Marine Mammals; Incidental Take During Specified Activities; North Slope, Alaska
Published date | 05 August 2021 |
Citation | 86 FR 42982 |
Record Number | 2021-16452 |
Section | Rules and Regulations |
Court | Fish And Wildlife Service |
Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 148 (Thursday, August 5, 2021)
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 148 (Thursday, August 5, 2021)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 42982-43074] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2021-16452] [[Page 42981]] Vol. 86 Thursday, No. 148 August 5, 2021 Part IIDepartment of the Interior-----------------------------------------------------------------------Fish and Wildlife Service-----------------------------------------------------------------------50 CFR Part 18Marine Mammals; Incidental Take During Specified Activities; North Slope, Alaska; Final Rule Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 148 / Thursday, August 5, 2021 / Rules and Regulations [[Page 42982]] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 18 Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2021-0037; FXES111607MRG01-212-FF07CAMM00] RIN 1018-BF13 Marine Mammals; Incidental Take During Specified Activities; North Slope, Alaska AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Final rule. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in response to a request from the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, finalize regulations authorizing the nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take by harassment of small numbers of polar bears 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. Take may result from oil and gas exploration, development, production, and transportation activities occurring for a period of 5 years. These activities are similar to those covered by the previous 5-year Beaufort Sea incidental take regulations effective from August 5, 2016, through August 5, 2021. This rule authorizes take by harassment only. No lethal take is authorized. We will issue Letters of Authorization, upon request, for specific activities in accordance with these regulations. DATES: This rule is effective August 5, 2021, and remains effective through August 5, 2026. ADDRESSES: You may view this rule, the associated final environmental assessment and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finding of no significant impact (FONSI), and other supporting material at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2021-0037, or these documents may be requested as described under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marine Mammals Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, MS-341, Anchorage, AK 99503, Telephone 907-786-3844, or Email: [email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Immediate Promulgation In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (APA; 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3)), we find that we have good cause to make this rule effective less than 30 days after publication. Immediate promulgation of the rule will ensure that the applicant will implement mitigation measures and monitoring programs in the geographic region that reduce the risk of harassment of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) by their activities. Executive Summary In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972, as amended, and its implementing regulations, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we), finalize incidental take regulations (ITRs) that authorize the nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take of small numbers of Pacific walruses and polar bears during oil and gas industry (hereafter referred to as ``Industry'') activities in the Beaufort Sea and adjacent northern coast of Alaska, not including lands within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, for a 5-year period. Industry operations include similar types of activities covered by the previous 5-year Beaufort Sea ITRs effective from August 5, 2016, through August 5, 2021 (81 FR 52276). This rule is based on our findings that the total takings of Pacific walruses (walruses) and polar bears during Industry activities will impact no more than small numbers of animals, will have a negligible impact on these species or stocks, and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of these species or stocks for taking for subsistence uses by Alaska Natives. We base our findings on past and proposed future monitoring of the encounters and interactions between these species and Industry; species research; oil spill risk assessments; potential and documented Industry effects on these species; natural history and conservation status information of these species; and data reported from Alaska Native subsistence hunters. We have prepared a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental assessment (EA) in conjunction with this rulemaking and determined that this final action will result in a finding of no significant impact (FONSI). These regulations include permissible methods of nonlethal taking; mitigation measures to ensure that Industry activities will have the least practicable adverse impact on the species or stock, their habitat, and their availability for subsistence uses; and requirements for monitoring and reporting. Compliance with this rule is not expected to result in significant additional costs to Industry, and any costs are minimal in comparison to those related to actual oil and gas exploration, development, and production operations. Background Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1371(a)(5)(A)) gives the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) the authority to allow the incidental, but not intentional, taking of small numbers of marine mammals, in response to requests by U.S. citizens (as defined in 50 CFR 18.27(c)) engaged in a specified activity (other than commercial fishing) within a specified geographic region. The Secretary has delegated authority for implementation of the MMPA to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. According to the MMPA, the Service shall allow this incidental taking if we find the total of such taking for a 5-year period or less: (1) Will affect only small numbers of marine mammals of a species or population stock; (2) will have no more than a negligible impact on such species or stocks; (3) will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of such species or stocks for taking for subsistence use by Alaska Natives; and (4) we issue regulations that set forth: (a) Permissible methods of taking; (b) other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on the species or stock and its habitat, and on the availability of such species or stock for subsistence uses; and (c) requirements for monitoring and reporting of such taking. If final regulations allowing such incidental taking are issued, we may then subsequently issue Letters of Authorization (LOAs), upon request, to authorize incidental take during the specified activities. The term ``take'' as defined by the MMPA, means to harass, hunt, capture, or kill, or attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal (16 U.S.C. 1362(13)). Harassment, as defined by the MMPA, for activities other than military readiness activities or scientific research conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government, means ``any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i) has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild'' (the MMPA defines this as Level A harassment); or ``(ii) has the potential to disturb a [[Page 42983]] marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering'' (the MMPA defines this as Level B harassment) (16 U.S.C. 1362(18)). The terms ``negligible impact'' and ``unmitigable adverse impact'' are defined in title 50 of the CFR at 50 CFR 18.27 (the Service's