[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 19, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43049-43050]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15045]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[FWS-R4-ES-2022-N029; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04H00000]


Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment, 
Alabama Trustee Implementation Group: Draft Bon Secour National 
Wildlife Refuge Recreation Enhancements: Supplemental Restoration Plan

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 the Deepwater 
Horizon (DWH) Consent Decree, the Federal and State natural resource 
trustee agencies for the Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (Alabama 
TIG) have prepared the Draft Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge 
Recreation Enhancements: Supplemental Restoration Plan (SRP). The 
Alabama TIG proposes to add approximately $1.5 million to the Mobile 
Street Boardwalk project budget. This would continue the process of 
restoring lost recreational use in the Alabama Restoration Area that 
resulted from the DWH oil spill of 2010. We invite comments on the 
Draft SRP.

DATES: Submitting Comments: We will consider public comments on the 
Draft SRP that we receive on or before August 18, 2022.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft SRP from the 
following websites:

 http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/alabama
 http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon

    Alternatively, you may request a CD (compact disc) of the Draft SRP 
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the Draft SRP by 
one of the following methods:
     Via the Web: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/alabama.
     Via U.S. Mail: U.S.F.W.S. Gulf Restoration Office, 1875 
Century Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30345. In order to be considered, mailed 
comments must be postmarked on or before the comment deadline given in 
DATES.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nanciann Regalado, via email at 
[email protected] or via telephone at 678-296-6805. Individuals 
in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have 
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

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 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.
    State and Federal trustees conducted the natural resource damage 
assessment (NRDA) for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill under the Oil 
Pollution Act 1990 (OPA; 33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). Pursuant to the 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, including the loss of use and services from those 
resources from the time of injury until the completion of restoration 
to baseline (the resource quality and conditions that would exist if 
the spill had not occurred).
    The Deepwater Horizon Trustees are:
     U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), as represented by 
the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), 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.
    The Trustees reached and finalized a settlement of their natural 
resource damage claims with BP in an April 4, 2016, Consent Decree 
approved by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of 
Louisiana. Pursuant to that Consent Decree, restoration projects in the 
Alabama Restoration Area are now chosen and managed by the Alabama TIG. 
The Alabama TIG is composed of the following six Trustees: Alabama 
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Geological Survey of 
Alabama, DOI, NOAA, EPA, and USDA.

Background

    The Alabama TIG Restoration Plan III/Environmental Assessment (RP 
III/EA) selected seven projects for implementation, allocating funds 
from two restoration types identified in the DWH Consent Decree: 
``Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities'' and ``Birds.'' The 
Alabama TIG RP III addendum subsequently approved funding for the two 
projects conditionally approved in the RP III/EA, one of which was the 
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge Recreation Enhancement--Mobile 
Street Boardwalk

[[Page 43050]]

(Mobile Street Boardwalk) Project. Since then, the project cost 
estimate has been revised because of increased costs in materials and 
construction.

Overview of the Alabama TIG Draft SRP

    The Draft SRP is being released in accordance with OPA, including 
criteria set forth in the associated Natural Resource Damage Assessment 
regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR 
part 990, NEPA and its implementing regulations found at 40 CFR parts 
1500-1508, and the Final PDARP/PEIS and Consent Decree. The Draft SRP 
provides supplemental OPA NRDA analysis for two Bon Secour National 
Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR) recreation enhancement projects considered in 
the RP III/EA: the Mobile Street Boardwalk and Centennial Trail 
Boardwalk projects. Of these two action alternatives, the Alabama TIG 
proposes adding funding to the previously selected Mobile Street 
Boardwalk project. Fully funding this project would continue the 
process of restoring natural resources and services injured or lost as 
a result of the DWH oil spill. The additional cost to carry out the 
proposed action would be approximately $1.5 million.

Next Steps

    As described above, the Alabama TIG is requesting public review and 
comment on the SRP. After the public comment period ends, the Alabama 
TIG will consider and address the comments received before issuing a 
Final SRP.

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 the SRP can 
be viewed electronically at https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord.

Authority

    The authority of this action is the OPA (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), 
its implementing NRDA regulations found at 15 CFR part 990, and NEPA 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations found at 40 
CFR parts 1500-1508.

Mary Josie Blanchard,
Department of the Interior, Director of Gulf of Mexico Restoration.
[FR Doc. 2022-15045 Filed 7-18-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P