[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 74 (Monday, April 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22937-22939]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-07729]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS-R4-ES-2022-N227; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04H00000]
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment,
Florida Trustee Implementation Group Draft Phase V.4 Florida Coastal
Access Project: Restoration Plan and Supplemental Environmental
Assessment
AGENCY: Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments;
announcement of webinar and in-person meeting.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Final
Programmatic Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (Final PDARP/PEIS), and Consent Decree,
the Federal and State natural resource trustee agencies for the Florida
Trustee Implementation Group (FL TIG) have prepared the Draft Phase V.4
Florida Coastal Access Project: Restoration Plan and Supplemental
Environmental Assessment (Phase V.4 RP/SEA). The FL TIG is proposing a
fourth phase of the Florida Coastal Access Project. The preferred
alternative includes the acquisition of the Dickerson Bay parcel: A
114-acre undeveloped coastal inholding in Wakulla County, Florida,
within the approved boundary of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
(NWR). This would continue the process of restoring lost recreational
use in the Florida Restoration Area resulting from the Deepwater
Horizon (DWH) oil spill. We invite comments on the Draft Phase V.4 RP/
SEA.
DATES:
Submitting Comments: We will consider public comments on the Draft
Phase V.4 RP/SEA received on or before May 18, 2022.
Public Meeting: The FL TIG will host a webinar on May 10, 2022, at
3 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), and an in-person public meeting on May 12 at
5:30 p.m.
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ET. The public meeting and webinar will include a presentation on the
Draft Phase V.4 RP/SEA. Additional information about the meeting and
webinar, including public meeting location and webinar registration
information, can be found at https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/florida. After registering, participants will receive
a confirmation email with instructions for joining the webinar.
Instructions for commenting will be provided during the webinar.
Shortly after the webinar is concluded, the presentation material will
be posted on the website above.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft Phase V.4 RP/SEA
from any of the following websites:
http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon
http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/florida
http://dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/default.htm
Hard copies are available for review at the Wakulla County Library,
Gulf Specimen Marine Lab, and the St. Marks NWR visitor center. You may
request a CD (compact disc) of the Draft Phase V.4 RP/SEA (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the Draft Phase V.4
RP/SEA by one of the following methods:
Via the Web: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/florida.
Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box
29649, Atlanta, GA 30345. In order to be considered, mailed comments
must be postmarked on or before the comment deadline given in DATES.
In Person: Verbal comments may be provided at the public
meeting and webinar.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nanciann Regalado, via email at
nanciann_regalado@fws.gov or via telephone at 678-296-6805. Individuals
in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
The Florida Coastal Access Project was selected for funding and
implementation in Phase V of DWH early restoration. In the 2011
Framework Agreement for Early Restoration Addressing Injuries Resulting
from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (Framework Agreement), BP
Exploration and Production, Inc. (BP) agreed to provide to the Trustees
up to $1 billion toward early restoration projects in the Gulf of
Mexico to address injuries to natural resources caused by the DWH oil
spill. The Framework Agreement represented a preliminary step toward
the restoration of injured natural resources and was intended to
expedite the start of restoration in the Gulf in advance of the
completion of the injury assessment process. In the five phases of the
early restoration process, the Trustees selected, and BP agreed to
fund, a total of 65 early restoration projects expected to cost a total
of approximately $877 million, including the Florida Coastal Access
Project for approximately $45.4 million. The Trustees selected these
projects after public notice, public meetings, and consideration of
public comments.
The Consent Decree terminated and replaced the Framework Agreement
and provided that the Trustees shall use remaining early restoration
funds as specified in the early restoration plans and in accordance
with the Consent Decree. The Trustees have determined that decisions
concerning any unexpended early restoration funds are to be made by the
appropriate TIG, in this case the FL TIG.
Background
On April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater
Horizon, which was being used to drill a well for BP Exploration and
Production, Inc. (BP), in the Macondo prospect (Mississippi Canyon
252--MC252), experienced a significant explosion, fire, and subsequent
sinking in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in an unprecedented volume of
oil and other discharges from the rig and from the wellhead on the
seabed. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the largest oil spill in
U.S. history, discharging millions of barrels of oil over a period of
87 days. In addition, well over 1 million gallons of dispersants were
applied to the waters of the spill area in an attempt to disperse the
spilled oil. An undetermined amount of natural gas was also released
into the environment as a result of the spill.
The Trustees conducted the natural resource damage assessment
(NRDA) for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill under the Oil Pollution Act
1990 (OPA; 33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). Pursuant to OPA, Federal and State
agencies act as trustees on behalf of the public to assess natural
resource injuries and losses and to determine the actions required to
compensate the public for those injuries and losses. The OPA further
instructs the designated trustees to develop and implement a plan for
the restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or acquisition of the
equivalent of the injured natural resources under their trusteeship,
including the loss of use and services from those resources from the
time of injury until the completion of restoration to baseline (the
resource quality and conditions that would exist if the spill had not
occurred).
The Deepwater Horizon Trustees are:
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), as represented by
the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and
Bureau of Land Management;
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on
behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce;
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA);
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
State of Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration
Authority, Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Department of Environmental
Quality, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Department of
Natural Resources;
State of Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality;
State of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources and Geological Survey of Alabama;
State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection
and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; and
State of Texas: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas
General Land Office, and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
The Trustees reached and finalized a settlement of their natural
resource damage claims with BP in an April 4, 2016, Consent Decree
approved by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Louisiana. Pursuant to that Consent Decree, restoration projects in the
Florida Restoration Area are now chosen and managed by the FL TIG. The
FL TIG is composed of the following six Trustees: State of Florida
Department of Environmental Protection and Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission; DOI; NOAA; EPA; and USDA.
Overview of the FL TIG Draft Phase V.4 RP/SEA
The Draft Phase V.4 RP/SEA is being released in accordance with OPA
NRDA regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 15
CFR part 990, NEPA and its implementing regulations found at 40 CFR
parts 1500-1508, and
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the Final PDARP/PEIS and Consent Decree. The Phase V.4 RP/SEA provides
an OPA analysis for the proposed fourth phase of the Florida Coastal
Access Project and supplements the NEPA analysis completed in the
first, second, and third phases of the project (2016 Final Phase V
Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment, 2017 Final Phase
V.2 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Environmental Assessment, and
2019 Final Phase V.3 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Environmental
Assessment, respectively). In the Draft Phase V.4 RP/SEA, the FL TIG
proposes the acquisition of the Dickerson Bay parcel, a 114-acre
undeveloped coastal inholding in Wakulla County, Florida, within the
approved boundary of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Acquisition of
the Dickerson Bay parcel would continue the process of restoring
natural resources and services injured or lost as a result of the DWH
oil spill. The cost to carry out the proposed action would be
approximately $685,000.
Next Steps
As described above, the Trustees will hold a public meeting and
webinar to facilitate the public review and comment process. After the
public comment period ends, the Trustees will consider and address the
comments received before issuing a Final Phase V.4 RP/SEA.
Public Availability of Comments
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 us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the Administrative Record for the Phase
V.4 RP/SEA can be viewed electronically at https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord.
Authority
The authority of this action is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), its implementing Natural Resource Damage
Assessment regulations found at 15 CFR part 990, and the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its
implementing regulations found at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508.
Mary Josie Blanchard,
Director of Gulf of Mexico Restoration, Department of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 2022-07729 Filed 4-15-22; 8:45 am]
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