regulations governing small takes of marine mammals incidental to specified activities). ``Negligible impact'' is an impact resulting from the specified activity that cannot be reasonably expected to, and is not reasonably likely to, adversely affect the species or stock through effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival. ``Unmitigable adverse impact'' means an impact resulting from the specified activity (1) that is likely to reduce the availability of the species to a level insufficient for a harvest to meet subsistence needs by (i) causing the marine mammals to abandon or avoid hunting areas, (ii) directly displacing subsistence users, or (iii) placing physical barriers between the marine mammals and the subsistence hunters; and (2) that cannot be sufficiently mitigated by other measures to increase the availability of marine mammals to allow subsistence needs to be met. The term ``small numbers''; is also defined in 50 CFR 18.27. However, we do not rely on that definition here as it conflates ``small numbers'' with ``negligible impacts.'' We recognize ``small numbers'' and ``negligible impacts'' as two separate and distinct requirements for promulgating incidental take regulations (ITRs) under the MMPA (see Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc. v. Evans, 232 F. Supp. 2d 1003, 1025 (N.D. Cal. 2003)). Instead, for our small numbers determination, we estimate the likely number of takes of marine mammals and evaluate if that take is small relative to the size of the species or stock. The term ``least practicable adverse impact'' is not defined in the MMPA or its enacting regulations. For this ITR, we ensure the least practicable adverse impact by requiring mitigation measures that are effective in reducing the impact of Industry activities but are not so restrictive as to make Industry activities unduly burdensome or impossible to undertake and complete. In this ITR, the term ``Industry'' includes individuals, companies, and organizations involved in exploration, development, production, extraction, processing, transportation, research, monitoring, and support services of the petroleum industry that were named in the request for this regulation. Industry activities may result in the incidental taking of Pacific walruses and polar bears. The MMPA does not require Industry to obtain an incidental take authorization; however, any taking that occurs without authorization is a violation of the MMPA. Since 1993, the oil and gas industry operating in the Beaufort Sea and the adjacent northern coast of Alaska has requested and we have issued ITRs for the incidental take of Pacific walruses and polar bears within a specified geographic region during specified activities. For a detailed history of our current and past Beaufort Sea ITRs, refer to the Federal Register at 81 FR 52276, August 5, 2016; 76 FR 47010, August 3, 2011; 71 FR 43926, August 2, 2006; and 68 FR 66744, November 28, 2003. The current regulations are codified at 50 CFR part 18, subpart J (Sec. Sec. 18.121 to 18.129). Summary of Request On June 15, 2020, the Service received a request from the Alaska Oil and Gas Association (AOGA) on behalf of its members and other participating companies to promulgate regulations for nonlethal incidental take of small numbers of walruses and polar bears in the Beaufort Sea and adjacent northern coast of Alaska for a period of 5 years (2021-2026) (hereafter referred to as ``the Request''). We received an amendment to the Request on March 9, 2021, which was deemed adequate and complete. The amended Request is available at www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2021-0037. The AOGA Request requested regulations that will be applicable to the oil and gas exploration, development, and production, extraction, processing, transportation, research, monitoring, and support activities of multiple companies specified in the Request. This includes AOGA member and other non-member companies that have applied for these regulations and their subcontractors and subsidiaries that plan to conduct oil and gas operations in the specified geographic region. Members of AOGA represented in the Request are: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, BlueCrest Energy, Inc., Chevron Corporation, ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. (CPAI), Eni U.S. Operating Co. Inc. (Eni Petroleum), ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc. (ExxonMobil), Furie Operating Alaska, LLC, Glacier Oil and Gas Corporation (Glacier), Hilcorp Alaska, LLC (Hilcorp), Marathon Petroleum, Petro Star Inc., Repsol, and Shell Exploration and Production Company (Shell). Non-AOGA companies represented in the Request are: Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC), Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) Energy Services, Oil Search (Alaska), LLC, and Qilak LNG, Inc. This rule applies only to AOGA members, the non-members noted above, their subsidiaries and subcontractors, and companies that have been or will be acquired by any of the above. The activities and geographic region specified in AOGA's Request and considered in this rule are described below in the sections titled Description of Specified Activities and Description of Specified Geographic Region. Summary of Changes From the Proposed ITR In preparing this final rule for the incidental take of polar bears and Pacific walruses, we reviewed and considered comments and information from the public on our proposed rule published in the Federal Register on June 1, 2021 (86 FR 29364). We also reviewed and considered comments and information from the public for our draft environmental assessment (EA). Based on those considerations, we are finalizing these regulations with the following changes from our proposed rule: The Service revised language to state: ``Aircraft operations within the ITR area should maintain an altitude of 1,500 ft above ground level when safe and operationally possible.'' The inclusion of ``safe and'' is essential to clarify that this altitude recommendation applies only when it is safe to do so (in addition to when it is ``operationally possible''). The Service added language to state that, where information is insufficient to evaluate the potential effects of activities on walruses, polar bears, and the subsistence use of these species, holders of an LOA may be required to participate in joint monitoring and/or research efforts to address these information needs and ensure the least practicable impact to these resources. The Service added language specifying that a group be defined for both walruses and polar bears as being two or more individuals. The Service added language that clarifies that the correct geographic region to which the ITRs will apply is 50 miles offshore, not 200 miles offshore. The Service has revised Table 1 in the preamble to include details regarding the sound measurement units and included peak SPL for impulsive sound sources. The Service has also [[Page 42984]] revised references to past ITR Level B harassment and TTS thresholds. The Service has added clarifying language to reflect the numbers of leases and land area in the NPR-A to reflect 307 leases covering 2.6 million acres. The Service added a recent peer-reviewed article, ``Polar bear behavioral response to vessel surveys in northeastern Chukchi Sea, 2008-2014'' by Lomac-MacNair et al. (2021), which assisted with the analysis of behavioral responses of polar bears to vessel activity. The Service has clarified our discussion regarding the conclusions we drew from the peer-reviewed article ``Aquatic behaviour of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in an increasingly ice-free Arctic.'' Lone, et al. 2018. The Service added language to clarify information requirements from applicants for LOAs and have clarified our discussion regarding monthly human occupancy. The Service added clarifying language to Sec. 18.126(b)(4) to limit disturbance around dens, including putative and verified dens. The Service has removed the term ``other substantially similar'' when describing what proposed activities are covered under these ITRs. Description of the Regulations This rule does not authorize or ``permit'' the specified activities to be conducted by the applicant. Rather, it authorizes the nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take of small numbers of Pacific walruses and polar bears that may result from Industry activities based on standards set forth in the MMPA. