in order to reconnect the creek to its floodplain. Other project elements include removing cattle corrals and relocating a scale house to its pre-1960s location, removing eucalyptus and controlling other non-native species, and protecting archeological resources. This alternative was identified and analyzed as the agency-preferred Alternative B in the Final EIS (and includes no substantive modifications to the course of action which was described in the Draft EIS). The full range of foreseeable environmental consequences were assessed, and appropriate mitigation measures (developed in consultation with Tribal representatives and other agencies) are VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:28 Aug 27, 2010 Jkt 220001 included in the approved plan. Both a No Action alternative and one additional ‘‘action’’ alternative (Alternative C, which would have restored approximately a third less wetland habitat) were also identified and analyzed. As documented in the Draft and Final EIS, the selected alternative was deemed to be the ‘‘environmentally preferred’’ course of action. Copies: Interested parties desiring to review the Record of Decision may obtain a copy by contacting the Superintendent, Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001 or via telephone request at (805) 658–5700. Dated: July 13, 2010. Patricia L. Neubacher, Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region. [FR Doc. 2010–21566 Filed 8–27–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–F6–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service National Park System Advisory Board; Meeting National Park Service, Interior. Notice of meeting. AGENCY: ACTION: Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix, that the National Park System Advisory Board will meet September 15–16, 2010, in Washington, DC. The Board will have an orientation session on the morning of September 15, and in the afternoon will tour park sites in the National Capital Region. On September 16, the Board will convene its business meeting from 8:30 a.m., to 4 p.m. DATES: September 15–16, 2010. Location: The Dupont Hotel, meeting room Glover Park A, 1500 New Hampshire Avenue, NW.; Washington, DC 20036; 202–448–3848. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information concerning the National Park System Advisory Board or to request to address the Board, contact Ms. Shirley Sears Smith, Office of Policy, National Park Service, 1201 I Street, NW., 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005; telephone 202–354–3955; e-mail Shirley_S_Smith@nps.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 15, the Board will convene from 8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., for an orientation session for Board members, followed by a tour of national park sites of the National Capital Region. The Board will convene its business meeting SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 52969 on September 16, at 8:30 a.m., and adjourn at 4 p.m. During the course of the two days, the Board expects to be addressed by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, and will be briefed by park officials on matters including education, science, funding, and public engagement. Other officials of the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service may address the Board, and other miscellaneous topics and reports may be covered. The Board meeting will be open to the public. The order of the agenda may be changed, if necessary, to accommodate travel schedules or for other reasons. Space and facilities to accommodate the public are limited and attendees will be accommodated on a first-come basis. Anyone may file with the Board a written statement concerning matters to be discussed. The Board also will permit attendees to address the Board, but may restrict the length of the presentations, as necessary to allow the Board to complete its agenda within the allotted time. Before including your address, telephone 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. Draft minutes of the meeting will be available for public inspection about 12 weeks after the meeting, at 1201 I Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005. Dated: August 25, 2010. Bernard Fagan, Chief, Office of Policy. [FR Doc. 2010–21552 Filed 8–27–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–70–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, CA; Notice of Scoping Summary: Notice is hereby given in accordance with provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91–190) and the Council on Environmental Quality’s implementing regulations (40 CFR 1502.9(c)) that public scoping has been initiated for a conservation planning and environmental impact analysis E:\FR\FM\30AUN1.SGM 30AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 167 (Monday, August 30, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52967-52969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-21550]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Final Environmental Impact Statement and South Florida and 
Caribbean Parks Exotic Plant Management Plan

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a final environmental impact 
statement for the South Florida and Caribbean Parks Exotic Plant 
Management Plan.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 
U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations 
(40

[[Page 52968]]

CFR part 1500-1508), the National Park Service (NPS), Department of the 
Interior, announces the availability of the final environmental impact 
statement (FEIS) in abbreviated form for the proposed South Florida and 
Caribbean Parks Exotic Plant Management Plan. This plan guides the 
management and control of exotic plants and restoration of native plant 
communities in nine national parks: Big Cypress National Preserve, 
Biscayne National Park, Canaveral National Seashore, Dry Tortugas 
National Park, Everglades National Park, Buck Island Reef National 
Monument, Christiansted National Historic Site, Salt River Bay National 
Historic Park and Ecological Preserve, and Virgin Islands National 
Park. The FEIS identifies and evaluates the proposed plan and two 
alternatives and their potential environmental consequences and 
identifies and analyzes appropriate mitigation strategies.
    In accordance with the Plant Protection Act of 2000, (7 U.S.C. 7701 
et seq.), the United States Government has designated certain plants as 
noxious weeds; many of these are exotic plant species. Approximately 
1,200 exotic plant species in Florida and the Caribbean have become 
established in natural areas, and as many as 4 percent of those exotic 
plant species have displaced native species. Exotic plants compete 
aggressively with native plants and are often at an advantage because 
they have little or no predatory control. Among other problems, exotic 
plants displace native species, alter native species proportion, 
degrade or reduce available habitat for threatened and endangered 
species, consume nutrients, alter fire patterns, reduce recreational 
opportunities, and clog waterways.
    The purpose of the plan/FEIS is to (1) provide a programmatic plan 
to manage and control exotic plants in nine parks in south Florida and 
the Caribbean; (2) promote restoration of native species and habitat 
conditions in ecosystems that have been invaded by exotic plants; and 
(3) protect park resources and values from adverse effects resulting 
from exotic plant presence and control activities.

