[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 162 (Thursday, August 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51475-51477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18205]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[FWS-R4-ES-2020-N106; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04H00000]


Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Deepwater Horizon Oil 
Spill Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #7: Wetlands, 
Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; and Birds

AGENCY: Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA); the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA); the Final 
Programmatic Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (Final PDARP/PEIS) and Record of 
Decision; and the Consent Decree, the federal and state natural 
resource trustee agencies for the Louisiana Trustee Implementation 
Group (LA TIG) have prepared the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group 
Draft Restoration Plan #7 and Environmental Assessment: Wetlands, 
Coastal and Nearshore Habitats; and Birds (RP/EA #7). In the Draft RP/
EA #7, the LA TIG proposes projects to help restore bird habitat and 
marshes injured as a result of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in 
the Louisiana Restoration Area under the ``Wetlands, Coastal and 
Nearshore Habitats'' and ``Birds'' restoration types described in the 
Final PDARP/PEIS. The approximate cost to implement the LA TIG's 
proposed project with five preferred alternatives is $234,100,000. We 
invite public comments on the Draft RP/EA #7.

[[Page 51476]]


DATES: We will consider public comments on the Draft RP/EA #7 received 
on or before September 22, 2020.
    The LA TIG will host a public webinar on September 3, 2020, at 3:00 
Central. The public may register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6495772168532544525. After 
registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with 
instructions for joining the webinar. Instructions for commenting will 
be provided during the webinar. Shortly after the webinar is concluded, 
the presentation material will be posted on the web at https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/louisiana.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft RP/EA #7 
from either of the following websites:
 https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon
 https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/louisiana
    Alternatively, you may request a CD of the Draft RP/EA (see FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Copies of the Draft RP/EA are also 
available for review during the public comment period at the locations 
listed in the following table.

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                 Library                              Address                        City                 Zip
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St. Tammany Parish Library...............  310 W. 21st Avenue..........  Covington...................      70433
Terrebonne Parish Library................  151 Library Drive...........  Houma.......................      70360
New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana      219 Loyola Avenue...........  New Orleans.................      70112
 Division.
East Baton Rouge Parish Library..........  7711 Goodwood Boulevard.....  Baton Rouge.................      70806
Jefferson Parish Library, East Bank        4747 W. Napoleon Avenue.....  Metairie....................      70001
 Regional Library.
Jefferson Parish Library, West Bank        2751 Manhattan Boulevard....  Harvey......................      70058
 Regional Library.
Plaquemines Parish Library...............  8442 Highway 23.............  Belle Chasse................      70037
St. Bernard Parish Library...............  1125 E. St. Bernard Highway.  Chalmette...................      70043
St. Martin Parish Library................  201 Porter Street...........  St. Martinville.............      70582
Alex P. Allain Library...................  206 Iberia Street...........  Franklin....................      70538
Vermilion Parish Library.................  405 E. St. Victor Street....  Abbeville...................      70510
Martha Sowell Utley Memorial Library.....  314 St. Mary Street.........  Thibodaux...................      70301
South Lafourche Public Library...........  16241 E. Main Street........  Cut Off.....................      70345
Calcasieu Parish Public Library Central    301 W. Claude Street........  Lake Charles................      70605
 Branch.
Iberia Parish Library....................  445 E. Main Street..........  New Iberia..................      70560
Mark Shirley, LSU AgCenter...............  1105 West Port Street.......  Abbeville...................      70510
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    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods:
     Via the Web: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/louisiana.
     Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 
29649, Atlanta, GA 30345. To be considered, mailed comments must be 
postmarked on or before the comment deadline given in DATES.
     During the public webinar: Written comments may be 
provided by the public during the webinar. Webinar information is 
provided in DATES.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nanciann Regalado, via email at 
[email protected], via telephone at 678-296-6805, or via the 
Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction

