Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Construction and Operation of Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms in the Beaufort Sea

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NMFS has received a revised application for a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from BP Exploration (Alaska), 900 East Benson Boulevard, Anchorage, AK 99519 (BPXA) to take small numbers of marine mammals incidental to construction and operation of offshore oil and gas platforms at the Northstar development in the Beaufort Sea in state and Federal waters and a petition from BPXA for regulations governing such take. By this document, NMFS is proposing regulations to govern that take. In order to implement these regulations, NMFS must determine that these takings will have a negligible impact on the affected species and stocks of marine mammals, and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species or stock(s) for subsistence uses. NMFS invites comment on the petition/application, and the regulations.