Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Final Restoration Plan #1.3 and Environmental Assessment: Rabbit Island Restoration and Shoreline Protection at Jean Lafitte Historical National Park and Preserve and Finding of No Significant Impact; Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group, 10458-10460 [2020-03554]
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10458
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 2020 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management
Agency
[Docket ID: FEMA–2020–0011; OMB No.
1660–0006]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; National Flood
Insurance Program Policy Forms
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, DHS.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Federal Emergency
Management Agency, as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden, invites the
general public and other Federal
agencies to take this opportunity to
comment on a revision of a currently
approved information collection. In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks
comments concerning information
collected for the selling and servicing of
National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP) policies by FEMA’s direct
servicing agent, NFIP Direct.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before April 24, 2020.
ADDRESSES: To avoid duplicate
submissions to the docket, please use
only one of the following means to
submit comments:
(1) Online. Submit comments at
www.regulations.gov under Docket ID
FEMA–2020–0011. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
(2) Mail. Submit written comments to
Docket Manager, Office of Chief
Counsel, DHS/FEMA, 500 C Street SW,
8NE, Washington, DC 20472–3100.
All submissions received must
include the agency name and Docket ID.
Regardless of the method used for
submitting comments or material, all
submissions will be posted, without
change, to the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov,
and will include any personal
information you provide. Therefore,
submitting this information makes it
public. You may wish to read the
Privacy Act notice that is available via
the link in the footer of
www.regulations.gov.
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joycelyn Collins, Underwriting Branch
Program Analyst, Federal Insurance
Directorate, Joycelyn.Collins@
fema.dhs.gov, 202–212–4716. You may
contact the Records Management
Division for copies of the proposed
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collection of information at email
address: FEMA-Information-CollectionsManagement@fema.dhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NFIP
is authorized by Public Law 90–448
(1968) and expanded by Public Law 93–
234 (1973). The National Flood
Insurance Act of 1968 requires that the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) provide flood insurance at full
actuarial rates reflecting the complete
flood risk to structures built or
substantially improved on or after the
effective date for the initial Flood
Insurance Rate Map for the community,
or after December 31, 1974, whichever
is later, so that the risks associated with
buildings in flood-prone areas are borne
by those located in such areas and not
by the taxpayers at large. In accordance
with Public Law 93–234, the purchase
of flood insurance is mandatory when
Federal or federally related financial
assistance is being provided for
acquisition or construction of buildings
located, or to be located, within FEMAidentified special flood hazard areas of
communities that participate in the
NFIP.
Collection of Information
Title: National Flood Insurance
Program Policy Forms.
Type of Information Collection:
Revision of a currently approved
information collection.
OMB Number: 1660–0006.
FEMA Forms: FEMA Form 086–0–1,
Flood Insurance Application; FEMA
Form 086–0–2, Flood Insurance
Cancellation/Nullification Request
Form; FEMA Form 086–0–3, Flood
Insurance General Change Endorsement;
FEMA Form 086–0–4, V-Zone Risk
Factor Rating Form and Instructions
(discontinued October 16, 2019, due to
insufficient use); and FEMA Form 086–
0–5, Flood Insurance Preferred Risk
Policy and Newly Mapped Application.
Abstract: In order to provide for the
availability of policies for flood
insurance, policies are marketed
through the facilities of licensed
insurance agents or brokers in the
various States. Applications from agents
or brokers are forwarded to a direct
servicing agent designated as fiscal
agent by the Federal Insurance and
Mitigation Administration (FIMA),
referred to as NFIP Direct. Upon receipt
and examination of the application and
required premium, the servicing
company issues the appropriate Federal
flood insurance policy.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; State, local or Tribal
Government; Business or other for
profit; Not-for-profit institutions; and
Farms.
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Number of Respondents: 409,781.
Number of Responses: 409,781.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 62,196.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Cost: $2,268,288.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to the
Federal Government: $9,356,398.
Comments
Comments may be submitted as
indicated in the ADDRESSES caption
above. Comments are solicited to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed data
collection is necessary for the proper
performance of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) evaluate the
accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(c) enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) minimize the burden
of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through
the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submission of
responses.
