[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 17 (Thursday, January 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4352-4356]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1008]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 112205E]


Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; 
Construction of the East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of proposed authorization for a small take 
authorization; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request from the California Department of 
Transportation (CALTRANS) for renewal of an authorization to take small 
numbers of California sea lions, Pacific harbor seals, harbor 
porpoises, and gray whales, by harassment, incidental to construction 
of a replacement bridge for the East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland 
Bay Bridge (SF-OBB) in California. Under the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an 
authorization to CALTRANS to incidentally take, by harassment, small 
numbers of these species of pinnipeds and cetaceans during the next 12 
months.

DATES: Comments and information must be received no later than February 
27, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the application should be addressed to Steve 
Leathery, Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office 
of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3225, or by telephoning the 
contact listed here. The mailbox address for providing email comments 
is [email protected]. Include in the subject line of the e-mail 
comment the following document identifier: 112205E. Comments sent via 
e-mail, including all attachments, must not exceed a 10-megabyte file 
size. A copy of the 2001 application, the 2005 renewal request, the 
June 2004 Annual Report and/or the January 2005 Annual Report may be 
obtained by writing to this address or by telephoning one of the 
contacts listed here.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shane Guan, NMFS, (301) 713-2289, ext 
137, or Monica DeAngelis, NMFS, (562) 980-3232.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) 
direct 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 if certain 
findings are made and either regulations are issued or, if the taking 
is limited to harassment, notice of a proposed authorization is 
provided to the public for review.
    Permission may be granted if NMFS finds that the taking will have 
no more than a negligible impact on the species or stock(s) and will 
not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the 
species or stock(s) for subsistence uses and that the permissible 
methods of taking and requirements pertaining to the monitoring and 
reporting of such taking are set forth. NMFS has defined ``negligible 
impact'' in 50 CFR 216.103 as ``* * * an impact resulting from the 
specified activity that cannot be reasonably expected to, and is not 
reasonably likely to, adversely affect the species or stock through 
effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival.''
    Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA established an expedited process 
by which citizens of the United States can apply for an authorization 
to incidentally take small numbers of marine mammals by harassment. 
Except with respect to certain activities not pertinent here, the MMPA 
defines ``harassment'' as:

    Any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i) has the 
potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the 
wild [Level A harassment]; or (ii) has the potential to disturb a 
marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing 
disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, 
migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering 
[Level B harassment].

    Section 101(a)(5)(D) establishes a 45-day time limit for NMFS 
review of an application followed by a 30-day public notice and comment 
period on any proposed authorizations for the incidental harassment of 
small numbers of marine mammals. Within 45 days of the close of the 
comment period, NMFS must either issue or deny issuance of the 
authorization.

Summary of Request

    On October 17, 2005, CALTRANS sumbitted a request to NOAA 
requesting renewal of an IHA for the possible harassment of small 
numbers of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), Pacific 
harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsii), harbor porpoises (Phocoena 
phocoena), and gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) incidental to 
construction of a replacement bridge for the East Span of the SF-OBB, 
in San Francisco Bay (SFB or the Bay), California. An IHA was issued to 
CALTRANS for this activity on January 3, 2005 and it expired on January 
3, 2006 (70 FR 2123). A detailed description of the SF-OBB project and 
background information on the issuance of this IHA were provided in the 
November 14, 2003 (68 FR 64595) Federal Register notice and are not 
repeated here. Please refer to that Federal Register notice.

Description of the Marine Mammals Potentially Affected by the Activity

    General information on the marine mammal species found in 
California waters can be found in Caretta et al. (2004), which is 
available at the following URL: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/PR2/Stock_Assessment_Program/ sars.html. Refer to that document for information 
on these species.
    The marine mammals most likely to be found in the SF-OBB area are 
the California sea lion, Pacific harbor seal, and harbor porpoise. From 
December through May gray whales may also be present in the SF-OBB 
area. Information on California sea lion, harbor seal, and gray whale 
was provided in the November 14, 2003 (68 FR 64595), Federal Register 
notice and is not repeated here.

