[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36541-36543]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13356]


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GULF COAST ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION COUNCIL

[Docket No.: 106072016-1111-03]


Proposed Amendment to Initial Funded Priorities List

AGENCY: Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.

ACTION: Proposed amendment to Initial Funded Priorities List.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council) seeks 
public and Tribal comment on a proposal to amend its Initial Funded 
Priorities List (FPL) to approve implementation funding for the 
Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration project in Florida (Project). The 
Council is proposing to approve $3,978,000 in implementation funding 
for this Project. The Council is also proposing to reallocate $702,000 
from project planning to project implementation, after any remaining 
planning expenses have been met. The total amount available for 
implementation of the Project would thus be $4,680,000. These funds 
would be used to restore approximately 251 acres of oyster beds,

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which is an increase from the 219 acres originally proposed in the FPL.
    To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 
other applicable laws, the Council is proposing to adopt an existing 
Environmental Assessment (EA) that addresses the activities in the 
Project. In so doing, the Council would expedite project 
implementation, reduce planning costs and increase the ecological 
benefits of this Project by using savings in planning funds to expand 
the Project by approximately 32 acres. The Council looks forward to 
public and Tribal comment on this proposal.

DATES: Comments on this proposed amendment are due July 7, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this proposed amendment may be submitted as 
follows:
    By Email: Submit comments by email to 
[email protected]. Email submission of comments ensures 
timely receipt and enables the Council to make them available to the 
public. In general, the Council will make such comments available for 
public inspection and copying on its Web site, www.restorethegulf.gov, 
without change, including any business or personal information 
provided, such as names, addresses, email addresses and telephone 
numbers. All comments received, including attachments and other 
supporting materials, will be part of the public record and subject to 
public disclosure. You should only submit information that you wish to 
make publicly available.
    By Mail: Send comments to Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, 
500 Poydras Street, Suite 1117, New Orleans, LA 70130.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please send questions by email to 
[email protected] or contact Will Spoon at (504) 239-9814.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Deepwater Horizon oil spill led to passage of the Resources and 
Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies 
of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act), which dedicates 80 percent 
of all Clean Water Act administrative and civil penalties related to 
the oil spill to the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund (Trust Fund). 
The RESTORE Act also created the Council, an independent Federal entity 
comprised of the five Gulf Coast states and six Federal agencies. Among 
other responsibilities, the Council administers a portion of the Trust 
Fund known as the Council-Selected Restoration Component in order to 
``undertake projects and programs, using the best available science, 
which would restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, 
fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and 
economy of the Gulf Coast.'' Additional information on the Council can 
be found here: https://www.restorethegulf.gov.
    On December 9, 2015, the Council published the FPL, which includes 
projects and programs approved for funding under the Council-Selected 
Restoration Component, along with activities that the Council 
identified as priorities for potential future funding. Activities 
approved for funding in the FPL are included in ``Category 1''; the 
priorities for potential future funding are in ``Category 2.'' In the 
FPL the Council approved approximately $156.6 million in Category 1 
restoration and planning activities, and prioritized twelve Category 2 
activities for possible funding in the future, subject to environmental 
compliance and further Council and public review. The Council included 
planning activities for the Project in Category 1 and implementation 
activities for the Project in Category 2 of the FPL.
    The Council reserved approximately $26.6 million for implementing 
priority activities in the future. These reserved funds may be used to 
support some, all or none of the activities included in Category 2 of 
the FPL and/or to support other activities not currently under 
consideration by the Council. As appropriate, the Council intends to 
review each activity in Category 2 in order to determine whether to: 
(1) Move the activity to Category 1 and approve it for funding, (2) 
remove it from Category 2 and any further consideration, or (3) 
continue to include it in Category 2. A Council decision to amend the 
FPL to move an activity from Category 2 into Category 1 must be 
approved by a Council vote after consideration of public and Tribal 
comments.

II. Environmental Compliance

    Prior to approving an activity for funding in FPL Category 1, the 
Council must comply with NEPA and other Federal environmental laws. At 
the time of approval of the FPL, the Council had not complied with NEPA 
and other applicable laws with respect to implementation of the 
Project. The Council did, however, recognize the potential ecological 
value of the Project, based on review conducted as part of the FPL 
process. For this reason, the Council approved $702,000 in planning 
funds for this Project, a portion of which would be used to complete 
any needed environmental compliance activities. As noted above, the 
Council placed the implementation portion of this Project into FPL 
Category 2, pending the outcome of this environmental compliance work 
and further Council review. The estimated cost of the Project's 
implementation component was listed at $3,978,000, which would fund the 
restoration of approximately 219 acres of oyster beds in Apalachicola 
Bay. Inclusion of the Project's implementation activities into Category 
2 did not in any way commit the Council to subsequently approve those 
implementation activities for funding.
    Since approval of the FPL, Florida has collaborated with the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to identify an existing EA that could 
be used to support Council approval of implementation funding for this 
Project. This EA was prepared by USACE in association with a Clean 
Water Act Section 404 and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 
1899 programmatic general permit (PGP) that authorizes the Florida 
Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services to conduct aquaculture 
of live rock and marine bivalves in navigable waters of the U.S. which 
are within the jurisdiction of the State of Florida, provided that such 
activities comply with the terms and conditions of the PGP.
    The Council has reviewed this EA and associated documents, 
including an August 13, 2015, letter from the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration regarding compliance with the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA). In addition to ESA, the EA addresses compliance with 
other Federal environmental laws, including the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the National Historic 
Preservation Act and more. Based on this review, the Council is 
proposing to adopt this EA to support the proposed approval of 
implementation funds for the Project, provided that the Project is 
implemented in accordance with the terms and conditions of the PGP and 
the design criteria set forth in the associated ESA programmatic 
consultation. This EA and the associated ESA documentation can be found 
here: https://www.restorethegulf.gov/funded-priorities-list. (See 
Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration Project--Implementation.)

Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration Project

    If approved for implementation funding, this Project would include 
the

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placement of approximately 50,258 cubic yards of suitable oyster reef 
substrate through the use of barges and high-pressure water. Areas to 
be restored would be marked with buoys or clearly marked stakes. 
Following the completion of the planting, oyster density sampling would 
be conducted and analyzed at a minimum of six months, one year and two 
years after clutching at each restoration site.
    Ecological benefits associated with the Project would be realized 
through an array of ecological services in the form of increased 
fishery and wildlife habitat; increased biodiversity and trophic 
dynamics; increased filtering capacity to improve water quality and 
recycle nutrients; increased structural stability to reduce coastal 
erosion and to protect near shore resources; protection of water 
quality; and the protection of healthy, diverse and sustainable living 
coastal marine resources. Beyond the fact that oysters and oyster reef 
communities represent important food sources for many species of 
commercially important fish and invertebrates, functioning oyster reefs 
are also recognized as critical structural and community components 
which stabilize and sustain a broad array of ecological relationships. 
Additional outcomes include economic benefits through harvesting, 
processing, and marketing fishery products locally and regionally by 
all who enjoy high-quality seafood.
    Additional information on this Project, including metrics of 
success, response to science reviews and more is available in an 
activity-specific appendix to the FPL, which can be found here: https://www.restorethegulf.gov. (Please see the table on page 24 of the FPL 
and click on Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration, Implementation.)

Justin R. Ehrenwerth,
Executive Director, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.
[FR Doc. 2016-13356 Filed 6-6-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-58-P