80 FR 54554 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Confined Blasting Activities by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers During the Port of Miami Construction Project in Miami, Florida

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 175 (September 10, 2015)

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) has withdrawn its application for an IHA, for the take of small numbers of marine mammals, by Level B harassment only, incidental to conducting confined blasting activities in the Port of Miami in Miami, Florida. Accordingly, NMFS has withdrawn its related proposed IHA.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 175 (Thursday, September 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54554-54555]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22775]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD001


Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; 
Confined Blasting Activities by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers During 
the Port of Miami Construction Project in Miami, Florida

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

ACTION: Notice, withdrawal of an Incidental Harassment Authorization 
(IHA) application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(ACOE) has withdrawn its application

[[Page 54555]]

for an IHA, for the take of small numbers of marine mammals, by Level B 
harassment only, incidental to conducting confined blasting activities 
in the Port of Miami in Miami, Florida. Accordingly, NMFS has withdrawn 
its related proposed IHA.

ADDRESSES: The documents and the application related to this action are 
available by writing to Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation 
Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, or by 
telephoning the contact listed here.
    A copy of the IHA application may be obtained by writing to the 
address specified above, telephoning the contact listed below (see FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT), or visiting the Internet at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Howard Goldstein or Jolie Harrison, 
NMFS, 301-427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 15, 2013, NMFS received an 
application from the ACOE requesting an IHA. The requested IHA would 
authorize the take, by Level B harassment, small numbers of Atlantic 
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) incidental to confined 
blasting activities in Miami Harbor, Port of Miami, in Miami-Dade 
County, Florida. NMFS published a notice of the proposed IHA in the 
Federal Register (79 FR 6545) on February 4, 2014. On August 3, 2015, 
NMFS accepted notice from the ACOE withdrawing their IHA application 
for the proposed action. The ACOE was able to complete the construction 
project using dredging methods and without needing to conduct confined 
blasting. Therefore, NMFS has withdrawn its proposed IHA for the 
action.

    Dated: September 3, 2015.
Perry F. Gayaldo,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-22775 Filed 9-9-15; 8:45 am]
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