Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan 3 and Environmental Assessment: Birds, 15734-15736 [2023-05114]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2023 / Notices
and its customers and stakeholders and
allow the DHS to identify the strengths
and weaknesses of current programs,
pilots, initiatives, and services. The
efficient and timely formative collection
efforts allow feedback to contribute
directly to rapid cycle improvements of
program management and the delivery
of products and services. Conversely,
the failure to engage in formative data
collection substantially limits the DHS’s
ability to understand emerging needs
and issues, identify evidence gaps, build
evidence about programs and initiatives,
and inform the development of future
impact studies to ensure that DHS
leadership and program offices have
current data and information to
implement DHS programs and
initiatives successfully.
If the Privacy Act does apply to a
collection, the DHS will provide a
Privacy Act statement, System of Record
Notices (SORN), or other associated
documentation, as appropriate.
Participation in any formative data
collection effort will be voluntary, and
personally identifiable information will
only be collected to the extent
necessary. Respondents will be
informed of all planned data uses, that
their participation is voluntary, and that
their information will be kept private to
the extent permitted by law. All data
collection shall protect respondent
privacy to the extent permitted by law
and will comply with all Federal and
Agency regulations for private
information. If a confidentiality pledge
is deemed necessary, the Agency will
only include a pledge of confidentiality
supported by authority established in
statute or regulation, supported by
disclosure and data security policies
that are consistent with the pledge.
The primary purpose of data collected
under this generic clearance is not for
publication. However, because the
formative data collection efforts are
intended to inform the DHS’s decisionmaking related to evidence-building and
programmatic activities, the findings
may be incorporated into documents
and presentations available to the
public. Such documents may include
design and method documents; process
or journey maps, conceptual
frameworks, or logic models;
performance metrics; background
materials for technical workgroups,
informational presentations, technical
assistance plans; and evaluation or
research reports. The aggregated results
of this work may be prepared for
presentation at professional meetings or
disseminated in evaluation reports,
research papers, and professional
journals. Although not anticipated, the
DHS may receive requests to release the
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information (e.g., congressional inquiry,
Freedom of Information Act requests)
and will disseminate the findings when
appropriate, following the Agency’s
guidelines. Shared findings will include
a discussion of the limitations regarding
generalizability and intended use, and
when necessary, results will be labeled
as formative or exploratory.
The Office of Management and Budget
is particularly interested in comments
which:
1. Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
2. 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;
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
4. 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 submissions
of responses.
Analysis
Agency: Department of Homeland
Security (DHS).
Title: Generic Clearance for Formative
Data Collections for Evaluation,
Research, and Evidence Building.
OMB Number: OMB Control Number.
Frequency: One-time collection.
Affected Public: Participants in DHS
programs being evaluated; participants
in DHS pilots and demonstrations;
recipients of DHS grants and
individuals served by DHS grantees;
comparison group members; and other
relevant populations, such as
individuals eligible for DHS services.
Number of Respondents: 22,750.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 33
minutes.
Total Burden Hours: 12,488.
Robert Dorr,
Executive Director, Business Management
Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2023–05131 Filed 3–13–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9112–FL–P
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS–R4–ES–2023–N005;
FVHC98220410150–XXX–FF04H00000]
Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource
Damage Assessment Open Ocean
Trustee Implementation Group Draft
Restoration Plan 3 and Environmental
Assessment: Birds
Department of the Interior.
Notice of availability; request
for public comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In accordance with the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), the Deepwater Horizon
(DWH) Oil Spill Final Programmatic
Damage Assessment Restoration Plan
and Final Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement (Final PDARP/PEIS),
Record of Decision and Consent Decree,
the Federal natural resource trustee
agencies for the Open Ocean Trustee
Implementation Group (Open Ocean
TIG) have prepared the Draft
Restoration Plan 3 and Environmental
Assessment: Birds (Draft RP/EA). The
Draft RP/EA proposes projects to help
restore bird species injured in the DWH
oil spill. The Draft RP/EA evaluates a
reasonable range of 11 project
alternatives under the Oil Pollution
Act’s Natural Resource Damage
Assessment regulations and NEPA. The
total cost to implement the Open Ocean
TIG’s seven preferred alternatives is
approximately $26,000,000. A No
Action alternative is also analyzed. The
Open Ocean TIG invites comments on
the Draft RP/EA.
DATES:
Submitting Comments: The Open
Ocean TIG will consider public
comments on the Draft RP/EA received
on or before April 28, 2023.
