In response to a request from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to authorize nonlethal, incidental take by harassment of small numbers of the South Beaufort Sea stock of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) for a period of one year from issuance. The applicant requested this authorization for take that may result from activities associated with legacy well plugging, reclamation, and soil sampling activities on the North Slope of Alaska. This proposed authorization, if finalized, will be for up to 12 takes of polar bears by Level B harassment. No Level A harassment or lethal take is requested, expected, or proposed to be authorized.
The proposed incidental harassment authorization and supporting documents are available for public review and comment at www.regulations.gov, docket number FWS–R7–ES–2024–0147. The public comment period is from January 13, 2025, to February 12, 2025. Once the public comment period closes, we will review all submitted comments prior to making a final determination.
- Regulations.gov Docket FWS–R7–ES–2024–0147
- Federal Register Notice of North Slope Proposed Incidental Harassment Authorization
Comments may be submitted electronically or by U.S. Mail:
Electronic Submission: Federal eRulemaking Portal at: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to the appropriate Docket No.
U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R7–ES–2024–0147, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
All comments received on a proposed authorization during the comment period will be posted at http://www.regulations.gov. You may request that we withhold personal identifying information from public review; however, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