Maile Arthur,
Acting Records Management Branch Chief,
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer,
Mission Support, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, Department of
Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2020–03610 Filed 2–21–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS–R4–ES–2020–N014;
FVHC98220410150–XXX–FF04H00000]
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Final
Restoration Plan #1.3 and
Environmental Assessment: Rabbit
Island Restoration and Shoreline
Protection at Jean Lafitte Historical
National Park and Preserve and
Finding of No Significant Impact;
Louisiana Trustee Implementation
Group
Department of the Interior.
Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In accordance with the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), the Final Programmatic
Damage Assessment Restoration Plan
and Final Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement (Final PDARP/PEIS),
and the Consent Decree, the Federal and
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\24FEN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 2020 / Notices
State natural resource trustee agencies
for the Louisiana Trustee
Implementation Group (LA TIG) have
prepared the Louisiana Trustee
Implementation Group Final Phase 2
Restoration Plan/Environmental
Assessment #1.3:Rabbit Island
Restoration and Shoreline Protection at
Jean Lafitte Historical National Park
and Preserve (Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3) and
Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI), approving construction
activities for the restoration of habitats
on federally managed lands and birds
injured in the Louisiana Restoration
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may
download the Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 from
either of the following websites:
• https://www.doi.gov/
deepwaterhorizon.
• https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/
restoration-areas/louisiana.
Alternatively, you may request a CD
of the Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). A hard
copy of the Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 is also
available for public review at the
locations listed in the following table.
Library
Address
City
St. Tammany Parish Library .....................................................
Terrebonne Parish Library ........................................................
New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana Division .......................
East Baton Rouge Parish Library .............................................
Jefferson Parish Library, East Bank Regional Library .............
Jefferson Parish Library, West Bank Regional Library ............
Plaquemines Parish Library ......................................................
St. Bernard Parish Library ........................................................
St. Martin Parish Library ...........................................................
Alex P. Allain Library ................................................................
Vermilion Parish Library ............................................................
Martha Sowell Utley Memorial Library ......................................
South Lafourche Public Library ................................................
Calcasieu Parish Public Library Central Branch ......................
Iberia Parish Library ..................................................................
Mark Shirley, LSU AgCenter ....................................................
310 W 21st Avenue ................
151 Library Drive ....................
219 Loyola Avenue .................
7711 Goodwood Boulevard ....
4747 W Napoleon Avenue .....
2751 Manhattan Boulevard ....
8442 Highway 23 ....................
1125 E St. Bernard Highway ..
201 Porter Street ....................
206 Iberia Street .....................
405 E St. Victor Street ............
314 St. Mary Street ................
16241 E Main Street ...............
301 W Claude Street ..............
445 E Main Street ...................
1105 West Port Street ............
Covington ................................
Houma ....................................
New Orleans ...........................
Baton Rouge ...........................
Metairie ...................................
Harvey .....................................
Belle Chasse ...........................
Chalmette ................................
St. Martinville ..........................
Franklin ...................................
Abbeville .................................
Thibodaux ...............................
Cut Off ....................................
Lake Charles ...........................
New Iberia ...............................
Abbeville .................................
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nanciann Regalado, via email at
nanciann_regalado@fws.gov, via
telephone at 678–296–6805, or via the
Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES
Area as a result of the Deepwater
Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The Phase 2
RP/EA #1.3 analyzes restoration project
design alternatives for two projects,
which were approved for engineering
and design (E&D) in a previous
restoration plan. In the final Phase 2 RP/
EA #1.3, the LA TIG selected and
approved a design alternative for
construction of each, at a total
approximate cost of $36,048,500. The
purpose of this notice is to inform the
public of the availability of the final
Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 and FONSI.
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 DWH oil
spill is the largest offshore oil spill in
U.S. history, discharging millions of
barrels of oil over a period of 87 days.
In addition, well over 1 million gallons
of dispersants were applied to the
waters of the spill area in an attempt to
disperse the spilled oil. An
undetermined amount of natural gas
was also released into the environment
as a result of the spill.
