NOAA Fisheries is proposing to issue seven-year regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to govern the incidental take of marine mammals by the U.S. Navy’s in the Hawaii-Southern California Training and Testing (HSTT) Study Area. The regulations would be valid from the publication date of the final rule (if issued) through December 20, 2025. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was recently amended to allow for seven-year authorizations under the MMPA for military readiness activities. The Navy’s activities qualify as military readiness activities pursuant to the MMPA. This seven-year rule and subsequent Letters of Authorization would replace the existing five-year rule published on December 27, 2018 (83 FR 66846) and Letters of Authorization. NOAA Fisheries’ proposed regulations and the subsequent Letters of Authorization include identical required mitigation and monitoring measures that are expected to reduce adverse impacts to marine mammals as those required under the existing five-year final rule and Letters of Authorization. The Navy’s activities are likely to result in the incidental take of marine mammals by exposing them to sonar, in-water detonations, airguns, and pile driving/removal activities. The proposed takes authorized by this action are Level B harassment in the form of behavioral disturbance and temporary threshold shift takes and Level A harassment in the form of permanent threshold shift and other injury from exposure to explosives. A small number of serious injury or mortality takes are also proposed for this action from ship explosives and vessel strikes. The HSTT Study Area includes existing range complexes and testing ranges and additional areas located in the Pacific Ocean along southern California and Hawaii. The HSTT Study Area includes three existing range complexes: the Southern California (SOCAL) Range Complex, Hawaii Range Complex (HRC), and the Silver Strand Training Complex (SSTC). Range complexes include established operating areas (OPAREAs) and special use airspace. In addition, the Study Area includes Navy pierside locations and areas on the high seas where maintenance, training, or testing may occur. The public is invited to comment on the proposed regulations here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/09/13/2019-18850/taking-and-i... Please visit our HSTT webpage for more information <https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/incidental-take-authorization-us-navy-hawaii-southern-california-training-and-testing-hstt> about this action or https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/node/23111 for more information on NOAA’s incidental take program under the MMPA. Kate Goggin HQ Office of Protected Resources Lead Communications Specialist (301) 427-8400 Main (301) 427-8411 Direct Kate.Goggin@noaa.gov