NRDAR News

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council has released the 2021 Programmatic Review (PDF, 97 pages) of its Gulf restoration work. The Trustees have committed to periodically re-examining the restoration program through programmatic reviews. This is the first of these efforts, and includes data collected from their work through 2020.

The Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment would like to announce the recent completion of the subject study and related report that the Office funded.  

The Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group is seeking public input on a draft restoration plan proposing an investment of up to $2 billion in the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project. If approved, the large-scale project would reconnect the Mississippi River to Louisiana’s Barataria Basin. The project will allow the controlled release of freshwater, nutrients and sediment back into the basin to rebuild wetlands and contribute to the broader restoration of its ecosystem.The Draft Phase II Restoration Plan #3.2 is available for public comment for 60 days through May 4, 2021, with virtual public meetings to present the plan and environmental impact statement April 6, 7, and 8, 2021. 

The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group has released its Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #7: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats, and Birds . Trustees will accept comments through September 22, 2020, and hold a public webinar on September 3.

Louisiana Restoration Area Draft Restoration Plan for Rabbit Island and Jean Lafitte National Historical Park Released for Public Comment

"Good Queen Bess" (a.k.a. Queen Elizabeth) is credited with putting an end to a period of instability in mid-16th century England. Unfortunately, the tiny scrap of land in Louisiana that bears her name, Queen Bess Island, has been anything but stable. The island, located about two-and-a-half miles north of Grand Isle in Barataria Bay, has been sinking and eroding into the Gulf of Mexico. This is a matter of grave concern, as Queen Bess Island supports the third largest brown pelican rookery in Louisiana.

Less than five acres of suitable nesting and brood-rearing bird habitat remain on Queen Bess Island, so immediate action is needed to stop the erosion and build back what has been lost. Using $18.7 million of Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (DWH NRDA) settlement funds from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a restoration effort aimed at adding 37 acres of prime nesting habitat will start this October. If not for a remarkable regulatory feat, project managers would have had to wait until next year to start the project. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS’) streamlining of the environmental compliance process led to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) being able to issue a permit for the project in only two days.

The Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (DWH NRDAR) Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (AL TIG), of which the Department of the Interior is a member, is seeking public comment on its recently released draft restoration plan to address injuries to natural resources caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The AL TIG will accept comments on the Draft Restoration Plan III through October 3, 2019. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is soliciting public comment on its Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) proposes options for habitat restoration projects for migratory birds in Lewis and Clark County, Montana. The Draft RP/EA proposes alternatives to restore natural resources and migratory bird habitat that have been injured by hazardous substances released from the East Helena Smelter Site.

A few miles north of Anaconda, Montana, a newly restored landscape is home to a wide range of the state’s native plants and wildlife.

Many unique species of fish, birds, mammals, and vegetation thrive in this expansive wetlands area. Thanks to the site’s two new public access points, trails, and information kiosks, visitors can now learn more about these creatures than ever before.