Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan 5 and Environmental Assessment: Nutrient Reduction and Birds

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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan 5 and Environmental Assessment: Nutrient Reduction and Birds
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Submitting Comments: The TIG will consider public comments on the Draft RP5/EA received on or before July 29, 2026.
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AGENCY:
Department of the Interior.
ACTION:
Notice of availability; request for public comments.
SUMMARY:
The natural resource trustee agencies for the Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group (MS TIG) have prepared the
Draft Restoration Plan 5 and Environmental Assessment: Nutrient Reduction and Birds
DATES:
Submitting Comments:
The TIG will consider public comments on the Draft RP5/EA received on or before July 29, 2026.
Public Webinar:
The MS TIG will post a pre-recorded public webinar on (TBD) to present an overview of the Draft RP5/EA. The webinar publication date is provided on the restore.ms website and the DWH Trustee Council website.
U.S. Mail:
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 341 North Greeno Road, Suite A, Fairhope, Alabama 36532. To be considered, mailed comments must be postmarked on or before the deadline given in
DATES
.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tamara Ward, at
tamara_ward@ios.doi.gov
or 916-217-7913. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point of contact in the United States.
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 Oil Pollution Act of
( printed page 39120)
1990 (OPA; 33 U.S.C. 2701et seq.), 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
https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan.
Background
On May 8, 2024, the MS TIG posted a call for restoration project ideas on the DWH Trustee Council website. On June 2, 2025, following the completion of project screening, the MS TIG posted a public notice on the DWH Trustees' website indicating that the MS TIG was initiating restoration planning for this RP5/EA, for two restoration types: Nutrient Reduction and Birds. The Draft RP5/EA includes a reasonable range of five action alternatives and identifies three preferred alternatives for implementation.
Overview of the MS TIG's Draft RP5/EA
The non-preferred nutrient reduction alternative would implement a suite of USDA conservation practices aimed at reducing nutrient loads in the Big Cedar Creek—West Pascagoula River watershed. The plan also analyzes implementation of three bird restoration alternatives. There are two preferred Birds restoration alternatives. One would benefit multiple species of migratory birds affected by the oil spill, by maximizing and enhancing shallow-water habitat in wetland management units in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. The other involves creation of beach/dune habitat to provide nesting and foraging opportunities for Mississippi's shorebird population on Cat Island.
The non-preferred Birds restoration alternative would protect nesting bird habitat on the mainland beaches through the use of predator management techniques.
The total estimated cost to implement the three preferred alternatives is approximately $19,500,000, which is proposed to be funded from the following DWH NRDA restoration type allocations:
The authority for this action is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701et seq.), its implementing Natural Resource Damage Assessment regulations found at 15 CFR part 990, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321et seq.).
Mary Josie Blanchard,
Department of the Interior, Director, Gulf Coast Restoration.