DATES: In December 2003, the NPS met with various Federal, territorial, 
State, and local government agencies to share information among 
agencies and elicit issues, concerns, and other relevant information to 
address during the planning process. Agency representatives 
participated in meetings in the Virgin Islands, (one on St. John and 
one on St. Croix), and in a meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida. A 
Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for 
South Florida and Caribbean parks exotic plant management was published 
in the Federal Register on January 22, 2004 (69 FR 3174). Public 
scoping open houses were held in March 2004 in Cruz Bay, St. John; 
Christiansted and Frederiksted, St. Croix; and Naples and Homestead, 
Florida. A project newsletter was also distributed and 40 letters or e-
mails were received and used by the interdisciplinary planning team to 
refine the issues to be addressed in the plan/EIS. The Environmental 
Protection Agency published its notice of filing of the Draft EIS in 
the Federal Register on September 22, 2006 (71 FR 55463). The NPS 
notice of availability was published in the Federal Register on 
September 27, 2006 (71 FR 56549).
    Following a 60-day public comment period, NPS considered carefully 
the agency and public comments received, and prepared the FEIS. Not 
sooner than 30 days from the date of publication of the Notice of 
Availability for the FEIS in the Federal Register by the Environmental 
Protection Agency the NPS will sign a Record of Decision on the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement/South Florida and Caribbean Parks Exotic 
Plant Management Plan. After the Record of Decision is signed, the NPS 
will publish a Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision on the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement/South Florida and Caribbean Parks 
Exotic Plant Management Plan in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the final document will be available 
online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/EVER. To request a copy contact 
Sandra Hamilton, Environmental Quality Division, National Park Service, 
Academy Place, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225, 303-969-2068. 
While supplies last, the document can also be picked up in person at 
the participating parks' headquarters: Big Cypress National Preserve, 
33100 Tamiami Trail East, Ochopee, Florida 34141; Biscayne National 
Park, 9700 SW 328 Street, Homestead, Florida 33033; Canaveral National 
Seashore, 212 S. Washington Avenue, Titusville, Florida 32796; Dry 
Tortugas National Park 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, Florida 33034; 
Everglades National Park, 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, Florida 
33034; Buck Island Reef National Monument, Danish Custom House, Kings 
Wharf, 2100 Church Street 100, Christiansted, St. Croix, 
Virgin Islands 00820; Christiansted National Historic Site; Salt River 
Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve, and Virgin Islands 
National Park, 1300 Cruz Bay Creek, St. John, Virgin Islands 00830.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Three alternatives are identified and 
potential impacts analyzed in the plan/FEIS. Alternative C, New 
Framework for Exotic Plant Management: Increased Planning, Monitoring, 
and Mitigation, with an Emphasis on Active Restoration of Native 
Plants, is the environmentally preferable alternative and the NPS 
preferred alternative. Alternative C would augment the systematic 
approach integral to alternative B, described below, and would add an 
active restoration program to enhance the return of native species to 
treated areas in selected high-priority areas. Under Alternative C, a 
decision tool would be applied to determine areas that are appropriate 
for active restoration, which would occur in park areas that have been 
previously disturbed and in areas with potential threatened and 
endangered species habitat or sensitive vegetation communities where a 
more rapid recovery would be desirable. The active restoration approach 
for a given treatment area would be determined based on a site-specific 
evaluation. Other areas in the parks would recover passively. Under 
Alternative B, New Framework for Exotic Plant Management: Increased 
Planning, Monitoring, and Mitigation, the parks would apply a 
systematic approach that would prioritize exotic plants for treatment, 
monitor effects of those treatments on exotic plants and park 
resources, and mitigate any adverse effects to park resources, as 
determined through the monitoring program. Alternative B would employ 
an adaptive management strategy, using the results of monitoring to 
adjust treatment methods or mitigation methods to reach the desired 
future condition of treated areas in the parks. The effectiveness of 
efforts to control exotic plant invasion of native habitats would 
increase as a result of uniform recording and storage of information 
acquired during monitoring and of sharing that information among the 
nine park units. Under Alternative A, Continue Current Management, the 
parks would continue to manage exotic plants under the existing 
management framework.
    The parks would continue to treat infestations of exotic plants on 
an ad hoc basis using a variety of physical, mechanical, chemical, and 
biological methods and through currently available funding sources.

    Authority:  The authority for publishing this notice is 40 CFR 
1506.6.

[[Page 52969]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandra Hamilton, Environmental Quality 
Division, National Park Service, Academy Place, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, 
Colorado 80225, 303-969-2068.
    The responsible official for this final EIS is the Regional 
Director, Southeast Region, National Park Service, 100 Alabama Street, 
SW., 1924 Building, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

    Dated: August 16, 2010.
Gordon Wissinger,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2010-21550 Filed 8-27-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P
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