Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Construction of a Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal, Texas

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NMFS has received a request from Rio Grande LNG, LLC, (Rio Grande) for the reissuance of a previously issued incidental harassment authorization (IHA) with the only change being effective dates. The initial IHA authorized take of three species of marine mammals incidental to activities associated with the construction of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in the Brownsville Ship Channel (BSC), Cameron County, Texas. The project has been delayed and none of the work covered in the initial IHA has been conducted. The initial IHA was effective from July 1, 2020, through June 31, 2021. Rio Grande has requested reissuance with new effective dates of January 15, 2025, through January 14, 2026. The scope of the activities and anticipated effects remain the same, authorized take numbers are not changed, and the required mitigation, monitoring, and reporting remains the same as included in the initial IHA. NMFS is, therefore, issuing an identical IHA to cover the incidental take analyzed and authorized in the initial IHA.