82_FR_48685 82 FR 48485 - Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Texas Trustee Implementation Group Final 2017 Restoration Plan and Finding of No Significant Impact

82 FR 48485 - Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Texas Trustee Implementation Group Final 2017 Restoration Plan and Finding of No Significant Impact

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 200 (October 18, 2017)

Page Range48485-48486
FR Document2017-22607

In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and a Consent Decree with BP Exploration & Production Inc. (BP), entered in: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig ``Deepwater Horizon'' in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, MDL No. 2179 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the Deepwater Horizon Federal and State natural resource trustee agencies for the Texas Trustee Implementation Group (Texas TIG) have prepared the Final 2017 Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; and Oysters (Final RP/EA). The Final RP/EA describes and, in conjunction with the associated Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), selects 13 preferred alternatives considered by the Texas TIG to restore natural resources and ecological services injured or lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Texas TIG evaluated alternatives under criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource damage assessment regulations, and evaluated the environmental consequences of the restoration alternatives in accordance with NEPA. The selected projects are consistent with the restoration alternatives selected in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PDARP/PEIS). The Federal Trustees of the Texas TIG have determined that implementation of the Final RP/EA is not a major Federal Action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment within the context of NEPA. They have concluded a FONSI is appropriate, and, therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement will not be prepared. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the approval and availability of the Final RP/EA and FONSI.

Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 200 (Wednesday, October 18, 2017)
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 18, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48485-48486]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22607]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE201


Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Texas 
Trustee Implementation Group Final 2017 Restoration Plan and Finding of 
No Significant Impact

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and a Consent Decree with BP 
Exploration & Production Inc. (BP), entered in: Oil Spill by the Oil 
Rig ``Deepwater Horizon'' in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, MDL 
No. 2179 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District 
of Louisiana, the Deepwater Horizon Federal and State natural resource 
trustee agencies for the Texas Trustee Implementation Group (Texas TIG) 
have prepared the Final 2017 Restoration Plan and Environmental 
Assessment: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; 
and Oysters (Final RP/EA). The Final RP/EA describes and, in 
conjunction with the associated Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI), selects 13 preferred alternatives considered by the Texas TIG 
to restore natural resources and ecological services injured or lost as 
a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Texas TIG evaluated 
alternatives under criteria set forth in the OPA natural resource 
damage assessment regulations, and evaluated the environmental 
consequences of the restoration alternatives in accordance with NEPA. 
The selected projects are consistent with the restoration alternatives 
selected in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Final Programmatic Damage 
Assessment and Restoration Plan/Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (PDARP/PEIS). The Federal Trustees of the Texas TIG have 
determined that implementation of the Final RP/EA is not a major 
Federal Action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment within the context of NEPA. They have concluded a FONSI is 
appropriate, and, therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement will not 
be prepared. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the 
approval and availability of the Final RP/EA and FONSI.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may download the Final RP/EA and 
FONSI at http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov. Alternatively, you 
may request a CD of the Final RP/EA and FONSI (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT). In addition, you may view the document at any of 
the public facilities listed at http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration--Jamie 
Schubert, [email protected], 409-621-1248;
     Texas Parks and Wildlife Department--Don Pitts, 
[email protected], 512-389-8754.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction

    On April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater 
Horizon, which was being used to drill a well for BP in the Macondo 
prospect (Mississippi Canyon 252-MC252), exploded, caught fire, and 
subsequently sank 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 Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the largest maritime 
oil spill in United States history, discharging millions of barrels of 
oil over a period of 87 days. In addition, well over one 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 also was released to the environment as a result of the 
spill.
    The Deepwater Horizon Federal and State natural resource trustees 
(DWH Trustees) conducted the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) 
for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill under the Oil Pollution Act of 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. 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, 
including the loss of use and services from those resources from the 
time of injury until the time of restoration to baseline (the resource 
quality and conditions that would exist if the spill had not occurred) 
is complete.
    The DWH Trustees are:

[[Page 48486]]

