Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/01/23/2012-1250/special-regulations-areas-of-the-national-park-system-cape-hatteras-national-seashore-off-road
Timestamp: 2016-06-26 11:47:18
Document Index: 309248752

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', 'art 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 1', '§ 7', '§ 7']

Dates: This rule is effective February 15, 2012.
-3144 (22 pages)
Document Number: 2012-1250
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/2012-1250 Related Topics
Cape Hatteras National Seashore--Off-Road Vehicle Management 3 actions from July 6th, 2011 to December 2011
Authority and Jurisdiction Back to Top
Off-Road Motor Vehicle Regulation Back to Top
ORV Use at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Back to Top
In 1954, NPS authorized the original park name (“national seashore”) to be used for all administrative purposes except for formal memoranda and documents requiring the full legal name. Subsequently, the term “recreational area” fell from use in most official references to the park. In 1961, Congress authorized Cape Cod in Massachusetts as the second “national seashore” and subsequently created eight more “national seashores” between 1962 and 1975, for a total of ten. All such park units that followed Cape Hatteras were officially named “national seashores.”
Since 1962, Cape Hatteras has been referred to as “national seashore” in all Congressional legislation and “national seashore” has been the standard nomenclature for this type of park. In any event, this nomenclature question is irrelevant to this rule and the ORV plan. The General Authorities Act of 1970 and the 1978 Redwoods Amendment expressly clarified that all units of the National Park System are to be managed to the same statutory standards and authorities. Furthermore, the NPS motor vehicle regulation at 36 CFR 4.10 does not recognize a “national seashore recreational area” unit designation as one of the types of units where ORV use is permitted.
Response: The proposed rule is based directly on the Selected Action described in the FEIS and ROD. The rule contains those portions of the Selected Action, such as the designated ORV routes and other ORV management requirements, that NPS believes are necessary to comply with the E.O.s and NPS regulations. The species management strategies for the Selected Action, as described in the FEIS, are intended to evolve over time, through the periodic review process, in order to ensure accomplishment of the desired future conditions for park resources as stated in the plan. In response to these comments, NPS has revised the wording of § 7.58(c)(10) to more clearly articulate its commitment to the implementation of the species management strategies and periodic review process described in the Selected Action.
Response: To gather data for the socioeconomic analysis, NPS conducted a survey of businesses in the Seashore villages and in Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, and Kitty Hawk. In the business survey, some of the businesses in the three villages north of the Seashore reported that beach closures to ORVs would affect their revenue and would cause revenue losses in the future, so it is not inaccurate to include these communities in the ROI. However, it is true that other businesses in the three northern communities reported that ORV restrictions would have no impact on their business. Since some businesses in the three northern communities reported impacts in the survey, NPS felt it was important to include those in the analysis. To estimate the portion of the economic output in Dare and Hyde counties generated in the ROI, and, within the ROI, the amount generated in the Seashore villages, NPS adjusted the county-level values by the percentages of employment by business section. NPS fully agrees that the impacts will fall mainly on the Seashore villages. For this reason, NPS reported the range of revenue impacts used to calculate the impacts for each alternative separately for the Seashore villages and the rest of the ROI. To measure the economic impacts of the alternatives, NPS used “IMPLAN,” a computer software program that simulates how changes in sales and employment in one industry can affect other industries and the regional economy as a whole. Although the results from running the IMPLAN model are presented at the county level, the discussion of each alternative stated that the Seashore villages would experience the majority of the direct impacts. In the discussion of the impacts on small businesses, NPS stated that the impacts will be larger for businesses that depend on visitors who use particular beach access ramps or visit particular beaches that will be closed or restricted under the alternative. The conclusion for each alternative reiterated that the Seashore villages will experience the majority of the impacts and that small businesses may be disproportionately impacted. The analysis forecasts higher adverse impacts on the small businesses than for the ROI as a whole.
In initial meetings shortly before the negotiated rulemaking committee was officially formed and in early meetings with the committee, NPS was told that the economic impacts would be widespread. Members of the local community urged NPS to consider the impacts on Dare County, the State of North Carolina, and neighboring states. NPS chose to narrow the ROI to just the island portions of Dare and Hyde counties, and assessed the resulting indirect and induced impacts on Dare and Hyde counties as a whole.
55. Comment: In paragraph (7)(iii), the requirement that the vehicle must return to the designated ORV route or Seashore road immediately after the transport raises significant safety concerns and is unreasonable. What if the person needs to leave the beach quickly due to weather or health issues? Response: NPS concurs that the vehicle removal requirement in paragraph (c)(7)(iii) of the proposed rule may create safety concerns or be unreasonable under certain circumstances. NPS revised the wording in the rule to eliminate the vehicle removal requirement and to state that special-use permits are subject to the resource, safety, and other closures implemented under § 7.58(c)(10), and may only be used in a manner consistent with the terms and conditions of the permit.
Response: NPS concurs with this comment. The wording of paragraph (c)(7) of the rule has been revised to state that the special-use permits are subject to the resource, safety, and other closures implemented under § 7.58(c)(10), and may only be used in a manner consistent with the terms and conditions of the permit.
