Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Rulemaking To Revise Critical Habitat for the Southern Resident Killer Whale Distinct Population Segment

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We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), propose to revise the critical habitat designation for the Southern Resident killer whale (Orcinus orca) distinct population segment (DPS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by designating six new areas along the U.S. West Coast. Specific new areas proposed along the U.S. West Coast include 15,626.6 square miles (mi\2\) (40,472.7 square kilometers (km\2\)) of marine waters between the 6.1-meter (m) (20 feet (ft)) depth contour and the 200-m (656.2 ft) depth contour from the U.S. international border with Canada south to Point Sur, California. We solicit comments from the public on all aspects of the proposal, including information on the economic, national security, and other relevant impacts of the proposed revision to the critical habitat designation.