The Trustees conducted the natural
resource damage assessment (NRDA) for
the DWH oil spill under the Oil
Pollution Act 1990 (OPA; 33 U.S.C.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:30 Feb 21, 2020
Jkt 250001
2701 et seq.). Pursuant to OPA, Federal
and State agencies act as trustees on
behalf of the public to assess natural
resource injuries and losses and to
determine the actions required to
compensate the public for those injuries
and losses. The OPA further instructs
the designated trustees to develop and
implement a plan for the restoration,
rehabilitation, replacement, or
acquisition of the equivalent of the
injured natural resources under their
trusteeship to baseline (the resource
quality and conditions that would exist
if the spill had not occurred). This
includes the loss of use and services
provided by those resources from the
time of injury until the completion of
restoration.
The DWH Trustees are:
• U.S. Department of the Interior
(DOI), as represented by the National
Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and Bureau of Land
Management;
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), on behalf of
the U.S. Department of Commerce;
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA);
• U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA);
• State of Louisiana Coastal
Protection and Restoration Authority,
PO 00000
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10459
Zip
70433
70360
70112
70806
70001
70058
70037
70043
70582
70538
70510
70301
70345
70605
70560
70510
Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office,
Department of Environmental Quality,
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries,
and Department of Natural Resources;
• State of Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality;
• State of Alabama Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources and
Geological Survey of Alabama;
• State of Florida Department of
Environmental Protection and Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission; and
• State of Texas: Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department, Texas General
Land Office, and Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality.
On April 4, 2016, the United States
District Court for the Eastern District of
Louisiana entered a Consent Decree
resolving civil claims by the Trustees
against BP arising from the DWH oil
spill: United States v. BPXP et al., Civ.
No. 10–4536, centralized in MDL 2179,
In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig
‘‘Deepwater Horizon’’ in the Gulf of
Mexico, on April 20, 2010 (E.D. La.)
(https://www.justice.gov/enrd/deepwaterhorizon). Pursuant to the Consent
Decree, restoration projects in the
Louisiana Restoration Area are chosen
and managed by the LA TIG. The LA
TIG is composed of the following
Trustees: State of Louisiana Coastal
Protection and Restoration Authority,
E:\FR\FM\24FEN1.SGM
24FEN1
10460
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 2020 / Notices
Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office,
Departments of Environmental Quality,
Wildlife and Fisheries, and Natural
Resources; DOI; NOAA; EPA; and
USDA.
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Background
The Final PDARP/PEIS provides for
TIGs to propose phasing restoration
projects across multiple restoration
plans. A TIG may propose in a draft
restoration plan conceptual projects to
fund for an information-gathering
planning phase, such as E&D (phase 1).
This allows TIGs to develop information
needed to fully consider a subsequent
implementation phase in a later
restoration plan (phase 2). In the final
Phase 1 RP #1, the LA TIG selected six
conceptual projects for E&D, using
funds from the wetlands, coastal and
nearshore habitats; birds; and habitat
projects on federally managed lands
restoration types, as provided for in the
DWH Consent Decree. Two of those
projects that were selected for E&D in
the final Phase I RP #1 are the Rabbit
Island Restoration project (Rabbit Island
project), under the birds restoration
type, and the Shoreline Protection at
Jean Lafitte Historical National Park and
Preserve (Jean Lafitte project) under the
habitat projects on federally managed
lands restoration type. When E&D for
those projects reached a stage where
enough information was available to
conduct OPA and NEPA analyses on the
alternatives, a Phase 2 plan was drafted.
Notice of availability of the draft Phase
2 RP/EA #1.3 was published in the
Federal Register on November 13, 2019
(84 FR 61636). Public comment was
encouraged and accepted until
December 20, 2019. The LA TIG hosted
a public webinar on December 2, 2019,
to facilitate public review and comment.