Public Webinar: The Open Ocean TIG
will host two public webinars during
the public comment period. The
webinars will include an overview
presentation of the Draft RP/EA and an
open house session for general
questions regarding the plan. The public
will also be able to provide formal
comments during the webinar. The
public may register for the webinars at
https://www.gulfspillrestoration
.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/open-ocean.
After registering for a webinar,
participants will receive a confirmation
email with instructions for joining the
webinar. Instructions for commenting
will be provided during the webinar.
Presentation material and factsheets
about the projects can be found on the
web at https://www.gulfspill
restoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/
open-ocean.
SUMMARY:
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ADDRESSES:
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Obtaining Documents: You may
download the Draft RP/EA at https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/
restoration-areas/open-ocean.
Alternatively, you may request a USB
flash drive containing the Draft RP/EA
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Submitting Comments: You may
submit comments on the Draft RP/EA by
one of the following methods:
• Internet: https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/
restoration-areas/open-ocean.
• U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Gulf Restoration Office, 1875
Century Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30345. To be
considered, mailed comments must be
postmarked on or before the comment
deadline given in DATES.
• During the public webinar: Verbal
comments may be provided by the
public during the webinar. Webinar
information is provided in DATES.
• Telephone: 1–888–467–0009.
Comments may be provided by leaving
voice comment at this number. To be
considered, voice comments left at this
toll-free international phone number
must be left on or before the comment
deadline given in DATES.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nanciann Regalado, at nanciann_
regalado@fws.gov or 1–678–296–6805.
Individuals in the United States who are
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY,
TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
On April 20, 2010, the mobile
offshore drilling unit Deepwater
Horizon (DWH), 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.
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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
had the spill 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 U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, National Park
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.epa.gov/enforcement/consentdecree-deepwater-horizon-bp-gulfmexico-oil-spill). Pursuant to the
Consent Decree, the Open Ocean TIG
chooses and manages restoration
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15735
projects in the Open Ocean Restoration
Area. The Open Ocean TIG is composed
of the following Federal Trustees: DOI,
NOAA, EPA, and USDA.
Background
On March 25, 2021, the Open Ocean
Trustee Implementation Group (Open
Ocean TIG) issued a notice of
solicitation on the Gulf Spill Restoration
website requesting project ideas for the
Sturgeon and Birds Restoration Types.
On March 11, 2022, the Open Ocean
TIG announced that it had reviewed
project idea submissions and had
initiated drafting its third restoration
plan and environmental assessment
(Draft RP/EA), which would include a
reasonable range of restoration
alternatives (projects) for the Birds
Restoration Type only.
Overview of the Open Ocean TIG’s
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 part 990,
NEPA and its implementing regulations
found at 40 CFR parts 1500–1508, the
Final PDARP/PEIS, and the Consent
Decree. The Draft RP/EA provides OPA
NRDA and NEPA analyses for a
reasonable range of 11 alternatives. The
Open Ocean TIG’s seven proposed
preferred alternatives are listed below. If
selected, funding to implement these
projects would come from the Birds
Restoration Type allocation.
• Predator Removal and Seabird
Nesting Colony Restoration at Mona
Island
• Seabird Nesting Colony
Reestablishment and Protection at
Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge
• Seabird Nesting Colony Protection
and Enhancement at Dry Tortugas
National Park
• Seabird Bycatch Reduction in
Northeast U.S. and Atlantic Canada
Fisheries
• Northern Gannet Nesting Colony
Restoration in Eastern Canada
• Common Tern Nesting Colony
Restoration in Manitoba
• Invasive Goat Removal to Restore
Seabird Nesting Habitat in St. Vincent
and the Grenadines
Next Steps
As described above in DATES, the
Open Ocean TIG will host two (2)
public webinars to facilitate the public
review and comment process. They are
also providing an international toll-free
telephone number for the public to
leave comments via voice message.
After the public comment period ends,
the Open Ocean TIG will consider and
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2023 / Notices
address the comments received before
issuing a final RP/EA.
Office, Cadastral Survey, P.O. Box
151029, Lakewood, CO 80215.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
COMMISSION
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
[Investigation No. 337–TA–1265]
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the
Administrative Record for the Draft RP/
EA can be viewed electronically at
https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/
adminrecord under folder 6.5.2.2.3.
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. 2023–05114 Filed 3–13–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCO956000 L14400000.BJ0000 223]
Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey,
Colorado
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of official filing.
