Oppose Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to U.S. Marine Corps

What the proposal said, and what the decision did

No figure from the proposal has been checked against the decision on this fight yet. What the record does hold is the issues ledger below.

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Marine Corps to authorize incidental harm to marine mammals during training activities at MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina from 2026 to 2033. The agency is seeking public comment before deciding whether to issue a 7-year Letter of Authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This affects marine mammal populations in coastal waters near the Cherry Point Range Complex.

In the agency’s own words

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to training activities at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina over the course of 7 years from 2026 through 2033. Pursuant to regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt of the USMC's request for the promulgation of regulations governing the incidental taking of marine mammals and issuance of a 7-year Letter of Authorization (LOA). NMFS invites the public to provide information, suggestions, and comments on the USMC's application…

Federal Register 2026-09680 ↗

The groups on this fight

4 groups predicted likely to care in North Carolina

Predicted likely to care is a guess from the group's sourced work in North Carolina, with no link to this decision. Give straight to them; nothing routes through us.

• Appalachian Voices

  Predicted likely to care · a guess

  Works North Carolina: 1 live federal case across all their work.

• Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway

  Predicted likely to care · a guess

  Works North Carolina: North Carolina is one of the 2 states they work in.

• Great Smoky Mountains Association

  Predicted likely to care · a guess

  Works North Carolina: North Carolina is one of the 2 states they work in.

• North Carolina Outward Bound

  Predicted likely to care · a guess

  Works North Carolina: North Carolina is one of the 4 states they work in.

Every group above is on STAND for Public Lands, with its court record, its filings and who backs it.

Who signs it

The notice names no signer PLAN could read. PLAN names a decision-maker only when the document names one.

The ground

The window has closed, so there’s no watch to set on it here.

In court on this ground

No court case we track is over Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

Who holds the vote

PLAN’s record doesn’t tie a member of Congress to this fight yet. The scorecard grades the votes and bills that decide public lands; nothing joins a vote or a bill to this decision, so there’s no member to name here without guessing.