Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan 4 and Environmental Assessment: Fish and Water Column Invertebrates and Sea Turtles

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.

The Open Ocean TIG, which is composed of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, 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 Open Ocean 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

On June 1, 2023, the Open Ocean TIG issued a notice of solicitation on the Gulf Spill Restoration website requesting project ideas for FWCI and Sea Turtles Restoration Types as described in the Final PDARP/PEIS. On June 25, 2024, the TIG announced on the Gulf Spill Restoration website that they reviewed project idea submissions and were initiating drafting of the RP4/EA which tiers from the Final PDARP/PEIS and would include a reasonable range of restoration project alternatives for the FWCI and Sea Turtle Restoration Types.

Overview of the Open Ocean TIG Draft RP4/EA

In the Draft RP4/EA, the Open Ocean TIG analyzes a reasonable range of 12 project alternatives and, pursuant to the NEPA, a No Action alternative for each Restoration Type. Two of the alternatives are not preferred by the TIG at this time. Funding to implement any of the alternatives ultimately selected by the Open Ocean TIG would come from the FWCI and Sea Turtles Restoration Types and Monitoring and Adaptive Management allocations. The reasonable range of project alternatives evaluated by the TIG are listed below:

• Return 'Em Right: Species and Area Expansion (Reduction of Postrelease Mortality from Barotrauma in Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Recreational Fisheries) (preferred);
• Next Generation Fishing (preferred);
• Communication Networks and Mapping Tools to Reduce Fish Mortality (preferred);
• Reduction of Diverse Threats to Fish and Water Column Invertebrates (preferred);
• Education and Stewardship Partnerships with Charter Anglers (preferred);
• Communication, Adaptive Management, Planning, and Integration (preferred);
• Reduction in Fish Post-Release Mortality from Depredation (non-preferred);
• Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat Protection Expansion in Florida (Long Term Nesting Habitat Protection for Sea Turtles) (preferred);
• Gulf-Wide Sea Turtle Bycatch Reduction (preferred);
• Gulf-Wide Sea Turtle Vessel Strike Reduction (preferred);
• Gulf-Wide Sea Turtle Stranding Network and Emergency Response Enhancements (preferred); and
• Kemp's Ridley Nesting Enhancement in Mexico (non-preferred).

The total estimated cost to implement the ten preferred alternatives is approximately $210,020,000.

Next Steps

After the public comment period ends, the Open Ocean TIG will consider and address all substantive comments received before making a final decision on which, if any, alternatives to fund and implement. A Final RP4/EA and Finding of No Significant Impact, as appropriate, identifying the selected alternatives will be made publicly available.

Administrative Record

The Administrative Record for the Draft RP4/EA can be viewed electronically at https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord under the folder 6.5.2.2.4.

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.

[FR Doc. 2024-25180 Filed 10-29-24; 8:45 am]

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