Data / Federal rules / 2026-04558

Marine Mammals; Incidental Take of Polar Bears and Pacific Walruses in the Beaufort Sea and North Slope of Alaska

The Fish and Wildlife Service published this proposed rule in the Federal Register on March 9, 2026. Comments closed on April 8, 2026.

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What the agency says

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, received a request under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 from the Alaska Oil and Gas Association to issue regulations facilitating the authorization of incidental, unintentional take of small numbers of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) during year-round oil and gas industry activities in the Beaufort Sea (Alaska and the Outer Continental Shelf) and adjacent northern coast of Alaska. Take may result from oil and gas exploration, development, production, and transportation activities occurring for a period of 5 years. Oil and gas industry operations include similar types of activities covered by the previous 5-year Beaufort Sea incidental take regulations effective from August 5, 2021, through August 5, 2026. If this rule is finalized, we may issue letters of authorization, upon request, for specific proposed activities in accordance with this proposed regulation. We are proposing that this rule, if finalized, will be for 5 years. We intend that any final action resulting from this proposed rule will be as accurate and effective as possible. Therefore, we request comments or suggestions on these proposed regulations and the accompanying draft environmental assessment from the public, Tribes, and local, State, and Federal agencies.

Key facts

Document number: 2026-04558
Type: Proposed rule
Action: Proposed rule; notice of availability of draft environmental assessment; and request for comments
Agency: Interior Department; Fish and Wildlife Service
Published: March 9, 2026
Comments due: April 8, 2026
Dates: Comments will be accepted on or before April 8, 2026. Comments submitted electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES, below) must be received by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the closing date.
Docket: Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2026-0694; FXES111607MRG01-267-FF07CAMM00
Regulation ID (RIN): 1018-BI93
Code of Federal Regulations: 50 CFR 18
Topics: Administrative practice and procedure; Alaska; Imports; Indians; Marine mammals; Oil and gas exploration; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Transportation
Pages: 27

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

Other documents from the Fish and Wildlife Service

Document	Type	Published
Marine Mammals; Incidental Take of Polar Bears and Pacific Walruses in the Beaufort Sea and North Slope of Alaska 2026-21371	Final rule	Oct 19
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Four Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species 2026-20315	Proposed rule	Oct 5
General Provisions; Revised List of Birds Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 2026-20123	Proposed rule	Oct 1
National Wildlife Refuge System; 2026-2027 Station-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations; Correction 2026-19723	Final rule	Sep 25
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of Gila Chub From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 2026-18470	Proposed rule	Sep 10
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Nine Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species 2026-18123	Final rule	Sep 4
National Wildlife Refuge System; 2026-2027 Station-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations 2026-17895	Final rule	Sep 1
Process for Authorizing Seasonal Migratory Game Bird Hunting 2026-17733 · significant	Final rule	Aug 31

Everything from the Fish and Wildlife Service · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on alaska · Rules on imports · Published in March 2026

Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.