Draft Initial Comprehensive Plan and Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment, 32237-32238 [2013-12608]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 103 / Wednesday, May 29, 2013 / Notices TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Additional Public Notification FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page located at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/ regulations_&_policies/ Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp. FSIS will also make copies of this Federal Register publication available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information that could affect or would be of interest to constituents and stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups, consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS Web page. In addition, FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription service which provides automatic and customized access to selected food safety news and information. This service is available at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/ News_&_Events/Email_Subscription/. Options range from recalls to export information to regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password protect their accounts. Done at Washington, DC on: May 20, 2013. Alfred V. Almanza, Administrator. [FR Doc. 2013–12666 Filed 5–28–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Office of the Secretary [Docket No.: 130514469–3469–01] Draft Initial Comprehensive Plan and Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments. tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: In accordance with the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf States Act (RESTORE Act), the Secretary of Commerce, as Chair of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council), announces the availability of SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:07 May 28, 2013 Jkt 229001 a Draft Initial Comprehensive Plan (Draft Plan) to restore and protect the Gulf Coast region. Council Members also have compiled preliminary lists of ecosystem restoration projects that are ‘‘authorized but not yet commenced’’ and the full Council is in the process of evaluating these lists; the Council announces the availability of these preliminary lists. Finally, the Council has drafted, and announces the availability of, a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (Draft PEA) for the Draft Plan. These documents are available for public review and comment. To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments on the Draft Plan and Draft PEA by June 24, 2013. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the Draft Plan, the preliminary lists of ‘‘authorized but not yet commenced’’ ecosystem restoration projects, and Draft PEA by either of the following methods: • Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via www.restorethegulf.gov. • Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send a copy of your comments to Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, c/o U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4077, Washington, DC 20230. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Council can be reached at restorecouncil@doc.gov. DATES: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused extensive damage to the Gulf Coast’s natural resources, devastating the economies and communities that rely on it. In an effort to help the region rebuild in the wake of the spill, Congress passed and the President signed the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (‘‘RESTORE Act’’). Public Law 112–141, §§ 1601–1608, 126 Stat. 588 (Jul. 6, 2012). The RESTORE Act created the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Trust Fund (Trust Fund) and dedicates eighty percent of any civil and administrative penalties paid under the Clean Water Act, after the date of enactment, by parties responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the Trust Fund for ecosystem restoration, economic recovery, and tourism promotion in the Gulf Coast region. The ultimate amount of administrative and civil penalties potentially available to the Trust Fund is currently unknown because Clean Water Act claims against several responsible parties are outstanding. On PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 32237 January 3, 2013, however, the United States announced that Transocean Deepwater Inc. and related entities agreed to pay $1 billion in civil penalties for violating the Clean Water Act in relation to their conduct in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. That settlement was approved by the court in February, and Transocean paid the first installment of its civil penalties to the United States at the end of March. These funds are subject to the RESTORE Act. In addition to creating the Trust Fund, the RESTORE Act established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council), which is chaired by the Secretary of Commerce and includes the Governors of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, and the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, the Army, Homeland Security, and the Interior, and the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Among other things, the Act requires the Council to publish an Initial Comprehensive Plan to restore and protect the Gulf Coast region after notice and an opportunity for public comment. This Draft Plan sets forth the Council’s overarching goals for restoring and protecting the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast region. Additionally, the Plan: (1) incorporates the recommendations and findings of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (Task Force) as set forth in the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Strategy (Strategy); (2) describes how CouncilSelected ecosystem restoration activities will be solicited, evaluated, and funded; (3) outlines the process for the development, review, and approval of State Expenditure Plans; and, (4) provides the Council’s next steps. In addition, the Council as a whole is in the process of reviewing and evaluating preliminary lists submitted by individual Council Members in order to compile, as required by the RESTORE Act, ‘‘a list of any project or program authorized prior to the date of enactment of [the Act] but not yet commenced, the completion of which would further the purposes and goals of [the Act].’’ The Council has responsibility over the expenditure of sixty percent of the funds made available from the Trust Fund. The Council will administer thirty percent, plus fifty percent of the interest on Trust Fund monies, for ecosystem restoration and protection according to the Plan. The other thirty percent will be allocated to the Gulf States as described in the RESTORE Act E:\FR\FM\29MYN1.SGM 29MYN1 tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 32238 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 103 / Wednesday, May 29, 2013 / Notices and spent according to individual State Expenditure Plans. The State Expenditure Plans must be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan and are subject to the Council’s approval. Remaining RESTORE Act funds are not within Council responsibility. The Council is seeking public and tribal comment on all aspects of the Draft Plan. In particular, the Council seeks public and tribal comment on the following: (1) The Draft Plan includes restoration Priority Criteria established in the RESTORE Act and applicable to the Council’s selection of projects and programs for at least the first three years after publication of the Initial Comprehensive Plan. The Council is considering further defining these criteria and developing additional criteria for consideration. a. Should the Council further define the Priority Criteria? If so, how? b. Should the Council develop additional criteria for consideration now or in the future? If so, what should they be? (2) The ‘‘Objectives’’ section of the Draft Plan describes the broad types of activities the Council envisions funding in order to achieve its goals. a. Should the Council consider other Objectives at this juncture? If not, at what point, if any, should the Council consider additional Objectives? If so, what should they be? b. Similarly, should the Council eliminate any of the Objectives? c. How should the Council prioritize its restoration Objectives? (3) The Council is considering establishing or engaging advisory committees as may be necessary, such as a citizens’ advisory committee and/or a science advisory committee, to provide input to the Council in carrying out its responsibilities under the RESTORE Act. a. Should the Council establish any advisory committees? b. If so, what type of advisory committees should the Council establish? How should the Council structure such advisory committees? What role should such advisory committees play? In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321–4335, and the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations implementing NEPA, 40 C.F.R. Parts 1500–1507, the Council has prepared a Draft PEA on the Draft Plan. The Council is also seeking public comment on all aspects of the Draft PEA in addition to all aspects of the Draft Plan and the preliminary list of ‘‘authorized VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:07 May 28, 2013 Jkt 229001 but not yet commenced’’ ecosystem restoration projects compiled by Council Members. Document Availability: Copies of the Draft Plan, the preliminary list of ‘‘authorized but not yet commenced’’ projects and programs, and Draft PEA are available at the following office during regular business hours: Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4077, Washington, DC 20230. Electronic versions of both documents can be viewed and downloaded at www.restorethegulf.gov. Legal Authority: The statutory program authority for the Draft Initial Comprehensive Plan is found in subtitle F of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (‘‘MAP–21’’), Pub. L. 112–141, 126 Stat. 405 (Jul. 6, 2012). Dated: May 22, 2013. Rebecca M. Blank, Acting Secretary of Commerce, Chair, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. [FR Doc. 2013–12608 Filed 5–28–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–EA–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B–52–2013] Foreign-Trade Zone 168—Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Application for Reorganization/Expansion An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board by the Metroplex International Trade Development Corporation, grantee of FTZ 168, requesting authority to reorganize and expand its existing sites in Gainesville (Site 8) and Coppell (Site 9), Texas. The application was submitted pursuant to the provisions of the Foreign-Trade Zones Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), and the regulations of the FTZ Board (15 CFR part 400). It was formally docketed on May 23, 2013. FTZ 168 was approved on November 1, 1990 (Board Order 491, 55 FR 46974, 11/8/90), and expanded on October 8, 1992 (Board Order 603, 57 FR 47619, 10/19/92), on April 23, 1997 (Board Order 873, 62 FR 24081, 5/2/97), twice on May 8, 1997 (Board Orders 885 and 886, 62 FR 28445, 5/23/97), and on May 28, 1998 (Board Order 982, 63 FR 31200, 6/8/98). The zone currently consists of nine sites (one of which is temporary) totaling 2,010 acres: Site 1 (21 acres)— within the Carter Industrial Park located at Alta Mesa and Will Rogers Boulevards (5 acres) and at 1301 Joel East Road (16 acres) in southern Fort PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Worth; Site 2 (263 acres)—within the Centreport Industrial Development located at Highways 183 and 360 in Fort Worth; Site 3 (195 acres)—within the Fossil Creek Business Park located at Interstates 35W and 820 in Fort Worth; Site 4 (91 acres)—Regency Business Park located at Post and Paddock Road in Grand Prairie; Site 5 (630 acres)— within the 1,200-acre Mercantile Center located at Interstate 35 and Meacham Boulevard in Fort Worth; Site 6 (168 acres)—Frankford Trade Center located adjacent to Interstate 35E and Frankford Road in Carrollton; Site 7 (185 acres)— Corporate Square Industrial Park/ Armco/National Industrial Center, 3333 North I.H. 35, Gainesville; Site 8 (421 acres)—Gainesville Municipal Airport, 2300 Bonnavilla Drive, Gainesville; and, Temporary Site 9 (36 acres, expires 12/ 31/2013)—located at 400 Dividend Drive, Coppell. The applicant is requesting authority to reorganize and expand the zone as follows: modify Site 8 by removing 101 acres due to changed circumstances (new total acreage—320 acres); and, modify and expand Site 9 by requesting permanent status for the site’s current 36 acres and including an additional 65.156 acres within the Point West Industrial Park (new total acreage— 101.156 acres). No request for production authority is being requested at this time. Such requests would be made to the FTZ Board on a case-bycase basis. In accordance with the FTZ Board’s regulations, Camille Evans of the FTZ Staff is designated examiner to evaluate and analyze the facts and information presented in the application and case record and to report findings and recommendations to the FTZ Board. Public comment is invited from interested parties. Submissions shall be addressed to the FTZ Board’s Executive Secretary at the address below. The closing period for their receipt is July 29, 2013. Rebuttal comments in response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to August 12, 2013. A copy of the application will be available for public inspection at the Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room 21013, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230–0002, and in the ‘‘Reading Room’’ section of the FTZ Board’s Web site, which is accessible via www.trade.gov/ftz. For further information, contact Camille Evans at Camille.Evans@trade.gov or at (202) 482–2350. E:\FR\FM\29MYN1.SGM 29MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 103 (Wednesday, May 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32237-32238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12608]


