The Regulation of Seismic Exploration in the United States

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has published its 90-day finding on a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to revise the critical habitat designation for the Southern Resident killer whale (Orcinus orca) Distinct Population Segment under the Endangered Species Act. The Petition asked NMFS to revise the current critical habitat to include inhabited Pacific Ocean marine waters along the West Coast of the United States that constitute essential foraging and wintering areas. Additionally, the petition requests that NMFS adopt protective in-water sound levels as a primary constituent element for both currently designated critical habitat and the proposed revised critical habitat.