COM 0394.004 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Colorado introchrced a bill similar to Cong~res,nr.tn Williams' earlier concessions-based bill. The TWG continued to spend most of its time on Grand Carq~on and the Hawaii parks. FAA held a public meeting in Flagstaff in August. Senator McCain, the lead-off speaker at the meeting, "lectured" FAA, Clearly indicating that his J 987 hill 'attended for the Park Service to identify park resources to be protected and to detemtute how best to protect them, with FAA only responsible for making strre NPS recommendations could be implemented safely. 1996--Park management's proposed ban on eemmercial air tours at Rocky Mountaut National Park received n ~tional attention. Colorado Goy ernor Romer attd seven of the eight members of the Colorado Congressional delegation sent lerter> (nsiee) urging Transportation Secretary Pena to implement the proposed ban. The proposed ban also received strong political support from the town and count; level to the White House. On Earth pay (April 22) the President, Vice President and Secretary of htterior all made speeches addressutg natty al quiet and air tour overflights of parks. The same day, Fresident Clinton issued an Executive M.morandum directbtg all agency heads to participate in the effort to protect natural quiet ur VPS [mils. The Executive Ment~randum provided a timetable Cor isstuvtcc of rules for Grand canyon (issue proposed regulations withut 90 days acrd complete nilemaking by the end of'96) and Rocky Mountain (issue a notice of proposed rulemaking within 90 days) as well as for a national rule Covering air tour operations over park areas (end of'96). It also called For a public education initiative with regard to nauual quiet and park overflights. FAA held public. meetings in Phoenix and Las ~'ec~rs in September to take comments on the CJrand Canyon draft rule and draft environmental assessment (EA), and Senator McCain chaired field hearings in the same cities on the same subject in Ocmhcr. The final rule for the Grand Canyon was punished in the Federal Register on December 31, along with another Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), route structures, etc. Key features of the final rule included a dusk-to-dawn eLrfew at the east end of the park, expanded flight-free zones, and a temporary cap on the nttmber of aircraft (not the vohtme of flights] flyhtg over the park. The major feature of the new draft rule is a proposed phase-out of dre tn•o noisier categories of aircraft (of the three categories developed by FAA), leaving only the quietest aircraft flying over the park after ?008. 1997--The Rocky Mountain ntle, which eame out :,s a temporary ban on commercial air tour overflights over :he park, for two years or until a national air tour rule is implemented, was published in the Federal Register the first week of January. Lawsuits were filed against FA.A on the Csrand Canycn rule by a coalition of operators on one side and a coalition of environmental organizations on the other. In addition, the U.S. Air Tour Association filed a lawsuit against FA.A on the Rodry Mountain rule. National media coverage of the rules issued for Grand Canyon and Racy Mountain hay been intense, and a nett rortnd of editorials on the subject has appeared in major newspapers and magazines. Irt February, Senator McCain introduced the Na~icnal Parks Overflights Act of 1997, and Senator Akaka reintroduced his earlier bill as the National Parks Airspace Management Act of 1997. Both bills were assessed by the media as being friendly to NPSiDO1, with the Arizona Republic describing McCain's bill as putting "Interior Secretary [3ruce F3abbitt in charge of regulating aircraft aver all national parks." Congresswoman Patsy blink also reintroduced her Hawaii- based overflights bill, which ie also "NPS-friendly". -1-