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are responsible for permitting activities associated with Industry activities in Federal waters and on Federal lands. The State of Alaska is responsible for permitting Industry activities on State lands and in State waters. The regulations include: Permissible methods of nonlethal taking; Measures designed to ensure the least practicable adverse impact on Pacific walruses and polar bears and their habitat, and on the availability of these species or stocks for subsistence uses; and Requirements for monitoring and reporting. Description of Letters of Authorization (LOAs) An LOA is required to conduct activities pursuant to an ITR. Under this ITR, entities intending to conduct the specific activities described in these regulations may request an LOA for the authorized nonlethal, incidental Level B harassment of walruses and polar bears. Per AOGA's Request, such entities would be limited to the companies, groups, individuals specified in AOGA's Request, their subsidiaries or subcontractors, and their successors-in-interest. Requests for LOAs must be consistent with the activity descriptions and mitigation and monitoring requirements of the ITR and be received in writing at least 90 days before the activity is to begin. Requests must include (1) an operational plan for the activity; (2) a digital geospatial file of the project footprint, (3) estimates of monthly human occupancy (i.e., a percentage that represents the amount of the month that at least one human is occupying a given location) of project area; (4) a walrus and/ or polar bear interaction plan, (5) a site-specific marine mammal monitoring and mitigation plan that specifies the procedures to monitor and mitigate the effects of the activities on walruses and/or polar bears, including frequency and dates of aerial infrared (AIR) surveys if such surveys are required, and (6) Plans of Cooperation (described below). Once this information has been received, we will evaluate each request and issue the LOA if we find that the level of taking will be consistent with the findings made for the total taking allowable under the ITR and all other requirements of these regulations are met. We must receive an after-action report on the monitoring and mitigation activities within 90 days after the LOA expires. For more information on requesting and receiving an LOA, refer to 50 CFR 18.27. Description of Plans of Cooperation (POCs) A POC is a documented plan describing measures to mitigate potential conflicts between Industry activities and Alaska Native subsistence hunting. The circumstances under which a POC must be developed and submitted with a request for an LOA are described below. To help ensure that Industry activities do not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species for subsistence hunting opportunities, all applicants requesting an LOA under this ITR must provide the Service documentation of communication and coordination with Alaska Native communities potentially affected by the Industry activity and, as appropriate, with representative subsistence hunting and co-management organizations, such as the North Slope Borough, the Alaska Nannut Co-Management Council (ANCC), and Eskimo Walrus Commission (EWC), among others. If Alaska Native communities or representative subsistence hunting organizations express concerns about the potential impacts of project activities on subsistence activities, and such concerns are not resolved during this initial communication and coordination process, then a POC must be developed and submitted with the applicant's request for an LOA. In developing the POC, Industry representatives will further engage with Alaska Native communities and/or representative subsistence hunting organizations to provide information and respond to questions and concerns. The POC must provide adequate measures to ensure that Industry activities will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of walruses and polar bears for Alaska Native subsistence uses. Description of Specified Geographic Region The specified geographic region covered by the requested ITR (Beaufort Sea ITR region (Figure 1)) encompasses all Beaufort Sea waters (including State waters and Outer Continental Shelf waters as defined by BOEM) east of a north-south line extending from Point Barrow (N71.39139, W156.475, BGN 1944) to the Canadian border, except for marine waters located within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The offshore boundary extends 80.5 km (50 mi) offshore. The onshore boundary includes land on the North Slope of Alaska from Point Barrow to the western boundary of ANWR. The onshore boundary is 40 km (25 mi) inland. No lands or waters within the exterior boundaries of ANWR are included in the Beaufort Sea ITR region. The geographical extent of the Beaufort Sea ITR region (approximately 7.9 million hectares (ha) (~19.8 million acres (ac))) is smaller than the region covered in previous regulations (approximately 29.8 million ha (~73.6 million ac) were included in the ITR set forth via the final rule that published at 81 FR 52276, August 5, 2016). BILLING CODE 4333-15-P [[Page 42985]] [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.000 BILLING CODE 4333-15-C Description of Specified Activities This section first summarizes the type and scale of Industry activities anticipated to occur in the Beaufort Sea ITR region from 2021 to 2026 and then provides more detailed specific information on these activities. Year-round onshore and offshore Industry activities are anticipated. During the 5 years that the ITR will be in place, Industry activities are expected to be generally similar in type, timing, and effect to activities evaluated under the prior ITRs. Due to the large number of variables affecting Industry activities, prediction of exact dates and locations of activities is not possible in a request for a 5-year ITR. However, operators must provide specific dates and locations of activities in their requests for LOAs. Requests for LOAs for activities and impacts that exceed the scope of analysis and determinations for this ITR will not be issued. Additional information is available in the AOGA Request for an ITR at: www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2021-0037. Exploration Activities AOGA's exploration activities specified in the Request are for the purpose of exploring subsurface geology, water depths, and seafloor conditions to help inform development and production projects that may occur in those areas. Exploration survey activities include geotechnical site investigations, reflection seismic exploration, vibroseis, vertical seismic profiles, seafloor imagery collection, and offshore bathymetry collection. Exploratory drilling and development activities include onshore ice pad and road development, onshore gravel pad and road development, offshore ice road development, and artificial island development. The location of new exploration activities within the specified geographic region of this rule will be influenced by the location of current leases as well as any new leases acquired via potential future Federal and State of Alaska oil and gas lease sales. BOEM Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sales BOEM manages oil and gas leases in