Notice2024-13390
Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Alabama Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan IV and Environmental Assessment: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; Nutrient Reduction; Birds; Oysters; and Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities
Primary source
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Published
June 24, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior Department
Abstract
The natural resource trustee agencies for the Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (Alabama TIG) have prepared the "Draft Restoration Plan IV and Environmental Assessment: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; Nutrient Reduction; Birds, Oysters; and Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities" (Draft RP/EA). The Draft RP/EA proposes projects to partially restore resources injured in the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The Draft RP/EA evaluates a reasonable range of 11project alternatives under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA), including criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) regulations, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its implementing regulations. A No Action alternative is also analyzed for each restoration type. The total cost to implement the Alabama TIG's seven preferred alternatives is approximately $23,000,000. The Alabama TIG invites comments on the Draft RP/EA.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 121 (Monday, June 24, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 121 (Monday, June 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52498-52500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13390]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS-R4-ES-2024-N028; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04H00000]
Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Alabama
Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan IV and
Environmental Assessment: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats;
Nutrient Reduction; Birds; Oysters; and Provide and Enhance
Recreational Opportunities
AGENCY: Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: The natural resource trustee agencies for the Alabama Trustee
Implementation Group (Alabama TIG) have prepared the ``Draft
Restoration Plan IV and Environmental Assessment: Wetlands, Coastal,
and Nearshore Habitats; Nutrient Reduction; Birds, Oysters; and Provide
and Enhance Recreational Opportunities'' (Draft RP/EA). The Draft RP/EA
proposes projects to partially restore resources injured in the
Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The Draft RP/EA evaluates a
reasonable range of 11project alternatives under the Oil Pollution Act
(OPA), including criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource damage
assessment (NRDA) regulations, and the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) and its implementing regulations. A No Action alternative is
also analyzed for each restoration type. The total cost to implement
the Alabama TIG's seven preferred alternatives is approximately
$23,000,000. The Alabama TIG invites comments on the Draft RP/EA.
DATES:
Submitting Comments: The Alabama TIG will consider public comments
on the Draft RP/EA received on or before July 24, 2024.
Public Webinar: The Alabama TIG will host a public webinar on July
10th, 2024, 12 p.m. CDT. The webinar will include an overview
presentation of the Draft RP/EA and a session for general questions
regarding the plan. The public will also be able to provide formal
comments during the webinar. The public may find information about, and
register for, the webinar at <a href="https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/alabama">https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/alabama</a>. After registering for a webinar,
participants will receive a confirmation email with instructions for
joining the webinar. Instructions for commenting will be provided
during the webinar. Presentation material and factsheets about the
projects can be found on the web at <a href="https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/alabama">https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/alabama</a>.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft RP/EA at <a href="https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/alabama">https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/alabama</a>.
Alternatively, you may request a USB flash drive containing the Draft
RP/EA (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the Draft RP/EA by
one of the following methods:
<bullet> Internet: <a href="https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ALTIGRPIV">https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ALTIGRPIV</a>. Follow
the online instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet> U.S. Mail: US Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf Restoration
Office, 1875 Century Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30345. To be considered, mailed
comments must be postmarked on or before the deadline given in DATES.
<bullet> During the public webinar: Verbal comments may be provided
by the public during the webinar.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nanciann Regalado, at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fb959a9598929a9595a4899e9c9a979a9f94bb9d8c88d59c948d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b9d7d8d7dad0d8d7d7e6cbdcded8d5d8ddd6f9dfceca97ded6cf">[email protected]</span></a> or 1-678-296-6805. 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
On April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater
Horizon, which was drilling a well for BP Exploration and Production,
Inc. (BP), experienced a significant explosion, fire, and subsequent
sinking in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the release of millions of
barrels of oil and other discharges into the Gulf. Under the authority
of the Oil Pollution Act 1990 (OPA; 33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), designated
Federal and State Trustees, acting on behalf of the public, assessed
the injuries to natural resources and prepared the Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and
Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PDARP/PEIS),
and subsequent record of decision (ROD), which sets forth the
governance structure and process for DWH restoration planning under the
OPA's natural resource damage assessment (NRDA). 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.
The Alabama TIG is composed of the Alabama Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources, the Geological Survey of Alabama,
the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the
Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama TIG selects and implements
restoration projects under the TIG's management authority in accordance
with the Consent Decree. The Final PDARP/PEIS, ROD, Consent Decree, and
information on the DWH Trustees can be found at <a href="https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan">https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan</a>.
Background
On April 19, 2024, the Alabama TIG announced on its website that it
had reviewed projects analyzed in previous restoration plans;
identified projects that could provide restoration benefits to the
Alabama restoration area if selected, continued, or expanded upon; and
had initiated drafting its fourth restoration plan and environmental
assessment. The Draft RP/EA includes a reasonable range of 11
restoration alternatives (projects) for the five restoration types
indicated in the plan's title.
Overview of the Alabama TIG's Draft RP/EA
The Draft RP/EA is being released in accordance with OPA NRDA
regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR
part 990, the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.) and its implementing regulations found at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508,
the Final PDARP/PEIS, and the Consent Decree. The Draft RP/EA provides
OPA NRDA and NEPA analyses for a reasonable range of 11 alternatives
listed below under the restoration types from which funds would be
allocated if selected. One project, Lower Perdido Islands Habitat
Restoration--Phase II, would be funded through two restoration type
allocations: the Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitat restoration
type and the Birds restoration type. Two projects, the Lower Perdido
Islands Habitat Restoration--Phase II project and the Walker Island
Expansion project, were considered under both the Wetlands, Coastal,
and Nearshore Habitat restoration type and the Birds restoration type
and are shown under both restoration types below. The seven preferred
alternatives are denoted with an asterisk (*).
Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats Restoration Type:
<bullet> Lower Perdido Islands Habitat Restoration Phase II *
<bullet> Walker Island Expansion
Nutrient Reduction Restoration Type:
<bullet> Puppy Creek--Juniper Creek--Big Creek Nutrient Reduction *
<bullet> Bayou la Batre Nutrient Reduction
Birds Restoration Type:
<bullet> Stewardship of Coastal Alabama Beach Nesting Bird Habitat *
<bullet> Lower Perdido Islands Habitat Restoration--Phase II *
<bullet> Walker Island Expansion
Oysters Restoration Type:
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<bullet> Improving Resilience for Oysters by Linking Brood Reefs and
Sink Reefs (Large-scale)--Component 4--Mid-lower Mobile Bay, AL *
<bullet> Oyster Grow-Out and Restoration Reef Replacement--5-year
continuation *
<bullet> Oyster Grow-Out and Restoration Reef Replacement--3-year
continuation
Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities Restoration Type:
<bullet> Bayfront Park Restoration and Improvement Phases Ia and Ib *
<bullet> Laguna Cove Little Lagoon Natural Resource Protection--Large
Scale Amenities
<bullet> Laguna Cove Little Lagoon Natural Resource Protection--Small
Scale Amenities *
Next Steps
As described above in DATES, the Alabama TIG will host a public
webinar on July 10th, 2024, 12 p.m. CDT. to facilitate the public
review and comment process. After the public comment period ends, the
Alabama TIG will consider and address the comments received before
issuing a final RP/EA.
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 Draft
RP/EA can be viewed electronically at <a href="https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord">https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord</a> under folder 6.5.3.2.4.
Authority
The authority for 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,
Department of the Interior, Director of Gulf of Mexico Restoration.
[FR Doc. 2024-13390 Filed 6-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-10-P
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