30-Day Notice

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 38 / Wednesday, February 26, 2014 / Notices

Interior collections under review by
OMB.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract. The America the
Beautiful—National Parks and Federal
Recreation Lands Pass Program covers
recreation opportunities on public lands
managed by four Department of the
Interior agencies—the National Park
Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Bureau of Land Management, and the
Bureau of Reclamation—and by the
Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest
Service. The passes provide visitors an
affordable and convenient way to access
Federal recreation lands. The pass
program’s proceeds are used to improve
and enhance visitor recreation services.
Two of the available passes—
Interagency Access Pass and Interagency
Senior Pass—require documentation
and are the bases for this information
collection.
The Interagency Access Pass is a free,
lifetime pass issued to citizens or
residents who are domiciled in the
United States, regardless of age, and
who have a medical determination and
documentation of permanent disability.

You can obtain an Access Pass in
person, with proper documentation,
from a participating Federal recreation
site or office. Access Passes may also be
obtained via mail order. Mail-order
applicants for the Access Pass must
submit a completed application, proof
of residency, and documentation of
permanent disability, and pay the
document processing fee of $10 to
obtain a pass through the mail.
If a person arrives at a recreation site
and claims eligibility for the Interagency
Access Pass, but cannot produce any
documentation, that person must read,
sign, and date a Statement of Disability
Form in the presence of the agency
officer issuing the Interagency Access
Pass. If the applicant cannot read and/
or sign the form, someone else may
read, date, and sign the statement on
his/her behalf in the applicant’s
presence and in the presence of the
agency officer issuing the Interagency
Access Pass.
The Interagency Senior Pass is a
lifetime pass issued to U.S. citizens or
permanent residents who are 62 years or
older. There is a $10 fee for the Senior
Number of
respondents

Activity

II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1024–0252.
Title: The Interagency Access Pass
and Senior Pass Application Processes.
Service Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Description of Respondents:
Individuals.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Number of
annual
responses

Completion
time per
response
(minutes)

Total annual
burden hours

Interagency Access Pass (in person) ..............................................................
Interagency Access Pass (by mail) .................................................................
Interagency Senior Pass (by mail) ..................................................................

76,000
4,000
29,750

76,000
4,000
29,750

5
10
10

6,333
667
4,958

Totals ........................................................................................................

109,750

109,750

........................

11,958

Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden
Cost: $359,775 ($337,500 for processing
fees and $22,275 for copying and
postage costs).
III. Comments

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Pass. You can buy a Senior Pass in
person from a participating Federal
recreation site or office or by mail order.
There is an additional document
processing fee of $10 to obtain a Senior
Pass through the mail. Mail-order
applicants must submit a completed
application and proof of residency and
age, and pay $20 for the pass fee and
processing fee.
Agency Web sites provide information
on the passes and acceptable
documentation. All documentation
submitted in person or through the mail
is returned to the applicant or
destroyed.

On October 22, 2013, we published in
the Federal Register (78 FR 62657) a
notice of our intent to request that OMB
renew approval for this information
collection. In that notice, we solicited
comments for 60 days, ending on
December 23, 2013. We did not receive
any comments.
We again invite comments concerning
this information collection on:
• Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary, including
whether or not the information will
have practical utility;
• The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information;
• Ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and

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Jkt 232001

• Ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. Before including your
address, phone number, email address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment, including your personal
identifying information, may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask OMB in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that it will be done.
Dated: February 20, 2014.
Doris Lowery,
Acting, Information Collection Clearance
Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–04058 Filed 2–25–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–EH–P

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–VRP–WS–15009;
PPWOVPADW0, PPMPRLE1Y.LB0000]

Information Collection Request Sent to
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for Approval; Backcountry Use
Permit
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice; request for comments.

AGENCY:
ACTION:

We (National Park Service)
have sent an Information Collection
Request (ICR) to OMB for review and
approval. We summarize the ICR below
and describe the nature of the collection
and the estimated burden and cost. This
information collection is scheduled to
expire on February 28, 2014. We may
not conduct or sponsor and a person is
not required to respond to a collection
of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
However, under OMB regulations, we
may continue to conduct or sponsor this

SUMMARY:

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10835

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 38 / Wednesday, February 26, 2014 / Notices
information collection while it is
pending at OMB.
DATES: You must submit comments on
or before March 28, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments and
suggestions on this information
collection to the Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior at OMB—
OIRA at (202) 395–5806 (fax) or OIRA_
[email protected] (email).
Please provide a copy of your comments
to Madonna L. Baucum, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, National
Park Service, 1849 C Street NW. (2601),

Washington, DC 20240 (mail); or
[email protected] (email).
Please include ‘‘1024–0022’’ in the
subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Robert Danno at
[email protected] (email) or at
406–647–7010 (telephone). You may
review the ICR online at http://
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the
instructions to review Department of the
Interior collections under review by
OMB.
Number of
respondents

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Activity

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 1024–0022.
Title: Backcountry Use Permit, 36 CFR
1.5, 1.6, and 2.10.
Service Form Number(s): 10–404A.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Description of Respondents:
Individuals.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Number of
annual
responses

Completion
time per response
(minutes)

Total annual
burden hours

Form 10–404A .................................................................................................