     U.S. Department of the Interior, as represented by the 
National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of 
Land Management;
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on behalf 
of the U.S. Department of Commerce;
     U.S. Department of Agriculture;
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
     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
     For the State of Texas, Texas Parks and Wildlife 
Department, Texas General Land Office, and Texas Commission on 
Environmental Quality.
    Upon completion of the NRDA, the DWH Trustees reached and finalized 
a settlement of their natural resource damages claims with BP in a 
Consent Decree approved by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern 
District of Louisiana. Pursuant to that Consent Decree, restoration 
projects in the Texas Restoration Area are now chosen and managed by 
the Texas TIG. The Texas TIG is comprised of the following DWH 
Trustees:
     Texas Parks and Wildlife Department;
     Texas General Land Office;
     Texas Commission on Environmental Quality;
     U.S. Department of the Interior, as represented by 
National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of 
Land Management;
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on behalf 
of the U.S. Department of Commerce;
     U.S. Department of Agriculture; and
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
    This restoration planning activity is proceeding in accordance with 
the PDARP/PEIS. Information on the Restoration Types considered in the 
Final RP/EA, as well as the OPA criteria against which project ideas 
were evaluated, can be viewed in the PDARP/PEIS (http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan) and 
in the Overview of the PDARP/PEIS (http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan).

Background

    On July 6, 2016, the Texas TIG posted a public notice at http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov requesting new or revised proposals 
by August 31, 2016, regarding natural resource restoration in the Texas 
Restoration Area for the 2016-2017 planning years. The notice stated 
that the Texas TIG is prioritizing restoration planning efforts on 
Restoration Types that were not addressed previously by Early 
Restoration: (1) Restore and conserve wetland, coastal, and nearshore 
habitats; (2) restore water quality through nutrient reduction 
(nonpoint source); and (3) replenish and protect oysters.
    A Notice of Availability of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Texas 
Trustee Implementation Group Draft 2017 Restoration Plan and 
Environmental Assessment: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and 
Nearshore Habitats; and Oysters (Draft RP/EA) was published in the 
Federal Register on May 18, with a correction published on June 1, 
2017. The Draft RP/EA proposed 13 restoration project alternatives 
consistent with the Restoration Types selected in the PDARP/PEIS. The 
Texas TIG evaluated these alternatives under criteria set forth in the 
OPA natural resource damage assessment regulations, and evaluated the 
environmental consequences of the restoration alternatives in 
accordance with NEPA. The Texas TIG provided the public with 33 days to 
review and provide comment on the Draft RP/EA. During the public review 
period, which ended on June 19, 2017, the Texas TIG held two public 
meetings in Corpus Christi (June 7, 2017) and La Marque (June 8, 2017). 
The Texas TIG considered the public comments received, which informed 
the Texas TIG's analyses and selection of the restoration projects in 
the Final RP/EA. A summary of the public comments received and the 
Trustees' responses to those comments are addressed in Chapter 7 of the 
Final RP/EA.

Overview of the Final RP/EA

    The Final RP/EA is being released in accordance with OPA, the OPA 
NRDA regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR 
part 990, and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
    In the Final RP/EA, the Texas TIG selects as its preferred 
alternatives for the following Restoration Types: (1) Wetland, coastal, 
and nearshore habitats; and (2) oysters. For the water quality 
(nonpoint source) Restoration Type, the Texas TIG has determined 
additional restoration planning is necessary, and does not propose or 
select any restoration projects in this RP/EA.
    For wetland, coastal, and nearshore habitats, the Final RP/EA 
selects the following preferred project alternatives:
     Bird Island Cove Habitat Restoration Engineering,
     Essex Bayou Habitat Restoration Engineering,
     Dredged Material Planning for Wetland Restoration,
     McFaddin Beach and Dune Restoration,
     Bessie Heights Wetland Restoration,
     Pierce Marsh Wetland Restoration,
     Indian Point Shoreline Erosion Protection,
     Bahia Grande Hydrologic Restoration,
     Follets Island Habitat Acquisition,
     Mid-Coast Habitat Acquisition,
     Bahia Grande Coastal Corridor Habitat Acquisition, and
     Laguna Atascosa Habitat Acquisition.
    For oysters, the Final RP/EA selects Oyster Restoration Engineering 
as the preferred project alternative.
    The Texas TIG has examined the injuries assessed by the DWH 
Trustees and evaluated restoration alternatives to address the 
injuries. In the Final RP/EA, the Texas TIG presents to the public its 
plan for providing partial compensation to the public for injured 
natural resources and ecological services in the Texas Restoration 
Area. The selected projects are intended to continue the process of 
restoring natural resources and ecological services injured or lost as 
a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The total estimated cost 
of the selected projects is $45,761,000. Additional restoration 
planning for the Texas Restoration Area will continue.