    On April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater 
Horizon, which was being used to drill a well for BP Exploration and 
Production, Inc. (BP), in the Macondo prospect (Mississippi Canyon 252-
MC252), experienced a significant explosion, fire, and subsequent 
sinking in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in an unprecedented volume of 
oil and other discharges from the rig and from the wellhead on the 
seabed. The DWH oil spill is the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. 
history, discharging millions of barrels of oil over a period of 87 
days. In addition, well over 1 million gallons of dispersants were 
applied to the waters of the spill area in an attempt to disperse the 
spilled oil. An undetermined amount of natural gas was also released 
into the environment as a result of the spill.
    The Trustees conducted the natural resource damage assessment 
(NRDA) for the DWH oil spill under the Oil Pollution Act 1990 (OPA; 33 
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). Pursuant to OPA, Federal and State agencies act 
as trustees on behalf of the public to assess natural resource injuries 
and losses and to determine the actions required to compensate the 
public for those injuries and losses. The OPA further instructs the 
designated trustees to develop and implement a plan for the 
restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or acquisition of the 
equivalent of the injured natural resources under their trusteeship to 
baseline (the resource quality and conditions that would exist if the 
spill had not occurred). This includes the loss of use and services 
provided by those resources from the time of injury until the 
completion of restoration.
    The DWH Trustees are:
     U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), as represented by 
the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau 
of Land Management;
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on 
behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce;
     U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA);
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
     State of Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration 
Authority, Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Department of Environmental 
Quality, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Department of 
Natural Resources;
     State of Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality;
     State of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural 
Resources and Geological Survey of Alabama;
     State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection 
and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; and
     State of Texas: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas 
General Land Office, and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
    On April 4, 2016, the United States District Court for the Eastern 
District of Louisiana entered a Consent Decree resolving civil claims 
by the Trustees against BP arising from the DWH oil spill: United 
States v. BPXP et al., Civ.

[[Page 51477]]

No. 10-4536, centralized in MDL 2179, In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig 
``Deepwater Horizon'' in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010 (E.D. 
La.) (http://www.justice.gov/enrd/deepwater-horizon). Pursuant to the 
Consent Decree, restoration projects in the Louisiana Restoration Area 
are chosen and managed by the LA TIG. The LA TIG is composed of the 
following Trustees: State of Louisiana Coastal Protection and 
Restoration Authority, Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Departments of 
Environmental Quality, Wildlife and Fisheries, and Natural Resources; 
DOI; NOAA; EPA; and USDA.

Background

    The Final PDARP/PEIS provides for TIGs to propose restoration 
projects using a planning process that involves phasing restoration 
projects across multiple restoration plans. A TIG may propose funding a 
planning phase (e.g., initial engineering and design (E&D)) in a 
restoration plan for a conceptual project (phase 1). This allows the 
TIG to develop information needed to fully consider a subsequent 
implementation phase of the project in a future restoration plan (phase 
2). In the Draft RP/EA #7, the LA TIG considers alternatives to fund 
E&D for conceptual projects and also to fund projects for 
implementation.

Overview of the LA TIG Draft RP/EA #7

    The Draft RP/EA #7 provides the LA TIG's analysis of alternatives 
under the ``Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats'' restoration 
type and the ``Birds'' restoration type. Under the ``Wetlands, Coastal 
and Nearshore Habitats'' restoration type, the preferred alternatives 
include a conceptual project that would undergo E&D if selected, and 
two alternatives that are analyzed for full implementation if selected. 
These alternatives are: (1) Bird's Foot Delta Hydrologic Restoration 
project (E&D), (2) Terrebonne Basin Ridge and Marsh Creation Project: 
Bayou Terrebonne Increment (Terrebonne project) (full implementation) 
and (3) Grande Cheniere Ridge Marsh Creation (full implementation).
    The Terrebonne project was approved and funded for E&D in the 2017 
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Final Restoration Plan #1: 
Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; Habitat 
Projects on Federally Managed Lands; and Birds. The other, Bayou Grand 
Cheniere Ridge and Marsh Creation project underwent E&D through a 
separate funding process. Both projects have reached a stage in their 
E&D where sufficient information has been developed for analysis under 
NEPA and the OPA NRDA regulations.
    Under the ``Birds'' restoration type, the LA TIG proposes 
conceptual projects that would undergo E&D if selected for funding. The 
preferred ``Birds'' alternatives are (1) Isle au Pitre Restoration, and 
(2) Terrebonne Houma Navigation Canal Island Restoration.

Next Steps

    As described above in DATES, the Trustees will host a public 
webinar to facilitate the public review and comment process. After the 
public comment period ends, the Trustees will consider and address the 
comments received before issuing a final RP/EA #7.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email 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 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.

Administrative Record

    The documents comprising the Administrative Record for RP/EA #7 can 
be viewed electronically at https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord.

Authority

    The authority for this action is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), its implementing NRDA regulations found at 15 CFR 
part 990, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations found at 40 CFR 1500-
1508.

Mary Josie Blanchard,
Department of the Interior, Director of Gulf of Mexico Restoration.
[FR Doc. 2020-18205 Filed 8-19-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P