After taking the public comments into consideration and after additional review, NPS made the following changes in the final rule: 7.58(c)(1)
Changed definition of ORV corridor to:
• Describe the physical boundaries of the ORV corridor on the beach; and
• Ensure that the definition is consistent with the intent of the language in the FEIS and ROD.
7.58(c)(2)(v)
• Removed the “in person” language from the rule to provide the Superintendent with greater flexibility for administering the ORV permit issuance procedures.
7.58(c)(7)(iii)
• Allowed ORVs that transport mobility-impaired individuals to remain on the beach, subject to conditions in the special-use permit issued for the activity.
• Clarified that these special-use permits are subject to all resource, safety, seasonal, and other closures implemented under paragraph § 7.58(c)(10) of the rule.
7.58(c)(8)(i) and (ii)
• Clarified exactly where commercial fishing permit holders can operate ORVs when engaged in authorized commercial fishing activities.
7.58(c)(9)
• Clarified that designated ORV routes and ramps are subject to resource, safety, seasonal, and other closures.
• Indicated that ramp 59 will be temporarily designated as an ORV ramp until ramp 59.5 is constructed.
• Edited designated routes table for Hatteras Island to provide a more accurate description of the current conditions at Hatteras Inlet spit, as a result of physical changes to the island caused by Hurricane Irene in August 2011.
• Edited designated routes table for Ocracoke Island to provide that ramp 59 is temporarily designated as an ORV ramp until ramp 59.5 is constructed and operational.
7.58(c)(10)
• Clarified the Superintendent's authority to implement and remove closures.
• Clarified the criteria for establishing closures.
• Added language regarding the periodic review process.
7.58(c)(12)(i)
• Clarified that the Superintendent may open portions of designated ORV routes in sea turtle nesting habitat to night driving from September 15 through November 15, if no turtle nests remain within these portions of ORV routes. The proposed rule stated that only entire routes with no turtle nests remaining could be opened to night driving.
7.58(c)(13)
• Clarified that carrying capacity refers to the maximum number of vehicles allowed on any open ORV route, at one time, and is the length of the route (or, if part of the route is closed, the length of the portion of the route that is open) divided by 6 meters (20 feet).
This final rule establishes a special regulation as provided in 36 CFR 4.10(b) to manage ORV use at the Seashore. The regulation implements portions of the Selected Action, as described in the ROD, by designating ORV routes at the Seashore, establishing requirements to obtain a permit, and imposing date and time and other restrictions related to operation of ORVs, including vehicle and equipment standards. In addition, the final rule corrects a drafting error at § 7.58(b)(1) to clarify that the definitions found there only apply to § 7.58 and not to the entirety of 36 CFR part 7.
The rule will also delete the definition of permittee at § 7.58(b)(1)(ii) as it is unnecessary and potentially confusing to the public, as the term could be applied to individuals holding different types of permits for different activities. This deletion consequently requires redesignation of the remaining provisions in paragraph (b).
Once you obtain an ORV permit, you may operate a vehicle off road only on designated routes described in the tables located in § 7.58(c)(9). The tables also provide dates for seasonal restrictions on driving these designated routes. Maps of designated ORV routes will be available in the Office of the Superintendent and on the Seashore Web site.
Regulatory Planning and Review (Executive Order 12866 and 13563) Back to Top
Consultation With Indian Tribes (E.O. 13175) Back to Top
2.In § 7.58: A. Revise the introductory text in paragraph (b)(1).
B. Remove paragraph (b)(1)(ii).
(1) Definitions. In addition to the definitions found in § 1.4 of this chapter, the following terms apply in this paragraph (c):
(7) Special-use permits for off-road driving, temporary use. Special-use permits issued under this paragraph are subject to resource, safety, and other closures implemented under § 7.58(c)(10), and may only be used in a manner consistent with the terms and conditions of the permit. The Superintendent may issue a special-use permit for temporary off-road vehicle use to:
(ii) An authorization under this paragraph may allow off-road driving beginning at 5 a.m. on days when night-driving restrictions are in effect, to set or tend haul seine or gill nets, only if the permit holder is carrying and able to present a fish-house receipt from the previous 30 days. (9) ORV routes. The following tables indicate designated ORV routes. The following ramps are designated for off-road use to provide access to ocean beaches: 2.5, 4, 23, 25.5, 27, 30, 32.5, 34, 38, 43, 44, 47.5, 49, 55, 59, 59.5, 63, 67, 68, 70, and 72. Designated ORV routes and ramps are subject to resource, safety, seasonal, and other closures implemented under § 7.58(c)(10). Soundside ORV access ramps are described in the table below. For a village beach to be open to ORV use during the winter season, it must be at least 20 meters (66 feet) wide from the toe of the dune seaward to mean high tide line. Maps showing designated routes and ramps are available in the Office of the Superintendent and on the Seashore Web site.
A route from ramp 72 to a pedestrian trail to Pamlico Sound, commonly known as Shirley's Lane.
Designated ORV routes in sea turtle nesting habitat (ocean intertidal zone, ocean backshore, dunes) are closed from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., but the Superintendent may open designated ORV routes, or portions of the routes, in sea turtle nesting habitat (if no turtle nests remain), 24 hours a day.