Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/04/13/2018-07728/taking-and-importing-marine-mammals-taking-marine-mammals-incidental-to-us-navy-pier-construction
Timestamp: 2018-12-15 00:21:51
Document Index: 593656091

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 216', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009216', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009216', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009216', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009216', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009216', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009216', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009216', '§\u2009217']

A Proposed Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 04/13/2018
16027-16043 (17 pages)
NOAA-HQ-2018-0046
Navy Submarine Base New London LOA Application
2. Establishing and Monitoring Level A and Level B Harassment Zones, and Exclusion Zones
• Pre-Activity Monitoring
• During Activity Monitoring
• Post-Activity Monitoring
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-07728 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-07728
You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2018-0047, by any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal, Go to www.regulations.gov/​#!docketDetail;​D=​NOAA-NMFS-2018-0047, click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Shane Guan, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS; phone: (301) 427-8401. Electronic copies of the application and supporting documents, as well as a list of the references cited in this document, may be obtained online at: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/​pr/​permits/​incidental/​construction.htm. In case of problems accessing these documents, please call the contact listed above.
This proposed rule would establish a framework under the authority of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) to allow for the authorization of take of marine mammals incidental to the Navy's construction activities related to marine structure maintenance and pile replacement at a facility in Groton, Connecticut.
Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1371(a)(5)(A)) directs the Secretary of Commerce to allow, upon request, the incidental, but not intentional taking of small numbers of marine mammals by U.S. citizens who engage in a specified activity (other than commercial fishing) within a specified geographical region for up to five years if, after notice and public comment, the agency makes certain findings and issues regulations that set forth permissible methods of taking pursuant to that activity and other means of effecting the “least practicable adverse impact” on the affected species or stocks and their habitat (see the discussion below in the “Proposed Mitigation” section), as well as monitoring and reporting requirements. Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA and the implementing regulations at 50 CFR part 216, subpart I provide the legal basis for issuing this proposed rule containing five-year regulations, and for any subsequent letters of authorization (LOAs). As directed by this legal authority, this proposed rule contains mitigation, monitoring, and reporting requirements.
Following is a summary of the major provisions of this proposed rule regarding Navy construction activities. These measures include:
In accordance with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 216-6A, we have Start Printed Page 16029preliminarily determined that issuance of this rule and subsequent LOAs qualifies to be categorically excluded from further NEPA review. Issuance of the rule is consistent with categories of activities identified in CE B4 of the Companion Manual and we have not identified any extraordinary circumstances listed in Chapter 4 of the Companion Manual that would preclude use of this categorical exclusion. We will consider all public comments prior to making a final decision regarding application of CE B4.
We will review all comments submitted in response to this notice as we complete the NEPA process, prior to making a final decision on the incidental take authorization request.
On March 22, 2017, NMFS received an application from the Navy requesting authorization to incidentally take harbor and gray seals, by Level A and Level B harassment, incidental to noise exposure resulting from conducting pier construction activities at the Navy Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, from October 2018 to March 2022. These regulations would be valid for a period of five years. On August 31, 2017, NMFS deemed the application adequate and complete.
Construction of a new, larger Pier 32 to be located approximately 150 feet (ft) north of the current location;
Upgrade of the quaywall, north of Pier 32, may be required to accommodate a crane weight test area;
Demolition of existing Pier 32 and Pier 10;
Dredging of the sediment mounds beneath the existing Pier 32 (approximately 9,400 cubic yards [cy]) and the existing Pier 10 (approximately 10,000 cy) to a depth of 36 ft below mean lower low water (−36 ft MLLW) plus 2 ft of over dredge (additional dredge depth that allows for varying degrees of accuracy of different types of dredging equipment). Any remaining timber piles beneath the existing piers would be pulled with a strap;
Dredging of the berthing areas alongside the proposed new Pier 32 (approximately 74,000 sq ft) to a depth of −38 feet MLLW plus 2 feet of over dredge; and
Pile installation for the new Pier 32 and pile removal associated with the demolition of the existing Piers 32 and 10 is expected to take a total of approximately 3.5 years. Construction and demolition activities are expected to begin in October 2018 and proceed to completion in March 2022.