Harbor Porpoise

    In the eastern North Pacific, harbor porpoise are found in coastal 
and inland waters from Point Conception,

[[Page 4353]]

California to Alaska and along at least the eastern Aleutian chain and 
eastern Bering Sea (Leatherwood et al., 1988). Along the west coast of 
the United States, harbor porpoise appear to have much less extensive 
home range and movement when compared to the same species in the east 
coast (Calambokidis and Barlow, 1991). Recent genetic analyses of 
harbor porpoise population structure along the eastern North Pacific 
indicate that there is small scale subdivision within the U.S. portion 
of this range (Chivers et al., 2002).
    For management purposes, harbor porpoise found in off the coast of 
central California from San Francisco to Point Arena is treated as a 
separate stock (San Francisco-Russian River stock). Year-round surveys 
in the Gulf of the Farallones area have shown harbor porpoise 
occurrence within 10-20 km (6-12 miles) of San Francisco Bay 
(Calambokidis et al., 1990). High harbor porpoise sightings were also 
reported just outside the Golden Gate and about 1 km inside SFB, 
however, only one harbor porpoise was sighted near the vicinity of the 
SF-OBB site, around 100 m offshore from Yerba Buena Island on May 19, 
2000 (Barrow, personal comm. 2005).
    The incidental capture of harbor porpoise in California has largely 
been limited to set gillnet fisheries in Monterey Bay and to a lesser 
extent, Morro Bay. One harbor porpoise stranding inside San Francisco 
Bay in 1998 was attributed to fishery-related mortality, but the 
responsible fishery is unknown. A ban on set gillnets inshore of 60 
fathoms from Point Reyes south to Point Arguello, California has been 
in place since September 2002.

Potential Effects on Marine Mammals and Their Habitat

    CALTRANS and NMFS have determined that open-water pile driving, as 
outlined in the project description, has the potential to result in 
behavioral harassment of California sea lions, Pacific harbor seals, 
harbor porpoises, and gray whales that may be swimming, foraging, or 
resting in the project vicinity while pile driving is being conducted. 
Pile driving could potentially harass those few pinnipeds that are in 
the water close to the project site, whether their heads are above or 
below the surface.
    Based on airborne noise levels measured and on-site monitoring 
conducted during 2004 under the previous IHA, noise levels from the 
East Span project did not result in the harassment of harbor seals 
hauled out on Yerba Buena Island (YBI). Also, noise levels from the 
East Span project are not expected to result in harassment of the sea 
lions hauled out at Pier 39 as airborne and waterborne sound pressure 
levels (SPLs) would attenuate to below harassment levels by the time 
they reach that haul-out site, 5.7 kilometers (3.5 miles) from the 
project site.
    For reasons provided in greater detail in NMFS' November 14, 2003 
(68 FR 64595) Federal Register notice and in CALTRANS' June 2004 and 
January 2005 annual monitoring reports, the East Span Project is 
resulting in only small numbers of pinnipeds being harassed (through 
October 2005, the biological observers indicated that only one startle 
behavior of a sea lion was observed as a result of East Span 
construction) and, therefore, is not expected to result in more than a 
negligible impact on marine mammal stocks and will not have a 
significant impact on their habitat. Short-term impacts to habitat may 
include minimal disturbance of the sediment where the channels are 
dredged for barge access and where individual bridge piers are 
constructed. Long-term impacts to marine mammal habitat will be limited 
to the footprint of the piles and the obstruction they will create 
following installation. However, this impact is not considered 
significant as the marine mammals can easily swim around the piles of 
the new bridge, as they currently swim around the existing bridge 
piers.

Mitigation

    The following mitigation measures are currently required under the 
existing IHA to reduce impacts to marine mammals to the lowest extent 
practicable. NMFS proposes to continue these mitigation measures under 
a new IHA, if issued.

Barrier Systems

    An air bubble curtain system is required to be used only when 
driving the permanent open-water piles. While the bubble curtain is 
required specifically as a method to reduce impacts to endangered and 
threatened fish species in SFB, it may also provide some benefit for 
marine mammals. The NMFS' Biological Opinion and the California 
Department of Fish and Game's (CDFG) 2001 Incidental Take Permit also 
allow for the use of other equally effective methods, such as 
cofferdams, as an alternative to the air bubble curtain system to 
attenuate the effects of sound pressure waves on fish during driving of 
permanent in-Bay piles (NMFS 2001; CDFG, 2001). Piers E-16 through E-7 
for both the eastbound and westbound structures of the Skyway will be 
surrounded by sheet-pile cofferdams, which will be de-watered before 
the start of pile driving. De-watered cofferdams are generally 
effective sound attenuation devices. For Piers E3 through E6 of the 
Skyway and Piers 1 and E2 of the Self-Anchored Suspension span, it is 
anticipated that cofferdams will not be used; therefore, a bubble 
curtain will surround the piles.

