NRDAR News

Representing a major win for habitat restoration for seabirds injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group released its Final Open Ocean Restoration Plan 3 (PDF, 335 pages) on September 15, 2023. The restoration plan includes seven projects, with a combined budget of $33 million, that will help restore seabirds that were injured by the oil spill and are found in the Gulf of Mexico. The projects are scheduled to begin implementation within the next year.

The Deepwater Horizon NRDAR Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group has released its Draft Restoration Plan 3 and Environmental Assessment: Birds (PDF, 304 pages) for public comment through April 28, 2023. The draft plan is available for review and in libraries and other repositories.

The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group, the agencies charged with restoring Louisiana’s natural resources after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has released the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Final Restoration Plan .The plan evaluates using a large-scale sediment diversion to reconnect the Mississippi River to Louisiana's Barataria Basin estuary to restore wetlands and contribute to the broader restoration of its ecosystem. If it is ultimately permitted and funded, this first-of-its-kind project, estimated to cost more than $2 billion, represents one of the largest and most innovative coastal habitat restoration efforts ever undertaken.

The Deepwater Horizon Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group is proposing the Terrebonne Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) Island Restoration project to restore birds injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The project is included in a draft restoration plan, which is now open for public comment through September 26, 2022.  

On March 17, 2022, the U.S Department of Justice announced completion of a settlement agreement with Taylor Energy, the company responsible for an oil spill that began in 2004. The settlement comes after the Department of Justice drafted a Consent Decree—a 60-page document that spells out the terms of the settlement—and provided a 40-day public comment.   

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.