RDC's Comment Letter

Overview:

The National Park Service is proposing to increase the number of cruise ships allowed to enter Glacier Bay National Park during the summer visitor season by 10 percent beginning in 2007. The current cruise ship limit is a seasonal quota of 139 visits during June, July and August. The proposal would increase the seasonal quota to 153.

Under a newly-published proposal, the number of visits will remain at 139 for the summer of 2006, the same level which has been in place since 1997. The daily maximum of two ships per day remains in effect for 2006 and 2007.

The proposed increase in the number of ships was the result of guidance provided by an extensive public planning effort, reviews of the best available scientific information, recommendations from the Glacier Bay National Park Science Advisory Board and an assessment of that report provided by the Park Service’s Alaska Regional Science Advisor.

Action Requested: 

Submit written comments by mail or fax before Tuesday, February 21, 2006 to:

Points to include in your testimony and letter:

• The National Park Service proposal to increase cruise ship traffic in Glacier Bay National Park during the summer tourism season by ten percent is a reasonable decision that will help accommodate visitor demand. The minimal increase of 14 additional cruise ship visits over a 3-month period should have no additional impacts to park resources and values.
• It is important to note that two cruise ships have already been entering Glacer Bay on 47 of the 92 day peak season. Research and monitoring have not revealed unacceptable impacts to park resources and values.
• In no case will there be more than two ships allowed in the park on any one day. The net effect of this proposal is that there will be 14 more days during June, July and August when two ships will be allowed in the park rather than one. There is no evidence that two ships a day pose any additional environmental impact than one.
• Cruise ships are not allowed to discharge any wastewater in the park, even if they are equipped with advanced wastewater treatment systems.
• The Park Service decision authorizing the incremental increase in cruise ship traffic was based on an exhaustive public planning effort and scientific studies  indicating that the proposed action would not result in unacceptable impacts to the park.