In-water activities expected to result in incidental takes of marine mammals would occur during approximately 35 non-consecutive months of the project beginning in October 2018. The estimated duration of pile installation and removal, including duration of the vibratory and impact hammer activities, is provided in Table 1 below for each year of construction and demolition. Also included in the Table are the durations for wood piles and steel fender piles to be pulled by a crane using a sling or strap attached to the pile. The durations of proposed pile driving/removal activities are primarily derived from information provided by Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic Public Works Department, Facilities Engineering and Acquisition Department (FEAD) Design Manager and the record of pile driving activities documented during the construction of SUBASE Pier 31 (American Bridge 2010-2011). The proposed new Pier 32 would be comparable to Pier 31 in design and location and would have similar sub-surface geological conditions along this reach of the Thames River.
Special construction features would include drilling rock sockets into bedrock in an estimated 60 places to hold the piles. A rotary drill using a rock core barrel and rock muck bucket would be used inside of the steel pipe Start Printed Page 16030piles to drill a minimum of 2 ft down into bedrock to create the rock socket that would be filled with concrete. Sediment would be lifted out and re-deposited within 10 ft of the pipe pile during rock socket drilling. Underwater noise from the rock drill as it is operated inside a steel pipe would be much less than that produced by vibratory and impact pile driving of the steel pipes (Martin et al., 2012).
After the demolition of Pier 32, any remnant timber piles present underneath existing Pier 32 would be pulled with a strap. The sediment mound that has formed beneath the pier would be dredged (approximately 9,400 cy) to the design depth. Dredging would also be required immediately west of Piers 31 and 32 (approximately 10,200 cy) and along the eastern edge (approximately 31,100 cy) of the navigation channel to achieve the required minimum depths to maneuver the submarines. Once the existing Pier 10 and any remnant timber piles are removed, the sediment mound beneath the old pier would be dredged (approximately 10,000 cy). Since dredging and disposal activities would be slow moving and conspicuous to marine mammals, they pose negligible risks of physical injury. An environmental bucket would be used for dredging to minimize turbidity compared with the turbidity generated by hydraulic dredging. Noise emitted by dredging equipment is broadband, with most energy below 1 kilohertz (kHz), and would be similar to that generated by vessels and maritime industrial activities that regularly operate within the action area (Clarke et al., 2002; Todd et al., 2015). Due to the low noise output and slow and steady transiting nature of the dredging activity, NMFS does not consider it would result to the level of harassment under the MMPA. Therefore, dredging is not considered further in this document.
9 16″ fiberglass reinforced plastic piles Rock socket drilling 0.5 18 7,500 seconds
96 24″ concrete-encased steel H piles Vibratory hammer (removal) 2 48 1,200 seconds
70 14″ steel H piles Vibratory hammer (removal) 5 14 1,200 seconds
Marine mammal species that could be present in the Study Area and their associated stocks are presented in Table 2 along with an abundance estimate, an associated coefficient of variation value, and best/minimum abundance estimates. There are other species of marine mammals, including a number of cetaceans, that are known to be present in nearby Long Island Sound. However, since received noise levels from the project are not expected to reach the mouth of the Thames River due to geographical boundaries, these species are excluded from further discussion. The Navy proposes to take individuals of harbor seal and gray seal by Level A and B harassment incidental to pier construction activities. Neither of these marine mammal species is listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Information on the status, distribution, and abundance of these seal species in the Study Area may be viewed in the Navy's LOA application. Additional information on the general biology and ecology of marine mammals are included in the application. In addition, NMFS annually publishes Stock Assessment Reports (SARs) for all marine mammals in U.S. EEZ waters, including stocks that occur within the Study Area—U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports (Hayes et al., 2017).
* There are an estimated 27,131 seals in U.S. waters; however, gray seals form one population not distinguished on the basis of the U.S./Canada boundary.
Phocidae (true seals): Generalized hearing is estimated to occur between approximately 50 Hz to 86 kHz;
Otariidae (eared seals): Generalized hearing is estimated to occur between 60 Hz and 39 kHz.
