View Rule

Pursuant to Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), upon request from the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC), plans to propose regulations to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals incidental to construction of an integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Cook Inlet, Alaska. The proposed regulations would set forth the permissible methods of taking; means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on the affected species or stocks and the habitats (i.e., mitigation) and, if applicable, on their availability for taking for subsistence uses; and requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking. A Letter of Authorization (LOA) issued under the regulations would authorize the take of marine mammals by Level A and Level B taking incidental to the specified activities for a 5-year period.