[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75840-75841]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26345]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS-R4-FHC-2016-N176; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04G01000]
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill; Louisiana Trustee Implementation
Group Draft Restoration Plan #1: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and
Nearshore Habitats; Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands; and
Birds
AGENCY: Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Consent Decree, and the
Final Programmatic Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Final
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PDARP/PEIS), the
Federal and State natural resource trustee agencies for the Louisiana
Trustee Implementation Group (Trustees) have prepared a Draft
Restoration Plan #1: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore
Habitats; Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands; and Birds (Draft
Restoration Plan 1) describing and proposing engineering and design
activities for restoration projects intended to continue the process of
restoring natural resources and services injured or lost as a result of
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which occurred on or about April 20,
2010, in the Gulf of Mexico.
DATES: Comments Due Date: We will consider public comments received on
or before November 28, 2016.
Public Meeting: If requested, the Trustees will schedule a public
meeting to facilitate public review and comment process on the draft
document.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may download the Louisiana Trustee
Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan 1: Restoration of Wetlands,
Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats, Habitat Projects on Federally Managed
Lands, and Birds draft restoration plan at any of the following sites:
http://www.gulfspillrestoration. noaa.gov
http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon
http://www.la-dwh.com
Alternatively, you may request a CD of the Draft Restoration Plan 1
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). You may also view the document
at any of the public facilities listed at http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the draft document
by one of following methods:
Via the Web: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/louisiana.
Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box
49567, Atlanta, GA 30345.
Louisiana Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority,
ATTN: Liz Williams, P.O. Box 44027, Baton Rouge, LA 70804.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liz Williams at LATIG@la.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
On or about 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 Deepwater Horizon State and Federal natural resource trustees
(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. OPA further instructs the
[[Page 75841]]
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 time of restoration to baseline (the resource
quality and conditions that would exist if the spill had not occurred)
is complete. The Trustees are:
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), as represented by
the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 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 (USEPA);
State of Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration
Authority (CPRA), Oil Spill Coordinator's Office (LOSCO), Department of
Environmental Quality (LDEQ), Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
(LDFW), and Department of Natural Resources (LDNR);
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
For the State of Texas: Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, Texas General Land Office, and Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality.
Upon completion of the NRDA, the Trustees reached and finalized a
settlement of their natural resource damage claims with BP in a Consent
Decree approved by the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Louisiana. Pursuant to that Consent Decree, restoration
projects in Louisiana are now chosen and managed by the Louisiana
Trustee Implementation Group (TIG). The Louisiana TIG is composed of
the following Trustees:
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), as represented by
the National Park Service,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 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 (USEPA);
Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
(CPRA);
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR);
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ);
Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office (LOSCO); and,
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)
Overview of the Louisiana TIG Draft Restoration Plan 1: Restoration of
Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats, Habitat Projects on
Federally Managed Lands, and Birds (Draft Restoration Plan 1)
The Draft Restoration Plan 1 is being released in accordance with
the Oil Pollution Act (OPA), the Natural Resources Damage Assessment
(NRDA) regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 15
CFR 990, the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.), the Consent Decree, and the Final PDARP/PEIS.
The total estimated cost for the proposed engineering and design
activities for the six proposed restoration projects is $22,300,000.
Details on the proposed engineering and design activities for the
restoration projects are provided in the draft restoration plan.
Next Steps
As described above, the Trustees will consider holding public
meetings to facilitate the public review and comment process, if
requested. After the public comment period ends, the Trustees will
consider and address the comments received before issuing a final
restoration plan.
Consistent with the PDARP/PEIS, in this Draft Restoration Plan 1
the Louisiana TIG is proposing a preliminary phase of restoration
planning to perform engineering and design evaluation for restoration
projects to develop information needed to fully consider the
implementation phase which will be proposed in a subsequent restoration
plan. Although information gathered may inform future projects, the
outcome of the preliminary phases does not commit the Trustees to
future actions.
Invitation to Comment
The Trustees seek public review and comment on the proposed
projects and supporting analysis included in the Draft Restoration Plan
1. 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.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the Administrative Record for this Draft
Restoration Plan can be viewed electronically at http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon.
Authority
The authority of this action is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) and the implementing Natural Resource Damage
Assessment regulations found at 15 CFR part 990.
Kevin D. Reynolds,
Department of the Interior Deepwater Horizon Case Manager.
[FR Doc. 2016-26345 Filed 10-31-16; 8:45 am]
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