=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No.: 130514469-3469-01]


Draft Initial Comprehensive Plan and Draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Resources and Ecosystems 
Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the 
Gulf States Act (RESTORE Act), the Secretary of Commerce, as Chair of 
the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council), announces the 
availability of a Draft Initial Comprehensive Plan (Draft Plan) to 
restore and protect the Gulf Coast region. Council Members also have 
compiled preliminary lists of ecosystem restoration projects that are 
``authorized but not yet commenced'' and the full Council is in the 
process of evaluating these lists; the Council announces the 
availability of these preliminary lists. Finally, the Council has 
drafted, and announces the availability of, a Draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment (Draft PEA) for the Draft Plan. These 
documents are available for public review and comment.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments 
on the Draft Plan and Draft PEA by June 24, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the Draft Plan, the preliminary 
lists of ``authorized but not yet commenced'' ecosystem restoration 
projects, and Draft PEA by either of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via www.restorethegulf.gov.
     Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send a copy of your 
comments to Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, c/o U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4077, 
Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Council can be reached at 
restorecouncil@doc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused 
extensive damage to the Gulf Coast's natural resources, devastating the 
economies and communities that rely on it. In an effort to help the 
region rebuild in the wake of the spill, Congress passed and the 
President signed the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist 
Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 
2012 (``RESTORE Act''). Public Law 112-141, Sec. Sec.  1601-1608, 126 
Stat. 588 (Jul. 6, 2012). The RESTORE Act created the Gulf Coast 
Ecosystem Restoration Trust Fund (Trust Fund) and dedicates eighty 
percent of any civil and administrative penalties paid under the Clean 
Water Act, after the date of enactment, by parties responsible for the 
Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the Trust Fund for ecosystem 
restoration, economic recovery, and tourism promotion in the Gulf Coast 
region. The ultimate amount of administrative and civil penalties 
potentially available to the Trust Fund is currently unknown because 
Clean Water Act claims against several responsible parties are 
outstanding. On January 3, 2013, however, the United States announced 
that Transocean Deepwater Inc. and related entities agreed to pay $1 
billion in civil penalties for violating the Clean Water Act in 
relation to their conduct in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. That 
settlement was approved by the court in February, and Transocean paid 
the first installment of its civil penalties to the United States at 
the end of March. These funds are subject to the RESTORE Act.
    In addition to creating the Trust Fund, the RESTORE Act established 
the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council), which is 
chaired by the Secretary of Commerce and includes the Governors of 
Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, and the 
Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, the Army, Homeland 
Security, and the Interior, and the Administrator of the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency. Among other things, the Act requires 
the Council to publish an Initial Comprehensive Plan to restore and 
protect the Gulf Coast region after notice and an opportunity for 
public comment.
    This Draft Plan sets forth the Council's overarching goals for 
restoring and protecting the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, 
marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and economy of 
the Gulf Coast region. Additionally, the Plan: (1) incorporates the 
recommendations and findings of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration 
Task Force (Task Force) as set forth in the Gulf Coast Ecosystem 
Restoration Task Force Strategy (Strategy); (2) describes how Council-
Selected ecosystem restoration activities will be solicited, evaluated, 
and funded; (3) outlines the process for the development, review, and 
approval of State Expenditure Plans; and, (4) provides the Council's 
next steps. In addition, the Council as a whole is in the process of 
reviewing and evaluating preliminary lists submitted by individual 
Council Members in order to compile, as required by the RESTORE Act, 
``a list of any project or program authorized prior to the date of 
enactment of [the Act] but not yet commenced, the completion of which 
would further the purposes and goals of [the Act].''
    The Council has responsibility over the expenditure of sixty 
percent of the funds made available from the Trust Fund. The Council 
will administer thirty percent, plus fifty percent of the interest on 
Trust Fund monies, for ecosystem restoration and protection according 
to the Plan. The other thirty percent will be allocated to the Gulf 
States as described in the RESTORE Act

