Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 10 / Thursday, January 16, 2025 / Notices 4725 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE521] 

Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource 

Damage Assessment Texas Trustee 

Implementation Group Draft 

Restoration Plan/Environmental 

Assessment #3: Wetlands, Coastal, 

and Nearshore Habitats 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for public comments. 

SUMMARY: The Deepwater Horizon 

(DWH) natural resource Trustees for the 

Texas Trustee Implementation Group 

(Texas TIG) have prepared the Draft 

Restoration Plan/Environmental 

Assessment #3: Wetlands, Coastal, and 

Nearshore Habitats (Draft RP/EA #3). 

The Draft RP/EA #3 proposes 

alternatives to help restore wetlands, 

coastal, and nearshore habitats impacted 

by the DWH oil spill. The Draft RP/EA 

#3 evaluates eight restoration 

alternatives under the Oil Pollution Act 

of 1990 (OPA), including criteria set 

forth in the OPA Natural Resource 

Damage Assessment (NRDA) regulations 

and the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) and its implementing 

regulations. A No Action Alternative is 

also evaluated pursuant to the NEPA. 

The total estimated cost to implement 

the Texas TIG’s seven preferred 

alternatives is approximately $40 

million. The Texas TIG invites the 

public to comment on the Draft RP/EA 

#3. 

DATES: Submitting Comments: The 

Texas TIG will consider public 

comments on the Draft RP/EA #3 

received on or before February 18, 2025. 

Public meeting: The Texas TIG will 

host a public meeting to facilitate public 

review and comment on the Draft RP/ 

EA #3. The public meeting date and 

time are as follows: 

• Tuesday, January 28, 2025. An open 

house will be begin at 5 p.m. central 

time (CT). The public meeting will be 

held at 5:30 CT. See ADDRESSES below 

for meeting location. 

ADDRESSES: Meeting location: The 

meeting will be held at Rosenburg 

Library in the Wortham Auditorium, 

2310 Sealy Avenue, Galveston, TX 

77750. 

Obtaining Documents: You may view 

and download the Draft RP/EA #3 at 

https://

www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/ 

restoration-areas/texas. You may also 

request a flash drive containing the 

Draft RP/EA #3 (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT). 

Submitting comments: You may 

submit comments on the Draft RP/EA #3 

by any of the following methods: 

• Website: https://

parkplanning.nps.gov/TXTIGRP3. 

Follow the online instructions for 

submitting comments. 

• In person: Comments may be 

provided at the public meeting. See 

DATES. 

• Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Gulf Restoration Office, 1875 Century 

Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30345. To be 

considered, mailed comments must be 

postmarked on or before the comment 

deadline given in DATES. 

Please note that personal identifying 

information included in the submitted 

comments (such as name, address, 

phone number, and email address) may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

Personal information is not required to 

submit comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration—Jamie Schubert, NOAA 

Restoration Center, (409) 679–3237, 

jamie.schubert@noaa.gov. 

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 set 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 Texas TIG, which is composed of 

the NOAA, U.S. Department of the 

Interior, the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, the Texas General Land 

Office, the Texas Parks and Wildlife 

Department, and the Texas Commission 

on Environmental Quality, selects and 

implements restoration projects under 

the Texas TIG’s management authority 

in accordance with the Consent Decree. 

The Final PDARP/PEIS, ROD, Consent 

Decree, and information on the DWH 

natural resource Trustees can be found 

at https://

www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/ 

restoration-planning/gulf-plan. 

Background 

On August 5, 2024, the Texas TIG 

announced on the Gulf Spill Restoration 

website that they were initiating 

preparation of the Draft RP/EA #3, 

which tiers from the Final PDARP/PEIS 

and includes a reasonable range of 

restoration project alternatives to 

provide compensatory restoration 

toward meeting the Restore and 

Conserve Habitats restoration goal 

identified in the Final PDARP/PEIS 

under the Wetlands, Coastal, and 

Nearshore Habitats (WCNH) Restoration 

Type. 

Overview of the Texas TIG Draft RP/EA 

#3 

This Draft RP/EA #3 focuses on the 

beneficial use of dredged material 

(BUDM) to restore and conserve 

wetlands, coastal, and nearshore 

habitats. The Texas TIG proposes the 

allocation of $40 million toward the use 

of BUDM to construct wetland habitat 

along the Texas coast through the 

projects included in the Draft RP/EA #3. 

The $40 million will be divided among 

the selected projects to provide the 

incremental cost for the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers or to fund other 

viable sources to beneficially use 

dredged sediments to construct the 

preferred restoration alternatives. This 

Draft RP/EA #3 includes a description 

and evaluation of eight restoration 

projects, also called restoration 

alternatives, which compensate for the 

WCNH Restoration Type injury 

described in the Final PDARP/PEIS. 