Administrative Record

    The documents comprising the Administrative Record for the Final 
RP/EA and FONSI can be viewed electronically at http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord.

    Authority: The authority for this action is OPA (33 U.S.C. 2701 
et seq.) and the OPA NRDA regulations at 15 CFR part 990.

    Dated: October 13, 2017.
Christopher Meaney,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Habitat Conservation, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-22607 Filed 10-17-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P



                                                                         Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 200 / Wednesday, October 18, 2017 / Notices                                            48485

                                               VI. Conclusion                                          DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE                                ADDRESSES:   Obtaining Documents: You
                                               [FR Doc. 2017–22601 Filed 10–17–17; 8:45 am]                                                                  may download the Final RP/EA and
                                               BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
                                                                                                       National Oceanic and Atmospheric                      FONSI at http://www.gulfspill
                                                                                                       Administration                                        restoration.noaa.gov. Alternatively, you
                                                                                                       RIN 0648–XE201                                        may request a CD of the Final RP/EA
                                               DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE                                                                                        and FONSI (see FOR FURTHER
                                                                                                       Notice of Availability of the Deepwater               INFORMATION CONTACT). In addition, you
                                               International Trade Administration                      Horizon Oil Spill Texas Trustee                       may view the document at any of the
                                                                                                       Implementation Group Final 2017                       public facilities listed at http://www.gulf
                                               [A–570–053]                                             Restoration Plan and Finding of No                    spillrestoration.noaa.gov.
                                                                                                       Significant Impact                                    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
                                               Certain Aluminum Foil From the                          AGENCY:  National Marine Fisheries                      • National Oceanic and Atmospheric
                                               People’s Republic of China: Deferral of                 Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and                  Administration—Jamie Schubert,
                                               Preliminary Determination of the Less-                  Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),                    Jamie.Schubert@noaa.gov, 409–621–
                                               Than-Fair-Value Investigation—                          Department of Commerce.                               1248;
                                               Correction Notice                                                                                               • Texas Parks and Wildlife
                                                                                                       ACTION: Notice of availability.
                                                                                                                                                             Department—Don Pitts, Don.Pitts@
                                               AGENCY:  Enforcement and Compliance,                    SUMMARY:    In accordance with the Oil                tpwd.texas.gov, 512–389–8754.
                                               International Trade Administration,                     Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the                      SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                                               Department of Commerce.                                 National Environmental Policy Act
                                                                                                       (NEPA), and a Consent Decree with BP                  Introduction
                                               DATES:   Applicable October 18, 2017.                   Exploration & Production Inc. (BP),                      On April 20, 2010, the mobile
                                               FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin                   entered in: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig                  offshore drilling unit Deepwater
                                               Kearney at (202) 482–0167, AD/CVD                       ‘‘Deepwater Horizon’’ in the Gulf of                  Horizon, which was being used to drill
                                               Operations, Enforcement and                             Mexico, on April 20, 2010, MDL No.                    a well for BP in the Macondo prospect
                                               Compliance, International Trade                         2179 in the United States District Court              (Mississippi Canyon 252–MC252),
                                               Administration, Department of                           for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the            exploded, caught fire, and subsequently
                                               Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue                      Deepwater Horizon Federal and State                   sank in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in
                                               NW., Washington, DC 20230.                              natural resource trustee agencies for the             an unprecedented volume of oil and
                                                                                                       Texas Trustee Implementation Group                    other discharges from the rig and from
                                               SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:                              (Texas TIG) have prepared the Final                   the wellhead on the seabed. The
                                                                                                       2017 Restoration Plan and                             Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the
                                               Background
                                                                                                       Environmental Assessment: Restoration                 largest maritime oil spill in United
