Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill; Draft Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Review, 66626-66628 [2012-27080]
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66626
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 215 / Tuesday, November 6, 2012 / Notices
Developmental Biology Research; 93.88,
Minority Access to Research Careers; 93.96,
Special Minority Initiatives, National
Institutes of Health, HHS)
Dated: October 31, 2012.
Melanie J. Gray,
Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory
Committee Policy.
[FR Doc. 2012–26989 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Administrative Rulings
U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP), Department of
Homeland Security.
ACTION: 60-day notice and request for
comments; Extension of an existing
collection of information.
AGENCY:
As part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, CBP invites the general public
and other Federal agencies to comment
on an information collection
requirement concerning Administrative
Rulings. This request for comment is
being made pursuant to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13).
DATES: Written comments should be
received on or before January 7, 2013, to
be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
Attn: Tracey Denning, Regulations and
Rulings, Office of International Trade,
799 9th Street NW., 5th Floor,
Washington, DC 20229–1177.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information
should be directed to Tracey Denning,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
Regulations and Rulings, Office of
International Trade, 799 9th Street NW.,
5th Floor, Washington, DC 20229–1177,
at 202–325–0265.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CBP
invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on
proposed and/or continuing information
collections pursuant to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13).
The comments should address: (a)
Whether the collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimates of the burden of the
collection of information; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with
SUMMARY:
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of the information to be collected; (d)
ways to minimize the burden including
the use of automated collection
techniques or the use of other forms of
information technology; and (e) the
annual cost burden to respondents or
record keepers from the collection of
information (total capital/startup costs
and operations and maintenance costs).
The comments that are submitted will
be summarized and included in the CBP
request for Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) approval. All comments
will become a matter of public record.
In this document CBP is soliciting
comments concerning the following
information collection:
Title: Administrative Rulings.
OMB Number: 1651–0085.
Form Number: None.
Abstract: The collection of
information in 19 CFR part 177 is
necessary in order to enable Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) to respond
to requests by importers and other
interested persons for the issuance of
administrative rulings. These rulings
pertain to the interpretation of
applicable laws related to prospective
and current transactions involving
classification, marking, and country of
origin. The collection of information in
Part 177 of the CBP Regulations is also
necessary to enable CBP to make proper
decisions regarding the issuance of
binding rulings that modify or revoke
prior CBP binding rulings. This
collection of information is authorized
by 19 U.S.C. 66, 1202, (General Note
3(i), Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States). The application to obtain
an administrative ruling is accessible at:
https://apps.cbp.gov/erulings.
Action: CBP proposes to extend the
expiration date of this information
collection with no change to the
estimated burden hours or to the
information collected.
Type of Review: Extension (without
change).
Affected Public: Businesses.
Rulings:
Estimated Number of Respondents:
12,000.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 10
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 120,000.
Appeals:
Estimated Number of Respondents:
200.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 40
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 8,000.
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Dated: November 1, 2012.
Tracey Denning,
Agency Clearance Officer, U.S. Customs and
Border Protection.
[FR Doc. 2012–27025 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111–14–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS–R4–FHC–2012–N254;
FVHC98130406900Y4–XXX–FF04G01000]
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill; Draft
Early Restoration Plan and
Environmental Review
Interior.
Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In accordance with the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), and the Framework Agreement
for Early Restoration Addressing
Injuries Resulting from the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill, the Federal and State
natural resource trustee agencies
(Trustees) have prepared a Phase II Draft
Early Restoration Plan and
Environmental Review (DERP/ER)
describing and proposing two additional
early restoration projects 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
purpose of this notice is to inform the
public of the availability of the DERP/
ER and to seek written comments on the
proposed restoration alternative
presented in the DERP/ER.
DATES:
Comments Due Date: We will
consider public comments received on
or before December 10, 2012.
Public Meetings: A public meeting is
scheduled to facilitate public review
and comment on the DERP/ER. Both
written and verbal public comments
will be taken at the meeting. The
meeting will be held on November 13,
2012, at the Escambia County Central
Complex Building (a.k.a. the LEED
Building), Room 104, 3363 West Park
Place, Pensacola, Florida 32505. An
open house will begin at 6:00 p.m.