For more detail concerning these groups and associated frequency ranges, please see NMFS (2016) for a review of available information. Only two marine mammal species (both are phocid species) have the reasonable potential to co-occur with the proposed construction activities. Please refer to Table 2.
Marine mammal hearing plays a critical role in communication with conspecifics, and interpretation of environmental cues for purposes such as predator avoidance and prey capture. Depending on the degree (elevation of threshold in dB), duration (i.e., recovery time), and frequency range of TTS, and the context in which it is experienced, TTS can have effects on marine mammals ranging from discountable to serious (similar to those discussed in auditory masking, below). For example, a marine mammal may be able to readily compensate for a brief, relatively small amount of TTS in a non-critical frequency range that occurs during a time where ambient noise is lower and there are not as many competing sounds present. Alternatively, a larger amount and longer duration of TTS sustained during time when communication is critical for successful mother/calf interactions could have more serious impacts. Also, depending on the degree Start Printed Page 16033and frequency range, the effects of PTS on an animal could range in severity, although it is considered generally more serious because it is a permanent condition. Of note, reduced hearing sensitivity as a simple function of aging has been observed in marine mammals, as well as humans and other taxa (Southall et al., 2007), so one can infer that strategies exist for coping with this condition to some degree, though likely not without cost.
Disposal of dredged material in the confined aquatic disposal (CAD) cell would have a direct impact to the benthos as a result of burial and suffocation. Most, if not all, sessile marine invertebrates are not expected to survive burial. Some motile marine organisms would be buried and unable to survive, while others such as burrowing specialists, may survive. Survival rates would depend primarily on burial depth. From 2010 through 2012, biannual benthic sampling of the CAD cell area was conducted to assess the timeframe for recovery of benthic populations of the CAD cells, in accordance with Water Quality Certificate conditions for the 2010 waterfront maintenance dredging project at the submarine base. The sampling results of the CAD cell were compared to sampling results of an undisturbed reference site located upriver. The degree of similarity of population and community structures was assessed. The results of the three year survey program indicated that a progressive recovery to a stable benthic population was occurring at the CAD cell. As demonstrated by the biannual benthic survey, benthic assemblages are Start Printed Page 16034anticipated to recover within three to five years after the completion of the project, and disposal impacts would not be significant (CardnoTEC 2015).
Project activities would temporarily disturb benthic and water column habitats and change bottom topography to a minor degree, but effects on prey availability and foraging conditions for marine mammals would be temporary and limited to the immediate area of pier demolition/construction, dredging, and disposal. The new surfaces of piles and exposed concrete on the new pier would likely result in establishment of fouling communities on the new structures, and may attract fish and benthic organisms resulting in small scale shifts in prey distribution.
There are no known haulouts within the vicinity of the Proposed Action.
This section provides an estimate of the number of incidental takes proposed to be authorized through this rule, which will inform both NMFS' consideration of whether the number of takes is “small” and the negligible impact determination.
Impact driving of the 16-inch plastic piles, for which no data specific to that size and composition are available, are assumed to be similar to available data on13-inch plastic piles: 177 dB peak SPL and 153 dB rms SPL. No SEL measurements were made, but the SEL at 10 m (33 ft) can be assumed to be 9 dB less than the rms value (based on differences of rms and SEL values of in-water impact pile-driving data of other piles summarized by Caltrans 2015), which would put the SEL value for the plastic piles at 144 dB. For vibratory pile driving of the same plastic piles, the SPL rms of impact driving is used as a proxy due to lack of measurement.
Drilling the rock sockets is assumed to be an intermittent, non-impulsive, broadband noise source, similar to vibratory pile driving, but using a rotary drill inside a pipe or casing, which is expected to reduce sound levels below those of typical pile driving (Martin et al. 2012). Measurements made during a pile drilling project in 1-5 m (3-16 ft) depths at Santa Rosa Island, CA, by Dazey et al., (2012) appear to provide reasonable proxy source levels for the proposed activities. Dazey et al. (2012) reported average rms source levels ranging from 151 to 157 dB re 1µPa, normalized to a distance of 1 m (3 ft) from the pile, during activities that included casing removal and installation as well as drilling, with an average of 154 dB re 1µPa during 62 days that spanned all related drilling activities during a single season.