285,000

285,000

5

23,750

Totals ........................................................................................................

285,000

285,000

5

23,750

Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden
Cost: None.
Abstract: In 1976, we initiated a
backcountry registration system in
accordance with the regulations found
at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations,
Sections 1.5, 1.6, and 2.10. The
backcountry use permit system provides
users access to backcountry areas of
national parks with continuing
opportunities for solitude, while
enhancing resource protection and
providing a means of disseminating
public safety messages regarding
backcountry travel.
The Backcountry Use Permit is an
extension of our statutory authority and
responsibility to protect the park areas
we administer and to manage the public
use thereof (Title 16 United States Code,
Sections 1 and 3 (16 U.S.C. 1 and 3)).
NPS regulations codified in 36 CFR 1–
7, 12, and 13, are designated to
implement statutory mandates that
provide for resource protection and
public enjoyment.
The Backcountry Use Permit (NPS
Form 10–404A) is the primary form
used to implement a backcountry
reservation system and provide access
into backcountry and designated
wilderness areas where registration is
required or limits are imposed in
accordance with regulations. Such
permitting enhances the ability of the
National Park Service (we, NPS) to issue
hazard warnings, conduct search and
rescue efforts, and provide mission
based resource protection.
The objectives of the permit system
are to ensure: (1) requests by
backcountry users are evaluated by park
managers in accordance with applicable
statutes and NPS regulations; (2) use of

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consistent standards and permitting
criteria throughout the agency; and (3)
to the extent possible, use of a single
and efficient permitting document.
Forms will be provided by the parks
and will be available at backcountry
reservation offices in the parks.
Respondents complete the form as they
reach the trailhead or backcountry
reservation office and before beginning
their backcountry hike. A copy is
retained by the respondent, and a copy
is retained by the park. Backcountry
users only need to fill the form out
when they enter the backcountry for
overnight stays. Day users will not be
required to complete the form.
Not all parks will use the form and
some parks may collect the information
using a nonform format (through
discussions in person or over the phone,
by sign-in sheet or self-registration
system, by email, or by post card). In
some instances, respondents will be
able to provide information verbally.
Because of the span of activities and the
different management needs and
resources at each park, respondents may
not be required to answer all questions.
Depending on the requested activity,
park staff will have the discretion to ask
for less information than appears on the
proposed form. However, park staff may
not ask for more or different
information.
Comments: On April 2, 2013, we
published in the Federal Register (78
FR 19732) a notice of our intent to
request that OMB renew approval for
this information collection. In that
notice, we solicited comments for 60
days, ending June 3, 2013.
We received one comment. The
comment was confined to issues at

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Grand Canyon National Park,
specifically the aircraft overflight issue.
The commenter suggested that NPS
require backcountry permits be issued
to individuals who participate in private
scenic air tours over park lands. These
excursions are short-term (1 hour or
less) flights that originate outside the
park. Although the flights often take
place over park lands, the NPS does not
have authority over airspace, which is
under the authority of the Federal
Aviation Administration. We did not
make any changes to our information
collection requirements.
We again invite comments concerning
this information collection on:
• Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary, including
whether or not the information will
have practical utility;
• The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information;
• Ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. Before including your
address, phone number, email address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment, including your personal
identifying information, may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask OMB in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that it will be done.

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10836

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 38 / Wednesday, February 26, 2014 / Notices

Dated: February 21, 2014.
Doris Lowry,
Acting Information Collection Clearance
Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–04175 Filed 2–25–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–EH–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–PWR–PWRO–14407;
PX.P0131800B.00.1]

Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the Merced Wild and Scenic River
Comprehensive Management Plan,
Yosemite National Park, Madera and
Mariposa Counties, California
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice of availability.

AGENCY:
ACTION:

Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), and consistent with the
National Historic Preservation Act of
1966 (NHPA), the National Park Service
(NPS) has prepared the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (Final
EIS) for the proposed Merced Wild and
Scenic River Comprehensive
Management Plan (Merced River Plan).
The Merced River Plan fulfills the
requirements of the Wild and Scenic
Rivers Act (Pub. L. 100–149, as
amended) and will provide long-term
protection of river values and establish
a user capacity management program for
81 miles of the Merced River that flow
through Yosemite National Park and the
El Portal Administrative Site.
DATES: The NPS will execute a Record
of Decision not sooner than 30 days
after the date the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its notice
of filing of the Final EIS for the Merced
River Plan in the Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kathleen S. Morse, Planning Chief,
Yosemite National Park, P.O. Box 577,
Yosemite, CA 95389, (209) 379–1110.
Printed documents (quantities limited)
or CDs may be requested through email
([email protected]) or by
telephone (209) 379–1110. In addition,
the Final EIS will be available for public
inspection at libraries in local
communities. Electronic versions will
be available at http://
parkplanning.nps.gov/yose_mrp, as well
as through the Yosemite National Park
Web site at http://www.nps.gov/yose/
parkmgmt/mrp.htm.

