Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Draft Restoration Plan 4 and Environmental Assessment: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats; Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint Source); and Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities, 60174-60176 [2023-18774]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
60174
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices
aggregation, and reporting; and
preparation, review, and submission of
program plans and budgetary
information.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 75
per year.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.
Estimated Burden per Response: 64
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 4,800 hours.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
III. Project/Program Initiation
The total annual estimated burden for
this information collection is 9,200
hours. This includes the time needed for
participant education; data entry,
aggregation, and reporting; and
preparation, review, and submission of
program plans and budgetary
information. NIFA proposes to add a
new optional field for Co-Project
Director(s) but anticipates that this will
not increase the amount of time needed
to complete each response.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
2,000 per year.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.
Estimated Burden per Response: 4.6
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 9,200 hours.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
IV. Project/Program Results
The total annual estimated burden for
this information collection is 32,300
hours. This includes the time needed for
participant education; data entry,
aggregation, and reporting; and
preparation, review, and submission of
program plans and budgetary
information. Project/Program Results
were previously included in ‘‘Annual
Report of Accomplishments and
Results’’ above but is being separated to
include Results for non-AREERA
capacity funding. NIFA is proposing to
add fields specifically for reporting
products resulting from projects and
programs but anticipates that this will
not increase the amount of time needed
to complete each response.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
8,500 per year.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.
Estimated Burden per Response: 3.8
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 32,300 hours.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
V. Financial Report for All Projects and
Programs
The total annual estimated burden for
this information collection is 11,900
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18:04 Aug 30, 2023
Jkt 259001
hours. This includes the time needed for
participant education; data entry,
aggregation, and reporting; and
preparation, review, and submission of
program plans and budgetary
information. NIFA used burden
estimates from the Financial Report in
the current REEport collection (OMB
0524–0048, ‘‘Research, Education, and
Extension project online reporting tool
(REEport)’’) to estimate the burden for
Financial Report in NRS.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
8,500 per year.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.
Estimated Burden per Response: 1.4
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 11,900 hours.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
VI. OGFM Supplemental Form
The total annual estimated burden for
this information collection is 102 hours.
This includes the time needed for
participant education; data entry,
aggregation, and reporting; and
preparation, review, and submission of
program plans and budgetary
information. NIFA plans to prepopulate
some of the fields in the form so that the
response will be limited to total
expenditures of three types (Hatch
(Regular and Multistate) integrated,
Smith-Lever multistate, and SmithLever extension activities), any
carryover used, and information for a
waiver (if applicable). The OGFM
Supplemental Form will have a
deadline after the Financial Report,
which should streamline the
expenditures data needed.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 51
per year.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.
Estimated Burden per Response: 2
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 102 hours.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
Comments: Comments are invited on:
(a) 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;
(b) 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) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
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electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for OMB approval. All comments will
become a matter of public record.
Obtaining a Copy of the Information
Collection: A copy of the information
collection and related instructions may
be obtained free of charge by contacting
Laura Givens as directed above.
Done at Washington, DC, this day of
August 19, 2023.
Dionne Toombs,
Associate Director for Programs, National
Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2023–18852 Filed 8–30–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation
Service
Mississippi Trustee Implementation
Group Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Draft Restoration Plan 4 and
Environmental Assessment:
Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal and
Nearshore Habitats; Nutrient
Reduction (Nonpoint Source); and
Provide and Enhance Recreational
Opportunities
Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for public comments.
AGENCY:
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 and Record of
Decision, and the Consent Decree, the
Federal and State natural resource
trustee agencies for the Mississippi
Trustee Implementation Group (MS
TIG) have prepared the ‘‘Mississippi
Trustee Implementation Group Draft
Restoration Plan 4 and Environmental
Assessment: Restoration of Wetlands,
Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats;
Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint Source),
and Provide and Enhance Recreational
Opportunities’’ (Draft RP4 and EA). In
the Draft RP4 and EA, MS TIG proposes
projects to partially restore wetlands,
coastal, and nearshore habitats; reduce
nutrient pollution (nonpoint source);
and provide and enhance recreational
opportunities to compensate for lost
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
recreational use in the Mississippi
Restoration Area as a result of the DWH
oil spill. The Draft RP4 and EA, a No
Action alternative is also evaluated for
each of the restoration types. The
approximate cost to implement the MS
TIG’s proposed action (seven preferred
alternatives) is $26.4 million. We invite
public comments on the Draft RP4 and
EA.
