The comment period for review of a federal consistency submission from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources proposing amendments to the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule (“speed rule”) ends Aug. 31. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management will accept written comments on the proposal until 5 p.m.
The proposed action includes:
- Modifying the boundaries and timing seasonal speed restrictions of 10 knots or less (renamed as Seasonal Speed Zones or SSZs) to better align with areas characterized by elevated collision-related mortality risk;
- Creating a Dynamic Speed Zone (DSZ) program to implement temporary mandatory speed restrictions when whales are known to be present outside active SSZs;
- Extending the size threshold of regulated vessels to include most vessels 35 ft (10.7 m) or greater in length; and
- Updating the speed rule’s safety deviation provision. See 87 FR 46921 (August 1, 2022).
A more thorough description of the proposed federal actions may be examined online at https://www.deq.nc.gov/news/events/notice-federal-consistency-review-national-oceanic-and-atmospheric-administrations-noaa-consistency.
Written comments should be mailed to Daniel Govoni, Federal Consistency Coordinator, 400 Commerce Avenue, Morehead City, NC 28557 or emailed to DCMComments@deq.nc.gov. Please put “North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule” in the subject line.
All comments will be considered in developing the state’s federal consistency response. Notice of the decision regarding this matter will be provided upon request.
NC DEQ Division of Coastal Management
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) works to protect, conserve and manage the state’s coastal resources through an integrated program of planning, permitting, education and research. DCM carries out the state’s Coastal Area Management Act, the Dredge and Fill Law and the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 in the 20 coastal counties, using rules and policies of the NC Coastal Resources Commission, known as the CRC. The division serves as staff to the CRC. Click here to learn more about the Division of Coastal Management.
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