🐻New Regs for Polar Bear Protection Affecting Oil and Gas Operations
Marine Mammals; Incidental Take of Polar Bears During Specified Activities; North Slope, Alaska
Summary
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are revising a portion of our regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act pertaining to incidental take of marine mammals. These regulations, codified at 50 CFR part 18, subpart J, authorize the nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take by harassment of small numbers of polar bears from the Southern Beaufort Sea stock and Pacific walruses during year-round oil and gas industry activities in the Beaufort Sea (Alaska and the Outer Continental Shelf) and adjacent northern coast of Alaska. Such take may result from oil and gas exploration, development, production, and transportation activities occurring through August 5, 2026. The revisions made by this final rule authorize incidental Level A harassment of polar bears in addition to the incidental Level B harassment of polar bears and Pacific walruses already authorized. No lethal take is authorized under this rule.
Agencies
- Interior Department
- Fish and Wildlife Service
Business Impact
$$ - Med
The regulatory text outlines amendments to regulations governing the incidental take of polar bears during oil and gas operations, implicating compliance and regulatory requirements for industry stakeholders, particularly in the oil and gas sector. This creates a need for businesses to adapt operations to align with the new regulations and could affect their financial planning and risk assessments.