Notice2025-13485
Marine Mammals; Letters of Authorization To Take Pacific Walruses, Polar Bears, and Northern Sea Otters in Alaska, in 2024
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 18, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issues letters of authorization (LOA) for the nonlethal take of polar bears and Pacific walruses incidental to oil and gas industry exploration, development, and production activities in the Beaufort Sea and the adjacent northern coast of Alaska. The FWS also issues LOAs for the nonlethal take of northern sea otters incidental to pile driving and marine construction activities in the Gulf of Alaska. This notice announces the LOAs issued in calendar year 2024. The LOAs stipulate conditions and methods that minimize impacts to polar bears, Pacific walruses, and northern sea otters from these activities.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 136 (Friday, July 18, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 136 (Friday, July 18, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33980-33982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-13485]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2025-0025; FXES111607MRG01-256-FF07CAMM00]
Marine Mammals; Letters of Authorization To Take Pacific
Walruses, Polar Bears, and Northern Sea Otters in Alaska, in 2024
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of issuance.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,
as amended, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issues letters of
authorization (LOA) for the nonlethal take of polar bears and Pacific
walruses incidental to oil and gas industry exploration, development,
and production activities in the Beaufort Sea and the adjacent northern
coast of Alaska. The FWS also issues LOAs for the nonlethal take of
northern sea otters incidental to pile driving and marine construction
activities in the Gulf of Alaska. This notice announces the LOAs issued
in calendar year 2024. The LOAs stipulate conditions and methods that
minimize impacts to polar bears, Pacific walruses, and northern sea
otters from these activities.
ADDRESSES:
Accessing documents: You may view the letters of authorization at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> under Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2025-0025.
Alternatively, you may request these documents from the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Burgess, Ph.D., Regulatory
Program Lead, by U.S. mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East
Tudor Road MS-341, Anchorage, AK 99503; by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#85f7b2e8e8e8f7e0e2f0e9e4f1eaf7fcc5e3f2f6abe2eaf3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dba9ecb6b6b6a9bebcaeb7baafb4a9a29bbdaca8f5bcb4ad">[email protected]</span></a>; or by telephone at (907) 786-3800. Individuals
in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 5, 2021, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) published in the Federal Register a final rule
(86 FR 42982) establishing regulations that allow us to authorize the
nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take of small numbers of polar
bears (Ursus maritimus) and
[[Page 33981]]
Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) during year-round oil
and gas industry exploration, development, and production activities in
the Beaufort Sea and adjacent northern coast of Alaska. These
incidental take regulations are located in subpart J in part 18 of
title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and are effective
through August 5, 2026. The rule prescribed a process under which we
issue letters of authorization (LOA) to applicants conducting
activities as described under the provisions of the regulations.
Each LOA stipulates conditions or methods that are specific to the
activity and location. Holders of the LOAs must use methods and conduct
activities in a manner that minimizes, to the greatest extent
practicable, adverse impacts on Pacific walruses and polar bears and
their habitat, and on the availability of these marine mammals for
subsistence purposes. No intentional take or lethal incidental take is
authorized under these regulations.
In accordance with section 101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and our regulations at 50 CFR
part 18, subpart J, in 2024, we issued LOAs to the companies in the
Beaufort Sea and adjacent northern coast of Alaska shown in table 1.
Table 1--Letters of Authorization Issued for Oil and Gas Development Activities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, in
2024
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Company Project LOA #
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Eni U.S. Operating Company, Inc.......... Oil and gas drilling and 24-INC-01.
production within the
Nikaitchuq and Oooguruk Units
on Alaska's North Slope.
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company......... Operation and maintenance of the 24-INC-02.
Trans Alaska Pipeline System,
which extends from Pump Station
1 in the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield
to the Valdez Marine Terminal.
Oil Search Alaska, LLC................... Oil and gas exploration and 24-INC-03.
development within and adjacent
to the Pikka Unit area and oil
and gas exploration on Oil
Search Alaska operated
leaseholds on Alaska's North
Slope.
Hilcorp Alaska, LLC...................... Year-round oil and gas 24-INC-04.
exploration, production,
development, and support
activities in the Milne Point,
Duck Island (Endicott),
Northstar Island, Prudhoe Bay,
and Point Thomson operation
areas located in the Beaufort
Sea incidental take regulations
area of the North Slope of
Alaska.