A summary of source levels from different pile driving and pile removal activities is provided in Table 4.Start Printed Page 16036
SPLpk (dB re 1 µPa)
Impact driving 16-in fiberglass plastic pile 177 153 144
For cumulative SEL (LE), distances to marine mammal injury thresholds were estimated using NMFS' Optional User Spreadsheet based on the noise exposure guidance. For impact pile driving, the single strike SEL/pulse equivalent was used, and for vibratory pile driving, the rms SPL source level was used. Per the NMFS Spreadsheet, default Weighting Factor Adjustments (WFA) were used for calculating PTS from both vibratory and impact pile driving, using 2.5 kHz and 2.0 KHz, respectively. These WFAs are acknowledged by NMFS as conservative. A transmission loss coefficient of 15 is used with reported source levels measured at 10m.
1 Impact driving 14″ steel H-pile 187/177 536/0.4468 631/0.5468.
Vibratory & rock socket drilling installation of 36″ concrete-filled steel piles 168 <4/<0.0001 4,642/2.2002.
Impact driving 36″ concrete-filled steel piles 198/183 984/0.886 3,415/2.037.
Rocket socket drilling of 30″ concrete-filled steel piles and 16″ fiberglass reinforced plastic piles 154 Activity will occur concurrently with above activities that have much bigger zones.
2 Vibratory installation of 36″ concrete-filled steel piles 168 <4/<0.0001 4,642/2.2002.
Impact pile driving 36″ concrete-filled steel piles 198/183 984/0.886 3,415/2.037.
3 Vibratory installation of 16″ fiberglass plastic piles 153 0.9/<0.0001 1,584/1.1584.
Impact installation of 16″ fiberglass plastic piles 153/144 2.5/<0.0001 1/<0.000.
4 Vibratory removal of 14″ steel H-piles 158 <4/<0.0001 2,415/1.8372.
Vibratory removal of 24″ concrete-filled steel piles (Pier 32) 160 2.7/<0.0001 4,334/2.029.
Vibratory removal of 30″ concrete-filled steel piles (Pier 32) 165 5.9/<0.0001 4,334/2.029.
Vibratory removal of 24″ concrete-filled steel piles (Pier 10) 160 7.7/<0.0001 4,642/3.317.
Based on the repeated sightings at the Submarine Base New London, the average presence of seals (harbor or gray) is estimated to be 4 per week or 0.6 per day from September through May. The majority (75 percent) of these are likely to be harbor seals. There are no areas (haulouts) where seals are known to be concentrated nor have there been contemporary sightings of larger numbers of seals along this stretch of the river, and the animals seen at the submarine base are likely to move up and down as well as across the river. Given that the Thames River is about 500 m (1,640 ft) wide at the Submarine Base New London, and similarly developed areas extend about 1 km (3,280 ft) up and down the river, the Navy believes it is reasonable to extrapolate the observations at the Submarine Base New London to an area of about 1 km2 for the purpose of estimating density. This would result in an average density of 0.45 harbor and 0.15 gray seals per km2 within the project ZOIs from September through May. Very few animals were sighted outside the September through May time frame. Therefore, the September through May data is used for density estimates to be conservative.
Number of takes per activity = density (average number of seals per km2) * area of ZOI (km2) * number of days, rounded to the nearest whole number;
Seal density in the project area is estimated as 0.6/km2 from September through May (zero from June through August), consisting of 75 percent harbor seals (0.45/km2) and 25 percent gray seals (0.15/km2);
Assumes as a worst case that activities will occur up to a maximum of 180 workdays (5 days per week) when seals are present (September through May) during each full construction year;
Assumes vibratory and impact hammer pile driving would not occur on the same days;
Level A and Level B takes are calculated separately based on the respective ZOIs for each type of activity, providing a maximum estimate for each type of take which corresponds to the authorization requested under the MMPA; and
The maximum extent of the potential injury zone (for impact pile driving of steel piles) is 984 m (3,228 ft) from the source for 36-inch concrete-filled steel piles and 536 m (1,758 ft) for 14-inch steel H-piles; other potential acoustic injury ZOIs for vibratory pile extraction and installation are only 1 to 7.7 m (3 to 25 ft) from the source (Table 4). Seals within about 10 m (33 ft) of in-water construction or demolition may also be at risk of injury from interaction with construction equipment. These potential injury zones and the 10 m (33 ft) exclusion distance would be monitored during all in-water construction/demolition activities, and the activities would be halted if a marine mammal were to approach within these distances.