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SUMMARY:

Background
As defined by the Wild and Scenic
Rivers Act (WSRA), the purposes of the
Merced River Plan/Final EIS are to

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protect the Merced River’s free-flowing
conditions, and to: (1) Review, and if
necessary revise, the river corridor
boundaries and segment classifications,
and provide a process for protection of
the river’s free-flowing condition in
keeping with § 7(a) of the WSRA; (2)
Refine descriptions of the river’s
outstandingly remarkable values
(ORVs), which are the unique, rare, or
exemplary in a regional or national
context, and the river-related/riverdependent characteristics that make the
river eligible for inclusion in the
national wild and scenic rivers system;
(3) Identify management objectives for
the river and specific management
measures that will be implemented to
achieve protection and enhancement of
river values; (4) Establish a user
capacity program that addresses the
kinds and amounts of public use that
the river corridor can sustain while
protecting and enhancing the river’s
ORVs; (5) Commit to a program of
ongoing studies and monitoring to
ensure that the ORVs are protected and
enhanced over the life of the plan.
The Merced River Plan/Final EIS has
been developed through consultation
with traditionally-associated American
Indian tribes and groups, the State
Historic Preservation Officer, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, and other federal
and state agencies. Gateway
communities, organizations, and
interested members of the public have
provided more than 30,000 public
correspondences (including letters,
faxes, emails, comment forms, and
public meeting flip-chart notes). The
NPS has conducted more than 50 public
meetings, presentations, workshops,
field visits, and open houses in support
of the EIS process. Two preliminary
alternatives concepts workbooks were
distributed for public review and
comment prior to completion of the
draft Merced River Plan.
Based on a thorough examination of
the river’s baseline conditions at the
time of designation (1986), a multifaceted approach to river management
and stewardship has been proposed. To
address the WSRA mandate to protect
and enhance river values, many of the
plan’s actions would be common to all
the action alternatives, including: (1) All
WSRA management elements
(boundaries, classifications, § 7
determination process); (2) actions to
protect and enhance river values (e.g.,
ecological restoration components); (3)
removal and or relocation of numerous
facilities and services; (4) actions to
improve traffic circulation and reduce
congestion; (5) implementation of a
monitoring program that sets thresholds
for when management actions must be

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taken to protect river values; and (6) a
user capacity management program.
Proposal and Alternatives
In keeping with the expressed
purpose and need for federal action, the
Merced River Plan/Final EIS evaluates
the foreseeable environmental
consequences of five action alternatives
and a No-Action alternative in
accordance with the NEPA, and assesses
the potential to cause adverse effects to
historic properties in accordance with
§ 106 of the NHPA. Actions called for in
the 1980 Yosemite General Management
Plan addressing management within the
river corridor would be amended and
are outlined in the Merced River Plan/
Final EIS. The action alternatives vary
primarily in the degree of restoration
and the amount of visitor use that could
be accommodated by the commensurate
level of facilities and services necessary
to protect river values.
Alternative 1 (No-Action) would
continue current management and
trends, including ongoing localized
effects associated with impacts to freeflowing condition of the river and
connectivity of meadows, development
near the river’s edge and floodplain, and
pedestrian-vehicle conflicts at major
intersections. In 2011, the peak daily
visitation recorded for East Yosemite
Valley was 20,900 people per day.
Alternative 2: Self-Reliant Visitor
Experiences and Extensive Floodplain
Restoration provides for restoration
within the 100-year floodplain,
significant reduction in facilities and
services, and significantly lower visitor
use than current conditions. Given the
conditions in this Alternative, visitation
to East Yosemite Valley would be
approximately 13,900 people per day.
Alternative 3: Dispersed Visitor
Experiences and Extensive Riverbank
Restoration provides for restoration
within 150 feet of the river, marked
reduction in visitor facilities and
services, and significantly lower visitor
use than current conditions. Given the
conditions in this Alternative, East
Yosemite Valley visitation would be
approximately 13,200 people per day.
Alternative 4: Resource-based Visitor
Experiences and Targeted Riverbank
Restoration provides for targeted
restoration within 150 feet of the river,
reduced commercial services with a
significant increase over current
camping opportunities, and slightly
lower visitor use levels. Given
conditions in this Alternative, East
Yosemite Valley visitation would be
approximately 17,000 people per day.
Alternative 5 (agency-preferred and
environmentally preferred): Enhanced
Visitor Experiences and Essential

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