Officials with both the National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday announced they’re asking for the public’s feedback on a plan to manage air tours over the Bay Area’s national parks.
The Air Tour Management Plan would place set regulations for low-flying air tours over national parks throughout the nation.
Under the local plan, 2,548 air tours per year would be allowed over places like Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and Point Reyes National Seashore. In addition, the plan would prohibit helicopter tours over Point Reyes National Seashore and also ban all commercial air tours over Muir Woods, FAA and NPS officials said.
Residents can comment feedback on the plan at the project’s website. In addition, residents can attend a virtual public meeting on the matter later this month, on Oct. 26 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on YouTube.
“We encourage anyone who is interested in air tours over the parks to share their thoughts on the proposed plan,” National Park Service Communications Director Charles Strickfaden said in a statement. “The draft plan is based on current operations and reported air tour levels at the four Bay Area federal parks. Its purpose is to ensure that park resource values, including natural sounds, wilderness character, visitor experiences, wildlife, and other natural and cultural resources, are protected.”
The plan is scheduled to be finished with the plan by Aug. 2022, in accordance with a 2020 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in a lawsuit brought on by environmental groups that alleged the FAA and NPS failed to implement air tour management plans for national parks in Hawaii. As part of the ruling, the FAA and NPS must produce a plan to bring 24 national parks in compliance with the Air Tour Management Act of 2000, which requires that vendors of commercial air tours that fly over national parks and tribal lands must obtain a permit from the FAA.
20 comments
Only elected politicians and their supporting bureaucracy, along with our Hollywood and Manhattan elite should be allowed to take air tours over national parks. No need for the riff raff citizenry to do that. In fact, perhaps only the select should be allowed in the parks.
I love how they want public input on a non issue but don’t listen to the public otherwise. This government is a joke. By the people for the people…give me a break.
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Just more idiocy from environmentalists and bureaucrats.
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My niece is a Business Management Assistant for the National Park Service
San Francisco. I’d be interested in what she has to say, as I’m sure she is well aware of this announcement.
Yay! Just what we need. More regulation. I wonder if Mark Desaulnier was behind this.
Really who cares
This is dumb. What a waste of time and energy.
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.. brought to you by the Biden/Harris Administration!
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… brought to you by the Biden/Harris Administration!
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I reject this thrown bone. What the H does the public know about flying around the grand canyon?
Yep, that’s right who cares. Nobody should. Have a good rest of your weekend.
How this one>>? Just stop using these places as a cash cow for the state.
I thought the Feds were trying to reduce Greenhouse gases???
Maybe some of the posters would have been better served to read to the bottom of the article:
“The plan is scheduled to be finished with the plan by Aug. 2022, in accordance with a 2020 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in a lawsuit brought on by environmental groups that alleged the FAA and NPS failed to implement air tour management plans for national parks in Hawaii. As part of the ruling, the FAA and NPS must produce a plan to bring 24 national parks in compliance with the Air Tour Management Act of 2000, which requires that vendors of commercial air tours that fly over national parks and tribal lands must obtain a permit from the FAA.”
So no, DeSaulnier had nothing to do with this, this was the result of a lawsuit to force compliance with a 21-year-old law.
And why would you NOT want public feedback before they decide on the regulations?
And note: this was part of a larger transportation-focused bill which passed when Republicans owned BOTH Houses of Congress. House: 319-101, Senate: 82-17. Overwhelming support from BOTH parties. YEAs and NAYs from both parties. Remember when that kind of thing could happen? 20 years ago.
I just don’t understand the knee-jerk (and highly predictable) reaction from some commenters.
You don’t understand because it’s you that didn’t read the comments.
We are not in dog and pony show times like 20years ago. You think anyone actually cares about this with everything going on in the world? We don’t, nobody does. People are more concerned with the lies being used to subvert the constitution. This is only a dumb, desperate distraction.
Get a clue “old blue” and LETS GO BRANDON!!
Well, what do you expect from low information people that get all their information from Facebook and OAN and what is now considered “liberal” Fox News? They’ve been taught to blame the other side when something bad happens or to make it a negative when its something good. They should really watch the Robert Gates interview yesterday on 60 Minutes. The man was critical of Biden and even more critical of Trump. He also pointed out what both men had right. I do not agree with some of his views but that man is a critical thinker and that is something that Trumpican are highly lacking.
Low information people also don’t understand that people can work on multiple things at once instead of being single task oriented. Someone is supposed to just sit there doing nothing waiting for other people to review or have information gathered/analyzed? So, instead of being productive and working on everything on their plate, just twiddle your fingers and wait around until #1 priority is done.
What is OAN? Never been on Facebook. I read the washington post and watch CNN and then fact check them. Guess what.. they lie.
You democrats over here supporting war criminals robert gates and colleen powell is the best. Keep it up. You actually have no idea what you’re talking about. We already knew that but it’s classic to hear it over and over..Totally brain dead.
Christopher Steel is getting indicted. Locking her up has never been more real. Loving the PANIC! Cry more lib
Garbage! What really needs to be done is outlaw those carbon spewing private jets. And, Mr. rich boy suckerberg and beezos and every other ugly smack person can’t buy all or most of the tickets on a particular flight.
“Well, what do you expect from low information people that get all their information from Facebook and OAN and what is now considered “liberal” Fox News? They’ve been taught to blame the other side when something bad happens or to make it a negative when its something good. They should really watch the Robert Gates interview yesterday on 60 Minutes. ”
You think everyone else is low info but you watched a 60 Minutes interview with one of the architects of the Iraq war and insist THAT is truth and reality.
Gee, so weird that all the folks that got us into the forever war has thoughts on getting out of it.
Flying potential timber barons over the Preserves, huh? Asian investors looking over their next development land, huh?
Flying over points of interest…taking a tour at minimum 400 miles per hour? Yeah, that’s always been a favorite vacation.
Are you kidding me? So a person is going to travel to… for example, the Dakotas and then climb on a plane to fly over the mountains? LMAO!
They are asking our permission to kiss up on foreign $$$ and eventually sell our Federal lands (or at least the trees) right from under us.
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