the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region, which encompasses 242 million ha (600 million ac). Of that acreage, approximately 26 million ha (~65 million ac) are within the Beaufort Sea Planning Area. Ten lease sales have been held in this area since 1979, resulting in 147 active leases, where 32 exploratory wells were drilled. Production has occurred on one joint [[Page 42986]] Federal/State unit, with Federal oil production accounting for more than 28.7 million barrels (bbl) (1 bbl = 42 U.S. gallons or 159 liters) of oil since 2001 (BOEM 2016). Details regarding availability of future leases, locations, and acreages are not yet available, but exploration of the OCS may continue during the 2021-2026 timeframe of the ITR. Lease Sale 242, previously planned in the Beaufort Sea during 2017 (BOEM 2012), was cancelled in 2015. BOEM issued a notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 2019 Beaufort Sea lease sale in 2018 (83 FR 57749, November 16, 2018). The 2019-2024 Draft Proposed Program included three OCS lease sales, with one each in 2019, 2021, and 2023, but has not been approved. Information on the Alaska OCS Leasing Program can be found at: https://www.boem.gov/about-boem/alaska-leasing-office. National Petroleum Reserve--Alaska The BLM manages the 9.2 million-ha (22.8 million-ac) Natural Petroleum Reserve--Alaska (NPR-A), of which 1.3 million ha (3.2 million ac) occur within the Beaufort Sea ITR region. Lease sales have occurred regularly in the NPR-A; 15 oil and gas lease sales have been held in the NPR-A since 1999. There are currently 307 leases covering more than 1,052,182 ha (2.6 million ac) in the NPR-A. Current operator/ownership information is available on the BLM NPR-A website at https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/oil-and-gas/leasing/regional-lease-sales/alaska. State of Alaska Lease Sales The State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR), Oil and Gas Division, holds annual lease sales of State lands available for oil and gas development. Lease sales are organized by planning area. Under areawide leasing, the State offers all available State acreage not currently under lease within each area annually. AOGA's Request includes activities in the State's North Slope and Beaufort Sea planning areas. Lease sale data are available on the ADNR website at: https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/Services/BIFAndLeaseSale. Projected activities may include exploration, facility maintenance and construction, and operation activities. The North Slope planning area has 1,225 tracts that lie between the NPR-A and the ANWR. The southern boundary of the North Slope sale area is the Umiat baseline. Several lease sales have been held to date in this leasing area. As of May 2020, there are 1,505 active leases on the North Slope, encompassing 1.13 ha (2.8 million ac), and 220 active leases in the State waters of the Beaufort Sea, encompassing 244,760 ha (604,816 ac). The Beaufort Sea Planning Area encompasses a gross area of approximately 687,966 ha (1.7 million ac) divided into 572 tracts ranging in size from 210 to 2,330 ha (520 to 5,760 ac). Development Activities Industry operations during oil and gas development may include construction of roads, pipelines, waterlines, gravel pads, work camps (personnel, dining, lodging, and maintenance facilities), water production and wastewater treatment facilities, runways, and other support infrastructure. Activities associated with the development phase include transportation activities (automobile, airplane, and helicopter); installation of electronic equipment; well drilling; drill rig transport; personnel support; and demobilization, restoration, and remediation work. Industry development activities are often planned or coordinated by unit. A unit is composed of a group of leases covering all or part of an accumulation of oil and/or gas. Alaska's North Slope oil and gas field primary units include: Duck Island Unit (Endicott), Kuparuk River Unit, Milne Point Unit, Nikaitchuq Unit, Northstar Unit, Point Thomson Unit, Prudhoe Bay Unit, Badami Unit, Oooguruk Unit, Bear Tooth Unit, Pikka Unit, and the Colville River and Greater Mooses Tooth Units, which for the purposes of this ITR are combined into the Western North Slope. Production Activities North Slope production facilities occur between the oilfields of the Alpine Unit in the west to Badami and Point Thomson in the east. Production activities include building operations, oil production, oil transport, facilities, maintenance and upgrades, restoration, and remediation. Production activities are long-term and year-round activities whereas exploration and development activities are usually temporary and seasonal. Alpine and Badami are not connected to the road system and must be accessed by airstrips, barges, and seasonal ice roads. Transportation on the North Slope is by automobile, airplanes, helicopters, boats, vehicles with large, low-pressure tires called Rolligons, tracked vehicles, and snowmobiles. Aircraft, both fixed wing and helicopters, are used for movement of personnel, mail, rush-cargo, and perishable items. Most equipment and materials are transported to the North Slope by truck or barge. Much of the barge traffic during the open-water season unloads from West Dock. Oil pipelines extend from each developed oilfield to the Trans- Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). The 122-cm (48-in)-diameter TAPS pipeline extends 1,287 km (800 mi) from the Prudhoe Bay oilfield to the Valdez Marine Terminal. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company conducts pipeline operations and maintenance. Access to the pipeline is primarily from established roads, such as the Spine Road and the Dalton Highway, or along the pipeline right-of-way. Oil and Gas Support Activities In addition to oil and gas production and development activities, support activities are often performed on an occasional, seasonal, or daily basis. Support activities streamline and provide direct assistance to other activities and are necessary for Industry working across the North Slope and related areas. Several support activities are defined in AOGA's Request and include: Placement and maintenance of gravel pads, roads, and pipelines; supply operations that use trucks or buses, aircraft (fixed-wing or rotor-wing), hovercrafts, and barges/ tugs to transport people, personal incidentals (food, mail, cargo, perishables, and personal items) between Units and facilities; pipeline inspections, maintenance dredging and screeding operations; and training for emergency response and oil spill response. Some of these activities are seasonal and performed in the winter using tundra- appropriate vehicles, such as road, pad, and pipeline development and inspections. Field and camp-specific support activities include: Construction of snow fences; corrosion and subsidence control and management; field maintenance campaigns; drilling; well work/work- overs; plugging and abandonment of existing wells; waste handling (oil field wastes or camp wastes); camp operations (housekeeping, billeting, dining, medical services); support infrastructure (warehousing and supplies, shipping and receiving, road and pad maintenance, surveying, inspection, mechanical shops, aircraft support and maintenance); emergency response services and trainings; construction within existing fields to support oil field infrastructure and crude oil extraction; and transportation services by a variety of vehicles. Additional details on each of these support activities can be found in AOGA's Request. [[Page 42987]] Specific Ongoing and Planned Activities at Existing Oil and Gas Facilities for 2021-2026 During the regulatory period, exploration and development activities are anticipated to occur in the offshore and continue in the current oil field units, including those projects identified