Cook Inlet Beluga Whales
Development Projects in Cook Inlet Beluga Habitat
PROJECTS:
- ACS Fiber Optic Cable Project
- Chuitna Coal Project
- City of Palmer Wastewater Treatment Plant
- Cook Inlet Mixing Zones
- Cook Inlet Oil and Gas
- Diamond Point Granite Rock Quarry
- Fort Richardson - US Army
- Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority (Knik Crossing)
- Knik Arm Ferry
- ORPC Alaska Tidal Energy Projects
- Pebble Mine
- Port of Anchorage Expansion
- Port MacKenzie
- Seward Highway
- Ship Creek
ACS FIBER OPTIC CABLE PROJECT
- ACS letter to NMFS, February 2008
- Alaska Marine Route map
- Homer to Gulf of Alaska map
- Nikiski to Anchorage map
CHUITNA COAL PROJECT
- NMFS Letter to US Army, November 2011
- US Army Letter to NMFS, September 2011
- NMFS letter to the EPA, January 2007
- Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) Project (external website)
- NMFS letter to EPA, October 2007
- NMFS letter to EPA, July 2007
- NMFS response letter, August 2006
- Monthly project report for marine fish and mammal studies - June 2006
- Monthly project report for marine fish and mammal studies - April 2006
City of Palmer Wastewater Treatment Plant
Cook Inlet Mixing Zones
- Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultation on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Proposed Approval of the State of Alaska's Mixing Zone Regulation Section of the State of Alaska Water Quality Standards, December 20, 2010
COOK INLET OIL AND GAS
Apache Alaska Corporation - Cook Inlet 3D Seismic Program
- Section 7 Biological Opinion on the 3-D Seismic Surveys of Cook Inlet, Alaska by Apache Alaska Corporation
- Draft Environmental Assessment for the Issuance of IHA to Apache Alaska Corporation for Take Marine Mammals Incidental to 3D Seismic Surveys in Cook Inlet, AK, October 2011
- 77 FR 27720, May 11, 2012. Notice that NMFS has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization to the Apache Alaska Corporation to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to a proposed 3D seismic survey in Cook Inlet, Alaska, between April 2012 and April 2013. Effective April 30, 2012, to April 30, 2013.
- 76 FR 58473, September 21, 2011. Notice of an application from Apache Alaska Corporation for an Incidental Harassment Authorization. Comment period through October 21, 2011.
- NMFS Review of Request for a Letter of Concurrence, March 2011
CononcoPhillipsAlaska
Class I Liquid Waste Well - Endangered Species Act, Section 7 Consultation
- NMFS to EPA letter, June 2009
- EPA to NMFS letter, March 2009
Beluga River 3D Seismic Project
- 72 FR 17118, April 6, 2007. Notice of issuance of IHA's to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting seismic operations in the northwest portion of Cook Inlet, Alaska, to ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. and Union Oil Company of California for a period between mid-March and mid-June, 2007.
- Environmental Assessment of the Issuance of Incidental Harassment Authorizations to ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. and Union Oil Company to Take Marine Mammals by Harassment Incidental to Conducting Seismic Operations in Northwestern Cook Inlet, Alaska, March 2007
- 72 FR 536, January 5, 2007. Notice of proposed authorizations for two incidental take authorizations; request for comments by February 5, 2007.
- ConocoPhillips (external website)
Chevron/Union Oil Company Granite Point Onshore/Offshore 3D Seismic Survey
- 72 FR 536, January 5, 2007. Notice of proposed authorizations for two incidental take authorizations; request for comments by February 5, 2007.
Furie/Escopeta Oil Company, LLC - Kitchen Lights Unit
- Underwater Acoustic Measurement of the Spartan 151 Jack-up Drilling Rig in the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Critical Habitat, December 2011
- Map of Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Critical Habitat and Proposed Kitchen Lights Unit Well Location
- Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Biological Evaluation Kitchen Lights Unit, August 2011; Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. for National Marine Fisheries Service; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement; and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation regarding the potential impacts of an oil spill in the proposed project region.
