Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 219 / Tuesday, November 14, 2006 / Notices 66347 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Scoping for Completion of El 

Portal Road Rehabilitation; Yosemite 

National Park, Mariposa County, CA 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, in 

accord with the provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) that public scoping 

has been initiated for a conservation 

planning and environmental impact 

analysis process for the completion of 

road improvements to the El Portal Road 

in Yosemite National Park. The purpose 

of the scoping process is to elicit public 

comment regarding applicable issues 

and concerns, a suitable range of 

alternatives, and the nature and extent 

of potential environmental impacts and 

appropriate mitigating measures which 

should be addressed. This project would 

result in completion of the Highway 140 

improvements which began in 1997 

following floods which extensively 

damaged the road. The proposed 

reconstruction would improve the one 

mile segment of the El Portal Road from 

the intersection of the Big Oak Flat Road 

(Highway 120) and the El Portal Road 

(Highway 140) to the west, and Pohono 

Bridge to the east (also known as 

Segment D). The pending environmental 

analysis will evaluate alternatives, 

including a no-action alternative, and 

one or more action alternatives. Some of 

the project elements that may be 

evaluated include: 

• Reconstructing failing retaining 

walls and undercut road sections; 

• Altering the lane and/or the 

shoulder to enhance traffic safety; 

• Replacing portions of the existing 

stone wall with a reinforced concrete 

guardwall; 

• Improving the El Portal Road-Big 

Oak Flat Road intersection; 

• Improving, relocating, and/or 

removing some parking spaces; 

• Improving road drainage with new 

culverts and drainage ditches; 

• Repaving road surfaces; and 

• Maintaining the road’s essential 

historic character as a winding, narrow 

mountain road. 

Public Involvement: As noted, the 

NPS will conduct an environmental 

review of feasible alternatives and 

potential impacts on rehabilitation of 

segment of road corridor. At this time, 

it has not been determined whether an 

Environmental Assessment or an 

Environmental Impact Statement will be 

prepared, however, this scoping process 

will aid in the preparation of either 

document. This environmental review 

of a reasonable range of alternatives for 

rehabilitation this segment of the El 

Portal Road is being conducted by 

Yosemite National Park. As a key step 

for initiating this environmental review, 

the park invites the public, other 

Federal agencies, American Indian 

tribes, State and local governments, and 

all other interested parties to participate 

in the initial scoping and alternative 

development process. For initial 

scoping and alternatives development, 

the most useful comments are those 

which aid the park in identifying 

environmental issues, public concerns, 

and pertinent information that can be 

used to help: 

• Determine resource issues and 

visitor concerns that may need to be 

evaluated; 

• Formulate alternatives for fulfilling 

the purpose and need for the proposed 

project; and/or 

• Identify potential cumulative 

actions and/or appropriate mitigation 

strategies which should be considered. 

Responses to this Scoping Notice will 

also be used to establish a mailing list 

of people and organizations interested 

in receiving further information as the 

environmental document is developed. 

Please contact the park by mail, e-mail, 

or fax (see below) to request placement 

on the mailing list; for all types of 

requests please be sure to include your 

full mailing address. In addition to 

direct mailings, additional information 

about this conservation planning and 

environmental impact analysis process 

will be regularly distributed via regional 

and local news media and by posting to 

the Yosemite National Park Web page 

(http://www.nps.gov/yose/planning). 

The public scoping period for this 

Segment D environmental review will 

be open for 45 days from the date of 

publication of this Scoping Notice in the 

Federal Register—immediately upon 

confirmation of this date it will be 

announced on the park’s Web site. 

Scoping meetings and public open 

houses will be held on a regular basis 

in Yosemite National Park, California. 

Specific locations and dates for these 

meetings will be announced in local and 

regional media and via direct mailings. 

Interested individuals, organizations, 

and agencies wishing to provide written 

comments on issues and concerns or 

provide pertinent information may by 

mail to: Superintendent, ATTN: El 

Portal Road Rehabilitation, Yosemite 

National Park, PO Box 577, Yosemite 

National Park, CA 95389; via Fax at 

(209) 379–1294; or electronically via 

yose_planning@nps.gov. 

Our practice is to make comments, 

including names, home addresses, home 

phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of 

respondents, available for public 

review. Individual respondents may 

request that we withhold their names 

and/or home addresses, etc., but if you 

wish us to consider withholding this 

information you must state this 

prominently at the beginning of your 

comments. In addition, you must 

present a rationale for withholding this 

information. This rationale must 

demonstrate that disclosure would 

constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of privacy. Unsupported 

assertions will not meet this burden. In 

the absence of exceptional, 

documentable circumstances, this 

information will be released. We will 

always make submissions from 

organizations or businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives of or officials of 

organizations or businesses, available 

for public inspection in their entirety. 

Decision Process: Availability of the 

forthcoming environmental document 

for public review and written comment 

will be announced by local and regional 

news media, via the above listed Web 

site, and by direct mailing. At this time, 

the document is anticipated to be 

available for public review and 

comment in summer of 2007. All 

comments received will be duly 

considered in the environmental 

decision-making process and responded 

to as appropriate. At this time, it is 

anticipated that a final decision will be 

recommended during autumn of 2007. 

The official responsible for the decision 

is the Regional Director, Pacific West 

Region, National Park Service; 

subsequently, the official responsible for 

implementation is the Superintendent, 

Yosemite National Park. 

Dated: August 29, 2006. 

Jonathan B. Jarvis, 

Regional Director, Pacific West Region. 

[FR Doc. 06–9188 Filed 11–13–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–FY–M 

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

Foreign Claims Settlement 

Commission 

Privacy Act of 1974; Systems of 

Records 

AGENCY: Foreign Claims Settlement 

Commission; Justice. 

ACTION: Revisions of Notice of Privacy 

Act Systems of Records. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of 

the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, 

notice is given that the Foreign Claims 

Settlement Commission proposes to 

modify all of its Privacy Act Systems of 

Records, as identified in the revised 


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