Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Elmer's Island Access Project Modification, 23460-23461 [2018-10112]
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23460
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2018 / Notices
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–9977–97–OW]
Notice of Availability of the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill Louisiana Trustee
Implementation Group Draft
Supplemental Restoration Plan and
Environmental Assessment for the
Elmer’s Island Access Project
Modification
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for public comments.
AGENCY:
On December 20, 2017, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
published a Notice of Availability of the
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Louisiana
Trustee Implementation Group
(Louisiana TIG) Draft Restoration Plan
and Environmental Assessment #2:
Provide and Enhance Recreational
Opportunities (Draft RP/EA #2) and
requested comments from the public. In
response to the public comments
received on the Elmer’s Island Access
project proposed in the Draft RP/EA #2,
the Louisiana TIG is proposing a
modification to the original Elmer’s
Island Access project feature. 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 TIG
prepared a Draft Supplemental
Restoration Plan and Environmental
Assessment for the Elmer’s Island
Access Project Modification (Draft
Supplemental RP/EA). The Draft
Supplemental RP/EA evaluates the
proposed change to the Elmer’s Island
Access project and alternatives
considered by the Louisiana TIG under
criteria set forth in the OPA natural
resource damage assessment (NRDA)
regulations, and evaluates their
environmental effects in accordance
with NEPA. The proposed modification
to the Elmer’s Island Access project is
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
Supplemental RP/EA and to seek public
comments on the document.
DATES: The Louisiana TIG will consider
public comments received on or before
June 20, 2018.
Public Meeting: The Louisiana TIG
will also take verbal comments at a
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:20 May 18, 2018
Jkt 244001
public meeting that will be held at the
Tulane River and Coastal Center on May
22, 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 Supplemental
RP/EA at any of the following sites:
• https://www.gulfspill
restoration.noaa.gov.
• https://www.la-dwh.com.
Alternatively, you may request a CD
of the Draft Supplemental 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
Supplemental RP/EA by one of the
following methods:
• Via the Web: https://www.gulfspill
restoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/
louisiana.
• 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 May
22, 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—Tim Landers, 202–566–2231.
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
PO 00000
Frm 00047
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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
E:\FR\FM\21MYN1.SGM
21MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2018 / Notices
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.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Background
In the December 2017 Draft RP/EA #2,
the Louisiana TIG presented to the
public its plan for providing partial
compensation for recreational use
services lost as a result of the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill. The public comment
period for the Draft RP/EA #2 began on
December 20, 2017, and closed on
February 2, 2018. The Louisiana TIG
hosted a public meeting on January 24,
2018, in New Orleans. The Draft RP/EA
#2 proposed four restoration projects,
evaluated in accordance with OPA and
NEPA, including the Elmer’s Island
Access project. As proposed, the Elmer’s
Island Access project would enhance
recreational opportunities within the
Elmer’s Island Refuge by incorporating
a suite of features to improve upon
existing access points, enhance the
natural features of the area through
reconnected hydrology, and develop a
solution for improved access for
recreational fishing activities targeting
the eastern portion of Elmer’s Island
adjacent to Caminada Pass. In response
to the public comments received on the
Elmer’s Island Access project proposed
in the Draft RP/EA #2, the Louisiana
TIG is proposing a modification to the
original project feature. This
modification would eliminate the
proposed boardwalk and associated
small boat launch and parking area at
Elmer’s Island, and provide a beach
shuttle service that would allow
improved public access to Caminada
Pass, the most popular location for
recreational fishing on Elmer’s Island.
The Louisiana TIG has prepared the
Draft Supplemental RP/EA to inform the
public about the proposed modification
to the Elmer’s Island Access project and
to seek public comment.
Next Steps
The public is encouraged to review
and comment on the Draft
Supplemental RP/EA. A public meeting
is scheduled to also help facilitate the
public review and comment process.
Comments provided on the Draft
Supplemental RP/EA will be considered
along with comments previously
received on the Draft RP/EA #2. A
summary of comments received on the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:20 May 18, 2018
Jkt 244001
Draft Supplemental RP/EA and the Draft
RP/EA #2 and the Louisiana TIG’s
responses, where applicable, will be
included in the Final Restoration Plan/
Environmental Assessment #2: Provide
and Enhance Recreational Opportunities
(Final RP/EA #2). Public comments on
the Draft Supplemental RP/EA will
inform the Louisiana TIG’s decision on
whether to select the Elmer’s Island
Access project, as modified, in the Final
RP/EA #2.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the
Administrative Record for the Draft
Supplemental 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: May 3, 2018.
Benita Best-Wong,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant
Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2018–10112 Filed 5–18–18; 8:45 am]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[ER–FRL–9039–04–OP]
Environmental Impact Statements;
Notice of Availability
Responsible Agency: Office of Federal
Activities, General Information (202)
564–7156 or https://
www2.epa.gov/nepa/.
Weekly receipt of Environmental Impact
Statements
Filed 05/07/2018 Through 05/11/2018
Pursuant to 40 CFR 1506.9
Notice
Section 309(a) of the Clean Air Act
requires that EPA make public its
comments on EISs issued by other
Federal agencies. EPA’s comment letters
on EISs are available at: https://
cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cdx-nepa-public/
action/eis/search.
EIS No. 20180095, Final, USFWS, CA,
Final Environmental Impact
Statement/Environmental Impact
Report for the South Sacramento
Habitat Conservation Plan, Review
Period Ends: 06/21/2018, Contact:
Nina Bicknese 916–414–6633.
