Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #4: Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint Source) and Recreational Use, 17550-17552 [2018-07745]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
17550
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 77 / Friday, April 20, 2018 / Notices
Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20460; and (2) OMB via
email to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov.
Address comments to OMB Desk Officer
for EPA.
EPA’s policy is that all comments
received will be included in the public
docket without change including any
personal information provided, unless
the comment includes profanity, threats,
information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI), or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Patrick Yellin, Monitoring, Assistance,
and Media Programs Division, Office of
Compliance, Mail Code 2227A,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20460; telephone number: (202) 564–
2970; fax number: (202) 564–0050;
email address: yellin.patrick@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Supporting documents, which explain
in detail the information that the EPA
will be collecting, are available in the
public docket for this ICR. The docket
can be viewed online at
www.regulations.gov or in person at the
EPA Docket Center, WJC West, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW,
Washington, DC. The telephone number
for the Docket Center is 202–566–1744.
For additional information about EPA’s
public docket, visit: https://
www.epa.gov/dockets.
Abstract: The New Source
Performance Standards (NSPS) for
Calciners and Dryers in Mineral
Industries (40 CFR part 60, subpart
UUU) apply only to new calciners and
dryers at mineral processing plants that
either process or produce either any of
the following minerals and their
concentrates or any mixture of which
the majority is any of the following
minerals or a combination of these
minerals: Alumina, ball clay, bentonite,
diatomite, feldspar, fire clay, fuller’s
earth, gypsum, industrial sand, kaolin,
lightweight aggregate, magnesium
compounds, perlite, roofing granules,
talc, titanium dioxide, and vermiculite.
Particulate matter (PM) is the pollutant
regulated under this subpart. Feed and
product conveyors are not considered
part of the affected facility. Facilities
subject to the NSPS for Metallic Mineral
Processing Plants (40 CFR part 60,
subpart LL) are not subject to these
standards. There are additional
processes and process units at mineral
processing plants listed at Section
60.730(b) which are not subject to the
provisions of this Subpart. New
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:44 Apr 19, 2018
Jkt 244001
facilities include those that commenced
construction, modification or
reconstruction after the date of proposal.
In general, all NSPS standards require
initial notifications, performance tests,
and periodic reports by the owners/
operators of the affected facilities. They
are also required to maintain records of
the occurrence and duration of any
startup, shutdown, or malfunction in
the operation of an affected facility, or
any period during which the monitoring
system is inoperative. These
notifications, reports, and records are
essential in determining compliance,
and are required of all affected facilities
subject to NSPS.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities:
Owners and operators of calciners and
dryers at mineral processing plants.
Respondent’s obligation to respond:
Mandatory (40 CFR part 60, subpart
UUU).
Estimated number of respondents:
167 (total).
Frequency of response: Initially,
occasionally, and semiannually.
Total estimated burden: 6,630 hours
(per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR
1320.3(b).
Total estimated cost: $805,000 (per
year), includes $109,000 in either
annualized capital or operation &
maintenance costs.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a
small increase in the total estimated
burden currently identified in the OMB
Inventory of Approved Burdens. The
adjustment in the burden occurred
because this ICR assumes all existing
respondents will have to familiarize
with the regulatory requirements each
year. Further, there is an increase of one
response due to a correction. The
previous ICR did not account for the
notification of operational/physical
change in calculating the number of
responses.
Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2018–08332 Filed 4–19–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–9976–76–OW]
Notice of Availability of the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill Louisiana Trustee
Implementation Group Draft
Restoration Plan and Environmental
Assessment #4: Nutrient Reduction
(Nonpoint Source) and Recreational
Use
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Notice of availability; request
for public comments.
ACTION:
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 #4: Nutrient Reduction
(Nonpoint Source) and Recreational Use
(Draft RP/EA). The Draft RP/EA
describes and proposes restoration
project alternatives considered by the
Louisiana TIG to improve water quality
by reducing nutrients from nonpoint
sources and to compensate for
recreational use services lost 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 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). The purpose of this
notice is to inform the public of the
availability of the Draft RP/EA and to
seek public comments on the document.
DATES: The Louisiana TIG will consider
public comments received on or before
May 21, 2018.
Public Meeting: The Louisiana TIG
will also take verbal comments at a
public meeting that will be held at the
Tulane River and Coastal Center on
April 24, 2018; Open House 5:30 p.m.,
Meeting 6:00 p.m.; 1370 Port of New
Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may
download the Draft RP/EA at any of the
following sites:
• https://www.
gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov
• https://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 https://www.gulfspill
restoration.noaa.gov.
Submitting Comments: You may
submit comments on the Draft RP/EA by
one of the following methods:
• Via the Web: https://www.gulfspill
restoration.noaa.gov/restorationareas/louisiana
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\20APN1.SGM
20APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 77 / Friday, April 20, 2018 / Notices
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
• Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, P.O. Box 49567, Atlanta, GA
30345
• In Person: Verbal comments may be
provided at the public meeting on
April 24, 2018
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 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. 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 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.