AGENCY:
The plats of survey of the
following described lands are scheduled
to be officially filed in the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), Colorado
State Office, Lakewood, Colorado, 30
calendar days from the date of this
publication. The surveys, which were
executed at the request of the U.S.
Forest Service and the U.S. National
Park Service, are necessary for the
management of these lands.
DATES: Unless there are protests of this
action, the plats described in this notice
will be filed on April 13, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
protests to the BLM Colorado State
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SUMMARY:
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Tasha A. Huhta, Acting Chief Cadastral
Surveyor for Colorado, telephone: (970)
271–4209; email: thuhta@blm.gov.
Individuals in the United States who are
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY,
TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The plat
and field notes of the dependent
resurvey and subdivision of section 11
in Township 12 South, Range 72 West,
Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado,
were accepted on December 2, 2022.
The plat, in 2 sheets, and field notes
of the dependent resurvey and survey in
Township 49 North, Range 7 West, New
Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado,
were accepted on January 22, 2023.
The plat and field notes of the
remonumentation of certain original
corners in Township 8 South, Range 78
West, Sixth Principal Meridian,
Colorado, were accepted on February 8,
2023.
A person or party who wishes to
protest any of the above surveys must
file a written notice of protest within 30
calendar days from the date of this
publication at the address listed in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice. A
statement of reasons for the protest may
be filed with the notice of protest and
must be filed within 30 calendar days
after the protest is filed. If a protest
against the survey is received prior to
the date of official filing, the filing will
be stayed pending consideration of the
protest. A plat will not be officially filed
until the day after all protests have been
dismissed or otherwise resolved.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
protest, please be aware that your entire
protest, including your personal
identifying information, may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Certain Fitness Devices, Streaming
Components Thereof, and Systems
Containing Same Notice of the
Commission’s Final Determination
Finding a Violation of Section 337;
Issuance of a Limited Exclusion Order
and Cease and Desist Orders;
Termination of the Investigation
U.S. International Trade
Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Tasha A. Huhta,
Acting Chief Cadastral Surveyor.
Notice is hereby given that
the U.S. International Trade
Commission has found a violation of
section 337 in the above-captioned
investigation. The Commission has
determined to issue: (1) a limited
exclusion order (‘‘LEO’’) prohibiting the
unlicensed entry of fitness devices,
streaming components thereof, and
systems containing same infringing
certain claims of U.S. Patent Nos.
10,469,554 (‘‘the ’554 patent’’);
10,469,555 (‘‘the ’555 patent’’); and
10,757,156 (‘‘the ’156 patent’’) that are
manufactured by or on behalf of, or
imported by or on behalf of,
respondents ICON Health & Fitness, Inc.
of Logan, Utah (‘‘ICON’’ or ‘‘iFIT Inc.’’);
FreeMotion Fitness, Inc. of Logan, Utah
(‘‘FreeMotion’’); NordicTrack Inc. of
Logan, Utah (‘‘NordicTrack,’’ and
together with ICON and FreeMotion,
‘‘iFit’’); and Peloton Interactive, Inc. of
New York, New York (‘‘Peloton’’), or
any of their affiliated companies,
parents, subsidiaries, or other related
business entities, or their successors or
assigns; and (2) cease and desist orders
(‘‘CDOs’’) directed against iFit and
Peloton, or any of their affiliated
companies, parents, subsidiaries, or
other related business entities, or their
successors or assigns. The Commission
has also determined to grant a joint
motion filed by complainants DISH DBS
Corporation of Englewood, Colorado;
DISH Technologies, L.L.C., of
Englewood, Colorado; and Sling TV
L.L.C., of Englewood, Colorado
(collectively, ‘‘DISH’’) and respondents
lululemon athletica inc., of Vancouver,
Canada (‘‘lululemon’’); and Curiouser
Products Inc. d/b/a MIRROR of New
York, New York (together with
lululemon, ‘‘MIRROR’’) that sought to
terminate the investigation as to
MIRROR on the basis of a settlement
agreement. This investigation is
terminated.
[FR Doc. 2023–05201 Filed 3–13–23; 8:45 am]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P
Ronald A. Traud, Esq., Office of the
(Authority: 43 U.S.C. chap. 3.)
