[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 36 (Thursday, February 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11551-11552]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03908]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[FWS-R4-ES-2020-N162; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04H00000]


Florida Trustee Implementation Group Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill 
Draft Restoration Plan 2 and Environmental Assessment: Habitat Projects 
on Federally Managed Lands, Sea Turtles, Marine Mammals, Birds, and 
Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities

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 Florida Trustee Implementation Group 
(FL TIG) have prepared the Florida Trustee Implementation Group Draft 
Restoration Plan 2 and Environmental Assessment: Habitat Projects on 
Federally Managed Lands; Sea Turtles; Marine Mammals; Birds; and 
Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities (Draft RP/EA). In the 
Draft RP/EA, the FL TIG proposes projects to help restore injured 
habitats, sea turtles, marine mammals, birds, and to compensate for 
lost recreational use in the Florida Restoration Area as a result of 
the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The approximate cost to 
implement the FL TIG's proposed action (19 preferred alternatives) is 
$62,200,000. We invite public comments on the Draft RP/EA.

DATES: We will consider public comments on the Draft RP/EA received on 
or before Monday, March 29, 2021.
    The FL TIG will host a public webinar on March 11, 2021 at 5 p.m. 
ET. The public webinar will include a presentation of the Draft RP/EA. 
The public may register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4537956480105991181. 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/florida.

ADDRESSES:
    Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft RP/EA from either 
of the following websites:

 https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon
 https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/florida

Alternatively, you may request a CD of the Draft RP/EA (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods:
     Via the Web: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/florida.
     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 at 
[email protected] or 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. 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 Florida Restoration Area are chosen and managed by the 
FL TIG. The FL TIG is composed of the following Trustees: State of 
Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Fish and

[[Page 11552]]

Wildlife Conservation Commission; DOI; NOAA; EPA; and USDA.

Background

    On August 20, 2019, the FL TIG posted a public notice at http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov requesting new or revised natural 
resource restoration project ideas by September 20, 2019, for the 
Florida Restoration Area. The notice stated that the FL TIG was seeking 
project ideas for the following restoration types: (1) Habitat Projects 
on Federally Managed Lands; (2) Sea Turtles; (3) Marine Mammals; (4) 
Birds; (5) Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities; and (6) 
Oysters. On July 29, 2020, the FL TIG announced that it had initiated 
drafting of the RP/EA and that it would include a reasonable range of 
restoration alternatives (projects) for five restoration types. The FL 
TIG decided not to include Oysters Restoration Type projects in the 
DRAFT RP/EA (see RP/EA for further details).

Overview of the FL TIG Draft RP/EA

    The Draft RP/EA provides the FL TIG's analysis of the reasonable 
range of alternatives. The FL TIG's 19 preferred alternatives are 
presented in the following table under the restoration type from which 
funds would be allocated in accordance with the DWH Consent Decree. The 
FL TIG also evaluated five non-preferred alternatives in addition to 
the No Action alternative.

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Restoration Type: Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands:
    Johnson Beach Access Management and Habitat Protection.
    Perdido Key Sediment Placement.
    Pensacola Beach Fort Pickens Road Wildlife Lighting Retrofits.
Restoration Type: Sea Turtles:
    Increased Observers and Outreach to Reduce Incidental Hooking of Sea
     Turtles in Recreational Fisheries along Florida's Gulf Coast.
    Reducing Threats to Sea Turtles through Removal of In-water Marine
     Debris along Florida's Gulf Coast.
    Assessing Risk and Conducting Public Outreach to Reduce Vessel
     Strikes on Sea Turtles along Florida's Gulf Coast.
Restoration Type: Marine Mammals:
    Florida Gulf Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
Restoration Type: Birds:
    Gomez Key Oyster Reef Expansion and Breakwaters for American
     Oystercatchers.
    Egmont Key Vegetation Management and Dune Retention.
    Northeast Florida Coastal Predation Management.
    Florida Shorebird and Seabird Stewardship and Habitat Management--5
     Years.
Restoration Type: Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities:
    Pensacola Community Maritime Park Public Fishing Marina.
    Baars Park and Sanders Beach Kayak Fishing Trail Access Upgrades.
    Engineering and Design for Pensacola Beach Park West Fishing Pier
     and Access Improvements.
    Gulf Breeze Parks Boating and Fishing Access Upgrades.
    Lincoln Park Boat Ramp and Dock Improvements.
    Florida Artificial Reef Creation and Restoration--Phase 2.
    Apollo Beach Recreational Sportfish Hatchery Facility.
Restoration Types: Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands and
 Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities:
    St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge Access and Recreational
     Improvements through Acquisition at Indian Pass.
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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. Public comments and 
Trustee responses will be included in the final RP/EA.

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 DRAFT RP/EA 
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. 2021-03908 Filed 2-24-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P