Work on Juneau fuel terminal expected to cause marine mammal harassment
Published 3:30 pm Thursday, September 10, 2026
Federal wildlife regulators are seeking public comment on a proposal to allow limited harassment of marine mammals during a major fuel terminal reconstruction project in downtown Juneau.
On Sept. 9, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that it is proposing an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) for Petro Marine (PM) Services to take small numbers of five marine mammal species while the company replaces an aging pile-supported T-dock and duel float at the Juneau Rock Dump Fuel Terminal on Gastineau Channel.
The work involves vibratory pile removal and vibratory and impact pile driving over approximately 81 days, beginning as early as January 2027, and would authorize potential Level A (injury) and Level B (behavioral) takes of harbor seals, Steller sea lions, harbor porpoises, killer whales, and humpback whales, with no serious injury or mortality expected.
NMFS is estimating that the activities could result in Level B harassment of the five species, with limited Level A harassment possible for harbor porpoises, Steller sea lions, and harbor seals.
Under NOAA Fisheries guidelines, a “take” includes harassing, hunting, capturing, or killing, or attempting to do so. Level A specifically denotes potential or actual physical injury — distinct from Level B harassment, which only has the potential to disturb via behavioral changes like disruption of migration, breathing, or nursing.
“Neither PM nor NMFS expect serious injury or mortality to result from this activity and, therefore, an IHA is appropriate,” NMFS and NOAA added. “Behavioral responses of marine mammals to pile removal and installation at the JNU Rock Dump Fuel Terminal are expected to be mild, short-term, and temporary.”
The project will replace the existing timber T-dock and fuel float, which was built in 1971 and is now past its design life. Associated mooring and breasting dolphins, a timber, retaining wall, and fuel lines will be replaced as well.
Replacing the existing structures and rerouting fuel lines will allow Petro Marine to safely and efficiently operate their fuel supply business, according to the NMFS and NOAA Federal Register document.
To minimize effects, the proposed authorization requires trained protected-species observations, pre- and post-activity monitoring, species-specific clearance and shutdown zones, and soft-start procedures for impact pile driving.
“We request comment on our analyses, the proposed authorization, and any other aspect of this notice of proposed IHA for the proposed construction,” NMFS and NOAA stated. “We also request comment on the potential renewal of this proposed IHA.”
Comments on the proposal and a potential one-year renewal are due 30 days after publication in the Federal Register and can be sent to ITP.esch@noaa.gov. Supporting documents are available on the NOAA Fisheries website.
