Hello Marmam, NOAA Fisheries is soliciting comment on our 2016 Technical Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammal Hearing <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/guidelines.htm> (NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-OPR-55) during a 45-day public comment period, which opens May 31, 2017, to assist the Secretary of Commerce in his review of this document under section 10 of the Presidential Executive Order (EO) 13795, Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy <https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/05/03/2017-09087/implementing-an-america-first-offshore-energy-strategy> . The Guidance is a technical document that compiles, interprets, and synthesizes scientific literature, to produce updated acoustic thresholds for assessing the effects of underwater sound on marine mammal hearing. It is intended for use by NOAA Fisheries’ managers and other relevant user groups/stakeholders, when seeking to determine whether and how their activities are expected to result in hearing impacts to marine mammals via acoustic exposure. The Technical Guidance does not represent the entirety of NOAA Fisheries’ comprehensive effects analysis but rather serves as one tool to help evaluate a proposed action. The Technical Guidance previously underwent three independent peer reviews, including a follow-up to one of the peer reviews, prior to its dissemination by NOAA Fisheries in 2016. Details of each peer review are included within the Technical Guidance (Appendix C), and specific peer reviewer comments and NOAA Fisheries’ responses are in our Peer Review Reports <http://www.cio.noaa.gov/services_programs/prplans/ID43.html>. Additionally, there were three public comment periods, where there is a published Federal Register Notice <https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/08/04/2016-18462/technical-guidance-for-assessing-the-effects-of-anthropogenic-sound-on-marine-mammal> summarizing substantive public comments and NOAA Fisheries’ responses. NOAA Fisheries advises the public to focus their comments, for this 45-day comment period, on those relating to the review of the 2016 Technical Guidance under EO 13795. For example, we welcome comments on two particular aspects of the Technical Guidance: 1) Peer-reviewed scientific literature: information regarding the availability of published new science relevant to marine mammal hearing or impacts of noise on hearing since the publication of the Technical Guidance and suggestions for how to consider new information within the Technical Guidance, and 2) Implementation support: recommendations regarding how NOAA Fisheries can further aid in the application and implementation of the Technical Guidance (based on difficulties encountered and/or ways we can facilitate and/or improve implementation for action proponents). Electronic copies of the document 2016 Technical Guidance are available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/guidelines.htm and the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Comments may also be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal starting May 31 ( http://www.regulations.gov, search for NOAA-NMFS-2013-0177). Thank you for your interest in the Technical Guidance. For more information, please contact Amy Scholik-Schlomer (amy.scholik@noaa.gov or 301 427-8449 <(301)%20427-8449>). *Amy R. Scholik-Schlomer, Ph.D.* Fishery Biologist (Protected Resources Acoustic Coordinator) NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Protected Resources Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division 1315 East-West Hwy. SSMC3, Rm. 13605 Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301) 427-8449 Email: *Amy.Scholik@noaa.gov <Amy.Scholik@noaa.gov>http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/ <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/>*