(central time); the formal meeting,
including a presentation of the DERP/ER
will begin at 7:00 p.m. (central time). A
meeting notice will be posted on the
web at
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
SUMMARY:
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may
download the DERP/ER and the
framework agreement at https://
E:\FR\FM\06NON1.SGM
06NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 215 / Tuesday, November 6, 2012 / Notices
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov or
https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon.
You may also review hard copies of the
DERP/ER at any of the public
repositories listed at https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
Submitting Comments: You may
submit comments on the DERP/ER by
one of following methods:
• Via the Web: https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
• For electronic submission of
comments containing attachments,
email:
fw4coastalDERPcomments@fws.gov.
• U.S. Mail: c/o U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 2099,
Fairhope, Alabama 36533.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian Spears at
fw4coastalDERPcomments@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with
Introduction
On or about 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
discharges of oil and other substances
from the rig and from the wellhead on
the seabed. An estimated 4.9 million
barrels (210 million gallons) of oil were
released from the well into the Gulf of
Mexico over a period of 87 days. In
addition, approximately 1.84 million
gallons of dispersants were applied to
the waters of the spill area in an attempt
to minimize impacts from spilled oil.
Affected resources include ecologically,
recreationally, and commercially
important species and their habitats in
the Gulf of Mexico and along the coastal
areas of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Texas.
Federal and State trustees (listed
below) are conducting the natural
resource damage assessment for the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill under the
Oil Pollution Act 1990 (OPA; 33 U.S.C.
2701 et seq.). Pursuant to OPA, federal
and state agencies and Indian tribes may
act as trustees on behalf of the public to
assess natural resource injuries and
losses and to determine the damages
required to compensate the public for
those injuries and losses. 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. The trustees have
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:06 Nov 05, 2012
Jkt 229001
developed this DERP/ER under the
Framework Agreement.
The 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. Department of Defense (DOD);
• U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA);
• 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
• For the State of Texas: Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department, Texas General
Land Office, and Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality.
Background
On April 20, 2011, BP agreed to
provide up to $1 billion toward early
restoration projects in the Gulf of
Mexico to address injuries to natural
resources caused by the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill. This early restoration
agreement, entitled ‘‘Framework for
Early Restoration Addressing Injuries
Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill’’ (Framework Agreement),
represents a preliminary step toward the
restoration of injured natural resources.
The Framework Agreement is intended
to expedite the start of restoration in the
Gulf in advance of the completion of the
injury assessment process. The
Framework Agreement provides a
mechanism through which the Trustees
and BP can work together ‘‘to
commence implementation of early
restoration projects that will provide
meaningful benefits to accelerate
restoration in the Gulf as quickly as
practicable’’ prior to the resolution of
the Trustees’ natural resource damages
claim.
The Trustees actively solicited public
input on restoration project ideas
through a variety of mechanisms,
including public meetings, electronic
communication, and creation of a
Trustee-wide public Web site and
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66627
database to share information and
receive public project submissions.
Their key objective in pursuing early
restoration is to secure tangible recovery
of natural resources and natural
resource services for the public’s benefit
while the longer-term process of fully
assessing injury and damages is
underway. As the first step in this
accelerated process, the Trustees
released, after public review of a draft,
a Phase I Early Restoration Plan/
Environmental Assessment (Phase I
ERP/EA) in April 2012. The Phase I ERP
is currently being implemented.
In a continuation of the early
restoration process, the Trustees are
proposing two additional early
restoration projects to address response
injuries from the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill. These projects are approved in
principle by BP. They address injuries
to the nesting habitats of beach nesting
birds and loggerhead sea turtles that
resulted from response activities to the
oil spill (e.g., efforts to prevent oil from
reaching beaches and to remove oil from
beaches). These projects address a
number of specific public comments on
the Phase I projects that requested
development of additional habitat and
wildlife-based early restoration projects.
Because loggerhead sea turtles and
beach nesting birds begin nesting along
the Northeast Gulf coast in February, the
Trustees recognize the need to
implement these two proposed projects
in a timely manner to be effective
during the 2013 breeding season.
Therefore, the Trustees are proposing
these projects at this time while
continuing to work with BP to develop
additional restoration projects in
accordance with the Framework
Agreement. The Alternatives within this
plan are not intended to, and do not
fully, address all injuries caused by the
spill or provide the extent of restoration
needed to satisfy claims against BP.
