[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 12 (Friday, January 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3220-3221]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00832]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[FWS-R4-FHC-2014-N006; FVHC98130406900-XXX-FF04G01000]


DEEPWATER HORIZON Oil Spill; Draft Programmatic and Phase III 
Early Restoration Plan and Draft Early Restoration Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: We are extending the public comment period on our Draft 
Programmatic and Phase III Early Restoration Plan and Draft Early 
Restoration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft Phase 
III ERP/PEIS) regarding the DEEPWATER HORIZON Oil Spill. We opened the 
comment period via a December 6, 2013, notice of availability.

DATES: Comments must be submitted electronically or postmarked by 11:59 
p.m. Mountain Time on February 19, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Document Availability: You may download the Draft Phase III 
ERP/PEIS at http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov or at http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon. Alternatively, you may request a CD of 
the Draft Phase III ERP/PEIS (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). You 
may also view the document at any of the public facilities listed at 
http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the Draft Phase III 
ERP/PEIS by one of following methods:
    (1) Electronically: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
    (2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, P.O. Box 49567, Atlanta, GA 30345.
    We request that you send comments by only one of the methods 
described above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nanciann Regalado, at [email protected]:[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 
1990 (OPA; 33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) and the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Federal and State 
natural resource trustee agencies (Trustees) have prepared a Draft 
Programmatic and Phase III Early Restoration Plan and Draft Early 
Restoration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft Phase 
III ERP/PEIS).
    The Draft Phase III ERP/PEIS considers programmatic alternatives to 
restore natural resources, ecological services, and recreational use 
services injured or lost as a result of the DEEPWATER HORIZON oil 
spill. The restoration alternatives are comprised of early restoration 
project types; the Trustees additionally propose 44 specific early 
restoration projects that are consistent with the proposed early 
restoration program alternatives. The Trustees have developed 
restoration

[[Page 3221]]

alternatives and projects to utilize funds for early restoration being 
provided under the Framework for Early Restoration Addressing Injuries 
Resulting from the DEEPWATER HORIZON Oil Spill (Framework Agreement) 
discussed below.
    Criteria and evaluation standards under the OPA natural resource 
damage assessment regulations and the Framework Agreement guided the 
Trustees' consideration of programmatic restoration alternatives. The 
Draft Phase III ERP/PEIS evaluates these restoration alternatives and 
projects under criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource damage 
assessment regulations and the Framework Agreement. The Draft Phase III 
ERP/PEIS also evaluates the environmental consequences of the 
restoration alternatives and projects under NEPA.

Background

    For additional background information, see our original Federal 
Register notice, in which we opened the comment period on the Draft 
Phase III ERP/PEIS (December 6, 2013, 78 FR 73555).

Public Comments

    If you submit a comment via, http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov, your entire comment--including any 
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any 
time. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal 
identifying information, you may request at the top of your document 
that we withhold this information from public review. However, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Authority

    The authority of this action is the National Environmental Policy 
Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) and the implementing Natural Resource Damage 
Assessment regulations found at 15 CFR part 990.

Cynthia K. Dohner,
Department of the Interior Authorized Official.
[FR Doc. 2014-00832 Filed 1-16-14; 8:45 am]
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