14296 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 58 / Tuesday, March 27, 2007 / Notices 

the average burden hours per response 

because that number will differ from 

individual survey to individual survey, 

depending on the purpose and design of 

each information collection. 

Frequency of Response: Most 

individual surveys will request only 1 

response per respondent. 

Estimated annual reporting burden: 

The program identifies the requested 

total number of burden hours annually 

for all of the surveys to be conducted 

under its auspices to be 15,000 burden 

hours per year. The total annual burden 

per survey for most surveys conducted 

under the auspices of this program 

would be within the range of 50 to 200 

hours. 

Dated: February 28, 2007. 

Leonard E. Stowe, 

NPS, Information Collection Clearance 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 07–1478 Filed 3–26–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–53–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Ellis Island Development Concept 

Plan, Final Environmental Impact 

Statement, Statute of Liberty National 

Monument and Ellis Island, New York 

and New Jersey 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Ellis Island Development Concept Plan, 

Statute of Liberty National Monument 

and Ellis Island. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 

U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park 

Service announces the availability of a 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Ellis Island Development 

Concept Plan, Statute of Liberty 

National Monument and Ellis Island, 

New York and New Jersey. The primary 

purpose of the FEIS is to finalize the 

documentation of the environmental 

consequences of alternative 

management strategies for the 

rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of 30 

deteriorating buildings on Ellis Island, 

and the limited service and emergency 

access that are described in the 

preferred alternative of the Development 

Concept Plan. 

The Development Concept Plan/Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (DCP/ 

FEIS) evaluates three (3) alternatives 

regarding the future of the vacant 

historic buildings of Ellis Island. 

‘‘Alternative 1: No Action—

Continutation of Existing Management 

Direction,’’ describes the conditions 

after only temporary stabilization of the 

buildings and the existing vehicular 

service bridge. The eventual result of 

the no action alternative is the complete 

or near-complete loss of these resources 

as the effects of temporary stabilization 

expire. This alternative provides the 

basis of comparison to judge the 

potential impacts of the two ‘‘action’’

alternatives. Both action alternatives 

would include a new service bridge to 

New Jersey for emergency and service 

vehicles; the no action alternative 

would not. ‘‘Alternative 2: Ellis Island 

Partners—Day Use Only,’’ describes 

conditions that would result after the 

buildings are rehabilitated as a campus 

for multiple non-profit/institutional 

uses complimenting the historic of Ellis 

Island ‘‘Alternative 3: Ellis Island 

Institute with Overnight 

Accommodations’’ (the preferred 

alternative), describes the conditions if 

the buildings were rehabilitated as an 

educational, non-profit institute with an 

associated conference/retreat center. 

The facilities would include overnight 

accommodations to host meetings, 

retreats, and workshops primarily 

focusing on issues such as immigration, 

world migration, public health, family 

history, historic preservation, and the 

environment. The preferred alternative 

would accomplish the goals and 

objectives set forth in the NPS 1982 

Statute of Liberty National Monument 

General Management Plan which 

identified several major buildings on the 

north side of the island for 

rehabilitation and reuse by the NPS for 

interpretation, visitor services and 

administration (subsequently completed 

utilizing private funds raised by the 

Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island 

Foundation), and proposed that the 

balance of the buildings on the island, 

including all of the south-side 

buildings, be preserved on the exteriors 

and adapted for reuse by either the NPS 

or a private organization under a lease 

agreement or concession contract. 

The DCP/FEIS documents the 

project’s requirements to comply with 

NPS Director’s Order 21 and the 

Partnership Construction Process, as 

well as the requirement for additional 

analysis to confirm the economic and 

programmatic viability of the proposed 

action. The results of these studies will 

guide the scope, design and build-out of 

this project. If the project is determined 

by the NPS to not be economically 

feasible, the NPS will consider 

alternatives for management of Ellis 

Island taking into account the 

information gained from said market 

analysis and feasibility studies and 

other facts then available. This further 

consideration of alternatives will be 

conducted in accordance with 

applicable requirements of the National 

Environmental Protection Act and the 

National Historic Preservation Act (as 

amended). 

The release of the Development 

Concept Plan/Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement in June 2003, and 

publication of the Notice of Availability 

in the Federal Register on June 25, 2003 

began a 60-day review period of the 

draft document. During that review 

period, the National Park Service held 

two public meetings to provide agencies 

and the public an opportunity to 

comment on the draft document. During 

the public comment period on the draft 

document, comments were received in 

the form of letters, cards, and emails. 

Written and verbal comments were 

submitted at public hearings. All 

substantive comments have been 

addressed in the ‘‘Consultation and 

Coordination’’ chapter of the DCP/FEIS. 

DATES: The National Park Service will 

execute a Record of Decision (ROD) no 

sooner than 30 days following 

publication by the Environmental 

Protection Agency of the Notice of 

Availability of the Final Environmental 

Impact Statement. Availability of the 

ROD will be noticed in the Federal 

Register and the NPS will subsequently 

move forward with the NPS’ Partnership 

Construction Process and other required 

reviews for a partnership project. 

Following the ROD, the NPS will also 

begin consultation, planning and 

environmental analysis for the 

permanent bridge. 

ADDRESSES: Information will be 

available for public inspection on line at 

http://parkplanning.nps.gov and in the 

offices of the Superintendent, Statute of 

Liberty NM and Ellis Island, Liberty 

Island, New York, NY 10004, where 

copies of the document are available in 

print and on compact disc. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Superintendent, Statute of Liberty 

National Monument and Ellis Island, 

Ellis Island Receiving Office, Jersey 

City, NJ 07305. (212) 3663–3206) Ext. 

100), Cynthia_garrett@nps.gov. 

Dated: January 25, 2007. 

Dennis R. Reidenbach, 

Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, 

National Park Service. 

[FR Doc. 07–1479 Filed 3–26–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–6E–M 


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