4 Harbor seal 0 110 110 75,834 0.15
Gray seal 0 37 37 27,131 0.14
The Navy shall also establish Level B harassment zones where received underwater SPLs are higher than 160 dBrms re 1 μPa for impulsive noise sources (impact pile driving) and 120 dBrms re 1 μPa for non-impulsive noise sources (vibratory pile driving and pile removal).
The Navy shall establish a 10-m (33-ft) exclusion zone for all in-water construction and demolition work.
The Navy shall implement shutdown measures if a marine mammal is detected moving towards or entered the 10-m (33-ft) exclusion zone.
Further, the Navy shall implement shutdown measures if the number of authorized takes for any particular species reaches the limit under the LOA (if issued) and such marine mammals are sighted within the vicinity of the project area and are approaching the Level B harassment zone during in-water construction activities.
Effects on marine mammal habitat (e.g., marine mammal prey species, acoustic habitat, or other important physical components of marine mammal habitat); andStart Printed Page 16039
The Navy will monitor the Level A and Level B harassment zones before, during, and after pile driving activities. The Marine Mammal Monitoring Plan would include the following procedures:
PSOs will be primarily located on boats, docks, and piers at the best vantage point(s) in order to properly see the entire shutdown zone(s);
Pile driving shall only take place when the exclusion and Level A zones are visible and can be adequately monitored. If conditions (e.g., fog) prevent the visual detection of marine mammals, activities with the potential to result in Level A harassment shall not be initiated. If such conditions arise after the activity has begun, impact pile driving would be halted but vibratory pile driving or extraction would be allowed to continue;
Three (3) PSOs shall be posted to monitor marine mammals during in-water pile driving and pile removal. One PSO will be located on land and two will be located in a boat to monitor the farther locations;
The exclusion zone will be monitored for 15 minutes prior to in-water construction/demolition activities. If a marine mammal is present within the 10-m exclusion zone, the activity will be delayed until the animal(s) leave the exclusion zone. Activity will resume only after the PSO has determined that, through sighting or by waiting 15 minutes, the animal(s) has moved outside the exclusion zone. If a marine mammal is observed approaching the exclusion zone, the PSO who sighted that animal will notify all other PSOs of its presence.
If a marine mammal is observed entering the Level A or Level B zones outside the 10-m exclusion zone, the pile segment being worked on will be completed without cessation, unless the animal enters or approaches the exclusion zone, at which point all pile driving activities will be halted. If an animal is observed within the exclusion zone during pile driving, then pile driving will be stopped as soon as it is safe to do so. Pile driving can only resume once the animal has left the exclusion zone of its own volition or has not been re-sighted for a period of 15 minutes.
The Navy is required to submit an annual report within 90 days after each activity year, starting from the date when the LOA is issued (for the first annual report) or from the date when the previous annual report ended. These reports would detail the monitoring protocol, summarize the data recorded during monitoring, and estimate the number of marine mammals that may have been harassed during the period of the report. NMFS would provide comments within 30 days after receiving these reports, and the Navy should address the comments and submit revisions within 30 days after receiving NMFS comments. If no comment is received from NMFS within 30 days, the annual report is considered completed.
The Navy is also required to submit a draft monitoring report within 90 days after completion of the construction work or the expiration of the final LOA (if issued), whichever comes earlier. This report would synthesize all data recorded during marine mammal monitoring, and estimate the number of marine mammals that may have been harassed through the entire project. NMFS would provide comments within 30 days after receiving this report, and the Navy should address the comments and submit revisions within 30 days after receiving NMFS comments. If no comment is received from NMFS within 30 days, the monitoring report is considered as final.
