Louisiana and Open Ocean TIGs Draft Joint Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #1: Restoring Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats, Federally Managed Lands, Fish and Water Column Invertebrates, Sea Turtles, Submerged Aquatic Vegetation, and Birds of the Chandeleur Islands

The Louisiana and Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Groups (TIGs) have prepared the Draft Joint Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) #1: Chandeleur Islands Restoration. This draft plan proposes restoration activities to address natural resource injuries caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The restoration plan focuses on six restoration types, including Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; Federally Managed Lands; Fish and Water Column Invertebrates; Sea Turtles; Submerged Aquatic Vegetation; and Birds.

The RP/EA evaluates six action alternatives and identifies two preferred alternatives:

1. A habitat improvement alternative that maximizes long-term gains in beach, dune, and marsh habitat on the Chandeleur Islands.
2. A Fish and Water Column Invertebrates (FWCI) restoration alternative that focuses on stakeholder education and outreach to reduce human-use impacts such as recreational fishing and ecotourism.

The preferred alternatives are estimated to cost approximately $360 million, with $247 million proposed from Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (DWH NRDA) funds. The State of Louisiana is seeking additional funding for implementation.

Project Purpose and Need:

The purpose of the restoration project is to compensate for injuries to natural resources resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Chandeleur Islands were significantly impacted by the spill and associated clean-up activities, and this restoration effort will provide long-term ecological benefits to coastal and marine habitats and species affected by the spill.

Document Content:

Public Draft Joint RP.EA.1.Main.Body.pdf   (2.3 MB, PDF file) Public Draft Joint RP.EA.1_Appendices.pdf   (34.9 MB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.