[[Page 32238]]

and spent according to individual State Expenditure Plans. The State 
Expenditure Plans must be consistent with the goals and objectives of 
the Comprehensive Plan and are subject to the Council's approval. 
Remaining RESTORE Act funds are not within Council responsibility.
    The Council is seeking public and tribal comment on all aspects of 
the Draft Plan. In particular, the Council seeks public and tribal 
comment on the following:
    (1) The Draft Plan includes restoration Priority Criteria 
established in the RESTORE Act and applicable to the Council's 
selection of projects and programs for at least the first three years 
after publication of the Initial Comprehensive Plan. The Council is 
considering further defining these criteria and developing additional 
criteria for consideration.
    a. Should the Council further define the Priority Criteria? If so, 
how?
    b. Should the Council develop additional criteria for consideration 
now or in the future? If so, what should they be?
    (2) The ``Objectives'' section of the Draft Plan describes the 
broad types of activities the Council envisions funding in order to 
achieve its goals.
    a. Should the Council consider other Objectives at this juncture? 
If not, at what point, if any, should the Council consider additional 
Objectives? If so, what should they be?
    b. Similarly, should the Council eliminate any of the Objectives?
    c. How should the Council prioritize its restoration Objectives?
    (3) The Council is considering establishing or engaging advisory 
committees as may be necessary, such as a citizens' advisory committee 
and/or a science advisory committee, to provide input to the Council in 
carrying out its responsibilities under the RESTORE Act.
    a. Should the Council establish any advisory committees?
    b. If so, what type of advisory committees should the Council 
establish? How should the Council structure such advisory committees? 
What role should such advisory committees play?
    In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 
U.S.C. Sec. Sec.  4321-4335, and the Council on Environmental Quality's 
regulations implementing NEPA, 40 C.F.R. Parts 1500-1507, the Council 
has prepared a Draft PEA on the Draft Plan. The Council is also seeking 
public comment on all aspects of the Draft PEA in addition to all 
aspects of the Draft Plan and the preliminary list of ``authorized but 
not yet commenced'' ecosystem restoration projects compiled by Council 
Members.
    Document Availability: Copies of the Draft Plan, the preliminary 
list of ``authorized but not yet commenced'' projects and programs, and 
Draft PEA are available at the following office during regular business 
hours: Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4077, 
Washington, DC 20230.
    Electronic versions of both documents can be viewed and downloaded 
at www.restorethegulf.gov.

    Legal Authority:  The statutory program authority for the Draft 
Initial Comprehensive Plan is found in subtitle F of the Moving 
Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (``MAP-21''), Pub. L. 
112-141, 126 Stat. 405 (Jul. 6, 2012).

    Dated: May 22, 2013.
Rebecca M. Blank,
Acting Secretary of Commerce, Chair, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration 
Council.
[FR Doc. 2013-12608 Filed 5-28-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-EA-P

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