[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35855-35856]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15756]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG958


Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Open 
Ocean Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan 2 and 
Environmental Assessment: Fish, Sea Turtles, Marine Mammals, and 
Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities; Reopening of Public Comment 
Period

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments; reopening of 
comment period.

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SUMMARY: We are reopening the public comment period on our Deepwater 
Horizon Oil Spill Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group Draft 
Restoration Plan 2/Environmental Assessment: Fish, Sea Turtles, Marine 
Mammals, and Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (RP/EA). We opened 
the original comment period via a May 15, 2019, Federal Register 
notice. That comment period was extended on July 1 and formally closed 
on July 15, 2019. Due to extenuating weather conditions associated with 
the recent Hurricane Barry, this notice reopens the comment period 
through August 2, 2019. Comments submitted previously in response to 
either of these two Federal Register notices, including any comments 
submitted after July 15, and before the issuance of this notice do not 
need to be resubmitted.

[[Page 35856]]


DATES: Comments must be submitted electronically or postmarked by 
August 2, 2019.

ADDRESSES:
    Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft RP/EA at: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/open-ocean. 
Alternatively, you may request a CD of the Draft RP/EA (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT below). Also, you may view the document at any of 
the public facilities listed in Appendix G.
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the Draft RP/EA by 
one of the following methods:
     Via the Web: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/open-ocean; or
     Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 
29649, Atlanta, GA 30345. Please note that mailed comments must be 
postmarked on or before the comment deadline of August 2, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration--Laurie Rounds, [email protected], (850) 934-9284.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction

    In accordance with OPA NRDA regulations in the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR part 990, NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), 
the Consent Decree, and the Final PDARP/PEIS, the Federal and State 
natural resource trustee agencies (Trustees) have prepared a Draft 
Restoration Plan 2/Environmental Assessment: Fish, Sea Turtles, Marine 
Mammals, and Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities. The Draft RP/EA 
analyzes 23 alternatives and proposes 18 preferred alternatives for the 
following restoration types: Fish and Water Column Invertebrates, Sea 
Turtles, Marine Mammals, and Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities:

Fish and Water Column Invertebrates

     Reduction of Post-Release Mortality from Barotrauma in 
Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Recreational Fisheries--Preferred, 
$30,011,000.
     Better Bycatch Reduction Devices for the Gulf of Mexico 
Commercial Shrimp Trawl Fishery--Preferred, $17,171,000.
     Communication Networks and Mapping Tools to Reduce 
Bycatch--Phase 1--Preferred, $4,416,000.
     Restoring for Bluefin Tuna via Fishing Depth 
Optimization--Preferred, $6,175,000.
     Reduce the Impacts of Ghost Fishing by Removing Derelict 
Fishing Gear from Marine and Estuarine Habitats--Not Preferred, 
$6,128,000.

Sea Turtles

     Gulf of Mexico Sea Turtle Atlas--Preferred, $5,700,000.
     Identifying Methods to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch in the 
Reef Fish Bottom Longline Fishery--Preferred, $290,000.
     Developing a Gulf-wide Comprehensive Plan for In-Water Sea 
Turtle Data Collection--Preferred, $655,000.
     Developing Methods to Observe Sea Turtle Interactions in 
the Gulf of Mexico Menhaden Purse Seine Fishery--Preferred, $3,000,000.
     Reducing Juvenile Sea Turtle Bycatch Through Development 
of Reduced Bar Spacing in Turtle Excluder Devices--Preferred, 
$2,153,000.
     Long-term Nesting Beach Habitat Protection for Sea 
Turtles--Preferred, $7,000,000.
     Reducing Sea Turtle Entanglement from Recreational Fishing 
Debris--Not Preferred, $1,113,600.
     Reducing Sea Turtle Bycatch at Recreational Fishing 
Sites--Not Preferred, $1,329,000.

Marine Mammals

     Reducing Impacts to Cetaceans During Disasters by 
Improving Response Activities--Preferred, $4,287,000.
     Compilation of Environmental, Threats, and Animal data for 
Cetacean Population Health Analyses--Preferred, $5,808,500.
     Reduce Impacts of Anthropogenic Noise on Cetaceans--
Preferred, $8,992,200.
     Reduce and Mitigate Vessel Strike Mortality of Cetaceans--
Preferred, $3,834,000.
     Assessment of Northern Gulf of Mexico Shelf Small Cetacean 
Health, Habitat. Use, and Movement Patterns--Not Preferred, $4,620,000.

Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities

     Mapping, Ground-Truthing, and Predictive Habitat 
Modeling--Preferred, $35,909,000.
     Habitat Assessment and Evaluation--Preferred, $52,639,000.
     Coral Propagation Technique Development--Preferred, 
$16,951,000.
     Active Management and Protection--Preferred, $20,689,000.
     Habitat Characterization at Known High Priority Sites--Not 
Preferred, $21,500,000.
    The Open Ocean TIG also analyzes a No Action alternative. One or 
more alternatives may be selected for implementation by the Open Ocean 
TIG in the Final RP/EA or in future restoration plans.

Background

    For additional background information, see our original Federal 
Register notice, with which we opened the comment period (May 15, 2019; 
84 FR 21753). That comment period was extended on July 1 and formally 
closed on July 15, 2019 (July 1, 2019; 84 FR 31306). Due to extenuating 
weather conditions associated with the recent Hurricane Barry, this 
notice reopens that comment period through August 2, 2019.

Invitation to Comment

    The Open Ocean TIG seeks public review and comment on the Draft RP/
EA (see ADDRESSES above). Before including your address, telephone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, please be aware that your entire comment, including your 
personal identifying information, will become part of the public 
record. Comments submitted previously in response to the two Federal 
Register notices, including any comments submitted after July 15, 2019 
and before issuance of this notice do not need to be resubmitted.

Authority

    The authority of this action is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) and its implementing Oil Pollution Act Natural 
Resource Damage Assessment regulations found at 15 CFR part 990 and the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

    Dated: July 19, 2019.
Carrie Selberg,
Deputy Director, Office of Habitat Conservation, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-15756 Filed 7-24-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P