Overview of the Draft ERP/ER
Draft Early Restoration Plan
Alternatives, Including Our Proposed
Alternative
The Draft ERP/ER is being released in
accordance with the Oil Pollution Act,
the Natural Resources Damage
Assessment (NRDA) regulations found
in the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) at 15 CFR part 990, the National
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.), and the Framework for
Early Restoration Addressing Injuries
Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill. It describes two early
restoration alternatives: No Action—
Natural Recovery (required for
consideration by OPA) and Proposed
E:\FR\FM\06NON1.SGM
06NON1
66628
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 215 / Tuesday, November 6, 2012 / Notices
Action—Proposed Early Restoration
Projects. Under the No Action
alternative, the trustees would not
implement early restoration projects as
described in this Draft ERP/ER. Rather,
the No Action approach would result in
delaying protection and improvement of
important nesting habitats injured by
the oil spill.
Under the Proposed Action, the
Trustees are considering two projects
that meet the selection criteria, which
are also described in the Draft ERP/ER.
Proposed Action—Proposed Early
Restoration Projects
The proposed restoration projects are
intended to protect and enhance beach
nesting habitats used by birds and sea
turtles by, among other things,
protecting bird nesting habitat with
symbolic fencing and signs and
reducing the presence of harmful
lighting on certain beaches as described
in the plan. The proposed projects are:
(1) Comprehensive Program for
Enhanced Management of Avian
Breeding Habitat Injured by Response in
the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and
Mississippi; and (2) Improving Habitat
Injured by Spill Response: Restoring the
Night Sky. Each of these projects will
benefit coastal nesting habitats injured
by response to the Deepwater Horizon
oil spill.
erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with
Next Step
After the public comment period
ends, the Trustees will analyze and
address the comments and will consider
all input received before an ERP/ER is
finalized. As described above, a public
meeting is scheduled to facilitate the
public review and comment process.
During public review and subsequent
revision of the ERP/ER, negotiations
with BP will be completed and
approved projects will proceed to
implementation, pending compliance
with all applicable state and federal
laws.
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 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 can be viewed
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15:06 Nov 05, 2012
Jkt 229001
electronically at the following location:
https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon.
Author
The primary author of this notice is
Jim Haas (james_haas@nps.gov).
Authority
The authority of this action is the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701 et
seq.), the implementing Natural
Resource Damage Assessment
regulations found at 15 CFR part 990,
and the Framework Agreement for
Addressing Injuries Resulting from the
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
DOI Authorized Official.
[FR Doc. 2012–27080 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
I. Background
The Department of the Interior (DOI)
is creating the Donations Program Files
system of records. The purpose of this
system is to assist the Department of the
Interior in managing the Donations
Program and facilitating the acceptance
and solicitation of donations of money,
real property, personal property,
services, or other gifts by members of
the public and organizations. The
system will be effective as proposed at
the end of the comment period (the
comment period will end 40 days after
the publication of this notice in the
Federal Register), unless comments are
received that would require a contrary
determination. DOI will publish a
revised notice if changes are made based
upon a review of the comments
received.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
II. Privacy Act
Office of the Secretary
The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended,
embodies fair information practices in a
statutory framework governing the
means by which Federal agencies
collect, maintain, use, and disseminate
individuals’ personal information. The
Privacy Act applies to information that
is maintained in a ‘‘system of records.’’
A ‘‘system of records’’ is a group of any
records under the control of an agency
for which information is retrieved by
the name of an individual or by some
identifying number, symbol, or other
identifying particular assigned to the
individual. The Privacy Act defines an
individual as a United States citizen or
lawful permanent resident. As a matter
of policy, DOI extends administrative
Privacy Act protections to all
individuals. Individuals may request
access to their own records that are
maintained in a system of records in the
possession or under the control of DOI
by complying with DOI Privacy Act
Regulations, 43 CFR part 2.
The Privacy Act requires each agency
to publish in the Federal Register a
description denoting the type and
character of each system of records that
the agency maintains, the routine uses
that are contained in each system in
order to make agency record keeping
practices transparent, to notify
individuals regarding the uses of their
records, and to assist individuals to
more easily find such records within the
agency. Below is the description of the
Donations Program Files system of
records.
