Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 99 / Monday, May 22, 2000 / Notices 32121

within 30 days of the date of this

publication.

Documents and other information

submitted with these applications are

available for review, subject to the

requirements of the Privacy Act and

Freedom of Information Act, by any

party who submits a written request for

a copy of such documents to the

following office within 30 days of the

date of publication of this notice: U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of

Management Authority, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington,

Virginia 22203. Phone: (703/358–2104);

FAX: (703/358–2281).

Dated: May 16, 2000.

Kristen Nelson,

Chief, Branch of Permits, Office of

Management Authority.

[FR Doc. 00–12710 Filed 5–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Reinstatement, Record of Decision on

the Final General Management Plan

and Final Environmental Impact

Statement for the Missouri National

Recreational River (59-Mile District),

Nebraska and South Dakota

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c)

of the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and

the regulations promulgated by the

Council on Environmental Quality (40

CFR 1505.2), the National Park Service

(NPS) is announcing the Record of

Decision on the Final General

Management Plan (GMP) and Final

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

for the Missouri National Recreational

River (MNRR), 59-Mile District. The

MNRR is located in portions of Clay,

Union, and Yankton counties, South

Dakota and Cedar, Dixon, and Knox

counties, Nebraska.

More specifically, the NPS is

reinstating a Record of Decision

previously suspended by the bureau.

After the Record of Decision was

originally signed, it was discovered that

the FEIS was inadvertently not filed

with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) as required by 40 CFR

1506.9. Accordingly, the NPS

suspended the Record of Decision (see

65 FR 10542), suspended

implementation of the GMP, filed the

FEIS with EPA, and reopened the

required 30-day period of no-action.

DATES: The Regional Director, National

Park Service, Midwest Region, and the

District Engineer, Omaha District, U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers approved the

Record of Decision on December 17,

1999. That Record of Decision was

reinstated effective April 10, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

Hedren, Superintendent, Missouri

National Recreational River, P.O. Box

591, O’Neill, Nebraska 68763, or by email to

MNRR_Superintendent@nps.gov, or call

402–336–3970.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EPA

published its notice of availability for

the FEIS in the Federal Register on

March 10, 2000 (65 FR 12992). The 30-

day no-action period ended on April 10,

2000. No public comments were

received during this period.

Accordingly, the NPS has determined

that no changes to the FEIS or the

original Record of Decision are

necessary. The Record of Decision as

printed in the Federal Register on

December 17, 1999 (64 FR 72359) is

reinstated.

Dated: May 8, 2000.

David N. Given,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 00–12700 Filed 5–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–70–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Niobrara National Scenic River

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Amended Notice of Intent to

prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement for the General Management

Plan, Niobrara National Scenic River,

Nebraska.

SUMMARY: The National Park Service

will prepare a General Management

Plan (GMP) and an Environmental

Impact Statement (EIS) for the Niobrara

National Scenic River (hereinafter, ‘‘the

Park’’), Nebraska, in accordance with

section 102(2)(C) of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969

(NEPA), and a court decision

invalidating a similar 1996 GMP/EIS

and ordering a new one. This notice is

being furnished as required by NEPA

Regulation 40 CFR 1501.7, and serves to

amend the Notice of Intent as published

in the Federal Register on February 28,

2000 (65 FR 10542).

To facilitate sound planning and

environmental assessment in the

preparation of this EIS, the National

Park Service intends to both validate

information previously acquired for the

1996 GMP/EIS, and obtain suggestions

and information from other agencies

and the public on several court-driven

issues to be addressed in the new EIS.

The National Park Service will scope

this GMP/EIS via the media, a

newsletter, and through a World Wide

Web page. Comments and participation

in this scoping process are invited.

DATES: A project newsletter is being

prepared, which is expected to be ready

by the end of May 2000. The newsletter

will contain specific information about

how to provide input to the scoping

phase of this project. Availability of the

newsletter will be announced through

local and regional media outlets. The

newsletter will be sent to all addressees

of record in the planning of the park’s

1996 GMP/EIS, and to others who

request the newsletter. To request a

copy of the newsletter and to be added

to the project mailing list, contact the

park superintendent at 402–336–3970 or

by writing to one of the addresses

below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and

information should be directed to

Superintendent, Niobrara National

Scenic River, P.O. Box 591, O’Neill,

Nebraska 68763; or by email,

nioblgmp@nps.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Superintendent, Niobrara National

Scenic River, at either of the above

addresses or at telephone number 402–

336–3970.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since the

original notice of intent was published

in February 2000, the United States

Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

overturned the boundaries for the

Niobrara National Scenic Riverway

which has been established as part of a

1996 General Management Plan (GMP)

for the park. A federal district court had

overturned that GMP and associated

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

in a separate ruling. However, the

district court ruling had retained the

section of the GMP pertaining to the

park’s boundary. Therefore, the original

notice of intent for the current project

implied that boundaries were not within

the scope of issues that would be

addressed in the forthcoming GMP/EIS

rewrite. The decision of the Court of

Appeals has expanded the scope to

include the park boundary.

The broad array of issues identified in

the 1996 GMP/EIS, including land

ownership, landscape conservation,

water resource protection, hunting,

fishing, and trapping, and visitor

education and protection appear valid

but reaffirmation will be sought through

scoping. Specific examples of other

issues that will be addressed in the GMP

are: (1) the extent and manner in which

partnerships can and will be employed

to achieve management objectives, (2)