                                                 On October 12, 2017, the Department                   of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore                   States history, discharging millions of
                                               of Commerce (the Department)                            Habitats; and Oysters (Final RP/EA).                  barrels of oil over a period of 87 days.
                                               published a notice of the deferral of the               The Final RP/EA describes and, in                     In addition, well over one million
                                               preliminary determination in the less-                  conjunction with the associated Finding               gallons of dispersants were applied to
                                               than-fair-value investigation of                        of No Significant Impact (FONSI),                     the waters of the spill area in an attempt
                                                                                                       selects 13 preferred alternatives                     to disperse the spilled oil. An
                                               aluminum foil from the People’s
                                                                                                       considered by the Texas TIG to restore                undetermined amount of natural gas
                                               Republic of China (PRC).1 In the
                                                                                                       natural resources and ecological                      also was released to the environment as
                                               Deferral Notice, the Department
                                                                                                       services injured or lost as a result of the           a result of the spill.
                                               inadvertently published an incorrect                    Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Texas                   The Deepwater Horizon Federal and
                                               date of the deferred preliminary                        TIG evaluated alternatives under criteria             State natural resource trustees (DWH
                                               determination.2                                         set forth in the OPA natural resource                 Trustees) conducted the natural
                                               Correction                                              damage assessment regulations, and                    resource damage assessment (NRDA) for
                                                                                                       evaluated the environmental                           the Deepwater Horizon oil spill under
                                                 The Department expects to issue the                   consequences of the restoration                       the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA; 33
                                               preliminary determination no later than                 alternatives in accordance with NEPA.                 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). Pursuant to OPA,
                                               November 30, 2017.                                      The selected projects are consistent with             Federal and State agencies act as
                                                 Dated: October 12, 2017.
                                                                                                       the restoration alternatives selected in              trustees on behalf of the public to assess
                                                                                                       the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Final                natural resource injuries and losses and
                                               Gary Taverman,
                                                                                                       Programmatic Damage Assessment and                    to determine the actions required to
                                               Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping              Restoration Plan/Programmatic                         compensate the public for those injuries
                                               and Countervailing Duty Operations,                     Environmental Impact Statement                        and losses. OPA further instructs the
                                               performing the non-exclusive functions and              (PDARP/PEIS). The Federal Trustees of                 designated trustees to develop and
                                               duties of the Assistant Secretary for
                                                                                                       the Texas TIG have determined that                    implement a plan for the restoration,
                                               Enforcement and Compliance.
                                                                                                       implementation of the Final RP/EA is                  rehabilitation, replacement, or
                                               [FR Doc. 2017–22599 Filed 10–17–17; 8:45 am]
                                                                                                       not a major Federal Action significantly              acquisition of the equivalent of the
                                               BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P                                  affecting the quality of the human                    injured natural resources under their
                                                                                                       environment within the context of                     trusteeship, including the loss of use
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                                                                                                       NEPA. They have concluded a FONSI is                  and services from those resources from
                                                 1 See Certain Aluminum Foil from the People’s
                                                                                                       appropriate, and, therefore, an                       the time of injury until the time of
                                               Republic of China: Deferral of Preliminary
                                                                                                       Environmental Impact Statement will                   restoration to baseline (the resource
                                               Determination of the Less-Than-Fair-Value               not be prepared. The purpose of this                  quality and conditions that would exist
                                               Investigation, 82 FR 47481 (October 12, 2017)           notice is to inform the public of the                 if the spill had not occurred) is
                                               (Deferral Notice).                                      approval and availability of the Final                complete.
                                                 2 Id.                                                 RP/EA and FONSI.                                         The DWH Trustees are:


