[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 186 (Tuesday, September 27, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-23782]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: September 27, 1994]
VOL. 59, NO. 186
Tuesday, September 27, 1994
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Forest Service
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of the Secretary
[FES 94-30]
Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Plan
AGENCIES: Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, and the Office of
the Secretary, Department of the Interior. National Marine Fisheries
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of
Commerce is a cooperating agency.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Exxon Valdez Restoration Plan.
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SUMMARY: On behalf of the Exxon Valdez Trustee Council, the Department
of Agriculture, Forest Service announces the availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Restoration Plan. The responsible official for the preparation of the
FEIS is the Regional Forester, Phil Janik. The Restoration Plan will
establish management direction and guide all natural resource
restoration activities covered by the civil settlement to the Exxon
Valdez oil spill.
DATES: It is anticipated that a decision will be made on the
Restoration Program approximately 30 days after publication of the
Notice of Availability by the Environmental Protection Agency in the
Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of a Summary of the FEIS or copies of the FEIS itself
are available on request from the Oil Spill Public Information Office,
645 G. Street, Anchorage, Alaska, 99501. Phone number (907) 278-8008 or
within Alaska (800) 478-7745, outside Alaska (800) 283-7745. Copies
also will be sent to public libraries in Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks,
Valdez, Cordova, Kodiak, Homer, and Seward, Alaska.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Introduction
On October 8, 1991, a federal court approved settlement between the
State and Federal Governments and Exxon under which Exxon will pay $1
billion in criminal restitution and civil damages to the governments.
The State and Federal Trustees will receive $900 million in civil
damages from Exxon over the 10 years. The funds are to be used to
restore to their pre-spill condition the natural resources and the
services they provide, injured by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. This
includes the restoration of any natural resources injured, lost or
destroyed and the services provided by that resource or which replaces
or substitutes for the injured, lost or destroyed resource and affected
services. Restoration includes all phases of injury assessment,
restoration, replacement, and enhancement of natural resources, and
acquisition of equivalent resources and services.
All decisions about restoration and uses of restoration funds are
made by six natural resources Trustees, three Federal and three State.
The three Federal Trustees are: The Administrator for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce,
and the Secretaries of the Department of Agriculture and of the
Interior. The three State Trustees are: The Commissioners of Fish and
Game, and Environmental Conservation, and the Attorney General. A
Trustee Council, located in Alaska, composed of the three State
Trustees and designees of the three Federal Trustees, is responsible
for decisions relating to the assessment of injuries, uses of the
restoration funds, and all restoration activities including the
preparation of a Restoration Plan.
On April 10, 1992 (57 FR 12473-12475) on behalf of the Exxon Valdez
Trustee Council, the Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to
prepare an EIS on the Restoration Plan. This was later revised on
January 14, 1994 (59 FR 2352-2353).
The Trustee Council released a Draft Restoration Plan in November
1993, which was the proposed action for the analysis conducted in the
FEIS. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was released for
public comment on June 17, 1994 (59 FR 31191) followed by a 45-day
comment period ending on August 1, 1994.
B. Comments
The comment period on the DEIS was 45 days from the date the
Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability appears in the
Federal Register. During the comment period for the DEIS public
meetings were held on the following dates at the locations shown:
June 27, 1994--Anchorage, AK
June 29, 1994--Seward, AK
July 1, 1994--Homer, AK
July 5, 1994--Kodiak, AK
July 7, 1994--Cordova, AK
July 19, 1994--Valdez, AK
In addition, a teleconference was held on July 20, 1994.
Opportunities for involvement were provided in the following
communities:
Akhiok
Chignik
Chignik Lagoon
Chignik Lake
Cordova
Fairbanks
Homer
Ivanof Bay
Juneau
Karluk
Kodiak
Larsen Bay
Nanwalek
Old Harbor
Ouzinkie
Perryville
Port Graham
Port Lions
Seldovia
Seward
Soldotna
Tatitlek
Valdez
Whittier
Dated: September 21, 1994.
George T. Frampton, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the
Interior.
Dated: September 19, 1994.
Phil Janik,
Regional Forester, Alaska Region, Forest Service, Department of
Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 94-23782 Filed 9-26-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
