Department of the Interior December 6, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Assistant SecretaryIndian Affairs is seeking comments on the renewal of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the collection of information for the Reporting System for the Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992 (as amended) Demonstration Project authorized by OMB Control Number 1076-0135. This information collection expires December 31, 2013.

In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal and State natural resource trustee agencies (Trustees) have prepared a Draft Programmatic and Phase III Early Restoration Plan and Draft Early Restoration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft Phase III ERP/PEIS). The Draft Phase III ERP/PEIS considers programmatic alternatives to restore natural resources, ecological services, and recreational use services injured or lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The restoration alternatives are comprised of early restoration project types; the Trustees additionally propose forty-four specific early restoration projects that are consistent with the proposed early restoration program alternatives. The Trustees have developed restoration alternatives and projects to utilize funds for early restoration being provided under the Framework for Early Restoration Addressing Injuries Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (Framework Agreement) discussed below. Criteria and evaluation standards under the OPA natural resource damage assessment regulations and the Framework Agreement guided the Trustees' consideration of programmatic restoration alternatives. The Draft Phase III ERP/PEIS evaluates these restoration alternatives and projects under criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource damage assessment regulations and the Framework Agreement. The Draft Phase III ERP/PEIS also evaluates the environmental consequences of the restoration alternatives and projects under NEPA. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the availability of the Draft Phase III ERP/PEIS and to seek public comments on the document. This Notice of Availability also serves as notice that the Trustees intend to use components of existing restoration projects, as further described in the Draft Phase III ERP/PEIS, as required by 15 CFR 990.56(b)(3). In those instances, the projects were previously developed with public review and comment and are subject to current public review and comment; are adequate to compensate the environment and public as part of the Trustees' ongoing early restoration efforts; address resources that have been identified by Trustees as being injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; and are reasonably scalable for early restoration purposes.