Sound Attenuation

    As a result of the determinations made during the Pile Installation 
Demonstration Project (PIDP) restrike and the investigation at the 
Benicia-Martinez Bridge, NMFS determined in 2003 that CALTRANS must 
install an air bubble curtain for pile driving for the open-water piles 
without cofferdams located at the SF-OBB. This air bubble curtain 
system consists of concentric layers of perforated aeration pipes 
stacked vertically and spaced no more than five vertical meters apart 
in all tide conditions. The minimum number of layers must be in 
accordance with water depth at the subject pile: 0-<5 m = 2 layers 
(1263 cfm); 5-<10 m = 4 layers (2526 cfm), 10-<15 m = 7 layers (4420 
cfm); 15-<20 m = 10 layers (6314 cfm); 20-<25 m= 13 layers (8208 cfm). 
The lowest layer of perforated aeration pipes must be designed to 
ensure contact at all times and tidal conditions with the mudline 
without sinking into the bay mud. Pipes in any layer must be arranged 
in a geometric pattern, which will allow for the pile driving operation 
to be completely enclosed by bubbles for the full depth of the water 
column.
    To provide a uniform bubble flux, each aeration pipe must have four 
adjacent rows of air holes along the pipe. Air holes must be 1.6-mm 
diameter and spaced approximately 20 mm apart. The bubble curtain 
system will provide a bubble flux of at least two cubic meters per 
minute, per linear meter of pipeline in each layer. Air holes must be 
placed in 4 adjacent rows.
    The air bubble curtain system must be composed of the following: 
(1) An air compressor(s), (2) supply lines to deliver the air, (3) 
distribution manifolds or headers, (4) perforated aeration pipes, and 
(5) a frame. The frame facilitates transport and placement of the 
system, keeps the aeration pipes stable, and provides ballast to 
counteract the buoyancy of the aeration pipes in operation. Meters are 
required to monitor the operation of the bubble curtain system. 
Pressure meters will be installed and monitored at all inlets to 
aeration pipelines and at points of lowest pressure in each branch of 
the aeration pipeline. If the pressure or flow rate in any meter falls 
below 90 percent of its operating value, the contractor

[[Page 4354]]

will cease pile driving operations until the problem is corrected and 
the system is tested to the satisfaction of the CALTRANS resident 
engineer.

Establishment of Safety/Buffer Zones

    A safety zone is to be established and monitored to include all 
areas where the underwater SPLs are anticipated to equal or exceed 190 
dB re 1 microPa RMS (impulse) for pinnipeds. Also, a 180-dB re 1 
microPa RMS (impulse) safety zone for gray whales and harbor porpoises 
must be established for pile driving occurring during the gray whale 
migration season from December through May. Prior to commencement of 
any pile driving, a preliminary 500-m (1,640-ft) radius safety zone for 
pinnipeds (California sea lions and Pacific harbor seals) will be 
established around the pile driving site, as it was for the PIDP. Once 
pile driving begins, either new safety zones can be established for the 
500 kJ and 1700 kJ hammers or the 500 m (1,640 ft) safety zone can be 
retained. If new safety zones are established based on SPL 
measurements, NMFS requires that each new safety zone be based on the 
most conservative measurement (i.e., the largest safety zone 
configuration). SPLs will be recorded at the 500-m (1,640-ft) contour. 
The safety zone radius for pinnipeds will then be enlarged or reduced, 
depending on the actual recorded SPLs.
    Observers on boats will survey the safety zone to ensure that no 
marine mammals are seen within the zone before pile driving of a pile 
segment begins. If marine mammals are found within the safety zone, 
pile driving of the segment will be delayed until they move out of the 
area. If a marine mammal is seen above water and then dives below, the 
contractor will wait 15 minutes and if no marine mammals are seen by 
the observer in that time it will be assumed that the animal has moved 
beyond the safety zone. This 15-minute criterion is based on scientific 
evidence that harbor seals in San Francisco Bay dive for a mean time of 
0.50 minutes to 3.33 minutes (Harvey and Torok, 1994), and the mean 
diving duration for harbor porpoises ranges from 44 to 103 seconds 
(Westgate et al., 1995). However, due to the limitations of monitoring 
from a boat, there can be no assurance that the zone will be devoid of 
all marine mammals at all times.
    Once the pile driving of a segment begins it cannot be stopped 
until that segment has reached its predetermined depth due to the 
nature of the sediments underlying the Bay. If pile driving stops and 
then resumes, it would potentially have to occur for a longer time and 
at increased energy levels. In sum, this would simply amplify impacts 
to marine mammals, as they would endure potentially higher SPLs for 
longer periods of time. Pile segment lengths and wall thickness have 
been specially designed so that when work is stopped between segments 
(but not during a single segment), the pile tip is never resting in 
highly resistant sediment layers. Therefore, because of this 
operational situation, if seals, sea lions, or harbor porpoises enter 
the safety zone after pile driving of a segment has begun, pile driving 
will continue and marine mammal observers will monitor and record 
marine mammal numbers and behavior. However, if pile driving of a 
segment ceases for 30 minutes or more and a marine mammal is sighted 
within the designated safety zone prior to commencement of pile 
driving, the observer(s) must notify the Resident Engineer (or other 
authorized individual) immediately and follow the mitigation 
requirements as outlined previously in this document.