by Industry, below. Badami Unit The Badami oilfield resides between the Point Thomson Unit and the Prudhoe Bay Unit, approximately 56 km (35 mi) east of Prudhoe Bay. No permanent road connections exist from Badami to other Units, such as Prudhoe Bay or the Dalton Highway. The Badami Unit consists of approximately 34 ha (85 ac) of tundra, including approximately 9.7 km (6 mi) of established industrial duty roads connecting all infrastructure, 56 km (35 mi) of pipeline, one gravel mine site, and two gravel pads with a total of 10 wells. The oilfield consists of the following infrastructure and facilities: A central processing facility (CPF) pad, a storage pad, the Badami airstrip pad, the Badami barge landing, and a 40.2-km (25-mi) pipeline that connects to Endicott. During the summer, equipment and supplies are transported to Badami by contract aircraft from Merrill Field in Anchorage or by barge from the West Dock in Prudhoe Bay. During winter drilling activities, a tundra ice road is constructed near the Badami/Endicott Pipeline to tie-in to the Badami CPF pad. This winter tundra ice road is the only land connection to the Dalton Highway and the Badami Unit. Light passenger trucks, dump trucks, vacuum trucks, tractor trailers, fuel trucks, and heavy equipment (e.g., large drill rigs, well simulation equipment) travel on this road during the winter season. This road also opens as an ADNR-permitted trail during off-years where Tuckers (a brand of tracked vehicle) or tracked Steigers (a brand of tractor) use it with sleds and snow machines. Activities related to this opening would be limited to necessary resupply and routine valve station maintenance along the oil sales pipeline corridor. Flights from Anchorage land at Badami Airfield (N70.13747, W147.0304) for a total of 32 flight legs monthly. Additionally, Badami transports personnel and equipment from Deadhorse to Badami Airfield. Approximately 24 cargo flights land at Badami Airfield annually depending on Unit activities and urgency. Badami also conducts aerial pipeline inspections. These flights are typically flown by smaller, charter aircrafts at a minimum altitude of 305 m (1,000 ft) at ground level. Tundra travel at Badami takes place during both the summer and winter season. Rolligons and Tuckers (off-road vehicles) are used during the summer for cargo and resupply activities but may also be used to access any pipelines and valve pads that are not located adjacent to the gravel roads. During periods of 24-hour sunlight, these vehicles may operate at any hour. Similar off-road vehicles are used during the winter season for maintenance and inspections. Temporary ice roads and ice pads may be built for the movement of heavy equipment to areas that are otherwise inaccessible for crucial maintenance and drilling. Ice road construction typically occurs in December or January; however, aside from the previously mentioned road connecting Badami to the Dalton Highway, ice roads are not routinely built for Badami. Roads are only built on an as-needed basis based on specific projects. Other activities performed during the winter season include pipeline inspections, culvert work, pigging, ground surveillance, geotechnical investigations, vertical support member (VSM) leveling, reconnaissance routes (along snow machine trails), and potentially spill response exercises. Road vehicles used include pickup trucks, vacuum trucks, loaders, box vans, excavators, and hot water trucks. Standard off-road vehicles include, but are not limited to, Tuckers, Rolligons, and snow machines. On occasion, crew boats, landing craft, and barges may transport personnel and equipment from West Dock to Badami from July through September, pending the open-water window. Tugs and barges may also be used depending on operational needs. These trips typically go from Badami to other coastal Units, including Endicott and Point Thomson. Badami performs emergency response and oil spill trainings during both open-water and ice-covered seasons. Smaller vessels (i.e., zodiacs, aluminum work boats, air boats, and bay-class boats) typically participate in these exercises. Future classes may utilize other additional equipment or vessels as needed. Currently, 10 wells have been drilled across the lifespan of the Badami Unit. Repair and maintenance activities on pipelines, culverts, ice roads, and pads are routine within the Badami Unit and occur year- round. Badami's current operator has received a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to permit a new gravel pad (4.04 ha [10 ac]) located east of the Badami Barge Landing and a new gravel pit. This new pad would allow the drilling of seven more deployment wells at Badami. All new wells would be tied back to the CPF. Duck Island Unit (Endicott) Historically called the Endicott Oilfield, the Duck Island Unit is located approximately 16 km (10 mi) northeast of Prudhoe Bay. Currently, Hilcorp Alaska, LLC operates the oilfield. Endicott is the first offshore oilfield to continuously produce oil in the Arctic area of the United States and includes a variety of facilities, infrastructure, and islands. Endicott consists of 210 ha (522 ac) of land, 24 km (15 mi) of roads, 43 km (24 mi) of pipelines, two pads, and no gravel mine sites. The operations center and the processing center are situated on the 24-ha (58-ac) Main Production Island (MPI). To date, 113 wells have been drilled in efforts to develop the field, of which 73 still operate. Additionally, two satellite fields (Eider and Sag Delta North) are drilled from the Endicott MPI. Regular activities at Endicott consist of production and routine repair on the Endicott Sales Oil Pipeline, culverts, bridges, and bench bags. A significant repair on a bridge called the ``Big Skookum'' is expected to occur during the duration of this ITR. Endicott's facilities are connected by gravel roads and are accessible through the Dalton Highway year-round via a variety of vehicles (pickup trucks, vacuum trucks, loaders, box vans, excavators, hot water trucks). Required equipment and supplies are brought in first from Anchorage and Fairbanks, through Deadhorse, and then into Endicott. Traffic is substantial, with heavy traffic on routes between processing facilities and camps. Conversely, drill site access routes experience much less traffic with standard visits occurring twice daily (within a 24-hour period). Traffic at drill sites increases during active drilling, maintenance, or other related projects and tends to subside during normal operations. Hilcorp uses a variety of vehicles on these roads, including light passenger trucks, heavy tractor-trailer trucks, heavy equipment, and very large drill rigs. Ice roads are only built on an as-needed basis for specific projects. Air travel via helicopter from an established pad on Endicott to Deadhorse Airport is necessary only if the access bridges are washed out (typically mid to late May to the start of June). During such instances, approximately 20-30 crew flights would occur along with cargo flights about once a week. Hilcorp also performs [[Page 42988]] maternal polar bear den surveys via aircraft. Hilcorp performs tundra travel work during the winter season (December-May; based on the tundra opening dates). Activities involving summer tundra travel are not routine, and pipeline inspections can be performed using established roads. During the winter season, off-road vehicles (e.g., Tuckers, snow machines, or tracked utility vehicles called Argo centaurs) perform maintenance, pipeline inspections, culvert work, pigging, ground surveillance, VSM leveling, reconnaissance routes (snow machine trails), spill response exercises, and geotechnical investigations across Endicott. Tugs and barges are used to transport fuel and cargo between Endicott, West Dock, Milne, and Northstar during the July to September period (pending the open-water period). Trips have been