§ 217.194 - Mitigation requirements.

§ 217.194 Mitigation requirements.

When conducting the activities identified in § 217.190(a), the mitigation measures contained in this subpart and any LOA issued under §§ 216.106 of this chapter and 217.196 must be implemented. These mitigation measures shall include but are not limited to:

(a) General conditions:

(1) A copy of any issued LOA must be in the possession of the Coast Guard, supervisory construction personnel, lead protected species observers, and any other relevant designees of the Coast Guard operating under the authority of this LOA at all times that activities subject to this LOA are being conducted.

(2) The Coast Guard shall conduct training between construction supervisors and crews and the marine mammal monitoring team and relevant Coast Guard staff prior to the start of all down-the-hole (DTH), pile driving, cutting or power washing activity and when new personnel join the work, so that responsibilities, communication procedures, monitoring protocols, and operational procedures are clearly understood.

(3) The Coast Guard shall avoid direct physical interaction with marine mammals during construction activity. If a marine mammal comes within 20 m of an activity regulated under this subpart, operations must cease and vessels must reduce speed to the minimum level required to maintain steerage and safe working conditions.

(b) Shutdown zones:

(1) For all DTH, pile driving, cutting or power washing activity, the Coast Guard shall implement a minimum shutdown zone of a 20-m radius around the pile or DTH hole. If a marine mammal comes within or approaches the shutdown zone, such operations shall cease.

(2) For all DTH and pile driving activity, the Coast Guard shall implement shutdown zones with radial distances as identified in any LOA issued under §§ 216.106 of this chapter and 217.196. If a marine mammal comes within or approaches the shutdown zone, such operations shall cease.

(3) For all DTH and pile driving activity, the Coast Guard shall designate monitoring zones with radial distances as identified in any LOA issued under §§ 216.106 of this chapter and 217.196. Anticipated observable zones within the designated monitoring zones shall be identified in the Marine Mammal Monitoring Plan, subject to approval by NMFS.

(c) Shutdown protocols:

(1) The Coast Guard shall deploy Protected Species Observers (PSOs) as indicated in the Marine Mammal Monitoring Plan, which shall be subject to approval by NMFS, and as described in § 217.195.

(2) For all DTH and pile driving activities, a minimum of one PSO shall be stationed at the active pile driving rig or activity site or in reasonable proximity in order to monitor the entire shutdown zone.

(3) Monitoring must take place from 30 minutes prior to initiation of DTH and pile driving activity through 30 minutes post-completion of DTH and pile driving activity. Pre-start clearance monitoring must be conducted during periods of visibility sufficient for the lead PSO to determine the shutdown zones are clear of marine mammals. DTH and pile driving activity may commence following 30 minutes of observation when the determination is made.

(4) If DTH and pile driving activity is delayed or halted due to the presence of a marine mammal, the activity may not commence or resume until either the animal has voluntarily exited and been visually confirmed beyond the shutdown zone or 15 minutes have passed without re-detection of the animal.

(5) Should environmental conditions deteriorate such that marine mammals within the entire shutdown zone would not be visible (e.g., fog, heavy rain, night), the Coast Guard must delay in-water construction activities until observers are confident marine mammals within the shutdown zone could be detected.

(6) Monitoring shall be conducted by trained PSOs, who shall have no other assigned tasks during monitoring periods. Trained PSOs shall be placed at the best vantage point(s) practicable to monitor for marine mammals and implement shutdown or delay procedures when applicable through communication with the equipment operator. The Coast Guard shall adhere to the PSO qualifications in § 217.195.

(d) The Coast Guard must use soft start techniques for impact pile driving. Soft start for impact drivers requires contractors to provide an initial set of three strikes at reduced energy, followed by a 30-second waiting period, then two subsequent reduced energy three-strike sets. Soft start shall be implemented at the start of each day's impact pile driving and at any time following cessation of impact pile driving for a period of 30 minutes or longer.