[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 162 (Thursday, August 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51475-51477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18205]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS-R4-ES-2020-N106; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04H00000]
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Deepwater Horizon Oil
Spill Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #7: Wetlands,
Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; and Birds
AGENCY: Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.
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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 Record of
Decision; and the Consent Decree, the federal and state natural
resource trustee agencies for the Louisiana Trustee Implementation
Group (LA TIG) have prepared the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group
Draft Restoration Plan #7 and Environmental Assessment: Wetlands,
Coastal and Nearshore Habitats; and Birds (RP/EA #7). In the Draft RP/
EA #7, the LA TIG proposes projects to help restore bird habitat and
marshes injured as a result of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in
the Louisiana Restoration Area under the ``Wetlands, Coastal and
Nearshore Habitats'' and ``Birds'' restoration types described in the
Final PDARP/PEIS. The approximate cost to implement the LA TIG's
proposed project with five preferred alternatives is $234,100,000. We
invite public comments on the Draft RP/EA #7.
[[Page 51476]]
DATES: We will consider public comments on the Draft RP/EA #7 received
on or before September 22, 2020.
The LA TIG will host a public webinar on September 3, 2020, at 3:00
Central. The public may register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6495772168532544525. 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 web at https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/louisiana.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft RP/EA #7
from either of the following websites:
https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon
https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/louisiana
Alternatively, you may request a CD of the Draft RP/EA (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Copies of the Draft RP/EA are also
available for review during the public comment period at the locations
listed in the following table.
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Library Address City Zip
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St. Tammany Parish Library............... 310 W. 21st Avenue.......... Covington................... 70433
Terrebonne Parish Library................ 151 Library Drive........... Houma....................... 70360
New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana 219 Loyola Avenue........... New Orleans................. 70112
Division.
East Baton Rouge Parish Library.......... 7711 Goodwood Boulevard..... Baton Rouge................. 70806
Jefferson Parish Library, East Bank 4747 W. Napoleon Avenue..... Metairie.................... 70001
Regional Library.
Jefferson Parish Library, West Bank 2751 Manhattan Boulevard.... Harvey...................... 70058
Regional Library.
Plaquemines Parish Library............... 8442 Highway 23............. Belle Chasse................ 70037
St. Bernard Parish Library............... 1125 E. St. Bernard Highway. Chalmette................... 70043
St. Martin Parish Library................ 201 Porter Street........... St. Martinville............. 70582
Alex P. Allain Library................... 206 Iberia Street........... Franklin.................... 70538
Vermilion Parish Library................. 405 E. St. Victor Street.... Abbeville................... 70510
Martha Sowell Utley Memorial Library..... 314 St. Mary Street......... Thibodaux................... 70301
South Lafourche Public Library........... 16241 E. Main Street........ Cut Off..................... 70345
Calcasieu Parish Public Library Central 301 W. Claude Street........ Lake Charles................ 70605
Branch.
Iberia Parish Library.................... 445 E. Main Street.......... New Iberia.................. 70560
Mark Shirley, LSU AgCenter............... 1105 West Port Street....... Abbeville................... 70510
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Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
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
29649, Atlanta, GA 30345. To be considered, mailed comments must be
postmarked on or before the comment deadline given in DATES.
During the public webinar: Written comments may be
provided by the public during the webinar. Webinar information is
provided in DATES.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nanciann Regalado, via email at
nanciann_regalado@fws.gov, via telephone at 678-296-6805, or via the
Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
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 DWH oil spill is the largest offshore 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 DWH 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 to
baseline (the resource quality and conditions that would exist if the
spill had not occurred). This includes the loss of use and services
provided by those resources from the time of injury until the
completion of restoration.
The DWH 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 (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.
On April 4, 2016, the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Louisiana entered a Consent Decree resolving civil claims
by the Trustees against BP arising from the DWH oil spill: United
States v. BPXP et al., Civ.
[[Page 51477]]
No. 10-4536, centralized in MDL 2179, In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig
``Deepwater Horizon'' in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010 (E.D.
La.) (http://www.justice.gov/enrd/deepwater-horizon). Pursuant to the
Consent Decree, restoration projects in the Louisiana Restoration Area
are chosen and managed by the LA TIG. The LA TIG is composed of the
following Trustees: State of Louisiana Coastal Protection and
Restoration Authority, Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Departments of
Environmental Quality, Wildlife and Fisheries, and Natural Resources;
DOI; NOAA; EPA; and USDA.
Background
The Final PDARP/PEIS provides for TIGs to propose restoration
projects using a planning process that involves phasing restoration
projects across multiple restoration plans. A TIG may propose funding a
planning phase (e.g., initial engineering and design (E&D)) in a
restoration plan for a conceptual project (phase 1). This allows the
TIG to develop information needed to fully consider a subsequent
implementation phase of the project in a future restoration plan (phase
2). In the Draft RP/EA #7, the LA TIG considers alternatives to fund
E&D for conceptual projects and also to fund projects for
implementation.
Overview of the LA TIG Draft RP/EA #7
The Draft RP/EA #7 provides the LA TIG's analysis of alternatives
under the ``Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats'' restoration
type and the ``Birds'' restoration type. Under the ``Wetlands, Coastal
and Nearshore Habitats'' restoration type, the preferred alternatives
include a conceptual project that would undergo E&D if selected, and
two alternatives that are analyzed for full implementation if selected.
These alternatives are: (1) Bird's Foot Delta Hydrologic Restoration
project (E&D), (2) Terrebonne Basin Ridge and Marsh Creation Project:
Bayou Terrebonne Increment (Terrebonne project) (full implementation)
and (3) Grande Cheniere Ridge Marsh Creation (full implementation).
The Terrebonne project was approved and funded for E&D in the 2017
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Final Restoration Plan #1:
Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; Habitat
Projects on Federally Managed Lands; and Birds. The other, Bayou Grand
Cheniere Ridge and Marsh Creation project underwent E&D through a
separate funding process. Both projects have reached a stage in their
E&D where sufficient information has been developed for analysis under
NEPA and the OPA NRDA regulations.
Under the ``Birds'' restoration type, the LA TIG proposes
conceptual projects that would undergo E&D if selected for funding. The
preferred ``Birds'' alternatives are (1) Isle au Pitre Restoration, and
(2) Terrebonne Houma Navigation Canal Island Restoration.
Next Steps
As described above in DATES, the Trustees will host a public
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 RP/EA #7.
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 RP/EA #7 can
be viewed electronically at https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), its implementing NRDA 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 1500-
1508.
Mary Josie Blanchard,
Department of the Interior, Director of Gulf of Mexico Restoration.
[FR Doc. 2020-18205 Filed 8-19-20; 8:45 am]
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