Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Description

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research to characterize tidal creek water chemistry in fresh and salt marshes in Barataria Basin, Louisiana, supporting development of a decision support tool that will assess wetland recovery in response to oil spill damage and subsequent restoration. This activity is intended to support evaluation of restoration actions within the Louisiana Restoration Area; perform data collection, aggregation and analyses; and inform critical information gaps. This work is carried out pursuant to the 33 U.S.C. 2701, 2761Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) statute and regulations. Consistent with the Consent Decree for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Trustees carry out their obligations according to Final Programmatic Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PDARP/PEIS), and the Trustee Council Standard Operating Procedures for Implementation of the Natural Resource Restoration for the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill. Trustees, including Department of the Interior, have a responsibility to use allocated funds to restore natural resources and services injured or lost as a result of the DWH oil spill. The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) MAM Strategy (LA TIG, 2021) has approved activities to "Contribute to maintaining and restoring ecosystem-scale condition and resilience at coastwide, basin, and subbasin scales" as a high-level objective under the Cross-Restoration Type. Under this high-level objective is the fundamental objective to "maximize the combined benefits of the various Restoration Types and approaches across the overall restoration portfolio (PDARP Section 5.5.1) (Cross-Restoration #1)". To develop a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, appropriate Timeline (SMART) objective, the LA TIG has approved U.S. Geological Survey to "Quantify wetland net ecosystem carbon balance at pre-spill/post-spill time scales and basin/sub-basin spatial scales, including export to nearshore Gulf of Mexico" (Cross-Restoration #1b).This work supports the restoration goals identified in the Final PDARP/PEIS and the Record of Decision that provides and explains the Trustees" selection of the Preferred Alternative (Alternative A) for the Programmatic Restoration Plan in the Final PDARP/PEIS. This wetland restoration research is supported by multiple federal authorities that collectively empower agencies to assess environmental injury, reduce pollution, restore damaged ecosystems, and invest in the science needed to guide recovery. The RESTORE Act directs Gulf spill‐related funds to ecosystem restoration, research, monitoring, and long‐term coastal recovery. Its mandate supports wetland‐focused science that guides restoration design, evaluates ecosystem health, and strengthens resilience across the Gulf. Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) authority under 54 U.S.C. §100721 empowers Federal trustees to assess injuries to natural resources, quantify damages, and develop science‐based restoration plans. This authority explicitly requires research to determine baseline conditions, evaluate injury, and design effective restoration for wetlands and other coastal systems. CERCLA (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) authorizes Federal action to respond to hazardous releases and provides for technical assistance and research to interpret environmental hazards, inform remedial actions, and guide ecological restoration. This research directly supports CERCLA"s intent by improving understanding of contaminant impacts and restoring injured resources. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) establishes the national policy to protect and restore land and water resources and expressly supports research to prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution. This authority enables wetland restoration research to improve water quality, ecological function, and longterm resilience as described in this agreement.

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