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15734-15736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-05114]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[FWS-R4-ES-2023-N005; FVHC98220410150-XXX-FF04H00000]
Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Open Ocean
Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan 3 and Environmental
Assessment: Birds
AGENCY: Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Deepwater Horizon
(DWH) Oil Spill Final Programmatic Damage Assessment Restoration Plan
and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PDARP/
PEIS), Record of Decision and Consent Decree, the Federal natural
resource trustee agencies for the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation
Group (Open Ocean TIG) have prepared the Draft Restoration Plan 3 and
Environmental Assessment: Birds (Draft RP/EA). The Draft RP/EA proposes
projects to help restore bird species injured in the DWH oil spill. The
Draft RP/EA evaluates a reasonable range of 11 project alternatives
under the Oil Pollution Act's Natural Resource Damage Assessment
regulations and NEPA. The total cost to implement the Open Ocean TIG's
seven preferred alternatives is approximately $26,000,000. A No Action
alternative is also analyzed. The Open Ocean TIG invites comments on
the Draft RP/EA.
DATES:
Submitting Comments: The Open Ocean TIG will consider public
comments on the Draft RP/EA received on or before April 28, 2023.
Public Webinar: The Open Ocean TIG will host two public webinars
during the public comment period. The webinars will include an overview
presentation of the Draft RP/EA and an open house session for general
questions regarding the plan. The public will also be able to provide
formal comments during the webinar. The public may register for the
webinars at https://www.gulfspillrestoration .noaa.gov/restoration-
areas/open-ocean. After registering for a webinar, participants will
receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the webinar.
Instructions for commenting will be provided during the webinar.
Presentation material and factsheets about the projects can be found on
the web at https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/
open-ocean.
[[Page 15735]]
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft RP/EA at https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/open-ocean.
Alternatively, you may request a USB flash drive containing the Draft
RP/EA (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the Draft RP/EA by
one of the following methods:
Internet: https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/
restoration-areas/open-ocean.
U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf Restoration
Office, 1875 Century Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30345. To be considered, mailed
comments must be postmarked on or before the comment deadline given in
DATES.
During the public webinar: Verbal comments may be provided
by the public during the webinar. Webinar information is provided in
DATES.
Telephone: 1-888-467-0009. Comments may be provided by
leaving voice comment at this number. To be considered, voice comments
left at this toll-free international phone number must be left on or
before the comment deadline given in DATES.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nanciann Regalado, at
[email protected] or 1-678-296-6805. Individuals in the United
States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
On April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater
Horizon (DWH), 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 had the
spill 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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park 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.epa.gov/enforcement/consent-decree-deepwater-horizon-bp-gulf-mexico-oil-spill). Pursuant to the
Consent Decree, the Open Ocean TIG chooses and manages restoration
projects in the Open Ocean Restoration Area. The Open Ocean TIG is
composed of the following Federal Trustees: DOI, NOAA, EPA, and USDA.
Background
On March 25, 2021, the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group
(Open Ocean TIG) issued a notice of solicitation on the Gulf Spill
Restoration website requesting project ideas for the Sturgeon and Birds
Restoration Types. On March 11, 2022, the Open Ocean TIG announced that
it had reviewed project idea submissions and had initiated drafting its
third restoration plan and environmental assessment (Draft RP/EA),
which would include a reasonable range of restoration alternatives
(projects) for the Birds Restoration Type only.
Overview of the Open Ocean TIG's 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
part 990, NEPA and its implementing regulations found at 40 CFR parts
1500-1508, the Final PDARP/PEIS, and the Consent Decree. The Draft RP/
EA provides OPA NRDA and NEPA analyses for a reasonable range of 11
alternatives. The Open Ocean TIG's seven proposed preferred
alternatives are listed below. If selected, funding to implement these
projects would come from the Birds Restoration Type allocation.
Predator Removal and Seabird Nesting Colony Restoration at
Mona Island
Seabird Nesting Colony Reestablishment and Protection at
Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge
Seabird Nesting Colony Protection and Enhancement at Dry
Tortugas National Park
Seabird Bycatch Reduction in Northeast U.S. and Atlantic
Canada Fisheries
Northern Gannet Nesting Colony Restoration in Eastern Canada
Common Tern Nesting Colony Restoration in Manitoba
Invasive Goat Removal to Restore Seabird Nesting Habitat in
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Next Steps
As described above in DATES, the Open Ocean TIG will host two (2)
public webinars to facilitate the public review and comment process.
They are also providing an international toll-free telephone number for
the public to leave comments via voice message. After the public
comment period ends, the Open Ocean TIG will consider and
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address the comments received before issuing a final RP/EA.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the Administrative Record for the Draft
RP/EA can be viewed electronically at https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord under folder 6.5.2.2.3.
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. 2023-05114 Filed 3-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