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(r),
DOI has provided a report of this system
of records to the Office of Management
and Budget and to Congress.
Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended;
Notice of a New System of Records
Office of the Secretary, Interior.
Notice of creation of a new
system of records.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Pursuant to the provisions of
the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended,
the Department of the Interior is issuing
a public notice of its intent to create the
Department of the Interior system of
records titled, ‘‘Donations Program
Files.’’ This system will assist the
Department of the Interior in managing
the Donations Program and facilitating
the acceptance and solicitation of
donations of money, real property,
personal property, services, or other
gifts by members of the public and
organizations. This newly established
system will be included in the
Department of the Interior’s inventory of
Privacy Act records systems.
DATES: Comments must be received by
December 17, 2012. This new system
will be effective December 17, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Any person interested in
commenting on this new system of
records may do so by submitting written
comments to the OS/NBC Privacy Act
Officer, 1849 C Street NW., Mail Stop
2650 MIB, Washington, DC 20240; or
emailing comments to privacy@nbc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Partnerships Coordinator, Office of
Youth, Partnerships and Service,
Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street
NW., Mail Stop 3559 MIB, Washington,
DC 20240; or by telephone at 202–208–
6667.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 215 (Tuesday, November 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66626-66628]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27080]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS-R4-FHC-2012-N254; FVHC98130406900Y4-XXX-FF04G01000]
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill; Draft Early Restoration Plan and
Environmental Review
AGENCY: Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the Framework Agreement
for Early Restoration Addressing Injuries Resulting from the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill, the Federal and State natural resource trustee
agencies (Trustees) have prepared a Phase II Draft Early Restoration
Plan and Environmental Review (DERP/ER) describing and proposing two
additional early restoration projects 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 purpose of this notice is to
inform the public of the availability of the DERP/ER and to seek
written comments on the proposed restoration alternative presented in
the DERP/ER.
DATES:
Comments Due Date: We will consider public comments received on or
before December 10, 2012.
Public Meetings: A public meeting is scheduled to facilitate public
review and comment on the DERP/ER. Both written and verbal public
comments will be taken at the meeting. The meeting will be held on
November 13, 2012, at the Escambia County Central Complex Building
(a.k.a. the LEED Building), Room 104, 3363 West Park Place, Pensacola,
Florida 32505. An open house will begin at 6:00 p.m. (central time);
the formal meeting, including a presentation of the DERP/ER will begin
at 7:00 p.m. (central time). A meeting notice will be posted on the web
at www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may download the DERP/ER and the framework
agreement at https://
[[Page 66627]]
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov or https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon. You may also review hard copies of the DERP/ER at any
of the public repositories listed at https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the DERP/ER by one
of following methods:
Via the Web: https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
For electronic submission of comments containing
attachments, email: fw4coastalDERPcomments@fws.gov.
U.S. Mail: c/o U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box
2099, Fairhope, Alabama 36533.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Spears at
fw4coastalDERPcomments@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
On or about 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
discharges of oil and other substances from the rig and from the
wellhead on the seabed. An estimated 4.9 million barrels (210 million
gallons) of oil were released from the well into the Gulf of Mexico
over a period of 87 days. In addition, approximately 1.84 million
gallons of dispersants were applied to the waters of the spill area in
an attempt to minimize impacts from spilled oil. Affected resources
include ecologically, recreationally, and commercially important
species and their habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and along the coastal
areas of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
Federal and State trustees (listed below) are conducting the
natural resource damage assessment for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
under the Oil Pollution Act 1990 (OPA; 33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.).
Pursuant to OPA, federal and state agencies and Indian tribes may act
as trustees on behalf of the public to assess natural resource injuries
and losses and to determine the damages required to compensate the
public for those injuries and losses. 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.
The trustees have developed this DERP/ER under the Framework Agreement.
The 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. Department of Defense (DOD);
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA);
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
For the State of Texas: Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, Texas General Land Office, and Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality.
