Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS has received a request from Vineyard Wind LLC (Vineyard Wind) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the completion of the construction of a commercial wind energy project offshore Massachusetts in the northern portion of Lease Area OCS-A 0501. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities; which consists of a subset of activities for which take was authorized previously, but which Vineyard Wind did not complete within the effective dates of the previous IHA. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision. The IHA would be valid for 1 year from date of issuance.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648-XD687] ( printed page 31008) AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; proposed incidental harassment authorization; request for comments on proposed authorization. SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request from Vineyard Wind LLC (Vineyard Wind) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the completion of the construction of a commercial wind energy project offshore Massachusetts in the northern portion of Lease Area OCS-A 0501. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities; which consists of a subset of activities for which take was authorized previously, but which Vineyard Wind did not complete within the effective dates of the previous IHA. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision. The IHA would be valid for 1 year from date of issuance. DATES: Comments and information must be received no later than May 23, 2024. ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources (OPR), NMFS and should be submit…
Citation: 89 FR 31008
