NRDAR News

The Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment (ORDA) is seeking comments and suggestions from State, Tribal, and Federal natural resource co-trustees, other affected parties, and the interested public on whether revisions to the regulations for conducting natural resource damage assessments and restoration (NRDAR) for hazardous substance releases are needed, and if so, what specific revisions should be considered.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in coordination with the State of Montana is seeking public comment on the State of Montana’s draft Wetlands/Riparian Areas Plan, which is designed to help address wetland and riparian area loss related to mining and smelting-related contamination in the Upper Clark Fork River Basin (UCFRB), Montana. 

The Natural Resource Trustees for the Bridger Poplar Pipeline oil spill have released a Draft Revised Partial Claim for Past and Future Assessment Costs for public review. On January 17, 2015, the Poplar Pipeline, which is owned and operated by Bridger Pipeline, LLC, of Casper, Wyoming, discharged at least 30,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil into the Yellowstone River just upstream of Glendive, Montana.  The Draft Claim describes the Trustees' proposed future Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) activities that will be needed in order to identify appropriate compensatory restoration projects for this spill.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are considering a series of projects to restore and protect wildlife habitat and water quality and increase recreational opportunities at Onondaga Lake, as outlined in a draft restoration plan and environmental assessment released for public comment through June 2, 2017.

The Departments of Interior and Justice joined with the Commonwealth of Virginia to announce a proposed settlement with DuPont valued at approximately $50 million to resolve claims stemming from the release of mercury from the former E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) facility in Waynesboro, Virginia. Over 100 miles of river and associated floodplain have been contaminated by mercury in the South River and South Fork Shenandoah River watershed.

The Cat Islands, located in Lower Green Bay, eroded away in the mid-1970s due to severe storms and high water damage. A few wetlands remained, but much of the habitat for aquatic animals, shorebirds, and 13 different species of colonial nesting birds was lost.

On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up and was consumed by fire. Eleven men died and many others were injured. For 87 days the well spewed oil – a total of 134 million gallons were released into the Gulf of Mexico. Ultimately, more than 43,000 square miles of the Gulf and its shoreline were oiled. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the worst environmental disaster in our nation’s history.

2016 NRDAR Program Awards

The Department of the Interior today announced the launch of the Damage Assessment and Restoration Tracking System (DARTS)—a new interactive website for tracking cases involving assessment of damages and restoration of natural resources that have been injured as a result of oil spills or hazardous-substance releases into the environment.

The Natural Resource Trustees for the M/V Selendang Ayu oil spill have released a draft Assessment Plan for public review. In December of 2004, the M/V Selendang Ayu shipping vessel ran aground and split in half, while traveling through the Aleutian Islands, spilling about 350,000 gallons of oil and diesel, as well as 132 million pounds of its soybean cargo on the northern shores of Unalaska Island, Alaska. The draft Assessment Plan describes the Trustees' proposed future natural resource damage assessment and restoration (NRDAR) activities that will be needed in order to identify appropriate compensatory restoration projects for this spill.