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Grand Canyon National Park News Release
December
17 , 2004
For Immediate Release
GRAND
CANYON NATIONAL PARK EXTENDS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
TO REVISE COLORADO RIVER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Comment Period Extended Until February 1, 2005
Grand Canyon
National Park Superintendent, Joseph F. Alston, today
announced an extension of the comment period on the
draft environmental impact statement (EIS) to revise
the Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP) for Grand
Canyon National Park. The timeframe has been extended
from January 7, 2005 to February 1, 2005.
"Given the complexity of the document and the intense
level of interest, we felt it was best to extend the
comment period until February 1," Alston said.
"This will give everyone additional time to study
the draft and provide us with the most substantive comments
possible."
The National Park Service prepared the draft EIS for
the CRMP under the provisions of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969. The initial 90-day public comment
period began on October 8, 2004, with publication of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of
Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register. This extension
will be announced in the Federal Register as well.
A complete copy of the draft EIS can be downloaded at
www.nps.gov/grca/crmp. A CD with the complete document
can be ordered online at the same website.
During the past two months, seven public meetings were
conducted to receive comments about the draft EIS. The
meetings were held in Las Vegas, Nevada; Denver, Colorado;
Salt Lake City, Utah; Phoenix, Arizona; San Francisco,
California; Washington, D.C; and Flagstaff, Arizona.
The proposed CRMP is a visitor use management plan that
specifies actions to preserve park resources while providing
recreational opportunities in the river corridor. The
plan is designed to cover the next decade, and will
also establish goals and objectives for a longer timeframe.
Comments on the draft EIS can be submitted any one of
the following ways:
• Mail to CRMP Project, Grand Canyon National
Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand
• Canyon, Arizona 86023;
• Through the Park's website at www.nps.gov/grca/crmp;
• Fax to CRMP project at 928-638-7797; or
• Hand-deliver to Grand Canyon National Park
A summary of the scoping process and planning materials
are also available on the Internet at www.nps.gov/grca/crmp.
For further information on this planning process, please
contact Rick Ernenwein at 928-779-6279, or Mary Killeen
at 928-638-7885.
- NPS -
Editors Note: To be placed on the park's CRMP Newsletter
mailing list, please send your request along with your
mailing and email address to:
grca_crmp@nps.gov.
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