Seven alternatives are preferred and one 

of the alternatives is not preferred by the 

Texas TIG at this time. Pursuant to 

NEPA, a No Action alternative is also 

evaluated. Funding to implement any of 

the alternatives ultimately selected by 

the Texas TIG would come from the 

WCNH Restoration Type allocation. The 

reasonable range of project alternatives 

evaluated by the Texas TIG are listed 

below: 


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4726 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 10 / Thursday, January 16, 2025 / Notices 

• Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge 

Roberts Mueller Tract Wetland 

Restoration (preferred); 

• Goose Island Wetland Restoration 

(preferred); 

• Guadalupe River Old Delta Wetland 

Restoration (not preferred); 

• Lower Neches Wildlife 

Management Area Old River Unit 

Wetland Restoration (preferred); 

• McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge 

Willow Lake Terraces Wetland 

Restoration (preferred); 

• San Bernard National Wildlife 

Refuge Sargent Oil Field Wetland 

Restoration (preferred); 

• Schicke Point Wetland Restoration 

(preferred); and 

• Texas Point National Wildlife 

Refuge Wetland Restoration (preferred). 

The total estimated cost to implement 

the seven preferred alternatives is $40 

million. 

Next Steps 

After the public comment period 

ends, the Texas 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 RP/EA #3 and 

Finding of No Significant Impact, as 

appropriate, identifying the selected 

alternatives will be made publicly 

available on https://

www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/ 

restoration-areas/texas. 

Administrative Record 

The Administrative Record for the 

Draft RP/EA #3 can be viewed 

electronically at https://www.doi.gov/ 

deepwaterhorizon/adminrecord under 

the folder 6.5.7.2.3. 

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 through 1508. 

Dated: January 10, 2025. 

Carrie Diane Robinson, 

Director, Office of Habitat Conservation, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00942 Filed 1–15–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–12–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Public Meeting of the National Sea 

Grant Advisory Board 

AGENCY: Office of Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Research (OAR), National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), Department of 

Commerce (DOC). 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the 

schedule and proposed agenda of a 

forthcoming meeting of the National Sea 

Grant Advisory Board (Board), a Federal 

Advisory Committee. Board members 

will discuss and provide advice on the 

National Sea Grant College Program (Sea 

Grant) in the areas of program 

evaluation, strategic planning, 

education and extension, science and 

technology programs, and other matters 

as described in the agenda found on the 

Sea Grant website. 

DATES: The announced meeting is 

scheduled for Monday March 3, 2025 

from 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and Tuesday March 

4, 2025 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (eastern 

standard time). 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Yours Truly Hotel in Washington, 

DC. For more information about the 

public meeting see below in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. 

For more information on this Federal 

Advisory Committee please visit the 

Federal Advisory Committee database: 

https://www.facadatabase.gov/FACA/ 

FACAPublicPage. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

any questions concerning the meeting, 

please contact Ms. Donna Brown, 

National Sea Grant College Program. 

Email: oar.sg-feedback@noaa.gov. 

Phone Number 301–734–1088. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Status: The meeting will be open to 

public participation with a public 

comment period on Monday, March 3 at 

9:10 a.m. The Board expects that public 

statements presented at its meetings will 

not be repetitive of previously 

submitted verbal or written statements. 

In general, each individual or group 

making a verbal presentation will be 

limited to a total time of three (3) 

minutes. Written comments should be 

received by Ms. Donna Brown by 

Monday, February 24, 2025 to provide 

sufficient time for Board review. Written 

comments received after the deadline 

will be distributed to the Board, but may 

not be reviewed prior to the meeting 

date. 

Special Accommodations: The Board 

meeting is physically accessible to 

people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to Ms. 

Donna Brown by Monday, February 24, 

2025. 

The Board, which consists of a 

balanced representation from academia, 

industry, State government and citizens 

groups, was established in 1976 by 

section 209 of the Sea Grant 

Improvement Act (Pub. L. 94–461, 33 

U.S.C. 1128). The Board advises the 

Secretary of Commerce and the Director 

of the National Sea Grant College 

Program with respect to operations 

under the Act, and such other matters 

as the Secretary refers to them for 

review and advice. 

Matters To Be Considered: Board 

members will discuss and vote on the 

selection of new committee 

memberships as well as Board 

participation of Sea Grant Network 

Groups and other topics that need Board 

feedback: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/ 

About/Advisory-Board. 

David Holst, 

Chief Financial Officer/Administrative 

Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2025–01020 Filed 1–15–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS 

Notice of Meeting 

Per 45 CFR Chapter XXI § 2102.3, the 

next meeting of the U.S. Commission of 

Fine Arts is scheduled for January 16, 

2025, at 9:00 a.m. and will be held via 

online videoconference. Items of 

discussion may include buildings, 

infrastructure, parks, memorials, and 

public art. 

Draft agendas, the link to register for 

the online public meeting, and 

additional information regarding the 

Commission are available on our 

website: www.cfa.gov. Inquiries 

regarding the agenda, as well as any 

public testimony, should be addressed 

to Thomas Luebke, Secretary, U.S. 

Commission of Fine Arts, at the above 

address; by emailing cfastaff@cfa.gov; or 

by calling 202–504–2200. Individuals 

requiring sign language interpretation 

for the hearing impaired should contact 

the Secretary at least 10 days before the 

meeting date. 


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