Hilcorp Alaska, LLC...................... An amendment request dated 24-INC-04 (amended).
October 3, 2024, for 24-INC-04
to include oil and gas
drilling, maintenance, and
production activities within
the Nikaitchuq and Oooguruk
Units on the North Slope of
Alaska that were formerly
conducted by Eni U.S. Operating
Company, Inc (Eni) under 24-INC-
01.
Conoco Philips Alaska Inc................ Incidental take of polar bears 24-INC-05.
and Pacific walruses that may
occur during ConocoPhillips
Alaska Inc.'s field-wide
operations in the Colville
River, Greater Mooses Tooth,
Quokka, Horseshoe, Pikka,
Southern Miluveach, Bear Tooth,
and Kuparuk River Units and non-
unitized land on the North
Slope of Alaska.
Glacier Oil and Gas...................... Incidental take of polar bears 24-INC-06.
and Pacific walruses during oil
and gas exploration,
development, and production
activities associated with the
Badami Oilfield on the North
Slope of Alaska.
ASRC Consulting & Environmental Services, Incidental take of polar bears 24-INC-07.
LLC. that may occur during ASRC
Consulting & Environmental
Services, LLC's (ACES)
operation, deconstruction, and
demobilization of a production
test facility, well plug and
abandonment, post-operation
data monitoring, and site
clearance for a methane hydrate
project on the Kuparuk State 7-
11-12 gravel pad within the
Prudhoe Bay Unit on the North
Slope of Alaska.
Conoco Philips Alaska Inc................ Incidental take of polar bears 24-INC-08.
and Pacific walruses that may
occur during ConocoPhillips
Alaska, Inc.'s (CPAI) oil and
gas activities associated with
the Willow Development project
in the Bear Tooth, Greater
Mooses Tooth, Colville River,
and Kuparuk River Units and non-
unitized lands east of the
Colville River on the North
Slope of Alaska.
ASRC Consulting & Environmental Services, Incidental take of polar bears 24-INC-09.
LLC. that may occur during ASRC
Consulting & Environmental
Services, LLC's (ACES) ice
road, snow trail, and ice pad
construction, ice road and snow
trail transportation, and oil
and gas exploration well
drilling on the North Slope of
Alaska.
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On April 19, 2023, the FWS published in the Federal Register a
final rule (88 FR 24115) establishing regulations that allow us to
authorize the nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take of small
numbers of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) during marine
construction and pile-driving activities in coastal waters surrounding
eight United States Coast Guard (USCG) facilities in the Gulf of
Alaska. These incidental take regulations are located in subpart L in
part 18 of title 50 of the CFR and are effective through May 19, 2028.
The rule prescribed a process under which we issue LOAs to the USCG
conducting activities as described under the provisions of the
regulations.
Each LOA stipulates conditions or methods that are specific to the
activity and location. Holders of the LOAs must use methods and conduct
activities in a manner that minimizes, to the greatest extent
practicable, adverse impacts on northern sea otters and their habitat,
and on the availability of northern sea otters for subsistence
purposes. No intentional take or lethal incidental take is authorized
under these regulations.
In accordance with section 101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and our regulations at 50 CFR
part 18, subpart L, in 2024, we issued two LOAs to the USCG for their
activities in the Gulf of Alaska, as shown in table 2.
[[Page 33982]]
Table 2--Letters of Authorization Issued to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for Marine Construction and Pile-Driving
Activities in the Gulf of Alaska
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Company Project LOA #
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USCG..................................... Incidental take of small numbers 24-CG-01.
of northern sea otters that may
occur during activities
associated with pile driving
and marine construction
activities in Cordova, Alaska.
USCG..................................... Incidental take of small numbers 24-CG-02.
of northern sea otters that may
occur during activities
associated with pile driving
and marine construction
activities at USCG Station
Kodiak, Alaska.
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Authority: We issue this notice under the authority of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.).
Peter Fasbender,
Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries and Ecological Services, Alaska
Region.
[FR Doc. 2025-13485 Filed 7-17-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on July 18, 2025.
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