Soft Start

    It should be recognized that although marine mammals will be 
protected from Level A harassment by establishment of an air-bubble 
curtain and marine mammal observers monitoring a 190-dB safety zone for 
pinipeds and 180-dB safety zone for cetaceans, mitigation may not be 
100 percent effective at all times in locating marine mammals. 
Therefore, in order to provide additional protection to marine mammals 
near the project area by allowing marine mammals to vacate the area 
prior to receiving a potential injury, CALTRANS will also ``soft 
start'' the hammer prior to operating at full capacity. CALTRANS 
typically implements a ``soft start'' with several initial hammer 
strikes at less than full capacity (i.e., approximately 40-60 percent 
energy levels) with no less than a 1 minute interval between each 
strike. Similar levels of noise reduction are expected underwater. 
Therefore, the contractor will initiate hammering of both the 500-kJ 
and the 1,700-kJ hammers with this procedure in order to allow 
pinnipeds or cetaceans in the area to voluntarily move from the area, 
this should expose fewer animals to loud sounds both underwater and 
above water noise. This would also ensure that, although not expected, 
any pinnipeds and cetaceans that are missed during safety zone 
monitoring will not be injured.

Compliance With Equipment Noise Standards

    To mitigate noise levels and, therefore, impacts to California sea 
lions, Pacific harbor seals, harbor porpoises, and gray whales, all 
construction equipment will comply as much as possible with applicable 
equipment noise standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
and all construction equipment will have noise control devices no less 
effective than those provided on the original equipment.

Monitoring

    Since the start of the large-diameter pile driving in the Bay 
nearly two years ago, CALTRANS has completed pile driving of 105 piles 
inside cofferdams and 39 piles in open water (with the use of a bubble 
curtain) for a total of 144 piles. Monitoring teams were on-site for 
all open water pile driving and during driving of ``tops'' (last 
section of the piles, which drives the pile deeper into the substrate) 
inside cofferdams where underwater SPLs reached 190 dB or greater. 
During 70 days of monitoring, both within and outside the marine mammal 
safety zone, a single startle behavior from a California sea lion was 
observed.
    The following monitoring measures are currently required under the 
IHA to reduce impacts to marine mammals to the lowest extent 
practicable. Unless, as noted, the work has been completed, NMFS 
proposes to continue those monitoring measures under a new IHA (if 
issued).