- State of Alaska Correspondence
- NMFS concurrence letter to the US Army Corp of Engineers, August 2011
- Trustees for Alaska letter to NMFS and US Army Corp of Engineers, August 2011
- Letter from the US Army Corp of Engineers to NMFS with more information, August 2011
- Letter from the Trustees for Alaska to the US Army Corp of Engineers, July 2011
- NMFS letter to the US Army Corp of Engineers requesting more information, July 2011
- Letter from US Army Corp of Engineers to NMFS for an initial consult on the Escopeta Oil Company oil/natural gas well, Kitchen Lights Unit, April 2011
State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Oil and Gas
- DNR Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sales (external link)
- Cook Inlet Areawide Lease Sale:
- State of Alaska Superior Court Decision on 1999 Cook Inlet Areawide Oil and Gas Lease Sale, May 2000
- NMFS letter to DNR, February 2000
- NMFS letters to DNR, November 19 and 30, 1999
- NMFS letter to DNR, October 1999
- NMFS letter to DNR, June 1998
Upper Cook Inlet Seismic Survey
- State of Alaska, Alaska Coastal Management Plan Public Notice, Coastal Consistency Review, January 2007
- State of Alaska, Alaska Coastal Management Plan Review Start-up Letter, January 2007
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System
- 72 FR 30377, May 31, 2007. Reissuance of the NPDES general permit for oil and gas exploration, development and production facilities in Cook Inlet
- Environmental Protection Agency website with final permit and response to comments (external website)
- NMFS comments to EPA on the NPDES Revised Biological Evaluation, October 2006
Diamond Point Granite Rock Quarry
FORT RICHARDSON - US ARMY
- Section 7 Consultation Biological Opinion on the Resumption of Year-Round Firing Opportunities at Fort Richardson, AK, May 2011
- Letter to NMFS Office of Protected Resources, May 2011
- Letter to Ft Richardson, May 2011
- Draft EIS for Resumption of Year-Round Firing Opportunities at Fort Richardson, January 2010 (external website)
- NMFS letter to U.S. Army about DEIS, June 2010
- Final Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan, 2007-2011 (external website)
KNIK ARM BRIDGE AND TOLL AUTHORITY: Knik Crossing
- NMFS letter to the Federal Highway Administration about the Essential Fish Habitat Assessment in the Knik Arm Biological Opinion, November 2010
- ESA Section 7 Consultation Biological Opinion: Knik Arm Crossing, November 2010
- 75 FR 54599, September 8, 2010. Notice of a request from the Knik Arm Bridge Toll Authority, in coordination with the Department of Transportation Federal Highways Administration, for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to construction of a bridge across Knik Arm, named the Knik Arm Crossing, Alaska, over the course of five construction seasons; approximately spring 2013 through autumn 2017. Comment period through October 8, 2010.
- Knik Arm Crossing Project (external website)
- Beluga Reports (external website)
- Final Environmental Impact Statement, December 2007 (external website)
- EPA comments on Knik Arm Crossing Project, March 2008
- NMFS memo on FEIS, February 2008
- NMFS comments on FEIS, January 2008
- NMFS comments on Draft EIS, November 2006
- 71 FR 49433, August 23, 2006. NMFS has received a request from the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority (KABATA) for an authorization to take small numbers of marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to construction of the Knik Arm Bridge at the Knik Arm Crossing in Alaska during the period 2007 through 2012.
KNIK ARM FERRY
- State of Alaska, Division of Coastal and Ocean Management letter on closure of project review file, (ferry construction application withdrawn from US Army Corp of Engineers), June 2009
- Knik Arm Ferry Project (removed from http://www.matsugov.us/)
- NMFS letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, February 2009
- NMFS letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, May 2007
- NMFS letter to Anchorage Port Director, January 2007
- NMFS response to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Public Notice, November 2006
- NMFS letter to Federal Transit Administration on the Supplemental EA and EFH Assessment, October 2006
- NMFS letter to Port Director, September 2006
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough response to cancel the public boat launch, October 2006 - NMFS letter to the Federal Transit Administration, April 2003
- Environmental Assessment (removed from http://www.matsugov.us/)
- NMFS review of Supplemental Environmental Assessment, October 2006
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Permit
- NMFS letter on potential impacts, November 2006
ORPC ALASKA TIDAL ENERGY PROJECTS
- ORPC Fire Island Tidal Energy Project
- Status Reports:
- NMFS letter to the Department of Energy on DOE funding for hydroacoustic studies near Fire Island, August 2010
- NMFS letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on ORPC Alaska's license application, May 2009
- ORPC East Foreland Tidal Energy Project
- Application for Preliminary Permit: East Foreland Tidal Energy Project
PEBBLE MINE
- Pebble Project Technical Working Groups and Steering Committee, NMFS letter, April 2009
- Pebble Partnership (external website)
- Letter of Confirmation for aerial surveys of Cook Inlet, February 2009
PORT OF ANCHORAGE EXPANSION
- Endangered Species Act, Section 7 Consultation
- Biological Opinion for the Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project at the Port of Anchorage, Alaska, July 2009
- General Information
- Port of Anchorage Intermodal Expansion Project (external website)
- Predicted radii of underwater sound levels from proposed impact and vibratory pile driving associated with the POA marine terminal redevelopment project (4 MB)
- Map of Port of Anchorage Phasing Plan, December 2007
- Port of Anchorage Marine Terminal Development Project, Underwater Noise Survey Test Pile Driving Program, Prepared for Integrated Concepts & Research by URS, December 2007
- Distribution, Habitat Use, and Behavior of Cook Inlet Beluga Whales in Knik Arm, Department of Environmental Science, Alaska Pacific University, Fall 2007
- Summary of Beluga Whale Monitoring Activities - Port of Anchorage, November - July 2005 (external website)
- Port of Anchorage Draft Environmental Assessment
- Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA)
- 76 FR 39386, July 6, 2011. Notice that NMFS has issued a Letter of Authorization to the Port of Anchorage and the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, to take four species of marine mammals incidental to the POA's Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project. Effective July 15, 2011, through July 14, 2012.