EIS No. 20180096, Final Supplement,
BLM, CA, Palen Solar Project
(formerly Palen Solar Power Project),
PO 00000
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23461
Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement/Environmental
Impact Report/Land Use Plan
Amendment, Review Period Ends: 06/
21/2018, Contact: Mark DeMaio 760–
833–7124.
EIS No. 20180097, Final, USFS, CO,
Travel Management—Rico West
Dolores Roads and Trails Project,
Review Period Ends: 06/21/2018,
Contact: Deborah Kill 970–882–6822.
EIS No. 20180098, Final, USFS, MT,
Starry Goat, Review Period Ends: 06/
21/2018, Contact: Lisa Osborn 406–
295–7426.
EIS No. 20180099, Draft, FAA, AZ,
Tucson International Airport—
Airfield Safety Enhancement Project,
Comment Period Ends: 07/09/2018,
Contact: David B. Kessler, AICP 310–
725–3615.
EIS No. 20180100, Final, USFS, CO, P
District-wide Salvage Project, Review
Period Ends: 07/05/2018, Contact:
Mike Tooley 719–274–6321.
EIS No. 20180101, Draft Supplement,
Caltrans, CA, SR 710 North Study
FRDEIR/SDEIS_05–09–18, Comment
Period Ends: 07/05/2018, Contact:
Jason Roach 213–897–0357.
EIS No. 20180102, Draft, NMFS, FL,
Coral Habitat Areas Considered for
Habitat Areas of Particular Concern
Designation in the Gulf of Mexico,
Comment Period Ends: 07/05/2018,
Contact: Lauren Waters 727–209–
5991.
EIS No. 20180103, Final, USFWS, CA,
Otay River Estuary Restoration
Project, South San Diego Bay Unit of
the San Diego Bay National Wildlife
Refuge, California, Final
Environmental Impact Statement,
Review Period Ends:
06/21/2018, Contact: Brian Collins
619–575–2704.
Dated: May 17, 2018.
Brittany Bolen,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of
Policy.
[FR Doc. 2018–10937 Filed 5–18–18; 8:45 am]
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23460-23461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10112]
[[Page 23460]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9977-97-OW]
Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Draft Supplemental Restoration
Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Elmer's Island Access Project
Modification
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On December 20, 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) published a Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil
Spill Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (Louisiana TIG) Draft
Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #2: Provide and Enhance
Recreational Opportunities (Draft RP/EA #2) and requested comments from
the public. In response to the public comments received on the Elmer's
Island Access project proposed in the Draft RP/EA #2, the Louisiana TIG
is proposing a modification to the original Elmer's Island Access
project feature. 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 TIG prepared a
Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for
the Elmer's Island Access Project Modification (Draft Supplemental RP/
EA). The Draft Supplemental RP/EA evaluates the proposed change to the
Elmer's Island Access project and alternatives considered by the
Louisiana TIG under criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource
damage assessment (NRDA) regulations, and evaluates their environmental
effects in accordance with NEPA. The proposed modification to the
Elmer's Island Access project is 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 Supplemental
RP/EA and to seek public comments on the document.
DATES: The Louisiana TIG will consider public comments received on or
before June 20, 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 May 22, 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 Supplemental
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 Supplemental 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
Supplemental RP/EA by one of the following methods:
Via the Web: https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/louisiana.
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 May 22, 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--Tim Landers, 202-566-2231.
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
[[Page 23461]]
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 the December 2017 Draft RP/EA #2, the Louisiana TIG presented to
the public its plan for providing partial compensation for recreational
use services lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The
public comment period for the Draft RP/EA #2 began on December 20,
2017, and closed on February 2, 2018. The Louisiana TIG hosted a public
meeting on January 24, 2018, in New Orleans. The Draft RP/EA #2
proposed four restoration projects, evaluated in accordance with OPA
and NEPA, including the Elmer's Island Access project. As proposed, the
Elmer's Island Access project would enhance recreational opportunities
within the Elmer's Island Refuge by incorporating a suite of features
to improve upon existing access points, enhance the natural features of
the area through reconnected hydrology, and develop a solution for
improved access for recreational fishing activities targeting the
eastern portion of Elmer's Island adjacent to Caminada Pass. In
response to the public comments received on the Elmer's Island Access
project proposed in the Draft RP/EA #2, the Louisiana TIG is proposing
a modification to the original project feature. This modification would
eliminate the proposed boardwalk and associated small boat launch and
parking area at Elmer's Island, and provide a beach shuttle service
that would allow improved public access to Caminada Pass, the most
popular location for recreational fishing on Elmer's Island. The
Louisiana TIG has prepared the Draft Supplemental RP/EA to inform the
public about the proposed modification to the Elmer's Island Access
project and to seek public comment.
Next Steps
The public is encouraged to review and comment on the Draft
Supplemental RP/EA. A public meeting is scheduled to also help
facilitate the public review and comment process. Comments provided on
the Draft Supplemental RP/EA will be considered along with comments
previously received on the Draft RP/EA #2. A summary of comments
received on the Draft Supplemental RP/EA and the Draft RP/EA #2 and the
Louisiana TIG's responses, where applicable, will be included in the
Final Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #2: Provide and Enhance
Recreational Opportunities (Final RP/EA #2). Public comments on the
Draft Supplemental RP/EA will inform the Louisiana TIG's decision on
whether to select the Elmer's Island Access project, as modified, in
the Final RP/EA #2.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the Administrative Record for the Draft
Supplemental 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: May 3, 2018.
Benita Best-Wong,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2018-10112 Filed 5-18-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