Visual Observations

    The area-wide baseline monitoring and the aerial photo survey to 
estimate the fraction of pinnipeds that might be missed by visual 
monitoring have been completed under the current IHA and do not need to 
be continued.
    Safety zone monitoring will be conducted during driving of all 
open-water, permanent piles without cofferdams and with cofferdams when 
underwater SPLs reach 190 dB RMS or greater. Monitoring of the pinniped 
and cetacean safety zones will be conducted by a minimum of three 
qualified NMFS-approved observers for each safety zone. One three-
observer team will be required for the safety zones around each pile 
driving site, so that multiple teams will be required if pile driving 
is occurring at multiple locations at the same time. The observers will 
begin monitoring at least 30 minutes prior to startup of the pile 
driving. Most likely observers will conduct the monitoring from small 
boats, as observations from a higher vantage point (such as the SF-OBB) 
is not practical. Pile driving will not begin until the safety zone is 
clear of marine mammals. However, as described in the Mitigation 
section,

[[Page 4355]]

once pile driving of a segment begins, operations will continue 
uninterrupted until the segment has reached its predetermined depth. 
However, if pile driving of a segment ceases for 30 minutes or more and 
a marine mammal is sighted within the designated safety zone prior to 
commencement of pile driving, the observer(s) must notify the Resident 
Engineer (or other authorized individual) immediately and follow the 
mitigation requirements as outlined previously (see Mitigation). 
Monitoring will continue through the pile driving period and will end 
approximately 30 minutes after pile driving has been completed. 
Biological observations will be made using binoculars during daylight 
hours.
    In addition to monitoring from boats, during open-water pile 
driving, monitoring at one control site (harbor seal haul-out sites and 
the waters surrounding such sites not impacted by the East Span 
Project's pile driving activities, i.e. Mowry Slough) will be 
designated and monitored for comparison. Monitoring will be conducted 
twice a week at the control site whenever open-water pile driving is 
being conducted. Data on all observations will be recorded and will 
include items such as species, numbers, behavior, details of any 
observed disturbances, time of observation, location, and weather. The 
reactions of marine mammals will be recorded based on the following 
classifications that are consistent with the Richmond Bridge Harbor 
Seal survey methodology (for information on the Richmond Bridge 
authorization, see 68 FR 66076, November 25, 2003): (1) No response, 
(2) head alert (looks toward the source of disturbance), (3) approach 
water (but not leave), and (4) flush (leaves haul-out site). The number 
of marine mammals under each disturbance reaction will be recorded, as 
well as the time when seal re-haul after a flush.

Acoustical Observations

    Airborne noise level measurements have been completed and 
underwater environmental noise levels will continue to be measured as 
part of the East Span Project. The purpose of the underwater sound 
monitoring is to establish the safety zone of 190 dB re 1 micro-Pa RMS 
(impulse) for pinnipeds and the safety zone of 180 dB re 1 micro-Pa RMS 
(impulse) for cetaceans. Monitoring will be conducted during the 
driving of the last half (deepest pile segment) for any given open-
water pile. One pile in every other pair of pier groups will be 
monitored. One reference location will be established at a distance of 
100 m (328 ft) from the pile driving. Sound measurements will be taken 
at the reference location at two depths (a depth near the mid-water 
column and a depth near the bottom of the water column but at least 1 m 
(3 ft) above the bottom) during the driving of the last half (deepest 
pile segment) for any given pile. Two additional in-water spot 
measurements will be conducted at appropriate depths (near mid-water 
column), generally 500 m (1,640 ft) in two directions either west, 
east, south or north of the pile driving site will be conducted at the 
same two depths as the reference location measurements. In cases where 
such measurements cannot be obtained due to obstruction by land mass, 
structures or navigational hazards, measurements will be conducted at 
alternate spot measurement locations. Measurements will be made at 
other locations either nearer or farther as necessary to establish the 
approximate distance for the safety zones. Each measuring system shall 
consist of a hydrophone with an appropriate signal conditioning 
connected to a sound level meter and an instrument grade digital 
audiotape recorder (DAT). Overall SPLs shall be measured and reported 
in the field in dB re 1 micro-Pa RMS (impulse). An infrared range 
finder will be used to determine distance from the monitoring location 
to the pile. The recorded data will be analyzed to determine the 
amplitude, time history and frequency content of the impulse.