The LA TIG considered the public
comments received and finalized the
Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3. A summary of the
public comments received and the LA
TIG’s responses to those comments are
presented in Section 7 of the final Phase
2 RP/EA #1.3.
Overview of the LA TIG Draft Phase 2
RP/EA #1.3
The final Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 is being
released in accordance with OPA NRDA
regulations found in the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR part 990,
NEPA and its implementing regulations
found at 40 CFR parts 1500–1508, the
Final PDARP/PEIS, and the Consent
Decree. The Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3
provides OPA and NEPA analyses for a
reasonable range of design alternatives
for the Rabbit Island Restoration and
Jean Lafitte Shoreline Restoration
projects, and identifies the LA TIG’s
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18:30 Feb 21, 2020
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preferred design alternatives, those
which the LA TIG believes best meet the
objectives of the two projects. In
accordance with NEPA, as part of the
final Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3, the Trustees
issued a FONSI. The FONSI is available
in Appendix E of the Phase 2 RP/EA
#1.3.
The Rabbit Island Restoration project
meets the goal of restoring and
conserving birds by restoring 87.8 acres
of the island’s original 200-acre
footprint for bird habitat. This would be
done by raising the elevation of Rabbit
Island using dredged fill material from
the Calcasieu Ship Channel as the
borrow source area. Total cost for this
project is approximately $15,600,000.
The Jean Lafitte Shoreline Protection
project implements a nearly continuous
rock breakwater, with rock elbows
protecting fish gaps along the eastern
shorelines of Lake Cataouche, Lake
Salvador, and Bayou Bardeaux in the
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and
Preserve. Implementation is proposed in
two increments, the northern and the
southern portions of the project area. In
the final Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3, the LA
TIG approves to fund only the southern
portion of the project at this time. The
northern portion may be funded at a
later date. Total cost for this project is
approximately $20,448,500.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the
Administrative Record for the Phase 2
RP/EA #1.3 can be viewed electronically
at https://www.doi.gov/
deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701 et
seq.), its implementing Natural Resource
Damage Assessment regulations found
at 15 CFR part 990, and the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its
implementing regulations found at 40
CFR parts 1500–1508.
Mary Josie Blanchard,
Department of the Interior, Director of Gulf
of Mexico Restoration.
[FR Doc. 2020–03554 Filed 2–21–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVW00000.L5110000. GN0000.
LVEMF1805980.18X .MO#4500142520]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed POA11 Project—
Modification to the Plan of Operations
for the Coeur Rochester and Packard
Mines, Pershing County, Nevada
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) Humboldt
River Field Office, Winnemucca,
Nevada has prepared a Final
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
and by this notice is announcing its
availability.
SUMMARY:
The BLM will not issue a final
decision on the proposal for a minimum
of 30 days after the date that the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of Coeur Rochester
and Packard Mines POA11 Project Plan
of Operations and EIS are available for
public inspection at the Winnemucca
District BLM Office, 5100 East
Winnemucca Boulevard, Winnemucca,
Nevada. Interested persons may also
review the Final EIS on the internet at
https://go.usa.gov/xPdjC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kathleen Rehberg, Project Lead,
telephone: (775) 623–1500; address:
5100 East Winnemucca Boulevard,
Winnemucca, NV 89445. Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
contact the above individual during
normal business hours. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
to leave a message or question with the
above individual. You will receive a
reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
applicant, Coeur Rochester Inc., has
requested to modify its approved Plan of
Operations at the Rochester and Packard
mines by expanding its operations. The
mine is located approximately 26 miles
northeast of Lovelock, Nevada. The
mine is currently authorized
disturbance up to 2203.1 acres
(approximately 164.6 acres of private
land and 2038.5 acres of public land),
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\24FEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 36 (Monday, February 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10458-10460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03554]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS-R4-ES-2020-N014; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04H00000]
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Final Restoration Plan #1.3 and
Environmental Assessment: Rabbit Island Restoration and Shoreline
Protection at Jean Lafitte Historical National Park and Preserve and
Finding of No Significant Impact; Louisiana Trustee Implementation
Group
AGENCY: Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Final
Programmatic Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (Final PDARP/PEIS), and the Consent
Decree, the Federal and
[[Page 10459]]
State natural resource trustee agencies for the Louisiana Trustee
Implementation Group (LA TIG) have prepared the Louisiana Trustee
Implementation Group Final Phase 2 Restoration Plan/Environmental
Assessment #1.3:Rabbit Island Restoration and Shoreline Protection at
Jean Lafitte Historical National Park and Preserve (Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3)
and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), approving construction
activities for the restoration of habitats on federally managed lands
and birds injured in the Louisiana Restoration Area as a result of the
Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 analyzes
restoration project design alternatives for two projects, which were
approved for engineering and design (E&D) in a previous restoration
plan. In the final Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3, the LA TIG selected and approved
a design alternative for construction of each, at a total approximate
cost of $36,048,500. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public
of the availability of the final Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 and FONSI.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may download the Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 from
either of the following websites:
https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon.
