[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58439-58440]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29107]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Notice of Availability of a Draft Restoration Plan and 
Environmental Assessment for the M/V Kuroshima Oil Spill, Summer Bay, 
Unalaska, AK, Request for Comments

SUMMARY: Natural Resource Trustee agencies (Trustees) have developed a 
Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft RP/EA) for 
the restoration of natural resources injured by the release of fuel oil 
from the 1997 grounding of the M/V Kuroshima near the City of Unalaska, 
Alaska. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the 
availability of the Draft RP/EA and the opportunity to comment. All 
persons affected by, or otherwise interested in, the proposed 
restoration plan are invited to submit written comments and attend a 
public meeting in Unalaska on the proposed plan.

DATES: Comments on the Draft RP/EA must be submitted in writing on or 
before December 21, 2001. A public meeting has been scheduled November 
26, 2001. Detail on this meeting is provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section.

ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for the Draft RP/EA should be 
submitted to: Douglas Helton, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, Damage Assessment Center, 7600 Sand Point Way, Seattle, 
WA, 98115. Alternatively, comments may be submitted electronically to 
the following E-mail address: [email protected]. All comments 
received, including names and addresses, will become part of the public 
record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Helton, NOAA Damage Assessment 
Center, 7600 Sand Point Way, Seattle, WA, 98115, or visit the M/V 
Kuroshima web site at: www.darcnw.noaa.gov/kuro.htm

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On November 26, 1997, the M/V Kuroshima, a 368-foot frozen seafood 
freighter dragged anchor and ran aground in Summer Bay on Unalaska 
Island, near Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Thirty-nine thousand gallons of 
heavy fuel oil were spilled. Much of the oil was blown upstream into 
Summer Bay Lake, which borders Summer Bay, with the remainder stranding 
along Summer Bay Beach and nearby shorelines. After reviewing a variety 
of potential injuries to natural resources and their services, the 
Trustees have identified five categories of natural resources and 
services adversely affected by the M/V Kuroshima spill that justify 
restoration: seabirds, salmon, vegetation, shellfish and intertidal 
biota, and recreational services.
    Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), Federal and State 
natural resource trustee agencies are authorized to determine the 
nature and extent of natural resource injuries, select appropriate 
restoration projects, and implement or oversee restoration. One goal 
under OPA is to make the public whole for injuries to natural resources 
and their services resulting from the release of oil. In consultation 
with the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Alaska Department of Natural 
Resources, and the Alaska Department of Law (the Trustees) developed a 
Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft RP/EA) that 
addresses the natural resource and service injuries identified by the 
Trustees.
    The primary purpose of this Notice is to inform the public of the 
availability of the Draft RP/EA, and solicit public comment on the 
proposed restoration actions. The Draft RP/EA includes: removing 
introduced predators to enhance nesting success for seabird populations 
affected by the spill; restoring dune vegetation; cleaning up beach 
debris; performing additional tests of intertidal shellfish; 
controlling shoreline erosion and lakeshore revegetation, managing 
salmon runs in the affected lake, and funding equipment and curriculum 
development for an environmental education camp for local youths.

[[Page 58440]]

Public Meeting

    The Trustees have scheduled a public meeting for November 26, 2001, 
from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Unalaska City Hall, 43 Raven Way, 
Unalaska, Alaska. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the 
Draft RP/EA and solicit public comments.

Administrative Record

    The Trustees have compiled a public record (Administrative Record) 
to support their restoration planning decisions and inform the public 
of the basis of their decisions. Additional information and documents, 
including public comments received on the Draft RP/EA, the Final RP/EA, 
and other related restoration planning documents, will also become a 
part of the Administrative Record, and will be submitted to a public 
repository upon their completion.
    The documents comprising the public record (Administrative Record) 
can be viewed at the following locations: NOAA DANW, 7600 Sand Point 
Way, NE Seattle, Washington 98115, Contact Doug Helton at (206) 526-
4563, or [email protected]; The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, 205 
West Broadway, Unalaska, AK 99685, Contact Jacob Stepetin at (907-581-
2920); and the U.S. Department of Justice, 801 B Street, Suite 504, 
Anchorage, Alaska 99501, Contact Lorraine Carter at 907-271-5452.

    Dated: November 2, 2001.
Jamison S. Hawkins,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone 
Management.
[FR Doc. 01-29107 Filed 11-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JE-P