OPA further instructs the designated
trustees to develop and implement a
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:44 Apr 19, 2018
Jkt 244001
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 now 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 July 2017 notice posted at https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov the
Louisiana TIG requested public input on
restoration project ideas in Louisiana
within the Nutrient Reduction
(Nonpoint Source) and Provide and
Enhance Recreational Opportunities
restoration types. The Louisiana TIG
reviewed and considered these
restoration project ideas.
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
17551
Overview of the Draft RP/EA
The Draft RP/EA is being released in
accordance with OPA, NRDA
regulations found in the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR 990, and
NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). In the
Draft RP/EA, the Louisiana TIG presents
to the public their plan to improve
water quality through nutrient reduction
(nonpoint sources) and to compensate
for recreational use services lost as a
result of the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill. In accordance with OPA and
NEPA, the Draft RP/EA evaluates a total
of 31 restoration project alternatives
within the Nutrient Reduction
(Nonpoint Source) and Provide and
Enhance Recreational Opportunities
restoration types. Of those, 23 are
identified as preferred alternatives, four
nutrient reduction projects and 19
projects to provide and enhance
recreational uses.
For the Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint
Source) restoration type, the Draft RP/
EA proposes the following preferred
project alternatives:
• Nutrient Reduction on Dairy Farms in
St. Helena and Tangipahoa Parishes
• Nutrient Reduction on Dairy Farms in
Washington Parish
• Nutrient Reduction on Cropland and
Grazing Land in Bayou Folse
• Winter Water Holding on Cropland in
Vermilion and Cameron Parishes Plus
Agricultural Best Management
Practices
For the Provide and Enhance
Recreational Opportunities restoration
type, the Draft RP/EA proposes the
following preferred project alternatives:
• Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management
Area Crevasse Access
• Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management
Area Campgrounds
• Grand Isle State Park Improvements
• Chitimacha Boat Launch
• Sam Houston Jones State Park
Improvements
• Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife
Management Area Recreational Use
Enhancement
• WHARF Phase 1
• Bayou Segnette State Park
Improvements
• Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife
Management Area Access
• Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife
Management Area Campgrounds
• Rockefeller Piers/Rockefeller Signage
• St. Bernard State Park Improvements
• Cypremort Point State Park
Improvements
• The Wetlands Center
• Recreational Use Improvements at
Barataria Preserve in Jefferson Parish,
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park
and Preserve, Barataria Preserve Unit
E:\FR\FM\20APN1.SGM
20APN1
17552
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 77 / Friday, April 20, 2018 / Notices
• Des Allemands Boat Launch
• Middle Pearl
• Improvements to Grand Avoille Boat
Launch
• Belle Chasse
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 reduce nutrients (nonpoint
sources) and restore recreational use
services lost as a result of the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill. The total estimated
cost of the preferred alternatives is
approximately $47.5 million ($9.5
million for nutrient reduction and $38
million for recreational use). 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 meeting is scheduled to also 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/
administrativerecord.
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 NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
Dated: April 5, 2018.
Benita Best-Wong,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant
Administrator, Office of Water.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
[FR Doc. 2018–07745 Filed 4–19–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:44 Apr 19, 2018
Jkt 244001
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OECA–2014–0056; FRL–9975–
05–OEI]
Information Collection Request
Submitted to OMB for Review and
Approval; Comment Request; NESHAP
for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair
Facilities—Surface Coating (Renewal)
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has submitted an
information collection request (ICR)—
NESHAP for Shipbuilding and Ship
Repair Facilities—Surface Coating, EPA
ICR Number 1712.10, OMB Control
Number 2060–0330, to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and approval in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a
proposed extension of the ICR, which is
currently approved through April 30,
2018. Public comments were requested
previously, via the Federal Register, on
June 29, 2017 during a 60-day comment
period. This notice allows for an
additional 30 days for public comments.
A fuller description of the ICR is given
below, including its estimated burden
and cost to the public. An agency may
neither conduct nor sponsor, and a
person is not required to respond to, a
collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
DATES: Additional comments may be
submitted on or before May 21, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
referencing Docket ID Number EPA–
HQ–OECA–2014–0056, to: (1) EPA
online using www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method), or by email to
docket.oeca@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA
Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20460; and (2) OMB via
email to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov.
Address comments to OMB Desk Officer
for EPA.
EPA’s policy is that all comments
received will be included in the public
docket without change including any
personal information provided, unless
the comment includes profanity, threats,
information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI), or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Patrick Yellin, Monitoring, Assistance,
and Media Programs Division, Office of
Compliance, Mail Code 2227A,
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00033
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20460; telephone number: (202) 564–
2970; fax number: (202) 564–0050;
email address: yellin.patrick@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Supporting documents, which explain
in detail the information that the EPA
will be collecting, are available in the
public docket for this ICR. The docket
can be viewed online either at
www.regulations.gov or in person at the
EPA Docket Center, WJC West, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW,
Washington, DC. The telephone number
for the Docket Center is 202–566–1744.
For additional information about EPA’s
public docket, visit: https://
www.epa.gov/dockets.