In the event that the Navy finds an injured or dead marine mammal that is not in the construction area, the Navy would report the same information as listed above to NMFS as soon as operationally feasible.Start Printed Page 16040
Although a few individual seals (6 harbor seals and 2 gray seals each in year 1 and year 2) are estimated to experience Level A harassment in the form of PTS if they stay within the Level A harassment zone during the entire pile driving for the day, the degree of injury is expected to be mild and is not likely to affect the reproduction or survival of the individual animals. It is expected that, if hearing impairments occurs, most likely the affected animal would lose a few dB in its hearing sensitivity, which in most cases is not likely to affect its survival and recruitment. Hearing impairment that might occur for these individual animals would be limited to the dominant frequency of the noise sources, i.e., in the low-frequency region below 2 kHz. Nevertheless, as for all marine mammal species, it is known that in general these pinnipeds will avoid areas where sound levels could cause hearing impairment. Therefore it is not likely that an animal would stay in an area with intense noise that could cause severe levels of hearing damage.
There are no known important habitats, such as rookeries or haulouts, in the vicinity of the Navy's proposed Submarine Base New London pier construction project. The project also is not expected to have significant adverse effects on affected marine mammals' habitat, including prey, as analyzed in detail in the “Anticipated Effects on Marine Mammal Habitat” section.
The following are some of the possible sources of applicable data to be considered through the adaptive management process: (1) Results from monitoring reports, as required by MMPA authorizations; (2) results from general marine mammal and sound research; and (3) any information which reveals that marine mammals may have been taken in a manner, extent, or number not authorized by these regulations or subsequent LOAs.Start Printed Page 16041
NMFS requests interested persons to submit comments, information, and suggestions concerning the Navy request and the proposed regulations (see ADDRESSES). All comments will be reviewed and evaluated as we prepare a final rule and make final determinations on whether to issue the requested authorization. This notice and referenced documents provide all environmental information relating to our proposed action for public review.
Regulations in this subpart are effective [EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE] through [DATE 5 YEARS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE].
Notwithstanding takings contemplated in § 217.92 and authorized by LOAs issued under § 216.106 of this chapter and § 217.96, no person in connection with the activities described in § 217.90 of this chapter may:
(d) Take a marine mammal specified in such LOAs if NMFS determines such taking results in an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of such species or stock of marine mammal for taking for subsistence uses.
(a) Time Restriction. In-water construction and demolition work shall occur only during daylight hours;
(b) Establishment of monitoring and exclusion zones:
(1) For all relevant in-water construction and demolition activity, the Navy shall implement shutdown zones with radial distances as identified in any LOA issued under § 216.106 of this chapter and § 217.96. If a marine mammal comes within or approaches the shutdown zone, such operations shall cease;Start Printed Page 16042
(2) For all relevant in-water construction and demolition activity, the Navy shall designate monitoring zones with radial distances as identified in any LOA issued under § 216.106 of this chapter and § 217.96; and
(3) For all in-water construction and demolition activity, the Navy shall implement a minimum shutdown zone of a 10 meter (m) radius around the pile. If a marine mammal comes within or approaches the shutdown zone, such operations shall cease;
(c) Shutdown Measures. (1) The Navy shall deploy three protected species observers (PSO) to monitor marine mammals during in-water pile driving and pile removal. One PSO will be located on land and two will be located in a boat to monitor the farther locations.
(3) If a marine mammal approaches or enters the shutdown zone, all pile driving or removal activities at that location shall be halted. If pile driving or removal is halted or delayed due to the presence of a marine mammal, the activity may not commence or resume until either the animal has voluntarily left and been visually confirmed beyond the shutdown zone or fifteen minutes have passed without re-detection of the animal.
(4) Monitoring shall be conducted by trained observers, who shall have no other assigned tasks during monitoring periods. Trained observers shall be placed at the best vantage point(s) practicable to monitor for marine mammals and implement shutdown or delay procedures when applicable through communication with the equipment operator. The Navy shall adhere to the following additional observer qualifications:
(v) The Navy shall submit observer CVs for approval by NMFS;
(5) The Navy shall implement shutdown measures if the number of authorized takes for any particular species reaches the limit under the applicable LOA and if such marine mammals are sighted within the vicinity of the project area and are approaching the Level B harassment zone during in-water construction or demolition activities.
