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Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan 5 and Environmental Assessment: Nutrient Reduction and Birds
Federal Agencies - other than NPS » Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group Draft Restoration Plan 5 and Environmental Assessment: Nutrient Reduction and Birds
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest maritime oil spill in U.S. history. It resulted in the discharge of millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA), each party responsible for a vessel or facility from which oil is discharged, or which poses the substantial threat of a discharge, is liable for, among other things, removal costs and damages for injury to, destruction of, loss, or loss of use of natural resources, including the reasonable cost of assessing the damage. Pursuant to OPA, federal and state natural resource trustees, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and trustee agencies from the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, were charged with assessing and restoring for injuries to affected Gulf resources.
Under a global settlement reached on April 4, 2016, the Trustees released the Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PDARP/PEIS). The settlement agreement includes a funding schedule that will extend through 2031. During this timeframe the trustees will provide many opportunities for public participation, including the opportunity to submit project ideas and proposals and to comment on draft restoration plans.
The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group (MS TIG) has prepared a public review draft of its fifth Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment, which focuses on Nutrient Reduction and Birds Restoration Types. The plan analyzes five projects and proposes three projects for implementation. These projects have a combined cost of approximately $19.5 million, which, if selected for implementation, would be funded by the MS TIG's Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment allocation.
The plans proposed restoration activities include:
Hydrologic and stormwater system enhancements to address nutrient loading in Moss Point, MS, through construction of a nature-based stormwater park and urban reforestation in the watershed.
Enhancement of shallow-water bird habitat within wetland management units in multiple state wildlife management areas and national wildlife refuges in the Lower Mississippi River Valley.
Creation and restoration of beach and dune habitat on Cat Island to provide nesting and foraging opportunities for Mississippis shorebird populations, including those injured by the oil spill.
The draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment is consistent with the PDARP/PEIS.
The MS TIG began this restoration planning effort on May 8, 2024, with publication of a Notice of Solicitation requesting the public submit project ideas to the Trustee Implementation Group. On June 2, 2025, the MS TIG published a Notice of Initiation of Restoration Planning and began writing the draft plan.
After the comment period ends for the Draft Restoration Plan 5 and Environmental Assessment, the MS TIG will review, consider, and incorporate public comments before completing the final restoration plan.
Under a global settlement reached on April 4, 2016, the Trustees released the Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PDARP/PEIS). The settlement agreement includes a funding schedule that will extend through 2031. During this timeframe the trustees will provide many opportunities for public participation, including the opportunity to submit project ideas and proposals and to comment on draft restoration plans.
The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group (MS TIG) has prepared a public review draft of its fifth Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment, which focuses on Nutrient Reduction and Birds Restoration Types. The plan analyzes five projects and proposes three projects for implementation. These projects have a combined cost of approximately $19.5 million, which, if selected for implementation, would be funded by the MS TIG's Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment allocation.
The plans proposed restoration activities include:
Hydrologic and stormwater system enhancements to address nutrient loading in Moss Point, MS, through construction of a nature-based stormwater park and urban reforestation in the watershed.
Enhancement of shallow-water bird habitat within wetland management units in multiple state wildlife management areas and national wildlife refuges in the Lower Mississippi River Valley.
Creation and restoration of beach and dune habitat on Cat Island to provide nesting and foraging opportunities for Mississippis shorebird populations, including those injured by the oil spill.
The draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment is consistent with the PDARP/PEIS.
The MS TIG began this restoration planning effort on May 8, 2024, with publication of a Notice of Solicitation requesting the public submit project ideas to the Trustee Implementation Group. On June 2, 2025, the MS TIG published a Notice of Initiation of Restoration Planning and began writing the draft plan.
After the comment period ends for the Draft Restoration Plan 5 and Environmental Assessment, the MS TIG will review, consider, and incorporate public comments before completing the final restoration plan.