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                                               48486                     Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 200 / Wednesday, October 18, 2017 / Notices

                                                 • U.S. Department of the Interior, as                 Background                                            select any restoration projects in this
                                               represented by the National Park                           On July 6, 2016, the Texas TIG posted              RP/EA.
                                               Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,                a public notice at http://www.gulfspill                  For wetland, coastal, and nearshore
                                               and Bureau of Land Management;                          restoration.noaa.gov requesting new or                habitats, the Final RP/EA selects the
                                                 • National Oceanic and Atmospheric                    revised proposals by August 31, 2016,                 following preferred project alternatives:
                                               Administration, on behalf of the U.S.                   regarding natural resource restoration in
                                               Department of Commerce;                                                                                          • Bird Island Cove Habitat
                                                                                                       the Texas Restoration Area for the 2016–              Restoration Engineering,
                                                 • U.S. Department of Agriculture;                     2017 planning years. The notice stated
                                                 • U.S. Environmental Protection                       that the Texas TIG is prioritizing                       • Essex Bayou Habitat Restoration
                                               Agency;                                                 restoration planning efforts on                       Engineering,
                                                 • State of Louisiana Coastal                          Restoration Types that were not                          • Dredged Material Planning for
                                               Protection and Restoration Authority,                   addressed previously by Early                         Wetland Restoration,
                                               Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office,                         Restoration: (1) Restore and conserve                    • McFaddin Beach and Dune
                                               Department of Environmental Quality,                    wetland, coastal, and nearshore habitats;             Restoration,
                                               Department of Wildlife and Fisheries,                   (2) restore water quality through
                                               and Department of Natural Resources;                                                                             • Bessie Heights Wetland Restoration,
                                                                                                       nutrient reduction (nonpoint source);
                                                 • State of Mississippi Department of                  and (3) replenish and protect oysters.                   • Pierce Marsh Wetland Restoration,
                                               Environmental Quality;                                     A Notice of Availability of the                       • Indian Point Shoreline Erosion
                                                 • State of Alabama Department of                      Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Texas                     Protection,
                                               Conservation and Natural Resources and                  Trustee Implementation Group Draft
                                               Geological Survey of Alabama;                                                                                    • Bahia Grande Hydrologic
                                                                                                       2017 Restoration Plan and
                                                 • State of Florida Department of                      Environmental Assessment: Restoration
                                                                                                                                                             Restoration,
                                               Environmental Protection and Fish and                   of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore                      • Follets Island Habitat Acquisition,
                                               Wildlife Conservation Commission; and                   Habitats; and Oysters (Draft RP/EA) was                  • Mid-Coast Habitat Acquisition,
                                                 • For the State of Texas, Texas Parks                 published in the Federal Register on
                                               and Wildlife Department, Texas General                                                                           • Bahia Grande Coastal Corridor
                                                                                                       May 18, with a correction published on
                                               Land Office, and Texas Commission on                                                                          Habitat Acquisition, and
                                                                                                       June 1, 2017. The Draft RP/EA proposed
                                               Environmental Quality.                                  13 restoration project alternatives                      • Laguna Atascosa Habitat
                                                 Upon completion of the NRDA, the                      consistent with the Restoration Types                 Acquisition.
                                               DWH Trustees reached and finalized a                    selected in the PDARP/PEIS. The Texas                    For oysters, the Final RP/EA selects
                                               settlement of their natural resource                    TIG evaluated these alternatives under                Oyster Restoration Engineering as the
                                               damages claims with BP in a Consent                     criteria set forth in the OPA natural                 preferred project alternative.
                                               Decree approved by the U.S. District                    resource damage assessment
                                               Court for the Eastern District of                                                                                The Texas TIG has examined the
                                                                                                       regulations, and evaluated the
                                               Louisiana. Pursuant to that Consent                                                                           injuries assessed by the DWH Trustees
                                                                                                       environmental consequences of the
                                               Decree, restoration projects in the Texas                                                                     and evaluated restoration alternatives to
                                                                                                       restoration alternatives in accordance
                                               Restoration Area are now chosen and                                                                           address the injuries. In the Final RP/EA,
                                                                                                       with NEPA. The Texas TIG provided the