Background
On April 20, 2011, BP agreed to provide up to $1 billion toward
early restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico to address injuries to
natural resources caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This early
restoration agreement, entitled ``Framework for Early Restoration
Addressing Injuries Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill''
(Framework Agreement), represents a preliminary step toward the
restoration of injured natural resources. The Framework Agreement is
intended to expedite the start of restoration in the Gulf in advance of
the completion of the injury assessment process. The Framework
Agreement provides a mechanism through which the Trustees and BP can
work together ``to commence implementation of early restoration
projects that will provide meaningful benefits to accelerate
restoration in the Gulf as quickly as practicable'' prior to the
resolution of the Trustees' natural resource damages claim.
The Trustees actively solicited public input on restoration project
ideas through a variety of mechanisms, including public meetings,
electronic communication, and creation of a Trustee-wide public Web
site and database to share information and receive public project
submissions. Their key objective in pursuing early restoration is to
secure tangible recovery of natural resources and natural resource
services for the public's benefit while the longer-term process of
fully assessing injury and damages is underway. As the first step in
this accelerated process, the Trustees released, after public review of
a draft, a Phase I Early Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment
(Phase I ERP/EA) in April 2012. The Phase I ERP is currently being
implemented.
In a continuation of the early restoration process, the Trustees
are proposing two additional early restoration projects to address
response injuries from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These projects
are approved in principle by BP. They address injuries to the nesting
habitats of beach nesting birds and loggerhead sea turtles that
resulted from response activities to the oil spill (e.g., efforts to
prevent oil from reaching beaches and to remove oil from beaches).
These projects address a number of specific public comments on the
Phase I projects that requested development of additional habitat and
wildlife-based early restoration projects.
Because loggerhead sea turtles and beach nesting birds begin
nesting along the Northeast Gulf coast in February, the Trustees
recognize the need to implement these two proposed projects in a timely
manner to be effective during the 2013 breeding season. Therefore, the
Trustees are proposing these projects at this time while continuing to
work with BP to develop additional restoration projects in accordance
with the Framework Agreement. The Alternatives within this plan are not
intended to, and do not fully, address all injuries caused by the spill
or provide the extent of restoration needed to satisfy claims against
BP.
Overview of the Draft ERP/ER
Draft Early Restoration Plan Alternatives, Including Our Proposed
Alternative
The Draft ERP/ER is being released in accordance with the Oil
Pollution Act, the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA)
regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR
part 990, the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.), and the Framework for Early Restoration Addressing Injuries
Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. It describes two early
restoration alternatives: No Action--Natural Recovery (required for
consideration by OPA) and Proposed
[[Page 66628]]
Action--Proposed Early Restoration Projects. Under the No Action
alternative, the trustees would not implement early restoration
projects as described in this Draft ERP/ER. Rather, the No Action
approach would result in delaying protection and improvement of
important nesting habitats injured by the oil spill.
Under the Proposed Action, the Trustees are considering two
projects that meet the selection criteria, which are also described in
the Draft ERP/ER.
Proposed Action--Proposed Early Restoration Projects
The proposed restoration projects are intended to protect and
enhance beach nesting habitats used by birds and sea turtles by, among
other things, protecting bird nesting habitat with symbolic fencing and
signs and reducing the presence of harmful lighting on certain beaches
as described in the plan. The proposed projects are: (1) Comprehensive
Program for Enhanced Management of Avian Breeding Habitat Injured by
Response in the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and Mississippi; and (2)
Improving Habitat Injured by Spill Response: Restoring the Night Sky.
Each of these projects will benefit coastal nesting habitats injured by
response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Next Step
After the public comment period ends, the Trustees will analyze and
address the comments and will consider all input received before an
ERP/ER is finalized. As described above, a public meeting is scheduled
to facilitate the public review and comment process. During public
review and subsequent revision of the ERP/ER, negotiations with BP will
be completed and approved projects will proceed to implementation,
pending compliance with all applicable state and federal laws.
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 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 can be viewed
electronically at the following location: https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon.
Author
The primary author of this notice is Jim Haas (james_haas@nps.gov).
Authority
The authority of this action is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), the implementing Natural Resource Damage
Assessment regulations found at 15 CFR part 990, and the Framework
Agreement for Addressing Injuries Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
DOI Authorized Official.
[FR Doc. 2012-27080 Filed 11-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
