Finding of No Significant Impact for the Use of Electric Bicycles in the National Park System Programmatic Environmental Assessment Publication: Federal Register Agency: National Park Service Byline: Raymond M. Sauvajot Date: 26 August 2024 Subjects: American Government , Motorcycles

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 165 (Monday, August 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 68467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18426]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO- NPS0038238; 24XP103905--PPWONRADE2--PMP00EI05.YP0000]


Finding of No Significant Impact for the Use of Electric Bicycles 
in the National Park System Programmatic Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of 
the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for a programmatic 
environmental assessment (PEA) that evaluates, on a nationwide scale, 
use of electric bicycles (e-bikes) within National Park System units.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay Calhoun, Chief, Division of 
Regulations, Jurisdiction, and Special Park Uses, National Park 
Service; waso_regulations@nps.gov; (202) 281-0734.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 2, 2020, the NPS promulgated a 
final rule (rule) governing use of e-bikes within the National Park 
System (85 FR 69175). On May 24, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the 
District of Columbia issued an opinion finding that the NPS had 
improperly relied upon a categorial exclusion to comply with the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the rule. The Court 
remanded the rule to the NPS and directed the NPS to conduct additional 
NEPA analysis for the rule. Pub Emps. For Env't Responsibility v. Nat'l 
Park Serv., 605 F. Supp. 3d 28 (D.D.C. 2022). The rule remained in 
place pending the outcome of the required NEPA analysis. The PEA was 
prepared consistent with the Court's May 24, 2022 opinion.
    The PEA evaluates the environmental impacts, on a nationwide scale, 
of a no-action alternative and the proposed action (the rule). The no-
action alternative assumes that the rule has not been promulgated and 
that there is no nationwide policy about the use of e-bikes. Under the 
no-action alternative, superintendents would have no specific authority 
to allow e-bike use in System units and no policy direction about how 
to use existing authorities to manage e-bikes. This would result in 
inconsistent management of e-bikes use across the National Park System. 
In most System units, visitors would likely be allowed to use e-bikes 
on public roads and parking lots where motor vehicle use is allowed. In 
some System units, e-bike use also could occur on administrative roads 
and trails. Under the proposed action (the rule), e-bikes are defined 
uniformly and subject to a standard set of operating requirements, 
while superintendents have the discretion to allow e-bike use in 
National Park System units on a case-by-case basis, on public roads, 
parking lots, administrative roads, and trails where traditional 
bicycle use is allowed. The proposed action has been identified as the 
NPS preferred alternative. The PEA analyzes impacts to soils, 
vegetation, visitor use and experience, and wildlife.
    The NPS has selected the proposed action (the rule) for 
implementation. Based on the analysis in the PEA and the discussion in 
the FONSI, the NPS has determined that implementation of the selected 
alternative will not result in significant impacts to the quality of 
the human environment. Therefore, an EIS will not be prepared. The 
FONSI is available online at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/e-bikes.

Raymond M. Sauvajot,
Associate Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science.
[FR Doc. 2024-18426 Filed 8-23-24; 8:45 am]
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