Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
about the Colorado River Management Plan (Oct 2005)

1. Where are you in the EIS process?

The Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP) Planning Team is close to issuing the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The following is a list of accomplishments	,
what is currently being worked on	,
and where we're going in the EIS process	:

Phase 1: (Spring - Fall 2002)
		Assembled planning team, identified project's scope and issues, analyzed data and customized planning process (March - May, 2002)
		Issued Notice of Intent (June 13, 2002)
		Interviewed Stakeholders (June, 2002)
		Gathered public input via electronic outreach and written comments (June - November, 2002)
		Held public meetings in seven cities across the United States. (August - October, 2002)
Phase 2: (Fall 2002 - Winter 2004)
		Analyzed public input and developed range of alternatives (Fall 2002 - Fall 2003)
		Held Expert Panel Series (January, 2003)
		Held Stakeholder Group and Public Workshops (January 2003; June 2003)
		Analyzed natural, cultural, and socio-economic effects/impacts of draft alternatives (Fall 2003 – Spring 2004)
		Issued Draft EIS to the public for review (October 2004)
		Gathered public comments and conducted public meetings in seven cities across country (October 2004 – February 2005)
Phase 3: (Winter 2005 – Fall 2005)
		Coded and analyzed public comments (February – August 2005)
		Preparing Final EIS with responses to substantive comments (May – October 2005)
		Release Final EIS to the public (November 2005)
		30-day No-Action period
		Record of Decision (ROD) follows 30-day no action period
		Produce CRMP Monitoring and Implementation Plan (Spring 2006)

2. What does "No Action" period mean?

A 30-day no-action period means that no federal decision on the proposed action shall be made or recorded until at least 30 days after publication of a Notice of Availability by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Federal Register that the Final EIS has been filed with the EPA. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) also requires that this decision be stated in a public ROD signed after the 30-day no-action period. Until the National Park Service (NPS) issues its ROD, no action concerning the proposal shall be taken which would have an adverse environmental impact or limit the choice of reasonable alternatives. This does not preclude preliminary planning or design work which is needed to support an application for permits or assistance.

3. What is a Record of Decision?

The ROD is the document where the decision is recorded for the public.

4. Will there be a public comment period on the Final EIS?

No. A 30-day no-action period will follow publication of EPA’s Notice of Availability of the Final EIS in the Federal Register. Unlike other federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, the NPS does not have a public comment period or a formal appeals process for federal actions described in a Final EIS. The NPS accepts public comments during the public comment period for the Draft EIS, and addresses them in the Final EIS. Following the 30-day no-action period, a ROD will be prepared that documents the NPS decision and rationale for that decision. The ROD will be released to the public and a summary published in the Federal Register.

5. How will implementation of the plan be funded?

The NPS will be considering all possible funding sources, including fee demonstration funds, franchise fees, special park use permits, and funds through special regulations to fund implementation of the CRMP. Any combination of these mechanisms may be used to support on-going monitoring and mitigation. It is the intention of Grand Canyon National Park to pursue long-term permanent solutions to guarantee funds for monitoring, mitigation, and other implementation needs for the life of the revised CRMP. The implementation of certain actions will be tied directly to funding and will be reflected in the CRMP Monitoring and Implementation Plan and schedule. If resource conditions change sufficiently to adversely affect resources or visitor experiences, or if mitigation measures cannot be adequately funded or implemented or are unsuccessful, park managers will use an adaptive management approach to review and revise visitor use prescriptions in the plan.

6. What is adaptive management and how will it work?

The variables analyzed in the CRMP EIS and their relationship to biological, physical, and social systems are complex. In the analysis of anticipated impacts in the Final EIS, the NPS has done its best to accurately predict potential impacts and anticipate future conditions using the best available information and tools at the time of analysis. However, there is always a possibility that there may be unanticipated changes in environmental conditions, new information in the future, or mitigation measures may be less effective than expected.

For the CRMP, this means that the effects of implementation of the preferred alternative would be monitored, and adaptive measures would be identified and implemented as needed. This will allow flexibility for practical mid-course corrections, without requiring new or supplemental NEPA review. The mitigation measures that would be considered for adaptive management have been identified in chapter 4 of the Final EIS and include, for example, an enhanced educational program, increased patrols, site-specific rehabilitation or restrictions, group size, trip number, or time restrictions at attraction sites, and the use of quiet technology.

The process for adaptive management would include modifying the 1989 limits of acceptable change (LAC) indicators and standards as part of the CRMP Monitoring and Implementation Plan. LAC indicators are measurable variables that track trends in conditions caused by human activity so that progress toward goals/desired conditions can be assessed. LAC standards are measurable statements that define thresholds for minimally acceptable resource or experiential conditions. The diagram below illustrates how agencies may respond when conditions go from being acceptable to unacceptable and when restrictive actions may be implemented in order to reverse trends that further compromise resource or experiential conditions.

7. When will the park implement the plan? Can some actions be implemented sooner than others (e.g., permit system)?

The planning team will develop the CRMP Monitoring and Implementation Plan following the ROD. This will include an implementation schedule, and is expected to take three to five months to complete. The park will update the commercial operating requirements and noncommercial river trip regulations based on actions specified in the ROD. This update may include new or revised environmental regulations and site restrictions consistent with the ROD.

The NPS and the public have acknowledged that it will take some time to transition from the current noncommercial permit system to a new permit system. It is possible that the park will begin this transition soon after the ROD is signed.

8. Will the park issue new concession contracts? If so, when?

The NPS intends to issue new river concessions contracts in accordance with the NPS Concessions Management and Improvement Act of 1998 (16 USC 5951) and implementing regulations at 36 CFR 51. These contracts will reflect the alternatives analyzed in the Final EIS and the management decisions reached in the ROD. It is premature to specify a date for the issuance of new contracts for commercial river services, although the process for bidding and evaluating contracts typically takes 12 to 18 months.

9. Does the Final EIS have the same preferred alternatives as in the Draft EIS?

The preferred alternatives have been modified in response to comments received on the Draft EIS.

10. How can we tell how the Final EIS is different than the Draft EIS?

In the Final EIS, text that has been added or modified from the Draft EIS will be easily identified by the use of bold italic font. The Final EIS will have a different cover than the Draft EIS to make it easily distinguishable as a separate document, and it will have a third volume for comments and responses to comments on the Draft EIS.

11. How will we know if our comments were addressed?

The new Volume III of the Final EIS will contain copies of letters from agencies and tribes, substantive comments and responses, and a summary of non-substantive comments received during the 2004-2005 public comment period.

In accordance with NPS Director’s Order 12, section 4.6, only letters received from federal, state, local agencies and American Indian Tribes are reprinted in full in Volume III. Due to the large volume of comments received, all other correspondence received during the public comment period on the Draft EIS are summarized, rather than reprinted.

Substantive comments are summarized in this volume, including comments received from agencies, tribes, organizations, concessioners, businesses, and individuals. Comments and responses are categorized by topics and issues. A topic is a category of subject matter (e.g., Adjacent Lands, Visitor Use and Experience, Range of Alternatives, Water Quality, etc.). These categories were developed through the scoping process and were selected in order to track major subjects through the Draft and Final EIS. A response to each substantive comment is grouped and numbered within these categories. Because all commenters and comments were entered into a database, they can be tracked. The park is determining the best way to allow members of the public to track their comments if they wish to do so, and will provide that information when the Final EIS is released.

All non-substantive comments are also summarized and categorized in this volume.