[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 245 (Friday, December 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70186-70187]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26588]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-10002-55-OW]
Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan and
Environmental Assessment #6: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) and the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal and State natural
resource trustee agencies for the Louisiana Trustee Implementation
Group (Louisiana TIG) prepared a Draft Restoration Plan and
Environmental Assessment #6: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats
(Draft RP/EA). The Draft RP/EA describes and proposes restoration
project alternatives considered by the Louisiana TIG to restore and
conserve wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats injured as a result
of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Louisiana TIG evaluated these
alternatives under criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource
damage assessment (NRDA) regulations, and also evaluated the
environmental consequences of the restoration alternatives in
accordance with the NEPA. The proposed projects are consistent with the
restoration alternatives selected in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (PDARP/PEIS). This notice informs the
public of the availability of the Draft RP/EA and provides an
opportunity for the public to submit comments on the document.
DATES: The Louisiana TIG will consider public comments received on or
before January 21, 2020.
Public Webinar: The Louisiana TIG will conduct a public webinar on
January 8, 2020, at 12 p.m. Central Standard Time to facilitate public
review and comment on the Draft RP/EA. The public webinar will include
a presentation on the Draft RP/EA. Public comments will be taken during
the public webinar. The public may register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8527752114619805195. After
registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with
instructions for joining the webinar. The presentation will be posted
on the web shortly after the webinar is conducted.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft RP/EA at any of the
following sites:
http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov;
http://www.la-dwh.com.
Alternatively, you may request a CD of the Draft RP/EA (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). You may also view the document at any of
the public facilities listed at http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
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/louisiana.
Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box
29649, Atlanta, GA 30345.
During the Public Webinar: Comments may be provided by the
public during the webinar on January 8, 2020.
Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or withdrawn. The
Louisiana TIG may publish any comment received on the document. Do not
submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must
be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered
the official comment and should include discussion of all points you
wish to make. The Louisiana TIG will generally not consider comments or
comment contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e. on the
web, cloud, or other file sharing system). Please be aware that your
entire comment, including your personal identifying information, will
become part of the public record. Please note that mailed comments must
be postmarked on or before the comment deadline of 30 days following
publication of this notice to be considered.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Louisiana--Joann Hicks, 225-342-5477
EPA--Douglas Jacobson, 214-665-6692
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 the release of an
unprecedented volume of oil and other discharges from the rig and from
the wellhead on the seabed. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the
largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, discharging millions of
barrels of oil over a period of 87 days. The Trustees conducted the
natural resource damage assessment for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). Under the
OPA, Federal and State agencies act as trustees on behalf of the public
to assess natural resource injuries and losses and
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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 time
restoration to baseline (the resource quality and conditions that would
exist if the spill had not occurred) is complete.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill Trustees are:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
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);
State of Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration
Authority (CPRA), Oil Spill Coordinator's Office (LOSCO), Department of
Environmental Quality (LDEQ), Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
(LDWF), and Department of Natural Resources (LDNR);
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 Parks and Wildlife Department, General Land
Office, and Commission on Environmental Quality.
On April 4, 2016, the Trustees reached and finalized a settlement
of their natural resource damage claims with BP in a Consent Decree
approved by the United States District Court for the Eastern District
of Louisiana. Pursuant to that Consent Decree, restoration projects in
the Louisiana Restoration Area are chosen and managed by the Louisiana
TIG. The Louisiana TIG is composed of the following Trustees: CPRA,
LOSCO, LDEQ, LDWF, LDNR, EPA, DOI, NOAA, USDA.
Background
In a June 2019 notice posted at http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov, the Louisiana TIG requested public
input on restoration project ideas in Louisiana within the Wetlands,
Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats restoration type. The Louisiana TIG
reviewed and considered these restoration project ideas.
Overview of the Draft RP/EA
The Draft RP/EA is being released in accordance with the OPA, NRDA
implementing regulations, and the NEPA. In the Draft RP/EA, the
Louisiana TIG presents to the public their plan to restore and conserve
wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats injured by the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill. The Draft RP/EA evaluates a total of four
restoration project alternatives within the Wetlands, Coastal, and
Nearshore Habitats restoration type. Of those, three are identified as
preferred alternatives.
The Draft RP/EA proposes the following preferred project
alternatives:
West Grand Terre Beach Nourishment and Stabilization;
Golden Triangle Marsh Creation; and
Biloxi Marsh Living Shoreline.
The Draft RP/EA also evaluates a no action alternative. One or more
alternatives may be selected for implementation by the Louisiana TIG.
The proposed projects are intended to continue the process of using
restoration funding to restore and conserve wetlands, coastal, and
nearshore habitats injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The
total estimated cost of the preferred alternatives is approximately
$209 million. Additional restoration planning for the Louisiana
Restoration Area will continue.
Next Steps
The public is encouraged to review and comment on the Draft RP/EA.
A public webinar is scheduled to help facilitate the public review and
comment process. After the public comment period ends, the Louisiana
TIG will consider the comments received before issuing a Final RP/EA. A
summary of comments received and the Louisiana TIG's responses and any
revisions to the document, as appropriate, will be included in the
final document.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the Administrative Record for the 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 NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
Dated: December 2, 2019.
Benita Best-Wong,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2019-26588 Filed 12-19-19; 8:45 am]
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