as many as over 80 or as few as 3 annually depending on the needs in the Unit, and since 2012, the number of trips between these fields has ranged from 6 to 30. However, a tug and barge have been historically used once a year to transport workover rigs between West Dock, Endicott, and Northstar. Endicott performs emergency response and oil spill trainings during both the open-water and ice-covered seasons. Smaller vessels (i.e., zodiacs, Kiwi Noreens, bay-class boats) participate in these exercises; however, future classes may utilize other additional equipment or vessels (e.g., the ARKTOS amphibious emergency escape vehicle) as needed. ARKTOS training will not be conducted during the summer. Kuparuk River Unit ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., operates facilities in the Kuparuk River Unit. This Unit is composed of several additional satellite oilfields (Tarn, Palm, Tabasco, West Sak, and Meltwater) containing 49 producing drill sites. Collectively, the Greater Kuparuk Area consists of approximately 1,013 ha (2,504 ac) made up of 209 km (130 mi) of gravel roads, 206 km (128 mi) of pipelines, 4 gravel mine sites, and over 73 gravel pads. A maximum of 1,200 personnel can be accommodated at the Kuparuk Operations Center and the Kuparuk Construction Camp. The camps at the Kuparuk Industrial Center are used to accommodate overflow personnel. Kuparuk's facilities are all connected by gravel road and are accessible from the Dalton Highway year-round. ConocoPhillips utilizes a variety of vehicles on these roads, including light passenger trucks, heavy tractor-trailer trucks, heavy equipment, and very large drill rigs. Required equipment and supplies are flown in through Deadhorse and then transported via vehicle into the Kuparuk River Unit. Traffic has been noted to be substantial, with specific arterial routes between processing facilities and camps experiencing the heaviest use. Conversely, drill site access routes experience much less traffic with standard visits to drill sites occurring at least twice daily (within a 24-hour period). Traffic at drill sites increases during drilling activities, maintenance, or other related projects and tends to subside during normal operations. The Kuparuk River Unit uses its own private runway (Kuparuk Airstrip; N70.330708, W149.597688). Crew and personnel are transported to Kuparuk on an average of two flights per day. Flights arrive into Kuparuk only on the weekdays (Monday through Friday). Year round, approximately 34 flights per week transport crew and personnel between Kuparuk and Alpine Airport. ConocoPhillips plans to replace the passenger flights from Alpine to Kuparuk in 2021 with direct flights to both Alpine and Kuparuk from Anchorage. These flights are expected to occur five times weekly and will replace the weekly flights from Alpine to Kuparuk. Cargo is also flown into Kuparuk on personnel flights. The single exception would be for special and specific flights when the Spine road is blocked. Occasionally, a helicopter will be used to transport personnel and equipment within the Kuparuk River Unit. These flights generally occur between mid-May and mid-September and account for an estimated 50 landings annually in Kuparuk. The location and duration of these flights are variable, and helicopters could land at the Kuparuk Airstrip or remote locations on the tundra. However, only 4 of the estimated 50 landings are within 3.2 km (5 mi) of the coast. ConocoPhillips flies surveys of remote sections of the Kuparuk crude pipeline one to two times weekly during summer months as well as during winter months when there is reduced visibility from snow cover. During winter months, maternal den surveys are also performed using aircraft with mounted AIR cameras. Off-road vehicles (such as Rolligons and Tuckers) are used for maintenance and inspection of pipelines and power poles that are not located adjacent to the gravel roads. These vehicles operate near the road (152 m [500 ft]) and may operate for 24 hours a day during summer months. During winter months, temporary ice roads and pads are built to move heavy equipment to areas that may be inaccessible. Winter tundra travel distances average approximately 1,931 km (1,200 mi) with ice roads averaging approximately 17.7 km (11 mi) and may occur at any hour of the day. Dredging and screeding occur annually to the extent necessary for safety, continuation of seawater flow, and dock stability at the Kuparuk saltwater treatment plant intake and at Oliktok dock. Dredging occurs within a 1.5-ha (3.7-ac) area, and screeding occurs within a 1-ha (2.5-ac) area. Operations are conducted during the open-water season (May to October annually). Removed material from screeding and dredging is deposited in upland areas above the high tide, such as along the Oliktok causeway and saltwater treatment plant (STP) pad. ConocoPhillips removes approximately 0.6 to 1.1 m (2 to 3.5 ft) of sediment per year. Dredging activities typically last for 21 days, and screeding activities typically last 12 days annually. Boats are also used to perform routine maintenance as needed on the STP outfalls and inlets. ConocoPhillips infrequently has marine vessel traffic at the Oliktok Dock. ConocoPhillips performs emergency response and oil spill trainings during both open-water and ice-covered seasons. Smaller vessels (i.e., zodiacs, aluminum work boats, air boats, and bay-class boats) typically participate in these exercises. Future classes may utilize other additional equipment or vessels as needed. The Willow Development Project, which is described in full in Planned Activities at New Oil and Gas Facilities for 2021-2026, would lead to increased activity through the Kuparuk River Unit. Prefabricated modules would be transported through the Unit. Module transportation involves an increase in road, aircraft, and vessel traffic resulting in the need for gravel road and gravel pad modifications, ice road and ice pad construction, and sea floor screeding. During the 2023 summer season, gravel hauling and placement to modify existing roads and pads used in support of the Willow Development would take place. An existing 12-acre gravel pad located 13.2 km (2 mi) south of the Oliktok Dock would require the addition of 33,411 cubic m (43,700 cubic yd) of gravel, increasing pad thickness to support the weight of the modules during staging. However, this addition of gravel would not impact the current footprint of the pad. Additionally, ConocoPhillips plans to widen six road curves and add four 0.2-ha (0.5-ac) pullouts between the Oliktok Dock and Drill Site 2P as well as increase the thickness of the 3.2-km (2- [[Page 42989]] mi) gravel road from the Oliktok Dock to the staging pad--requiring approximately 30,811 cubic m (40,300 yd) of gravel and resulting in an increase in footprint of the gravel road by https://www.boem.gov/Hilcorp-Liberty/. The pipeline would extend from the LDPI, across Foggy Island Bay, and terminate onshore at the existing Badami Pipeline tie- in location. For the marine segment, construction would progress from shallower water to deeper water with multiple construction spreads. To install the pipeline, a trench would be excavated using ice- road-based long-reach excavators with pontoon tracks. The pipeline bundle would be lowered into the trench using side booms to control its vertical and horizontal position, and the trench would be backfilled by excavators using excavated trench spoils and select backfill. Hilcorp intends to place all material back in the trench slot. All work would be done from ice roads using conventional excavation and dirt-moving construction equipment. The target trench depth is 2.7 to 3.4 m (9 to 11 ft) with a proposed maximum depth of cover of approximately 2.1 m (7 ft). The pipeline would be approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) long. At the pipeline landfall (where the pipeline