Incidental Harassment Authorization Renewal for Furie Operating Alaska, LLC Marine Mammal Takes During Cook Inlet Natural Gas Activities
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has received a request from Furie Operating Alaska, LLC to renew an existing Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) permitting the incidental taking of marine mammals during natural gas production activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska. The renewal IHA would cover a subset of activities identical to those authorized under the current IHA, meaning no new or expanded operations are proposed. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS previously solicited public comments on two consecutive proposed IHAs (the 'initial IHAs') and disclosed the potential for a renewal IHA if specific statutory and regulatory requirements were met. NMFS has determined those renewal requirements have now been satisfied, triggering this additional public notice. NMFS is opening a 15-day public comment period specifically for any new comments not previously submitted during the original 30-day comment period for the initial IHAs. This is a procedural step required before the renewal IHA can be formally issued. The comment window is narrower than the initial period, reflecting that the public has already had a full opportunity to weigh in on the underlying activities.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- Renewal IHA requested by Furie Operating Alaska, LLC for Cook Inlet natural gas production activities — no new or expanded activities beyond current IHA scope
- NMFS confirms all statutory renewal requirements under the MMPA have been satisfied, enabling the renewal process to proceed
- A 15-day public comment period is opened for new comments not previously submitted during the initial 30-day comment period
+ 2 more changes with Pro
Obligations
What this law requires
Furie Operating Alaska, LLC must ensure that activities authorized under the renewal IHA remain identical to the subset of activities covered under the current IHA, with no new or expanded operations
Furie Operating Alaska, LLC must submit a renewal request for the Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to NMFS for marine mammal takes during Cook Inlet natural gas production activities
NMFS must open and maintain a 15-day public comment period for the proposed renewal IHA to solicit any new comments not previously submitted during the initial 30-day comment period
NMFS must verify that all renewal requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) have been satisfied before formally issuing the renewal IHA
NMFS must formally issue the renewal IHA only after the 15-day public comment period has closed and all procedural requirements have been completed