Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 9, 1 September 2005 — DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION [ARTICLE]

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Initiation of Public and Agency Scoping for the Hawai'i Volcanoes Naīional Park Air Tour Management Plan The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), began development of an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) and associated Environmental Assessment (EA) for Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park in February 2003. 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 resources, cultural resources, and visitor experiences of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The FAA and NPS have now decided to proceed with development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this project. This decision is based on information received though the EA scoping process, the environmental analysis completed by the Agencies to date, the consideration of preliminary ATMP alternatives, and through consultations conducted pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The FAA and NPS are now inviting the public, agencies, and other interested parties to provide written comments, suggestions, and input regarding the scope of issues and the identification of significant issues to be addressed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). As part of this process, a 45-day scoping comment period commenced on August 2, 2005 with the publication of this notice in the Federal Register and in Hawaii newspapers. Comments previously submitted in response to the EA scoping will not need to be re-submitted, as they will be considered as part of the EIS process and record. No additional scoping meetings are scheduled. Written responses to this notice must be submitted no later than September 15 and are to be addressed to: Docket Management System Doc No. FAA-2005-21938 U.S. Department of Transportation Room Plaza 401, 400 Seventh Street, SW. Washington, DC 20590-0001 Scoping documents describing the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park ATMP project in greater detail are available at: FAA Air Tour Management Plan Program Website, http://www.tmp.faa.gov/ Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Headquarters, 1 Crater Rim Road, Hawaii National Park. Hawai'i State Library - Hawai'i Documents Center, Honolulu, and public libraries in the following cities: Hilo, Holualoa, Honoka' a, Kailua-Kona, Kapa' au, Kamuela, Kea' au, Kealakekua, Laupahoehoe, Mountain View, Na' alehu, and Pahala. For more information please contact the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Tour Management Plan Program Office at (310) 725-3818 or the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent's Office at (808) 985-6025.