82 FR 30938 - Termination of the Preparation of an Air Tour Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 126 (July 3, 2017)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), announces that it will no longer prepare an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for commercial air tour operations over Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. The FAA and NPS have stopped work on preparation of the ATMP and EA based upon a provision included in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 that allowed the agencies and air tour operator(s) to enter into a voluntary agreement as an alternative to an ATMP.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 126 (Monday, July 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30938-30939]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13992]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Termination of the Preparation of an Air Tour Management Plan and 
Environmental Assessment for Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of Termination of the Preparation of Air Tour Management 
Plan and Environmental Assessment.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in cooperation with 
the National Park Service (NPS), announces that it will no longer 
prepare an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) and Environmental Assessment 
(EA) for commercial air tour operations over Big Cypress National 
Preserve in Florida. The FAA and NPS have stopped work on preparation 
of the ATMP and EA based upon a provision included in the FAA 
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 that allowed the agencies and air 
tour operator(s) to enter into a voluntary agreement as an alternative 
to an ATMP.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Lusk, Program Manager, AWP-1SP, 
Federal Aviation Administration, Western-Pacific Region, 15000 Aviation 
Boulevard, Lawndale, California 90261. Telephone: (310) 725-3808.

[[Page 30939]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In an April 19, 2011 Federal Register notice 
(76 FR 21938), the FAA in cooperation with the National Park Service 
(NPS) provided notice of its intent to develop an EA for the ATMP at 
Big Cypress National Preserve, pursuant to the National Parks Air Tour 
Management Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-181) and its implementing 
regulations contained in 14 CFR part 136, subpart B, National Parks Air 
Tour Management. The ATMP process for Big Cypress National Preserve was 
initiated based on receipt of an application for operating authority 
from an existing commercial air tour operator to conduct commercial air 
tour operations over this park unit. In accordance with NPATMA and 
based on the existing level of operations at the time of the 
application, the FAA issued interim operating authority (IOA) to the 
commercial air tour operator to conduct an annual total of 1,260 
commercial air tours over the park until such time as an ATMP was 
developed. The FAA and NPS began preparing an EA to comply with the 
National Environmental Policy Act (Pub. L. 91-190), which requires 
Federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts associated with 
a major federal action.
    The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-95) 
amended various provisions of NPATMA. One provision provided that as an 
alternative to an ATMP, to manage commercial air tour operations over a 
national park, the NPS and the FAA, may enter into a voluntary 
agreement with a commercial air tour operator (including a new entrant 
commercial air tour operator and an operator that has IOA) that has 
applied to conduct commercial air tour operations over a national park. 
The FAA and NPS entered into voluntary agreements with one existing and 
one new entrant commercial air tour operator for tours over Big Cypress 
National Preserve. The voluntary agreements became effective in 
December 2015. Copies of the voluntary agreements can be found at: 
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/arc/programs/air_tour_management_plan/park_specific_plans/big_cypress/.
    As the agencies and the operators entered into voluntary agreements 
for commercial air tour operations over Big Cypress National Preserve, 
an ATMP is no longer required. Therefore, the FAA, in cooperation with 
the NPS, has stopped work and discontinued the preparation of the ATMP 
and EA for Big Cypress National Preserve.

    Issued in Lawndale, California, on June 26, 2017.
Keith Lusk,
Program Manager, Special Programs Staff, Western-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2017-13992 Filed 6-30-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P