                                               managed by the Texas TIG. The Texas                                                                           the Texas TIG presents to the public its
                                                                                                       public with 33 days to review and
                                               TIG is comprised of the following DWH                                                                         plan for providing partial compensation
                                                                                                       provide comment on the Draft RP/EA.
                                               Trustees:                                                                                                     to the public for injured natural
                                                                                                       During the public review period, which
                                                 • Texas Parks and Wildlife                                                                                  resources and ecological services in the
                                                                                                       ended on June 19, 2017, the Texas TIG
                                               Department;                                                                                                   Texas Restoration Area. The selected
                                                                                                       held two public meetings in Corpus
                                                 • Texas General Land Office;                                                                                projects are intended to continue the
                                                                                                       Christi (June 7, 2017) and La Marque
                                                 • Texas Commission on                                                                                       process of restoring natural resources
                                                                                                       (June 8, 2017). The Texas TIG
                                               Environmental Quality;                                                                                        and ecological services injured or lost as
                                                                                                       considered the public comments
                                                 • U.S. Department of the Interior, as                                                                       a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil
                                                                                                       received, which informed the Texas
                                               represented by National Park Service,                                                                         spill. The total estimated cost of the
                                                                                                       TIG’s analyses and selection of the
                                               U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and                                                                           selected projects is $45,761,000.
                                                                                                       restoration projects in the Final RP/EA.
                                               Bureau of Land Management;                                                                                    Additional restoration planning for the
                                                                                                       A summary of the public comments
                                                 • National Oceanic and Atmospheric                                                                          Texas Restoration Area will continue.
                                                                                                       received and the Trustees’ responses to
                                               Administration, on behalf of the U.S.                   those comments are addressed in                       Administrative Record
                                               Department of Commerce;                                 Chapter 7 of the Final RP/EA.
                                                 • U.S. Department of Agriculture; and                                                                         The documents comprising the
                                                 • U.S. Environmental Protection                       Overview of the Final RP/EA                           Administrative Record for the Final RP/
                                               Agency.                                                   The Final RP/EA is being released in                EA and FONSI can be viewed
                                                 This restoration planning activity is                 accordance with OPA, the OPA NRDA                     electronically at http://www.doi.gov/
                                               proceeding in accordance with the                       regulations in the Code of Federal                    deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord.
                                               PDARP/PEIS. Information on the                          Regulations (CFR) at 15 CFR part 990,                  Authority: The authority for this action is
                                               Restoration Types considered in the                     and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).                    OPA (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) and the OPA
                                               Final RP/EA, as well as the OPA criteria                  In the Final RP/EA, the Texas TIG                   NRDA regulations at 15 CFR part 990.
                                               against which project ideas were                        selects as its preferred alternatives for
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                                                                                                       the following Restoration Types: (1)                    Dated: October 13, 2017.
                                               evaluated, can be viewed in the PDARP/
                                               PEIS (http://www.gulfspillrestoration.                  Wetland, coastal, and nearshore                       Christopher Meaney,
                                               noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-                     habitats; and (2) oysters. For the water              Acting Deputy Director, Office of Habitat
                                               plan) and in the Overview of the                        quality (nonpoint source) Restoration                 Conservation, National Marine Fisheries
                                               PDARP/PEIS (http://www.gulfspill                        Type, the Texas TIG has determined                    Service.
                                               restoration.noaa.gov/restoration-                       additional restoration planning is                    [FR Doc. 2017–22607 Filed 10–17–17; 8:45 am]
                                               planning/gulf-plan).                                    necessary, and does not propose or                    BILLING CODE 3510–22–P




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Document Created: 2017-10-18 01:38:09
Document Modified: 2017-10-18 01:38:09
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionNotice of availability.
Contact<bullet> National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration--Jamie Schubert, [email protected], 409-621-1248;
FR Citation82 FR 48485 
RIN Number0648-XE20

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