DATES: We will consider comments that
we receive by October 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You
may download the Draft RP4 and EA
from the following website: https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/
restoration-areas/mississippi.
Alternatively, you may request a CD
of the Draft RP4 and EA (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Submitting Comments: You may
submit comments by one of the
following methods:
• Via the Web: https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/
restoration-areas/mississippi; or
• Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 1875 Century
Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30345.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nanciann Regaldo, Nanciann_
regalado@fws.gov, 678–296–6805, or via
the Federal Relay Service at 800–877–
8339; Ronald Howard, Senior Advisor,
USDA Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration
Team, at ron.howard@usda.gov; and Dr.
Tina Nations, the Natural Resource
Damage Assessment (NRDA) and the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Program Manager, MDEQ Office of
Restoration, tnations@mdeq.ms.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
On April 20, 2010, the mobile
offshore drilling unit Deepwater
Horizon, which was being used to drill
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 DWH Federal and State natural
resource trustees (DWH Trustees)
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:04 Aug 30, 2023
Jkt 259001
conducted NRDA for the DWH oil spill
under OPA (33 U.S.C. 2701–2720).
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. 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;
• 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 DWH
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
Mississippi Restoration Area are chosen
and managed by MS TIG. MS TIG is
composed of the following Trustees:
State of Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality; DOI; NOAA;
EPA; and USDA.
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60175
On February 7, 2022, MS TIG posted
a public notice requesting natural
resource restoration project ideas by
March 7, 2022, for the Mississippi
Restoration Area. The notice stated that
MS TIG was seeking project ideas for
the following restoration types:
(1) Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore
Habitat;
(2) Nutrient Reduction; and
(3) Provide and Enhance Recreational
Opportunities.
On October 11, 2022, MS TIG
announced that it had initiated drafting
of the RP4 and EA (https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/
2022/10/notice-initiation-restorationplanning-mississippi) and that the plan
may include proposed projects for some
or all of the three restoration types.
Overview of the MS TIG Draft RP4 and
EA
The Draft RP4 and EA provides the
MS TIG’s analysis of a reasonable range
of restoration alternatives. The MS TIG’s
seven preferred alternatives are
presented in the following table under
the restoration type from which funds
would be allocated in accordance with
the DWH Consent Decree. The MS TIG
also evaluated three non-preferred
alternatives as part of the reasonable
range, and a No Action alternative for
each restoration type in the plan.
Restoration Type: Wetlands, Coastal
and Nearshore Habitat
Coastwide Habitat Acquisition
Living Shoreline Bulkhead Alternative
Hancock County Marsh Living
Shoreline Phase 6 Breakwater
Restoration Type: Nutrient Reduction
(Nonpoint Source)
Back Bay—Davis Bayou Nutrient
Reduction
Big Cedar Creek—Rocky Creek Nutrient
Reduction
Restoration Type: Provide and Enhance
Recreational Opportunities
Jourdan River Boardwalk
Shepard State Park Recreational
Enhancements—1
Next Steps
MS TIG will post a pre-recorded
public webinar to facilitate the public
review and comment process no later
than September 15, 2023. The prerecorded webinar will be available on
the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality Office of
Restoration website at https://
www.mdeq.ms.gov/restoration/. The
pre-recorded public webinar will be
available for viewing at any time during
the public comment period.
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices
After the public comment period
ends, the MS TIG will consider all
comments received and address them in
the Final RP4 and 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.
Translation Opportunities
Vietnamese and Spanish translated
materials including the Executive
Summary and project fact sheets are
posted in the ‘‘News’’ section of the MS
TIG website: https://
www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/
restoration-areas/mississippi.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the
Administrative Record for the Draft RP4
and EA can be viewed electronically at
https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/
adminrecord under the folder 6.5.6.2.4.
Authority
The authority for this action is OPA,
its implementing NRDA regulations in
15 CFR part 990, and NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4321–4347) and its implementing
regulations in 40 CFR 1500–1508.
Ronald Howard,
Senior Technical Advisor, Natural Resource
Specialist, Natural Resources Conservation
Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Alternate to Principal Representative.
[FR Doc. 2023–18774 Filed 8–30–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Housing Service
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
[Docket No. RHS–23–CF–0009]
Announcement of the Availability of
Fiscal Year 2023 Disaster Relief
Supplemental Grant Funds for the
Community Facilities Technical
Assistance and Training Grant
Program for Fiscal Year 2023
Rural Housing Service, USDA.