- 75 FR 38465, July 2, 2010. Notice that NMFS has issued a Letter of Authorization to the Port of Anchorage and the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, to take four species of marine mammals incidental to the Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project. Effective July 15, 2010, through July 14, 2011.
- 74 FR 35136, July 20, 2009. Final Rule to issue regulations to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to Phase II of the POA’s Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project for the period July 2009 through July 2014. Effective July 15, 2009.
- 74 FR 18492, April 23, 2009. Notice of receipt of an application from the Port of Anchorage and the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration for issuance of regulations governing the take of small numbers of marine mammals incidental to the Port’s Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project, Anchorage, Alaska. Construction activities which have the potential to harass marine mammals include in-water pile driving and demolition of the existing dock. Comments and information must be postmarked no later than May 26, 2009.
- 73 FR 77013, December 18, 2008. Notice of a request from the Port of Anchorage and the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the Port’s Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project for the period of July 2009 through July 2014. Comment period through January 20, 2009.
- 73 FR 41318, July 18, 2009. Notice of issuance of an IHA to the Port of Anchorage and the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, to take small numbers of marine mammals, by Level B harassment, incidental to the first year of construction of its Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project at the Port, Anchorage, Alaska. Effective from July 15, 2008 – July 14, 2009.
- Incidental Harassment Authorization, July 2008
- Environmental Assessment on the Issuance of an IHA and Subsequent Rulemaking for Take of Small Numbers of Marine Mammals Incidental to the Port of Anchorage Terminal Redevelopment Project, Anchorage, Alaska, July 2008
- Finding of No Significant Impact, July 2008
- 73 FR 14443, March 18, 2008. Notice of proposed IHA and receipt of application from the Port of Anchorage to take small numbers of marine mammals by Level B harassment. Comment period through April 17, 2008.
- Corps of Engineers Permits
- US Army Corp of Engineers Environmental Assessment (EA) Anchorage Harbor Dredging & Disposal, and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), August 2008
- Public comment period through September 15, 2008.
- NMFS letter to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers on NOI to Issue Permit, August 10, 2007
- NMFS letter to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers on Phase II of the Port of Anchorage Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project, March 4, 2007
- NMFS letter to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to advance discussions on the mitigation for the Port of Anchorage Marine Terminal Redevelopment Project, January 2007
- NMFS Response to the Port of Anchorage's Permit Request, March 2006
- US Army Corp of Engineers Environmental Assessment (EA) Anchorage Harbor Dredging & Disposal, and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), August 2008
- Corps of Engineers Dredging
- Port of Anchorage Intermodel Expansion Project Phase II Permit to Discharge Dredged Material in Waters of the U.S., Including Wetlands, Necessary for the Expansion of the Port of Anchorage, 2007 (external website)
- Characterization of underwater sounds produced by bucket dredging operations, Dickerson, C., Reine, K. J., and Clarke, D. G., 2001, DOER Technical Notes Collection (ERDC TN-DOER-E14), U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (external website)
PORT MACKENZIE
Expansion and Projects
- NMFS letter to the Federal Transit Association about the proposed ferry landing, June 2011
- NMFS review of US Army Corp of Engineers' public notice, May 2008
- NMFS letter to US Army Corp of Engineers about potential impacts to beluga whales, April 2008
- Port MacKenzie (external website)
- Underwater Measurements of Pile-driving Sounds during the Port MacKenzie Dock Modifications, August 2004
Rail Line Extension
- NMFS Letter to Surface Transportation Board re: Biological Assessment, March 2010
- Biological Assessment, November 2009
- Surface Transportation Board Petition for Exemption to Construct and Operate a Rail Line Extension to Port MacKenzie, November 2009