https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/louisiana.
Alternatively, you may request a CD of the Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 (see
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). A hard copy of the Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3
is also available for public review at the locations listed in the
following table.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Library Address City Zip
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Tammany Parish Library.............. 310 W 21st Avenue......... Covington................. 70433
Terrebonne Parish Library............... 151 Library Drive......... Houma..................... 70360
New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana 219 Loyola Avenue......... New Orleans............... 70112
Division.
East Baton Rouge Parish Library......... 7711 Goodwood Boulevard... Baton Rouge............... 70806
Jefferson Parish Library, East Bank 4747 W Napoleon Avenue.... Metairie.................. 70001
Regional Library.
Jefferson Parish Library, West Bank 2751 Manhattan Boulevard.. Harvey.................... 70058
Regional Library.
Plaquemines Parish Library.............. 8442 Highway 23........... Belle Chasse.............. 70037
St. Bernard Parish Library.............. 1125 E St. Bernard Highway Chalmette................. 70043
St. Martin Parish Library............... 201 Porter Street......... St. Martinville........... 70582
Alex P. Allain Library.................. 206 Iberia Street......... Franklin.................. 70538
Vermilion Parish Library................ 405 E St. Victor Street... Abbeville................. 70510
Martha Sowell Utley Memorial Library.... 314 St. Mary Street....... Thibodaux................. 70301
South Lafourche Public Library.......... 16241 E Main Street....... Cut Off................... 70345
Calcasieu Parish Public Library Central 301 W Claude Street....... Lake Charles.............. 70605
Branch.
Iberia Parish Library................... 445 E Main Street......... New Iberia................ 70560
Mark Shirley, LSU AgCenter.............. 1105 West Port Street..... Abbeville................. 70510
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nanciann Regalado, via email at
[email protected], via telephone at 678-296-6805, or via the
Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
On April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater
Horizon, which was being used to drill a well for BP Exploration and
Production, Inc. (BP), in the Macondo prospect (Mississippi Canyon 252-
MC252), experienced a significant explosion, fire, and subsequent
sinking in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in an unprecedented volume of
oil and other discharges from the rig and from the wellhead on the
seabed. The DWH oil spill is the largest offshore oil spill in U.S.
history, discharging millions of barrels of oil over a period of 87
days. In addition, well over 1 million gallons of dispersants were
applied to the waters of the spill area in an attempt to disperse the
spilled oil. An undetermined amount of natural gas was also released
into the environment as a result of the spill.
The Trustees conducted the natural resource damage assessment
(NRDA) for the DWH oil spill under the Oil Pollution Act 1990 (OPA; 33
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). Pursuant to OPA, Federal and State agencies act
as trustees on behalf of the public to assess natural resource injuries
and losses and to determine the actions required to compensate the
public for those injuries and losses. The OPA further instructs the
designated trustees to develop and implement a plan for the
restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or acquisition of the
equivalent of the injured natural resources under their trusteeship to
baseline (the resource quality and conditions that would exist if the
spill had not occurred). This includes the loss of use and services
provided by those resources from the time of injury until the
completion of restoration.
