Data / Federal rules / 2026-03375

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Hilcorp Alaska, LLC Oil and Gas Activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published this final rule in the Federal Register on February 20, 2026. It took effect on February 20, 2026.

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What the agency says

NMFS, upon request from Hilcorp Alaska, LLC (Hilcorp), issues this final rule pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), to govern the taking of marine mammals incidental to specified activities conducted in support of oil and gas exploration, development, production, and decommissioning in Cook Inlet, Alaska, over the course of 5 years (2026-2031) and an associated letter of authorization (LOA). Together, the final rule and LOA allow for the incidental take of marine mammals during the described specified activities and timeframes, prescribes the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species and their habitat, and establishes requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.

Key facts

Document number: 2026-03375
Type: Final rule
Action: Final rule; notification of issuance of Letter of Authorization (LOA)
Agency: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Published: February 20, 2026
Takes effect: February 20, 2026
Dates: This final rule and the LOA are effective February 20, 2026, through February 19, 2031.
Docket: Docket No. 260213-0047
Regulation ID (RIN): 0648-BN57
Code of Federal Regulations: 50 CFR 217
Topics: Administrative practice and procedure; Alaska; Endangered and threatened species; Fish; Marine mammals; Oil and gas exploration; Transportation; Wildlife
Pages: 22

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

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Everything from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on alaska · Rules on endangered and threatened species · Published in February 2026

Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.