Notice of funding of availability
(NOFA).
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Rural Housing Service
(RHS or the Agency), a Rural
Development (RD) agency of the United
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:04 Aug 30, 2023
Jkt 259001
States Department of Agriculture
(USDA), announces that it is accepting
applications under the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2023, for the
Community Facilities Technical
Assistance and Training Disaster Repair
Grant Program to provide technical
assistance for repairing essential
community facilities damaged by
Presidentially declared disasters in
calendar year 2022. The funding amount
is up to $2,500,000 and will remain
available until expended. The grant
funds will be administered in
accordance with this notice of funding
availability and all applicable statutory
and regulatory requirements of the
Community Facilities Technical
Assistance and Training (CF TAT) Grant
Program.
DATES: Complete applications for grants
must be submitted according to the
following deadlines:
Paper submissions: Paper submissions
must be received by the Agency no later
than 4:00 p.m. local time on November
29, 2023 to be eligible for funding under
this grant opportunity. Late or
incomplete applications will not be
eligible for funding.
Electronic submissions: Electronic
applications will be accepted via
Grants.gov. The deadline for receipt of
an electronic application via Grants.gov
is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November
24, 2023. The application dates and
times are firm. The Agency will not
consider any application received after
the deadline. To submit an electronic
application, follow the instructions for
the CF TAT Disaster Repair Grant
Program funding announcement located
at https://www.grants.gov.
Prior to official submission of
applications, applicants may request
technical assistance or other application
guidance from the Agency, as long as
such requests are made prior to
November 14, 2023. Technical
assistance is not meant to be an analysis
or assessment of the quality of the
materials submitted, a substitute for
agency review of completed
applications, nor a determination of
eligibility, if such determination
requires in-depth analysis. The Agency
will not solicit or consider scoring or
eligibility information that is submitted
after the application deadline. The
Agency reserves the right to contact
applicants to seek clarification
information on materials contained in
the submitted application.
ADDRESSES: This funding announcement
will be announced on www.Grants.gov.
Paper applications must be submitted to
the USDA Rural Development State
Office (RDSO) for the State where the
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Frm 00009
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Applicant is headquartered. For Projects
involving multiple states, the
application must be filed in the RDSO
where the Applicant is located.
Applicants are encouraged to contact
their respective RDSO for an address to
submit an application prior to the
submission deadline date. Applicants
may also request paper application
packages from their respective RDSO. A
list of the USDA RDSO contacts can be
found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/
about-rd/state-offices.
Entities applying for assistance may
download the application documents
and requirements delineated in this
notice from: https://www.Grants.gov.
Application information for electronic
submissions may be found at https://
www.Grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nathan Chitwood, Special Projects
Coordinator at email address
nathan.chitwood@usda.gov, United
States Department of Agriculture, Rural
Development, Business Loop 70 West,
Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203; or via
telephone at: 573–876–0965. For further
information on submitting program
applications under this notice, please
contact the USDA RDSO in the state
where the applicant’s headquarters is
located. A list of RDSO contacts is
provided at the following link: https://
www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
Federal Awarding Agency Name:
Rural Housing Service (RHS).
Funding Opportunity Title:
Community Facilities Technical
Assistance and Training Disaster Repair
Grant.
Announcement Type: Notice of
Funding of Availability (NOFA).
Funding Opportunity Number:
USDA–RD–CFDTAT–2023.
Assistance Listing: 10.766.
Dates: Applications must be
submitted using one of the following
methods:
• Paper submissions: The deadline
for receipt of a paper application is 4:00
p.m. local time, November 29, 2023.
Applicants intending to mail
applications must provide sufficient
time to permit delivery on or before the
closing deadline date and time.
Acceptance by the United States Postal
Service or private mailer does not
constitute delivery. Facsimile (FAX),
electronic mail, and postage due
applications will not be accepted.
• Electronic submissions: Electronic
applications will be accepted via
Grants.gov. The deadline for receipt of
an electronic application via Grants.gov
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 168 (Thursday, August 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60174-60176]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18774]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group Deepwater Horizon Oil
Spill Draft Restoration Plan 4 and Environmental Assessment:
Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats; Nutrient
Reduction (Nonpoint Source); and Provide and Enhance Recreational
Opportunities
AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA).
