National Park Service November 10, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) in section 35001(b)(2) directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Secretary of the Interior to provide quiet aircraft technology incentives for commercial air tour operators at Grand Canyon National Park. The FAA and the National Park Service (NPS) propose to implement this directive by giving effect to section 804(c) of the National Parks Air Tour Management Act (NPATMA) to provide seasonal relief from allocations in the Dragon and Zuni Point corridors for commercial air tour operators that convert or have converted to quiet aircraft technology. The FAA and the NPS will ensure that seasonal relief from allocations complies with statutory conditions that the cumulative impact of such operations does not increase noise at the Grand Canyon and that this incentive does not diminish the statutory mandate to achieve the substantial restoration of natural quiet. This incentive is proposed to be made available in the Dragon and Zuni Point corridors during the first quarter (January- March) beginning in 2015, may be extended to include part or all of the fourth quarter beginning in 2016, and will remain in effect unless it violates the statutory conditions or until a longer term approach for managing air tour noise is in place.