Abstract: The National Emission
Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
(NESHAP) for Shipbuilding and Ship
Repair Facilities—Surface Coating were
amended on November 21, 2011 to
finalize the residual risk and technology
review by re-adopting existing MACT
standards, eliminated the startup,
shutdown, and malfunction (SSM)
exemption, removed SSM plan
requirement, and revised SSMassociated recordkeeping and reporting
requirements for periods of
malfunctions. The shipbuilding and
ship repair industry consists of
establishments that build, repair,
repaint, convert and alter ships which
are marine or fresh-water vessels used
for military or commercial operations.
These regulations apply to only the
shipbuilding and repair surface coating
operations that occur at facilities that
are major sources of hazardous air
pollutants (HAPs). New facilities
include those that commenced
construction or reconstruction after the
date of proposal. In general, all NESHAP
standards require initial notifications,
performance tests, and periodic reports
by the owners/operators of the affected
facilities. They are also required to
maintain records of the occurrence and
duration of any startup, shutdown, or
malfunction in the operation of an
affected facility, or any period during
which the monitoring system is
inoperative. These notifications, reports,
and records are essential in determining
compliance, and are required of all
affected facilities subject to NESHAP.
This information is being collected to
assure compliance with 40 CFR part 63,
subpart II.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities:
Owners or operators of shipbuilding and
ship repair facilities.
Respondent’s obligation to respond:
Mandatory (40 CFR part 63, subpart II).
E:\FR\FM\20APN1.SGM
20APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 77 (Friday, April 20, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17550-17552]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07745]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9976-76-OW]
Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan and
Environmental Assessment #4: Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint Source) and
Recreational Use
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 #4: Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint Source) and
Recreational Use (Draft RP/EA). The Draft RP/EA describes and proposes
restoration project alternatives considered by the Louisiana TIG to
improve water quality by reducing nutrients from nonpoint sources and
to compensate for recreational use services lost 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 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). The purpose of this notice
is to inform the public of the availability of the Draft RP/EA and to
seek public comments on the document.
DATES: The Louisiana TIG will consider public comments received on or
before May 21, 2018.
Public Meeting: The Louisiana TIG will also take verbal comments at
a public meeting that will be held at the Tulane River and Coastal
Center on April 24, 2018; Open House 5:30 p.m., Meeting 6:00 p.m.; 1370
Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft RP/EA at any of the
following sites:
https://www. gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov
https://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 https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the Draft RP/EA by
one of the following methods:
Via the Web: https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/louisiana
[[Page 17551]]
Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 49567,
Atlanta, GA 30345
In Person: Verbal comments may be provided at the public
meeting on April 24, 2018
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 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. 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 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. 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 now 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 July 2017 notice posted at https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov the Louisiana TIG requested public
input on restoration project ideas in Louisiana within the Nutrient
Reduction (Nonpoint Source) and Provide and Enhance Recreational
Opportunities restoration types. 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 OPA, NRDA
regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR
990, and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). In the Draft RP/EA, the
Louisiana TIG presents to the public their plan to improve water
quality through nutrient reduction (nonpoint sources) and to compensate
for recreational use services lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon
oil spill. In accordance with OPA and NEPA, the Draft RP/EA evaluates a
total of 31 restoration project alternatives within the Nutrient
Reduction (Nonpoint Source) and Provide and Enhance Recreational
Opportunities restoration types. Of those, 23 are identified as
preferred alternatives, four nutrient reduction projects and 19
projects to provide and enhance recreational uses.
For the Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint Source) restoration type, the
Draft RP/EA proposes the following preferred project alternatives:
Nutrient Reduction on Dairy Farms in St. Helena and Tangipahoa
Parishes
Nutrient Reduction on Dairy Farms in Washington Parish
Nutrient Reduction on Cropland and Grazing Land in Bayou Folse
Winter Water Holding on Cropland in Vermilion and Cameron
Parishes Plus Agricultural Best Management Practices
For the Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities restoration
type, the Draft RP/EA proposes the following preferred project
alternatives:
Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area Crevasse Access
Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area Campgrounds
Grand Isle State Park Improvements
Chitimacha Boat Launch
Sam Houston Jones State Park Improvements
Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area Recreational Use
Enhancement
WHARF Phase 1
Bayou Segnette State Park Improvements
Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area Access
Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area Campgrounds
Rockefeller Piers/Rockefeller Signage
St. Bernard State Park Improvements
Cypremort Point State Park Improvements
The Wetlands Center
Recreational Use Improvements at Barataria Preserve in
Jefferson Parish, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve,
Barataria Preserve Unit
[[Page 17552]]
Des Allemands Boat Launch
Middle Pearl
Improvements to Grand Avoille Boat Launch
Belle Chasse
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 reduce nutrients (nonpoint sources) and restore
recreational use services lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill. The total estimated cost of the preferred alternatives is
approximately $47.5 million ($9.5 million for nutrient reduction and
$38 million for recreational use). 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 meeting is scheduled to also 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/administrativerecord.
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 NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
Dated: April 5, 2018.
Benita Best-Wong,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2018-07745 Filed 4-19-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
