[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 11, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 26178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-9695]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability, Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental 
Assessment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), on behalf of the 
Department of the Interior (DOI); the State of New Jersey; and the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on behalf of the 
Department of Commerce, announces the release for public review of the 
draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) for the T/V 
Anitra Oil Spill, of May 1996. The RP/EA describes the Trustees' 
proposal to restore natural resources injured as a result of the 
release of oil from the T/V Anitra to the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic 
Coast shorelines of New Jersey.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before June 10, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the RP/EA may be made to the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, New Jersey Field Office, 927 North Main 
Street, Building D, Pleasantville, New Jersey 08232.
    Written comments or materials regarding the RP/EA should be sent to 
the same address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Timothy J. Kubiak, Environmental 
Contaminants Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Jersey Field 
Office, 927 North Main Street, Building D, Pleasantville, New Jersey 
08232.
    Interested parties may also call 609-646-9310 for further 
information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Anitra Oil Spill occurred May 10, 1996. 
Over 50 miles of beaches were oiled over a 2-week period, including at 
least some oiling of several State Wildlife Management Areas, two State 
Parks, and Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. The oil formed 
tarballs which proceeded northward up the Atlantic Coast shoreline from 
the spill site in Delaware Bay. Over 4,000 shorebirds were oiled to 
some degree, including at least 51 adult piping plovers and 2 chicks.
    The Trustees are to receive $1.25 million in compensation from the 
Responsible Party to restore resources injured as a result of the oil 
spill and $250,000 to compensate the Trustees for past assessment 
costs. The settlement proceeds will be used to compensate for loss of 
natural resources under trusteeship of the Department of Interior, and 
the State of New Jersey. In the event that the exact dollar amounts 
available for restoration differ from the amount set forth in the draft 
RP/EA, the actual restoration project amounts will be adjusted by the 
Trustees given the factors and considerations described in the draft 
RP/EA. The draft RP/EA is being released in accordance with Oil 
Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), the Natural 
Resource Damage Assessment Regulations found at 15 CFR part 990, and 
the National Environmental Policy Act. It is intended to describe the 
Trustees' proposals to restore natural resources injured from the T/V 
Anitra spill and evaluate the impacts of each.
    The RP/EA describes a number of habitat restoration and protection 
alternatives and discusses the environmental consequences of each. 
Restoration efforts which have the greatest potential to restore 
migratory shorebird habitats and the services those habitats provide to 
migratory shorebirds are preferred. Based on an evaluation of the 
various restoration alternatives, management and enhancement of piping 
plover and other migratory shorebird habitat in New Jersey and the 
development of a partnership to manage South American shorebird 
wintering grounds are being proposed.
    Interested members of the public are invited to review and comment 
on the RP/EA. Copies of the RP/EA are available for review at the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service's New Jersey Field Office in Pleasantville, 
New Jersey (927 North Main Street, Building D Pleasantville, New 
Jersey). Additionally, the RP/EA will be available for review at the 
Cape May County Library, 30 West Mechanic Street, Cape May Court House, 
New Jersey 08210. Written comments will be considered and addressed in 
the final RP/EA at the conclusion of the restoration planning process.
    Comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review during regular business hours. 
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish us to 
withhold your name and or address from public review, or from 
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. We will not, however, 
consider anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public inspection in their entirety.
    Author: The primary author of this notice is Timothy J. Kubiak, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Jersey Field Office, 927 North Main 
Street, Building D, Pleasantville, New Jersey 08232.

    Authority: The authority for this action is the Oil Pollution 
Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), and implementing Natural 
Resource Damage Assessment Regulations found at 15 CFR part 990.

    Dated: April 2, 2004.
Marvin E. Moriarty,
Regional Director, Region 5, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, DOI 
Designated Authorized Official.
[FR Doc. 04-9695 Filed 5-10-04; 8:45 am]
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