Feds Seek License to Mildly Inconvenience Dozen Alaskan Polar Bears
Published Date: 1/13/2025
Notice
Summary
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to allow limited, non-harmful disturbance of up to 12 Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears during oil well cleanup and construction activities on Alaska’s North Slope for one year. This plan aims to protect polar bears while supporting important land management work. Public comments are open until February 12, 2025, so everyone can weigh in on this careful balance between nature and industry.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
Den-Season Protections and Survey Requirements
The Bureau of Land Management must conduct aerial infrared (AIR) maternal den surveys before using snow trails during the denning period (denning season defined as November to April 15). Only snow trails surveyed for maternal dens will be used during denning season, most public snow trail use (including trails west of ~153°W) will occur after April 15, and all snow trail usage will cease with the spring thaw.
Permit to Disturb up to 12 Polar Bears
The Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to allow nonlethal disturbance (Level B harassment) of up to 12 Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears for one year during oil well plugging, soil sampling, snow trail/pad/airstrip construction, and summer cleanup on Alaska’s North Slope between Wainwright and Oliktok. The request covers a 1-year period beginning in the winter of 2024-2025 and explicitly states no Level A harassment or lethal take is requested, expected, or proposed to be authorized.
Denning Analysis Finds Very Low Risk of Injury
FWS’s den simulation estimates a mean of 1.36 land-based dens in the project area could be exposed to disturbance during the 1-year period and reports a 0 percent probability that the specified activities would cause Level A harassment or lethal take to denning polar bears. The analysis reports a 0 percent chance of Level B harassment for dens under the model results.
Aircraft Activity Counts and Estimated Harassment
The proposed activities would involve multiple aircraft operations: up to 25 winter resupply fixed-wing flights per well site (up to 50 total fixed-wing flights) and about 50 helicopter landings during summer cleanup; FWS’s estimation methods project aircraft activities would result in harassment of about one polar bear during the proposed IHA period. Flight activity categories and harassment-rate calculations are provided in the analyses.
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