Selected Restoration Alternative. The Trustees’ selected compensatory restoration alternative is to create 15.5 acres of salt xxxxx habitat and 8.0 acres of fresh xxxxx habitat using monies ($2,014,500.00) received from EMPCo as part of a negotiated settlement of the damage claim. A specific project(s) will be identified in the future by the Trustees and a Draft Restoration Plan will be released for public review.
Selected Restoration Alternative. The Trustees’ selected restoration alternative is to create 15.5 acres of salt xxxxx habitat and 8.0 acres of fresh xxxxx habitat in the vicinity of the Incidents (i.e., Region 2)3 using settlement monies received from EMPCo as part of a negotiated settlement (see Section IV.B.2 of the Settlement Agreement). Identification of a specific preferred restoration alternative to compensate the public for injuries to trust natural resources and interim losses of ecological services resulting from the Incidents will be provided for public review in the DRP.
Selected Restoration Alternative. Restoration types were selected by the Trustees to streamline the process of evaluating and selecting a preferred restoration alternative. The selection of appropriate restoration types was accomplished by first identifying restoration types that had a strong nexus to the injured trust resources and services (Appendix C). As described in Section 4.2.4.1.5, Restoration Type Selection Criteria, of the Louisiana RRP Program FPEIS (NOAA et al., 2007), trustees use restoration type selection criteria to assist in determining which of the various restoration types with a strong nexus to the injured trust resources and services is most appropriate to restore injured trust resources and services. Although several restoration types were appropriate, the Trustees selected Creation/ Enhancement of Coastal Herbaceous Wetlands (C/E CHW) as the preferred restoration type for the following reasons. First, under the RRP Program C/E CHW is an appropriate restoration type for compensating for interim losses of ecological services resulting from the Incidents. Second, C/E CHW is a proven, cost-effective, and successful restoration approach for increasing the types of natural resources and habitat that were injured as a result of the Incidents. And third, the Trustees had developed a method for estimating costs of creating freshmarsh habitat via a crevasse-splay project and saltmarsh habitat via a hydraulic dredge and fill project in Region 2 and therefore could develop a cash settlement dollar amount to present to EMPCo. Therefore, the Trustees’ selected restoration alternative is to create 8.0 acres of fresh coastal herbaceous wetland habitat and 15.5 acres of saline coastal herbaceous wetland habitat in Region 2. Two specific projects will be identified in the future by the Trustees and presented in a DRP that will be released for public review.
