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 America, 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 DWH 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 DWH Oil Spill Final PDARP/PEIS (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.

The Louisiana TIG, which includes the State of Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Departments of Environmental Quality, Wildlife and Fisheries, and Natural Resources, the NOAA, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, selects and implements restoration projects under the Louisiana 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 www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/​restoration-planning/​gulf-plan.

Background

As provided for in the Final PDARP/PEIS, TIGs may propose conceptual projects for funding of a planning phase ( e.g., initial engineering and design [E&D]) in a restoration plan. This allows the TIG to develop information needed to fully consider a subsequent implementation phase of the project in a subsequent restoration plan. In the Final RP/EA #8, the Louisiana TIG selected conceptual projects to fund for E&D, including the East Orleans Landbridge Restoration project and the Raccoon Island Restoration project. Both projects have design alternatives that are now at a stage where proposed construction alternatives may be ( printed page 65183) analyzed under the OPA NRDA regulations and NEPA. Therefore, in the Final RP/EA #8.1, the Louisiana TIG proposes to implement the preferred design alternatives to construct the East Orleans Landbridge project and the Raccoon Island Restoration project.

On December 5, 2025, the Louisiana TIG announced on the Gulf Spill Restoration website that they were initiating preparation of the RP/EA #8.1. On May 18, 2026, the Louisiana TIG published the Draft RP/EA #8.1 for a 30-day public review period (91 FR 28574). To facilitate public understanding of the document, the Louisiana TIG held a public webinar on June 8, 2026, during which public comments were solicited. The Louisiana TIG accepted public comments through June 17, 2026. After the public review period closed, the Louisiana TIG reviewed the comments received, prepared responses to those comments, finalized the plan, and prepared the FONSI.

Overview of the Louisiana TIG Final RP/EA #8.1

The Draft RP/EA #8.1 provides OPA NRDA and NEPA analyses for a reasonable range of design alternatives and identifies the Louisiana TIG's preferred design alternative for each project. The preferred design alternative, East Orleans Landbridge Restoration Alternative 4 (E.O. Alternative 4) would dredge and place approximately 5.0 million cubic yards (3.8 million cubic meters) of sediment dredged from a nearby inland borrow source to restore up to 1,320 acres (534 hectares) of a wetland complex. E.O. Alternative 4 would also include 14,867 linear feet (4.53 kilometers) of shoreline protection. The approximate cost to implement the preferred alternative is $109.4 million. The preferred design alternative, Raccoon Island Restoration Project Alternative 3 (RI Alternative 3) would dredge approximately 2.9 million cubic yards (2.2 million cubic meters) of sand from an offshore borrow source to restore up to 410 acres (166 hectares) of barrier island habitat. RI Alternative 3 also includes maintenance of existing Gulfside breakwaters, construction of four bayside breakwaters, and construction of nine living shoreline structures. The approximate cost to implement the preferred alternative is $156.3 million.

The total estimated cost to implement the two preferred alternatives is approximately $265.7 million. Funding to implement the alternatives selected by the Louisiana TIG would come from the Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats Restoration Type allocation. Additional restoration planning in the Louisiana TIG will continue.

Administrative Record

The Administrative Record for the Final RP/EA #8.1 can be viewed electronically at www.doi.gov/​deepwaterhorizon/​adminrecord under the folder 6.5.5.2.16.

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 NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

91 FR 65182