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 and Record of
Decision, and the Consent Decree, the Federal and State natural
resource trustee agencies for the Mississippi Trustee Implementation
Group (MS TIG) have prepared the ``Mississippi Trustee Implementation
Group Draft Restoration Plan 4 and Environmental Assessment:
Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; Nutrient
Reduction (Nonpoint Source), and Provide and Enhance Recreational
Opportunities'' (Draft RP4 and EA). In the Draft RP4 and EA, MS TIG
proposes projects to partially restore wetlands, coastal, and nearshore
habitats; reduce nutrient pollution (nonpoint source); and provide and
enhance recreational opportunities to compensate for lost
[[Page 60175]]
recreational use in the Mississippi Restoration Area as a result of the
DWH oil spill. The Draft RP4 and EA, a No Action alternative is also
evaluated for each of the restoration types. The approximate cost to
implement the MS TIG's proposed action (seven preferred alternatives)
is $26.4 million. We invite public comments on the Draft RP4 and EA.
DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by October 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may download the Draft RP4 and EA
from the following website: https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/mississippi.
Alternatively, you may request a CD of the Draft RP4 and EA (see
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
following methods:
Via the Web: https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/mississippi; or
Via U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1875
Century Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30345.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nanciann Regaldo,
[email protected], 678-296-6805, or via the Federal Relay
Service at 800-877-8339; Ronald Howard, Senior Advisor, USDA Gulf Coast
Ecosystem Restoration Team, at [email protected]; and Dr. Tina
Nations, the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) and the National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation Program Manager, MDEQ Office of
Restoration, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
On April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater
Horizon, which was being used to drill 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 DWH Federal and State natural resource trustees (DWH Trustees)
conducted NRDA for the DWH oil spill under OPA (33 U.S.C. 2701-2720).
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. 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;
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 DWH 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 Mississippi Restoration Area are chosen and managed by
MS TIG. MS TIG is composed of the following Trustees: State of
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality; DOI; NOAA; EPA; and
USDA.
On February 7, 2022, MS TIG posted a public notice requesting
natural resource restoration project ideas by March 7, 2022, for the
Mississippi Restoration Area. The notice stated that MS TIG was seeking
project ideas for the following restoration types:
(1) Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitat;
(2) Nutrient Reduction; and
(3) Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities.
On October 11, 2022, MS TIG announced that it had initiated
drafting of the RP4 and EA (https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/2022/10/notice-initiation-restoration-planning-mississippi) and that
the plan may include proposed projects for some or all of the three
restoration types.
Overview of the MS TIG Draft RP4 and EA
The Draft RP4 and EA provides the MS TIG's analysis of a reasonable
range of restoration alternatives. The MS TIG's seven preferred
alternatives are presented in the following table under the restoration
type from which funds would be allocated in accordance with the DWH
Consent Decree. The MS TIG also evaluated three non-preferred
alternatives as part of the reasonable range, and a No Action
alternative for each restoration type in the plan.
Restoration Type: Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitat
Coastwide Habitat Acquisition
Living Shoreline Bulkhead Alternative
Hancock County Marsh Living Shoreline Phase 6 Breakwater
Restoration Type: Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint Source)
Back Bay--Davis Bayou Nutrient Reduction
Big Cedar Creek--Rocky Creek Nutrient Reduction
Restoration Type: Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities
Jourdan River Boardwalk
Shepard State Park Recreational Enhancements--1
Next Steps
MS TIG will post a pre-recorded public webinar to facilitate the
public review and comment process no later than September 15, 2023. The
pre-recorded webinar will be available on the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality Office of Restoration website at https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/restoration/. The pre-recorded public webinar will be
available for viewing at any time during the public comment period.
[[Page 60176]]
After the public comment period ends, the MS TIG will consider all
comments received and address them in the Final RP4 and 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.
Translation Opportunities
Vietnamese and Spanish translated materials including the Executive
Summary and project fact sheets are posted in the ``News'' section of
the MS TIG website: https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/mississippi.
Administrative Record
The documents comprising the Administrative Record for the Draft
RP4 and EA can be viewed electronically at https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord under the folder 6.5.6.2.4.
Authority
The authority for this action is OPA, its implementing NRDA
regulations in 15 CFR part 990, and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347) and its
implementing regulations in 40 CFR 1500-1508.
Ronald Howard,
Senior Technical Advisor, Natural Resource Specialist, Natural
Resources Conservation Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Alternate to Principal Representative.
[FR Doc. 2023-18774 Filed 8-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P
