38232 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 135 / Wednesday, July 15, 1998 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 93

[Docket No. 28770; Notice No. 96–15]

RIN 2120–AG34

Noise Limitations for Aircraft

Operations in the Vicinity of Grand

Canyon National Park

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Supplemental amendment to

proposed rule.

SUMMARY: This supplemental

amendment amends the notice of

proposed rulemaking published (NPRM)

on December 31, 1996 (61 FR 69334),

which proposed to establish noise

limitations for certain aircraft operating

in the vicinity of Grand Canyon

National Park (GCNP). Specifically, the

FAA is removing two sections from the

NPRM that proposed to establish a

corridor in the Torroweap/Shinumo

Flight-free Zone through the National

Canyon area as an incentive route for

quiet technology aircraft. The FAA, in

consultation with the National Park

Service (NPS), is removing these two

sections from the NPRM because the

agencies have determined not to

proceed with an air tour route in the

vicinity of National Canyon and are

presently considering alternatives to

this route. This supplemental

amendment does not affect any other

provisions contained in the NPRM. The

FAA will address all substantive

comments filed in response to the

National Canyon proposed in this

NPRM is the near future.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Thomas Connor, Manager Technology

Division, AEE–100, Office of

Environment and Energy, Federal

Aviation Administration, 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591, telephone (202)

267–8933.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On December 31, 1996, the FAA

published in the Federal Register three

concurrent actions, an NPRM (61 FR

69334), a Notice of Availability of

Proposed Commercial Air Tour Routes

(61 FR 69356), and a Final Rule (61 FR

69302). These actions were part of an

overall strategy to reduce further the

impact of aircraft noise on the park

environment and to assist the NPS in

achieving the statutory mandate

imposed by Public Law 100–91.

The NPRM proposed to establish

noise limitations for certain aircraft

operations within the vicinity of GCNP,

including the National Canyon corridor

that was to be used by quiet technology

aircraft. Based on comments received

during comment period for the Notice of

Availability of Proposed Commercial

Routes, the FAA received valuable

information from commenters, as well

as suggestions for alterations and

refinements of the route structure from

officials of the GCNP and NPS that

could potentially produce noise

reduction benefits. Furthermore, the

comments submitted on the National

Canyon corridor, as proposed in the

NPRM, from the air tour operators, the

environmentalists, and the Native

Americans led the FAA to conclude that

this proposed route was not a viable

option.

As a result of the comments submitted

on both notices, the FAA issued a new

proposed route structure concurrent

with the issuance of a second NPRM

(Notice No. 97–6) (62 FR 26902; May 15,

1997). Notice 97–6 proposed to amend

two Flight-free Zones by establishing

two corridors; a revised National

Canyon corridor through the Toroweap/

Shinumo Flight-free Zone and a corridor

through the Bright Angel Flight-Free

Zone.

The revised National Canyon route

was designed to provide a viable air tour

route through the center of the canyon

while at the same time providing

mitigation of the effects of noise over

Havasupai cultural and sacred sites.

Because it was designed to be used only

by the quietest technology aircraft for

westbound traffic after December 31,

2001, the National Canyon route was

found to provide noise mitigation. The

proposed Bright Angel Corridor for use

by the quietest technology aircraft was

crafted as an incentive for operators to

convert to quiet technology.

The FAA, in consultation with the

NPS, has determined not to proceed

with the proposed that would establish

an air tour route through the National

Canyon area at this time. The agencies

are presently considering alternatives to

the National Canyon area for air tour

routes. The FAA recognizes its

responsibility to address the comments

filed in response to the proposed

National Canyon corridor and will do so

in the near future. However, in order to

facilitate the development of the air tour

route structure, the FAA is removing the

sections that propose the National

Canyon corridor now and will dispose

of the comments in a separate

document. In a companion document to

this supplement amendment published

elsewhere in this issue of the Federal

Register, the FAA has withdrawn Notice

97–6, the NPRM that proposed a revised

National Canyon route and superseded

the National Canyon route proposed in

this NPRM. Consequently, the FAA

formally removes the National Canyon

corridor from this NPRM. The FAA

notes that all other provisions of this

NPRM was not affected by this

supplement amendment. The FAA will

dispose of all substantive comments

with respect to the National Canyon

corridor in this NPRM in the near

future.

Environmental Review

The effects of the National Canyon

provisions in Notice 96–15 were

evaluated in the December 1996 Final

Environmental Assessment/Finding of

No Significant Impact (1996 Final EA/

FONSI) for the Special Flight Rules in

the Vicinity of Grand Canyon National

Park and subsequent evaluations. The

FAA determined that the conclusions in

the 1996 Final EA/FONSI were still

substantially valid. Once the air tour

route structure is determined, the FAA

will conduct the appropriate

environmental review and provide for

notice and public comment.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 93

Air traffic control, Airports,

Navigation (air), Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements.

The Proposed Amendment

For the reasons set forth above, the

Federal Aviation Administration

proposes to amend 14 CFR part 93 as

follows:

PART 93—SPECIAL AIR TRAFFIC

RULES AND AIRPORT TRAFFIC

PATTERNS

1. The authority citation for part 93

continues to read follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40103, 40106,

40109, 40113, 44502, 44514, 44701, 44719,

46301.

§ 93.305 [Amended]

2. The amendments to § 93.305(c), as

proposed at 61 FR 69353, are removed.

§ 93.306 [Amended]

3. Section 93.306, as proposed to be

added at 61 FR 69353, is removed.

Issued is Washington, DC on July 10, 1998.

James D. Erickson,

Director, Office of Environment and Energy.

[FR Doc. 98–18832 Filed 7–10–98; 12:52 pm]

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