Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Alabama Trustee Implementation Group Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan II and Environmental Assessment: Marine Mammals, 19570-19571 [2024-05768]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19570-19571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05768]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD722]


Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Alabama 
Trustee Implementation Group Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan II and 
Environmental Assessment: Marine Mammals

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) natural resource Trustees for the 
Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (Alabama TIG) have prepared the 
Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan II and Environmental Assessment: 
Marine Mammals (Supplemental RPII/EA). The Draft Supplemental RPII/EA 
proposes to use additional funds from the Marine Mammals Restoration 
Type to extend the implementation of one or more projects currently 
underway in the Alabama Restoration Area to continue the Alabama TIG's 
efforts to restore for injuries to marine mammals impacted by the DWH 
oil spill. The Draft Supplemental RPII/EA evaluates two restoration 
alternatives under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) and the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This evaluation includes consideration 
of the criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource damage assessment 
(NRDA) regulations, and an analysis under NEPA's implementing 
regulations. A No Action Alternative is also evaluated pursuant to the 
NEPA. The total estimated cost to implement the Alabama TIG's Preferred 
Alternative--an extension of the Enhancing Capacity for the Alabama 
Marine Mammal Stranding Network Project--is $1,881,237. If selected for 
implementation, this action would allocate the Alabama TIG's remaining 
Marine Mammals restoration funds. The Alabama TIG invites the public to 
comment on the Draft Supplemental RPII/EA.

DATES: The Alabama TIG will consider public comments on the Draft 
Supplemental RPII/EA received on or before April 18, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may view and download the Draft Supplemental RPII/EA at 
https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-areas/alabama. 
You may also request a flash drive containing the Supplemental RPII/EA 
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments on the Draft 
Supplemental RPII/EA by either of the following methods:
     Website: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ALTIGMM. Follow the 
online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural 
Resources, 31115 Five Rivers Boulevard, Spanish Fort, AL 36527, ATTN: 
Jaime Miller. To be considered, mailed comments must be postmarked on 
or before the comment deadline given in DATES.
    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: National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration--Stella Wilson, NOAA Restoration Center, (850) 332-4169, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction

    On April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater 
Horizon, which was drilling a well for BP Exploration and Production, 
Inc. (BP), experienced a significant explosion, fire and subsequent 
sinking in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the release of millions of 
barrels of oil and other discharges into the Gulf. Under the authority 
of the OPA, designated Federal and state Trustees, acting on behalf of 
the public, assessed the injuries to natural resources and prepared the 
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and 
Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
(Final PDARP/PEIS), and the Record of Decision for the Deepwater 
Horizon Oil Spill Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration 
Plan and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (ROD), which 
sets forth the governance structure and process for DWH restoration 
planning under the OPA NRDA regulations. 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.

[[Page 19571]]

    The Alabama TIG, which is composed of the Alabama Department of 
Conservation and Natural Resources, the NOAA, Environmental Protection 
Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Environmental 
Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, selects and 
implements restoration projects under the Alabama TIG's management 
authority in accordance with the Consent Decree. The Final PDARP/PEIS, 
ROD, Consent Decree, and information on the DWH Trustees can be found 
at https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan.

Background

    In September 2018, the Alabama TIG completed the Deepwater Horizon 
Oil Spill Alabama Trustee Implementation Group Final Restoration Plan 
II and Environmental Assessment: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and 
Nearshore Habitats; Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands; 
Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint Source); Sea Turtles; Marine Mammals; 
Birds; and Oysters (RPII/EA). Twenty restoration projects were selected 
for implementation; one of which was Enhancing Capacity for the Alabama 
Marine Mammal Stranding Network. That project has been successfully 
implemented utilizing Marine Mammal Restoration Type funds identified 
in the DWH Consent Decree.

Overview of the Alabama TIG Supplemental RPII/EA

    The Trustees are now proposing to commit additional funds to marine 
mammal restoration in Alabama. In the Draft Supplemental RPII/EA, the 
Alabama TIG analyzes a reasonable range of two project alternatives 
and, pursuant to the NEPA, a No Action Alternative. Those alternatives 
include:
     Enhancing Capacity for the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding 
Network Project Extension (preferred); and
     Reducing Illegal Feeding of Bottlenose Dolphins Project 
(non-preferred).
    Funding to implement either alternative ultimately selected by the 
Alabama TIG would come from the Marine Mammal Restoration Type 
Allocation. The total estimated cost to implement the Preferred 
Alternative is $1,881,237 and would utilize the remaining allocation of 
Alabama TIG Marine Mammals restoration funds.

Next Steps

    After the public comment period ends, the Alabama TIG will consider 
and address all substantive comments received before making a final 
decision on which, if any, alternative to fund and implement. A Final 
Supplemental RPII/EA and Finding of No Significant Impact, as 
appropriate, identifying the selected alternative will be made publicly 
available.

Administrative Record

    The Administrative Record for the Draft Supplemental RPII/EA can be 
viewed electronically at https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord under the folder 6.5.3.2.

Authority

    The authority for this action is the OPA of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701 et 
seq.), its implementing NRDA regulations found at 15 CFR part 990, and 
the NEPA of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), its implementing regulations 
found at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508.

    Dated: March 12, 2024.
Carrie Diane Robinson,
Director, Office of Habitat Conservation, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-05768 Filed 3-18-24; 8:45 am]
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