[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8613-8614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2309]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

 National Park Service


 Notice of Intent To Prepare a Restoration Plan/Draft 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Coral Restoration 
Within Biscayne National Park

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of Section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service is 
preparing a Coral Restoration Plan/Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (RP/PEIS). This plan is intended to guide all future coral 
restoration activities performed within Biscayne National Park (BISC).
    NPS is undertaking restoration planning and an impact analysis to 
identify and assess potential impacts of performing restoration 
activities on injured coral reef communities at vessel grounding sites 
within BISC. As part of this process NPS will evaluate a range of 
alternatives for coral reef restoration to determine the potential 
impacts of those alternatives, including those on land use, water 
quality, biological resources, geology, cultural resources, human 
health and safety, and aesthetics. The alternatives that may be 
evaluated for coral restoration are specific for each injury type 
including geological, biological, and other. Preliminary alternatives 
for geological injuries include seal/fill fractures, removal of 
material/rubble, filling fractures with rubble or other materials, 
translocate biota to stabilize surface, promote natural depositional 
processes, re-attachment of displaced substrate, re-establish 
topography, stabilize rubble, and relocation of rubble. Preliminary 
alternatives for biological injuries include re-attachment on-site, 
translocation/transplanting, seeding,

[[Page 8614]]

removal of toxic material (e.g., bottom paint), and removal of acute 
and chronic point source and on-site treatment of water column 
contaminants. Preliminary alternatives for other injuries would include 
removal of debris. The purpose of the coral RP/PEIS is to develop a 
restoration plan that can be used by the NPS to restore coral reefs. 
This plan is needed to remedy injuries and damage caused by vessel 
groundings.
    To facilitate sound planning and consideration of environmental 
resources, the NPS intends to gather information necessary for the 
preparation of the coral RP/PEIS and to obtain suggestions and 
information from other agencies and the public on the scope of issues 
to be addressed in the RP/PEIS.
    Vessel groundings are common occurrences in BISC due to shallow 
water conditions outside marked channels. When a vessel runs aground on 
a coral reef, injuries associated with the grounding and subsequent 
extrication include surficial scraping of the hard bottom substrate and 
reef structure, blowhole formations (displacement of unconsolidated 
substrate that occurs when the vessel attempts to power off) fractured 
substrate, loss of topography, displacement of substrate (rubble), loss 
of living organisms, hull paint deposition on scarred substrate, 
introduction of contaminants to the water column (e.g., fuel, cargo) 
and keel scars.
    Coral reefs are some of the oldest, most unique, and productive 
ecosystems. The coral reefs within BISC are natural resources that the 
NPS preserves and protects for the education, inspiration, recreation, 
and enjoyment of present and future generations. Vessel groundings 
often cause structural injury to the reef matrix increasing the 
potential for continued erosion. Lack of management intervention after 
a grounding incident often results in a continued degradation and 
enlargement of the impacted site over time. The Park System Resource 
Protection Act (PSRPA) authorizes the NPS to seek compensation for 
injuries to Park System resources and use the recovered funds to 
restore, replace, or acquire equivalent resources, and to monitor and 
study such resources. It is the intent of NPS to prepare this coral RP/
PEIS to facilitate so that a tiered process can be used to facilitate 
further site-specific coral reef restoration actions within BISC.

DATES: The NPS will accept comments from the public on the scope of the 
RP/PEIS within 60 days of the publication of this notice. In addition, 
NPS is seeking comments on the issues and alternatives to be addressed 
in the RP/PEIS. Full public participation by Federal, State, and local 
agencies as well as other concerned organizations and private citizens 
is invited throughout the preparation process of this document. The 
draft Coral RP/PEIS is expected to be completed and presented at a 
public meeting anticipated for November 2006. The location, date, and 
time of the public meeting will be announced in the local press and on 
the park Web site (http://www.nps.gov/bisc). They may also be obtained 
by contacting BISC. The purposes of the public meeting will be to 
obtain both written and verbal questions and comments on the issues and 
alternatives to assist NPS in finalizing the coral RP/PEIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Written comments and information 
concerning the scope of the coral RP/PEIS may be directed to the 
address below. Requests to be added to the project mailing list should 
be sent to the same address. Amanda Bourque, Damage Recovery Program 
Manager, National Park Service, Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW., 328th 
Street, Homestead, FL 33033, (305) 230-1144, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment during the scoping 
process on any issues associated with the plan, you may use any one of 
several methods. Comments should be received within 60 days of the 
publication of this notice. You may mail comments to the address listed 
above. You may also comment on the Internet at the Planning, 
Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. Please submit Internet comments as a text file 
avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. 
Please put in the subject line ``Coral Restoration Plan/PEIS'' and 
include your name and return address in your Internet message.
    It is the practice of the NPS to make all comments, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, available for public review, after 
the close of the NEPA process. Anonymous comments may not be 
considered. NPS will make all submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available 
for public inspection in their entirety. However, individuals not 
representing businesses or organizations may request that the NPS 
withhold their name and/or address from the record. NPS will honor this 
request to the extent allowable by law.
    If you would like your name and/or address withheld and are using 
PEPC to comment, but would still like future mailings/information on 
the project, you may fill in the name and address field, and mark 
``keep my contact information private.'' Or, if you do not want to 
receive additional information on the project, you may put N/A in the 
name and address field.
    The authority for publishing this notice is 40 CFR 1506.6. The 
responsible official for this draft RP/EIS is the Regional Director for 
the Southeast Region, Patricia A. Hooks.

    Dated: January 11, 2006.
Victor Knox,
Acting Deputy Regional Director, NPS Southeast Region.
 [FR Doc. E6-2309 Filed 2-16-06; 8:45 am]
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