[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 67 (Friday, April 9, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 18476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-07351]



[[Page 18476]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 217

[Docket No. 201204-0326]
RIN 0648-BB38


Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 
Incidental to Geophysical Surveys Related to Oil and Gas Activities in 
the Gulf of Mexico; Correction

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

ACTION: Final rule; correction.

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SUMMARY: This notice contains corrections to a final rule. The document 
being corrected is the regulations governing the Taking and Importing 
of Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical 
Survey Activities in the Gulf of Mexico, which was published on January 
19, 2021. The regulations will become effective on April 19, 2021.

DATES: Effective April 9, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Information related to this rulemaking is available online 
at: www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/incidental-take-authorization-oil-and-gas-industry-geophysical-survey-activity-gulf-mexico. In case of 
problems accessing these documents, please call the contact listed 
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben Laws, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    NMFS published a rule in the Federal Register on January 19, 2021 
(86 FR 5322) announcing issuance of final regulations concerning the 
authorization of take of marine mammals incidental to incidental to 
geophysical survey activities in the Gulf of Mexico, valid for five 
years from the date of effectiveness. NMFS issued the regulations upon 
request from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to govern the 
unintentional taking of marine mammals incidental to geophysical survey 
activities conducted by oil and gas industry operators, and those 
persons authorized to conduct activities on their behalf, in Federal 
waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico over the course of five years. The 
regulations, which allow for the issuance of Letters of Authorization 
to industry operators for the incidental take of marine mammals during 
the described activities and specified timeframe, prescribe the 
permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least 
practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their 
habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and 
reporting of such taking. NMFS refers the reader to the January 19, 
2021 (86 FR 5322), Federal Register rule for background information 
concerning the regulations. The information in the notice of issuance 
is not repeated here.

Correction

0
The codification error to be corrected appears in the regulatory text 
at 50 CFR 217.185 (c) (86 FR 5322; Docket No. 201204-0326). The 
paragraph after paragraph (c)(13)(xviii) was numbered in error as 
paragraph (12). That paragraph is hereby corrected to (14).

    Dated: April 5, 2021.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-07351 Filed 4-6-21; 4:30 pm]
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