The DWH Trustees are:
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), as represented by
the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau
of Land Management;
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on
behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce;
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA);
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
State of Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration
Authority, Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Department of Environmental
Quality, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Department of
Natural Resources;
State of Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality;
State of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources and Geological Survey of Alabama;
State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection
and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; and
State of Texas: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas
General Land Office, and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
On April 4, 2016, the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Louisiana entered a Consent Decree resolving civil claims
by the Trustees against BP arising from the DWH oil spill: United
States v. BPXP et al., Civ. No. 10-4536, centralized in MDL 2179, In
re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig ``Deepwater Horizon'' in the Gulf of
Mexico, on April 20, 2010 (E.D. La.) (https://www.justice.gov/enrd/deepwater-horizon). Pursuant to the Consent Decree, restoration
projects in the Louisiana Restoration Area are chosen and managed by
the LA TIG. The LA TIG is composed of the following Trustees: State of
Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority,
[[Page 10460]]
Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Departments of Environmental Quality,
Wildlife and Fisheries, and Natural Resources; DOI; NOAA; EPA; and
USDA.
Background
The Final PDARP/PEIS provides for TIGs to propose phasing
restoration projects across multiple restoration plans. A TIG may
propose in a draft restoration plan conceptual projects to fund for an
information-gathering planning phase, such as E&D (phase 1). This
allows TIGs to develop information needed to fully consider a
subsequent implementation phase in a later restoration plan (phase 2).
In the final Phase 1 RP #1, the LA TIG selected six conceptual projects
for E&D, using funds from the wetlands, coastal and nearshore habitats;
birds; and habitat projects on federally managed lands restoration
types, as provided for in the DWH Consent Decree. Two of those projects
that were selected for E&D in the final Phase I RP #1 are the Rabbit
Island Restoration project (Rabbit Island project), under the birds
restoration type, and the Shoreline Protection at Jean Lafitte
Historical National Park and Preserve (Jean Lafitte project) under the
habitat projects on federally managed lands restoration type. When E&D
for those projects reached a stage where enough information was
available to conduct OPA and NEPA analyses on the alternatives, a Phase
2 plan was drafted. Notice of availability of the draft Phase 2 RP/EA
#1.3 was published in the Federal Register on November 13, 2019 (84 FR
61636). Public comment was encouraged and accepted until December 20,
2019. The LA TIG hosted a public webinar on December 2, 2019, to
facilitate public review and comment. The LA TIG considered the public
comments received and finalized the Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3. A summary of
the public comments received and the LA TIG's responses to those
comments are presented in Section 7 of the final Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3.
Overview of the LA TIG Draft Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3
The final Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 is being released in accordance with
OPA NRDA regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at
15 CFR part 990, NEPA and its implementing regulations found at 40 CFR
parts 1500-1508, the Final PDARP/PEIS, and the Consent Decree. The
Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3 provides OPA and NEPA analyses for a reasonable
range of design alternatives for the Rabbit Island Restoration and Jean
Lafitte Shoreline Restoration projects, and identifies the LA TIG's
preferred design alternatives, those which the LA TIG believes best
meet the objectives of the two projects. In accordance with NEPA, as
part of the final Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3, the Trustees issued a FONSI. The
FONSI is available in Appendix E of the Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3.
The Rabbit Island Restoration project meets the goal of restoring
and conserving birds by restoring 87.8 acres of the island's original
200-acre footprint for bird habitat. This would be done by raising the
elevation of Rabbit Island using dredged fill material from the
Calcasieu Ship Channel as the borrow source area. Total cost for this
project is approximately $15,600,000.
The Jean Lafitte Shoreline Protection project implements a nearly
continuous rock breakwater, with rock elbows protecting fish gaps along
the eastern shorelines of Lake Cataouche, Lake Salvador, and Bayou
Bardeaux in the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.
Implementation is proposed in two increments, the northern and the
southern portions of the project area. In the final Phase 2 RP/EA #1.3,
the LA TIG approves to fund only the southern portion of the project at
this time. The northern portion may be funded at a later date. Total
cost for this project is approximately $20,448,500.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the Administrative Record for the Phase 2
RP/EA #1.3 can be viewed electronically at https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), its implementing Natural Resource Damage
Assessment regulations found at 15 CFR part 990, and the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its
implementing regulations found at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508.
Mary Josie Blanchard,
Department of the Interior, Director of Gulf of Mexico Restoration.
[FR Doc. 2020-03554 Filed 2-21-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
