Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Final Restoration Plan 1 and Environmental Assessment, and Finding of No Significant Impact; Florida Trustee Implementation Group

Published date21 March 2019
Citation84 FR 10525
Record Number2019-05377
SectionNotices
CourtInterior Department
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 55 (Thursday, March 21, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 55 (Thursday, March 21, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 10525-10527]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-05377]
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                DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
                [FWS-R4-ES-2019-N028; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04H00000]
                Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Final Restoration Plan 1 and
                Environmental Assessment, and Finding of No Significant Impact; Florida
                Trustee Implementation Group
                AGENCY: Department of the Interior.
                ACTION: Notice of availability.
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                SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the
                National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Deepwater Horizon Oil
                Spill Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and
                Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PDARP/PEIS),
                and the Consent Decree, the Federal and State natural resource trustee
                agencies for the Florida Trustee Implementation Group (FL TIG) have
                prepared the Final Restoration Plan 1 and Environmental Assessment:
                Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands; Nutrient Reduction; Water
                Quality; and Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities (RP1/EA)
                and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The Final RP1/EA
                describes the restoration
                [[Page 10526]]
                project alternatives considered by the FL TIG intended to continue the
                process of restoring natural resources and services injured or lost as
                a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which occurred on or about
                April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico. The FL TIG evaluated these
                alternatives under criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource
                damage assessment (NRDA) regulations and evaluated the environmental
                consequences of the restoration alternatives in accordance with NEPA.
                The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the availability
                of the Final RP1/EA.
                ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may download the Final RP1/EA from
                either of the following websites:
                 http://www.gulfspillrestoration .noaa.gov
                 http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord
                 Alternatively, you may request a CD of the Final RP1/EA (see FOR
                FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
                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 Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the largest off shore 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 Deepwater Horizon oil spill under the Oil Pollution Act
                (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,
                including the loss of use and services from those resources from the
                time of injury until the time of restoration to baseline (the resource
                quality and conditions that would exist if the spill had not occurred)
                is complete.
                 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, 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
                Florida Restoration Area are now selected and implemented by the
                Florida Trustee Implementation Group (TIG). The FL TIG is composed of
                the following Trustees:
                 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); and
                 State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection
                and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
                Background
                 On November 4, 2016, the FL TIG posted a public notice at http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov requesting new or revised natural
                resource restoration project ideas by December 5, 2016, 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) Nutrient Reduction; (3) Water Quality; and
                (4) Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities.
                 On September 29, 2017, the FL TIG announced that it had initiated
                drafting of its first post-settlement draft restoration plan, and that
                the first plan would include restoration projects for Habitat Projects
                on Federally Managed Lands; Nutrient Reduction; Water Quality; and
                Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities.
                 The project submissions received through this process, along with
                projects previously submitted during prior restoration planning
                processes, resulted in the alternatives evaluated in the Draft RP1/EA.
                 The FL TIG released the Draft RP1/EA on September 20, 2018. Notice
                of availability of the Draft RP1/EA was published in the Federal
                Register on October 9, 2018 (83 FR 50679). The Draft RP1/EA provided
                the FL TIG's analysis of alternatives that would meet the Trustees'
                goals to restore and conserve habitat, restore water quality, and
                provide and enhance recreational opportunities under OPA and NEPA, and
                identified the alternatives that were proposed as preferred for
                implementation. The FL TIG provided the public with 99 days to review
                and comment on the Draft RP1/EA. To facilitate public understanding of
                the document, the FL TIG held a public meeting in Tallahassee on
                October 2, 2018, and a public webinar on December 13, 2018, and
                accepted public comments during both the meeting and the webinar. The
                FL TIG considered the public comments received, which informed the FL
                TIG's analysis of alternatives in the Final RP1/EA. A summary of the
                public comments received and the FL TIG's responses to those comments
                are addressed in Chapter 6 of the Final RP1/EA.
                Overview of the FL TIG Final RP1/EA
                 The Final RP1/EA is being released in accordance with OPA, NRDA
                regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR
                part 990, NEPA, the Consent Decree, and the Final PDARP/PEIS.
                 In the Final RP1/EA and FONSI, the FL TIG selected 23 restoration
                projects
                [[Page 10527]]
                to be funded. Specifically, the FL TIG selected the following projects:
                Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands
                 Gulf Islands National Seashore (Florida) Night Sky
                Restoration (P&D),
                 Gulf Islands National Seashore (Florida) Beach and Dune
                Habitat Protection,
                 Gulf Islands National Seashore (Florida) Invasive Plant
                Removal, and
                 St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge Predator Control.
                Nutrient Reduction
                 Pensacola Bay and Perdido River Watersheds--Nutrient
                Reduction, and
                 Lower Suwannee River Watershed--Nutrient Reduction.
                Water Quality
                 Carpenter Creek Headwaters Water Quality Improvements,
                 Pensacola Beach Reclaimed Water System Expansion,
                 Rattlesnake Bluff Road and Riverbank Restoration,
                 Pensacola Bay Unpaved Roads Initiative (P&D),
                 Alligator Lake Coastal Dune Lake Hydrologic Restoration,
                 City of Port St. Joe Stormwater Improvements,
                 City of Carrabelle's Lighthouse Estates: Septic Tank
                Abatement Phase II,
                 Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge Hydrologic
                Restoration (P&D), and
                 Lower Charlotte Harbor Flatwoods Hydrologic Restoration
                Initiative, Yucca Pens Unit (P&D).
                Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities
                 Perdido River and Bay Paddle Trail,
                 Carpenter Creek Headwaters Park Amenities,
                 Gulf Islands National Seashore (Florida) Rehabilitation of
                Okaloosa Unit Recreational Facilities,
                 Joe's Bayou Recreation Area Improvements,
                 Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Improvements,
                 Camp Helen State Park Improvements,
                 St. Andrews State Park Improvements, and
                 St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Trail
                Connection, Spring Creek to Port Leon.
                 The FL TIG also analyzed nine additional alternatives, as well as a
                no action alternative. In accordance with NEPA, as part of the Final
                RP1/EA, the Trustees issued a FONSI. The FONSI is available in Appendix
                G of the Final RP1/EA.
                 The FL TIG determined that the restoration projects selected for
                funding will continue the process of restoring the natural resources
                injured or lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The
                total estimated cost for the 23 selected restoration projects is
                $61,282,740. Additional restoration planning for the Florida
                Restoration Area will continue.
                Administrative Record
                 The documents comprising the Administrative Record for the Draft
                RP1/EA can be viewed electronically at http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord.
                Authority
                 The authority of this action is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33
                U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), and its implementing 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.).
                Mary Josie Blanchard,
                Director of Gulf of Mexico Restoration, Department of the Interior.
                [FR Doc. 2019-05377 Filed 3-20-19; 8:45 am]
                 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
                

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