NOAA proposes marine mammal take approvals for Alaska bridge project
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
NOAA is considering two one-year approvals that would let Alaska’s transportation agency unintentionally disturb some marine mammals during the Ward Creek Bridge replacement project in Ketchikan. The work includes pile driving, pile removal, drilling into bedrock, and limited blasting near the shoreline. The approvals would not allow killing or serious injury. They would cover expected noise-related disturbance, and in some cases possible hearing injury, for seven marine mammal species including humpback whales, killer whales, porpoises, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, and northern elephant seals. Businesses, contractors, local officials, tribes, conservation groups, and residents have until June 10, 2026, to comment before NOAA decides whether to issue the authorizations.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- NOAA proposes two consecutive one-year incidental harassment authorizations for the Ward Creek Bridge replacement project.
- The proposed approvals would cover noise-related disturbance from pile driving, drilling, pile removal, and shoreline blasting.
- Public comments are requested by June 10, 2026, before NOAA makes a final decision.
Obligations
What this law requires
Submit comments and information on the proposed incidental harassment authorizations by email to [email protected]; NMFS states it is not responsible for comments sent by other methods or to other addresses.
Keep comment submissions, including all attachments, at or below 25 megabytes.
Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information in comments, because comments will generally be posted publicly without change and personal identifying information may be publicly accessible.
Any incidental take authorization may authorize only incidental, not intentional, taking of marine mammals and only if NMFS makes the required negligible-impact and subsistence-use findings under the MMPA.
NMFS must prescribe permissible methods of taking, mitigation measures to achieve the least practicable adverse impact on affected marine mammals and habitat, and monitoring and reporting requirements for any authorization issued.