(c) Soft Start. (1) The Navy shall implement soft start techniques for impact pile driving. The Navy shall conduct an initial set of three strikes from the impact hammer at 40 percent energy, followed by a 1-minute waiting period, then two subsequent three strike sets.
(a) Marine Mammal Monitoring Protocols. The Navy shall conduct briefings between construction supervisors and crews and the observer team prior to the start of all pile driving and removal activities, and when new personnel join the work. Trained observers shall receive a general environmental awareness briefing conducted by Navy staff. At minimum, training shall include identification of marine mammals that may occur in the project vicinity and relevant mitigation and monitoring requirements. All observers shall have no other construction-related tasks while conducting monitoring.
(b) Pile driving or removal shall only take place when the exclusion and Level A zones are visible and can be adequately monitored. If conditions (e.g., fog) prevent the visual detection of marine mammals, activities shall not be initiated. If such conditions arise after the activity has begun, impact pile driving would be halted but vibratory pile driving or removal would be allowed to continue.
(c) Reporting Measures.—(1) Annual Reports. (i) The Navy shall submit an annual report within 90 days after each activity year, starting from the date when the LOA is issued (for the first annual report) or from the date when the previous annual report ended.
(ii) Annual reports would detail the monitoring protocol, summarize the data recorded during monitoring, and estimate the number of marine mammals that may have been harassed during the period of the report.
(iii) NMFS would provide comments within 30 days after receiving annual reports, and the Navy shall address the comments and submit revisions within 30 days after receiving NMFS comments. If no comment is received from the NMFS within 30 days, the annual report is considered completed.
(3) Reporting of injured or dead marine mammals:
(i) In the unanticipated event that the construction or demolition activities clearly cause the take of a marine mammal in a prohibited manner, such as an injury, serious injury, or mortality, the Navy shall immediately cease all operations and immediately report the incident to the NMFS Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, and the Greater Atlantic Region Stranding Coordinators. The report must include the following information:
(D) Environmental conditions (e.g., wind speed and direction, sea state, cloud cover, visibility, and water depth);Start Printed Page 16043
(iii) In the event that the Navy discovers an injured or dead marine mammal, and the lead PSO determines that the cause of the injury or death is unknown and the death is relatively recent (i.e., in less than a moderate state of decomposition as described in the next paragraph), the Navy will immediately report the incident to the NMFS Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, and the Greater Atlantic Regional Stranding Coordinators. The report must include the same information identified in paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section. Activities may continue while NMFS reviews the circumstances of the incident. NMFS will work with the Navy to determine whether modifications in the activities are appropriate.
(a) To incidentally take marine mammals pursuant to these regulations, the Navy must apply for and obtain LOAs in accordance with § 216.106 of this chapter for conducting the activity identified in § 217.90(c) of this subpart.
(c) If an LOA(s) expires prior to the expiration date of these regulations, the Navy may apply for and obtain a renewal of the LOA(s).
(f) Issuance of the LOA(s) shall be based on a determination that the level of taking shall be consistent with the findings made for the total taking allowable under these regulations.
(g) Notice of issuance or denial of the LOA(s) shall be published in the Federal Register within 30 days of a determination.
(a) An LOA issued under § 216.106 of this subchapter and § 217.96 for the activity identified in § 217.90(c) shall be renewed or modified upon request by the applicant, provided that:
(c) An LOA issued under § 216.106 of this chapter and § 217.96 for the activity identified in § 217.90 (c) may be modified by NMFS under the following circumstances:
(1) Adaptive Management—After consulting with the Navy regarding the practicability of the modifications, NMFS may modify (including by adding or removing measures) the existing mitigation, monitoring, or reporting measures if doing so creates a reasonable likelihood of more effectively accomplishing the goals of the mitigation and monitoring set forth in the preamble for these regulations.
(2) Emergencies—If NMFS determines that an emergency exists that poses a significant risk to the well-being of the species or stocks of marine mammals specified in LOAs issued pursuant to § 216.106 of this chapter and § 217.96, an LOA may be modified without prior notice or opportunity for public comment. Notice would be published in the Federal Register within thirty days of the action.
[FR Doc. 2018-07728 Filed 4-12-18; 8:45 am]