Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the Issuance of an Incidental Harassment Authorization to the California Department of Transportation to Take Marine Mammals Incidental to San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Replacement Project

The California Department of Transportation requested an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals incidental to its proposed activity to demolish the old San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (SF-OBB) using confined underwater detonation. An environmental impact statement (EIS) was prepared by the Federal Highway Administration on the environmental impacts from the SF-OBB replacement in 2001, and NMFS adopted the EIS for the issuance of IHAs in the past. However, the original EIS did not analyze the potential impacts from underwater detonation to demolish the remaining old bridge because it was not planned. Therefore, NMFS is preparing a supplemental environmental assessment to evaluate its potential impact.