Reporting

    Under the current IHA, CALTRANS has submitted weekly marine mammal 
monitoring reports and in January, 2005, CALTRANS submitted its Marine 
Mammal and Acoustic Monitoring for the Eastbound Structure. This annual 
report is available by contacting NMFS (see ADDRESSES) or on the Web at 
http://biomitigation.org.
    Under the proposed IHA, coordination with NMFS will occur on a 
weekly basis, or more often as necessary. During periods with open-
water pile driving activity, weekly monitoring reports will be made 
available to NMFS and the public at http://biomitigation.org. These 
weekly reports will include a summary of the previous week's monitoring 
activities and an estimate of the number of seals and sea lions that 
may have been disturbed as a result of pile driving activities.
    In addition, CALTRANS proposes to provide NMFS' Southwest Regional 
Administrator with a draft final report within 90 days after completion 
of the westbound Skyway contract and 90 days after completion of the 
Suspension Span foundations contract. This report should detail the 
monitoring protocol, summarize the data recorded during monitoring, and 
estimate the number of marine mammals that may have been harassed due 
to pile driving. If comments are received from the Regional 
Administrator on the draft final report, a final report must be 
submitted to NMFS within 30 days thereafter. If no comments are 
received from NMFS, the draft final report will be considered to be the 
final report.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

    NMFS has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) and made a 
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). Therefore, preparation of an 
environmental impact statement on this action is not required by 
section 102(2) of the NEPA or its implementing regulations. A copy of 
the EA and FONSI are available upon request (see ADDRESSES).

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

    On October 30, 2001, NMFS completed consultation under section 7 of 
the ESA with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on the CALTRANS' 
construction of a replacement bridge for the East Span of the SF-OBB in 
California. The finding contained in the Biological Opinion was that 
the proposed action at the East Span of the SF-OBB is not likely to 
jeopardize the continued existence of listed anadromous salmonids, or 
result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated 
critical habitat for these species. Listed marine mammals are not 
expected to be in the area of the action and thus would not be 
affected. However, the proposed issuance of an IHA to CALTRANS 
constitutes an agency action that authorizes an activity that may 
affect ESA-listed species and, therefore, is subject to section 7 of 
the ESA. Moreover, as the effects of the activities on listed salmonids 
were analyzed during a formal consultation between the FHWA and NMFS, 
and as the underlying action has not changed from that considered in 
the consultation, the discussion of effects that are contained in the 
Biological Opinion issued to the FHWA on October 30, 2001, pertains 
also to this action. In conclusion, NMFS has determined that issuance 
of an IHA for this activity does not lead to any effects to listed 
species apart from those that were considered in the consultation on 
FHWA's action.

Preliminary Determinations

    For the reasons discussed in this document and in previously 
identified

[[Page 4356]]

supporting documents, NMFS has preliminarily determined that the impact 
of pile driving and other activities associated with construction of 
the East Span Project should result, at worst, in the Level B 
harassment of small numbers of California sea lions, Pacific harbor 
seals, harbor porpoises, and potentially gray whales that inhabit or 
visit SFB in general and the vicinity of the SF-OBB in particular. 
While behavioral modifications, including temporarily vacating the area 
around the construction site, may be made by these species to avoid the 
resultant visual and acoustic disturbance, the availability of 
alternate areas within SFB and haul-out sites (including pupping sites) 
and feeding areas within the Bay has led NMFS to preliminarily 
determine that this action will have a negligible impact on California 
sea lion, Pacific harbor seal, harbor porpoises, and gray whale 
populations along the California coast.
    In addition, no take by Level A harassment (injury) or death is 
anticipated and harassment takes should be at the lowest level 
practicable due to incorporation of the mitigation measures mentioned 
previously in this document.

Proposed Authorization

    NMFS proposes to issue an IHA to CALTRANS for the potential 
harassment of small numbers of harbor seals, California sea lions, 
harbor porpoises, and gray whales incidental to construction of a 
replacement bridge for the East Span of the San Franciso-Oakland Bay 
Bridge in California, provided the previously mentioned mitigation, 
monitoring, and reporting requirements are incorporated. NMFS has 
preliminarily determined that the proposed activity would result in the 
harassment of only small numbers of harbor seals, California sea lions, 
harbor porpoises, and possibly gray whales and will have no more than a 
negligible impact on these marine mammal stocks.

Information Solicited

    NMFS requests interested persons to submit comments, information, 
and suggestions concerning this request (see ADDRESSES). Prior to 
submitting comments, NMFS recommends reviewers of this document read 
NMFS' November 14, 2003 Federal Register notice (68 FR 64595) on this 
action, especially responses to comments made previously, as NMFS does 
not intend to address these issues further without the submission of 
additional scientific information relevant to the comment.

    Dated: January 17, 2006.
Jim Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. E6-1008 Filed 1-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P