The Alabama Trustee Implementation Group has released its first draft restoration plan and environmental impact statement (EIS). The restoration activities proposed in this plan will compensate the public for lost recreational shoreline use opportunities in Alabama caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The draft restoration plan is consistent with the Trustees’ programmatic restoration plan.
The draft restoration plan evaluates 10 alternatives, including the no action alternative, and proposes six preferred alternatives to restore lost recreational use opportunities in Alabama, with a total estimated cost of $70.7 million. We will consider additional projects in future plans for Alabama’s remaining funds to restore lost recreational use and to address other restoration types.
This draft restoration plan and EIS is in accordance with the February 16, 2016 decision in Gulf Restoration Network v. Jewell, Case 1:15-cv-00191-CB-C (S.D. Ala.). In that decision, the court prohibited the use of $58.5 million in early restoration funds that had been allocated to partially fund construction of a lodge and conference center at Alabama’s Gulf State Park (GSP) as part of the GSP Enhancement Project until additional analysis was completed under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Oil Pollution Act. This draft restoration plan and EIS fulfills the federal and state natural resources trustees’ responsibilities under the court order. It also looks more broadly at the potential to provide restoration for additional lost recreational use within Alabama by proposing to fund additional projects to compensate for lost recreational shoreline use in Alabama.
Beginning in July 2016, we conducted scoping for the draft restoration plan and EIS by requesting input from the public. We considered the comments and project suggestions received during this period, as well as previously submitted suggestions, as we developed these documents.
We are now asking for public comment on the draft restoration plan and EIS. We will hold two public meetings to facilitate public review and comments for the proposed plan:
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| January 17, 2017 | 6:00 p.m. Open House 6:30 p.m. Public Meeting |
Shelby Auditorium Shelby Fisheries Center Dauphin Island Sea Lab 101 Bienville Boulevard Dauphin Island, AL 36528 |
| January 18, 2017 | 6:00 p.m. Open House 6:30 p.m. Public Meeting |
Erie H. Meyer Civic Center 1930 W. 2nd Street Gulf Shores, AL 36542 |
We look forward to receiving comments.
Comments can be submitted online or mailed to:
NOAA Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center
Attn: Alabama Recreational Use Restoration Plan
7344 Zeigler Blvd
Mobile, AL 36608
Comments received by January 30, 2017 will be reviewed and considered in preparing the final restoration plan and EIS.
Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Impact Statement
- Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Alabama Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan I and Environmental Impact Statement: Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities (PDF, 536 pages)
- Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Alabama Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan I and Environmental Impact Statement: Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities - Executive Summary (PDF, 3 pages)
- List of Repositories (PDF, 1 page)