[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 79 (Monday, April 26, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21650-21651]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-9548]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Coral Reef Restoration Plan, Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement, Biscayne National Park, FL

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Coral Reef Restoration Plan, Biscayne National 
Park.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) announces 
the availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) for the Coral Reef Restoration Plan for Biscayne National Park, 
Florida. The DEIS provides a systematic approach to addressing injuries 
to coral reefs caused by vessel groundings within Biscayne National 
Park.

DATES: The NPS will accept comments on the DEIS from the public for 60 
days after the date the Environmental Protection Agency notices the 
availability of the DEIS in its regular Friday Federal Register 
listing. A public meeting will be held during the review period to 
facilitate submission of public comment. Once scheduled, the meeting 
date will be announced via the Biscayne National Park website (http://www.nps.gov/bisc/), the NPS's Planning Environment and Public Comment 
(PEPC) Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/bisc), and a press release 
to area media.

ADDRESSES: The DEIS for the Coral Reef Restoration Plan will be 
available for public review online at the NPS's PEPC Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/bisc), and in the office of Mark Lewis, 
Superintendent of Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW. 328th Street, 
Homestead, Florida 33033, 305-230-1144.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Many vessel groundings occur annually in 
Biscayne National Park, causing injuries to submerged resources. The 
goal of coral reef restoration actions in Biscayne National Park is to 
create a stable, self-sustaining reef environment of similar topography 
and surface complexity to that which existed prior to injury, such that 
natural recovery processes, enhanced through mitigation, if needed, 
will lead to a fully functioning coral reef community with near natural 
complexity, structure, and make-up of organisms. The DEIS provides a 
systematic approach to addressing injuries to coral reefs caused by 
vessel groundings within Biscayne National Park. It analyzes two 
alternatives, the No Action alternative (Alternative 1) and Restoration 
Using a Programmatic Approach (Alternative 2).
    Alternative 1 would not change the existing approach to coral reef 
restoration planning and implementation, including NEPA compliance. 
Currently, Biscayne National Park resource managers evaluate the 
impacts of coral reef restoration actions and specific restoration 
methods when planning and implementing restoration at each grounding 
incident. In contrast, to address each coral injury under Alternative 
2, the most appropriate restoration actions and specific restoration 
methods would be selected from a ``toolbox'' of methods that already 
have had their impacts evaluated programmatically. Under Alternative 2, 
11 reasonable and common coral reef restoration actions were identified 
and evaluated for inclusion in the toolbox.
    Alternative 2 (Restoration Using a Programmatic Approach) was 
identified as the NPS's preferred alternative. The time required to 
evaluate environmental impacts of restoration actions after site-
specific injuries would be minimized substantially under Alternative 2, 
resulting in fewer adverse effects and/or more beneficial effects to 
park resources.
    If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any one of 
several methods. You may comment via the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/bisc. You may also mail comments to Coral Reef 
Restoration Plan, Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW. 328th Street, 
Homestead, FL 33033. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to Biscayne 
National Park, 9700 SW. 328th Street, Homestead, FL 33033. Before 
including your address, phone number, e-mail 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

[[Page 21651]]

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW. 328th 
Street, Homestead, FL 33033; Telephone 305-230-1144.

    Dated: February 18, 2010.
David Vela,
Regional Director, Southeast Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-9548 Filed 4-23-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P