0648-BE53 201410 The Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions 0648 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA 0600 Department of Commerce DOC Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Seismic Surveys in Cook Inlet, Alaska

NMFS upon application from Apache Alaska Corporation (Apache) plans to issue regulations to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals by harassment incidental to oil and gas exploration seismic operations in Cook Inlet Alaska. The proposed regulations will set forth the permissible methods of taking other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on the affected species or stocks and their habitats (i.e. mitigation) and the requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.

The proposed regulations together with subsequent Letters of Authorization (LOA) would authorize Apache to conduct seismic operations over an area of approximately 2195 square miles in Cook Inlet Alaska over the course of five years commencing in March 2015. The purpose of the proposed project is to explore for and develop oil and gas resources in Cook Inlet.

]]> Routine and Frequent First Time Published in The Unified Agenda Proposed Rule Stage No No 50 CFR 217 16 USC 1361 et seq No NPRM 12/00/2014 No None No No No No Donna Wieting Director, Office of Protected Resources 0648 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA 301 427-8400 National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring MD 20910