Tag Archives: a “letter of authorization for incidental take regulations”

Reader Commentary: NOAA cares about whales — until wind farms are involved

January 20, 2024   Mid Atlantic, National, New England

Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing? Remember a couple of years ago when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposed draconian new speed rules for commercial and recreational vessels up and down the entire Atlantic Coast? This rule attempted to extend to vessels between 35 and 65 feet in length the existing requirement that vessels over 65 feet in length reduce their speed to 10 knots in what is called Seasonal Management Areas along the Atlantic Coast.  Fast forward to now, and we find that NOAA has received a request from U.S. Wind, LLC, for a “letter of authorization for incidental take regulations” (basically killing) of  members of several marine mammal groups over a period of five years (2025-2029) during the construction of the wind farms off the coast of Maryland. By Carol Frazier, more, >>click to read<< 10:16

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