transitions from onshore to offshore), Hilcorp would construct an approximately 0.6-ha (1.4-ac) trench to protect against coastal erosion and ice ride-up associated with onshore sea ice movement and to accommodate the installation of thermosiphons (heat pipes that circulate fluid based on natural convection to maintain or cool ambient ground temperature) along the pipeline. The onshore pipeline would cross the tundra for almost 2.4 km (1.5 mi) until it intersects the existing Badami pipeline system. The single wall 30.5-cm (12-in) pipeline would rest on 150 to 170 VSMs, spaced approximately 15 m (50 ft) apart to provide the pipeline a minimum 2.1-m (7-ft) clearance above the tundra. Hydro- testing (pressure testing using sea water) of the entire pipeline would be required to complete pipeline commissioning. The final drill rig has yet to be chosen but has been narrowed to 2 options and would accommodate drilling of 16 wells. The first option is the use of an existing platform-style drilling unit that Hilcorp owns and operates in the Cook Inlet. Designated as Rig 428, the rig has been used recently and is well suited in terms of depth and horsepower rating to drill the wells at Liberty. A second option that is being investigated is a new build drilling unit that would be built not only to drill Liberty development wells but would be more portable and more adaptable to other applications on the North Slope. Regardless of drill rig type, the well row arrangement on the island is designed to accommodate up to 16 wells. While Hilcorp is proposing a 16-well design, only 10 wells would be drilled. The six additional well slots would be available as backups or for potential in-fill drilling if needed during the project life. Drilling would be done using a conventional rotary drilling rig, initially powered by diesel, and eventually converted to fuel gas produced from the third well. Gas from the third well would also replace diesel fuel for the grind-and-inject facility and production facilities. A location on the LDPI is designated for drilling a relief well, if needed. Process facilities on the island would separate crude oil from produced water and gas. Gas and water would be injected into the reservoir to provide pressure support and increase recovery from the field. A single-phase subsea pipe-in-pipe pipeline would transport sales-quality crude from the LDPI to shore, where an aboveground pipeline would transport crude to the existing Badami pipeline. From there, crude would be transported to the Endicott Sales Oil Pipeline, which ties into Pump Station 1 of the TAPS for eventual delivery to a refinery. North Slope Gas Development The AOGA Request discusses two projects currently submitted for approval and permitting that would transport natural gas from the North Slope via pipeline. Only a small fraction of this project would fall within the 40-km (25-mi) inland jurisdiction area of this ITR. The two projects are the Alaska Liquified Natural Gas Project (Alaska LNG) and the Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline (ASAP). Both of these projects are discussed below and their effects analyzed in this ITR, but only one project could be constructed during the 2021-2026 period. Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas Project (Alaska LNG) The Alaska LNG project has been proposed by the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) to serve as a single integrated project with several facilities designed to liquefy natural gas. The fields of interest are the Point Thomson Unit (PTU) and PBU production fields. The Alaska LNG project would consist of a Gas Treatment Plant (GTP); a Point Thomson Transmission Line (PTTL) to connect the GTP to the PTU gas production facility; a Prudhoe Bay Transmission Line (PBTL) to connect the GTP to the PBU gas production facility; a liquefaction facility in southcentral Alaska; and a 1,297-km (807-mi)-long, 107-cm (42-in)-diameter pipeline (called the Mainline) that would connect the GTP to the liquefaction facility. Only the GTP, PTTL, PBTL, a portion of the Mainline, and related ancillary facilities would be located within the geographic scope of AOGA's Request. Related components would require the construction of ice roads, ice pads, gravel roads, gravel pads, camps, laydown areas, and infrastructure to support barge and module offloading. Barges would be used to transport GTP modules at West Dock at Prudhoe Bay several times annually, with GTP modules being offloaded and transported by land to the proposed GTP facility in the PBU. However, deliveries would require deep draft tug and barges to a newly constructed berthing site at the northeast end of West Dock. Additionally, some barges would continue to deliver small modules and supplies to Point Thomson. Related activities include screeding, shallow draft tug use, sea ice cutting, gravel placement, sea ice road and sea ice pad development, vibratory and impact pile driving, and the use of an offshore barge staging area. [[Page 42999]] A temporary bridge (developed from ballasted barges) would be developed to assist in module transportation. Barges would be ballasted when the area is ice-free and then removed and overwintered at West Dock before the sea freezes over. A staging area would then be used to prepare modules for transportation, maintenance, and gravel road development. Installation of ramps and fortification would utilize vibratory and impact pile driving. Seabed preparations and level surface preparations (i.e., ice cutting, ice road development, gravel placement, screeding) would take place as needed. Breasting/mooring dolphins would be installed at the breach point via pile driving to anchor and stabilize the ballasted barges. A gravel pad would be developed to assist construction of the GTP, adjacent camps, and other relevant facilities where work crews utilize heavy equipment and machinery to assemble, install, and connect the GTP modules. To assist, gravel mining would use digging and blasting, and gravel would be placed to create pads and develop or improve ice and gravel roads. Several types of development and construction would be required at different stages of the project. The construction of the Mainline would require the use of ice pads, ice roads, gravel roads, chain trenchers, crane booms, backhoes, and other heavy equipment. The installation of the PTTL and PBTL would require ice roads, ice pads, gravel roads, crane booms, mobile drills or augers, lifts, and other heavy equipment. After installation, crews would work on land and streambank restoration, revegetation, hydrostatic testing, pipeline security, and monitoring efforts. The development of the ancillary facility would require the construction of ice roads, ice pads, as well as minimal transportation and gravel placement. Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline (ASAP) The ASAP is the alternative project option that AGDC could utilize, allowing North Slope natural gas to be supplied to Alaskan communities. ASAP would require several components, including a Gas Conditioning Facility (GCF) at Prudhoe Bay; a 1,180-km (733-mi)-long, 0.9-m (36-in)- diameter pipeline that would connect the GCF to a tie-in found in southcentral Alaska (called the Mainline); and a 48-km (30-m), 0.3-m (12-in)-diameter lateral pipeline connecting the Mainline pipeline to Fairbanks (referred to as the Fairbanks Lateral). Similar to the Alaska LNG pipeline, only parts of this project would fall within the geographic scope of this ITR. These relevant project components are the GCF, a portion of the ASAP Mainline, and related ancillary facilities. Construction would include the installation of supporting facilities and infrastructure, ice road and pad development, gravel road and pad development, camp establishment, laydown area establishment, and additional infrastructure to support barge and module offloading. Barges would be used to transport the GCF modules to West Dock in Prudhoe Bay and would be offloaded and transported by ground to the proposed facility site within the PBU. Module and supply deliveries would utilize deep draft tugs and barges to access an existing berthing location on the northeast side of West Dock called DH3. Maintenance on DH3 would be required to accommodate the delivery of larger loads and would consist of infrastructure reinforcement and elevation increases on one of the berths. In the winter, a navigational channel and turn basin would be dredged to a depth of 2.7 m (9 ft). Dredged material would be disposed of on ground-fast ice found in 0.6-1.2 m (2-4 ft) deep water in Prudhoe Bay. An offshore staging area would be developed approximately 4.8-8 km (3-5 mi) from West Dock to allow deep draft tugs and barges to stage before further transportation to DH3 and subsequent offload by shallow draft tugs. Other activities include seabed screeding, gravel placement, development of a sea ice road and pads, and pile driving (vibratory and impact) to install infrastructure at West Dock. A temporary bridge (composed of ballasted barges and associated infrastructure) paralleling an existing weight-limited bridge would be developed to assist in transporting large modules off West Dock. Barges would be ballasted when the area is ice-free and then removed and overwintered at West Dock before the sea freezes over. A staging area would be used to prepare modules for transportation, maintenance, and gravel road development. The bridge construction would require ramp installation, fortification through impact, and vibratory pile driving. Support activities (development of ice roads and pads, gravel roads and pads, ice cutting, seabed screeding) would also take place. Breasting/ mooring dolphins would be installed at the breach point via pile driving to anchor and stabilize the ballasted barges. A gravel facility pad would be formed to assist in the construction of the GCF. Access roads would then be developed to allow crews and heavy equipment to install and connect various GCF modules. Gravel would be obtained through digging, blasting, transportation, gravel pad placement, and improvements to other ice and gravel roads. The construction of the Mainline pipeline would require the construction of ice pads, ice roads, and gravel roads along with the use of chain trenchers, crane booms, backhoes, and other heavy equipment. Block valves would be installed above ground along the length of the Mainline. After installation, crews would work on land and streambank restoration, revegetation, hydrostatic testing, pipeline security, and monitoring efforts. Pikka Unit The Pikka Development (formally known as the Nanshuk Project) is located approximately 83.7 km (52 mi) west of Deadhorse and 11.3 km (7 mi) northeast of Nuiqsut. Oil Search Alaska operates leases held jointly between the State of Alaska and ASRC located southeast of the East Channel of the Colville River. Pikka is located further southwest from the existing Oooguruk Development Project, west of the existing KRU, and east of Alpine and Alpine's Satellite Development Projects. Most of the infrastructure is located over 8 km (5 mi) from the coast within the Pikka Unit; however, Oil Search Alaska expects some smaller projects and activities to occur outside the unit to the south, east, and at Oliktok Point. The Pikka Project would include a total of 3 drill-sites for approximately 150 (production, injectors, underground injection) wells, as well as the Nanshuk Processing Facility (NPF), the Nanushuk Operations Pad, a tie-in pad (TIP), various camps, warehouses, facilities on pads, infield pipelines, pipelines for import and export activities, various roads (ice, infield, access), a boat ramp, and a portable water system. Additionally, there are plans to expand the Oliktok Dock and to install an STP adjacent to the already existing infrastructure. A make-up water pipeline would also be installed from the STP to the TIP. Oil Search Alaska also plans to perform minor upgrades and maintenance, as necessary, to the existing road systems to facilitate transportation of sealift modules from Oliktok Point to the Pikka Unit. Oil Search Alaska plans to develop a pad to station the NPF and all relevant equipment and operations (i.e., phase separation, heating and cooling, pumping, gas treatment and compression for gas injections, water treatment for injection). All oil procured, processed, and designated for [[Page 43000]] sale would travel from the NPF to the TIP near Kuparuk's CPF 2 via the Pikka Project pipeline that would tie in to the Kuparuk Sales Pipeline and would then be transported to TAPS. Construction of the pad would allow for additional space that could be repurposed for drilling or for operational use during the development of the Pikka Project. This pad would contain other facilities required for project operation and development, including: Metering and pigging facilities; power generation facilities; a truck fill station; construction material staging areas; equipment staging areas; a tank farm (contains diesel, refined fuel, crude oil, injection water, production chemicals, glycol, and methanol storage tanks); and a central control room. All major components required for the development of the NPF would be constructed off-site and brought in via truck or barge during the summer season. Barges would deliver and offload necessary modules at Oliktok Dock, which would travel to the NPF site during summer months. Seabed screeding would occur at Oliktok Point to maintain water depth for necessary barges. Pikka would use gravel roads to the Unit, which would allow year- round access from the Dalton Highway. All gravel needed for project activities (approximately 112 ha [276 ac]) would be sourced from several existing gravel mine sites. A majority of gravel acquisition and laying would occur during the winter season and then be compacted in the summer. All equipment and supplies necessary would be brought in on existing roads from Anchorage or Fairbanks to Deadhorse. Supplies and equipment would then be forwarded to the Pikka Unit; no aerial transportation for supplies is expected. Regular traffic is expected once construction of the roads is completed; Oil Search Alaska expects arterial routes between the processing facilities and camps to experience the heaviest use of traffic. Drill-site access roads are expected to experience the least amount of traffic; however, drill-site traffic is expected to increase temporarily during periods of active drilling, maintenance, or other relevant aspects of the project. Standard vehicles would include light passenger trucks, heavy tractor- trailer trucks, heavy equipment, and oil rigs. Several types of aircraft operations are expected at the Pikka Unit throughout the 2021-2026 period. Personnel would be transported to Pikka via commercial flights from Deadhorse Airport and by ground-based vehicle transport. Currently, there is no plan to develop an airstrip at Pikka. Personnel flights are expected to be infrequent to and from the Pikka Unit; however, Oil Search Alaska expects that some transport directly to the Unit may be required. Several environmental studies performed via aircraft are expected during the ITR period. Some of these include AIR surveys, cultural resources, stick-picking, and hydrology studies. AIR surveys in support of the Pikka Unit would occur annually to locate polar bear dens. Summer travel would utilize vehicles such as Rolligons and Tuckers to assess pipelines not found adjacent to the gravel roads. During 24- hour sunlight periods, these vehicles would operate across all hours. Stick-picking and thermistor retrieval would also occur in the summer. In the winter, ice roads would be constructed across the Unit. These ice roads would be developed to haul gravel from existing mine sites to haul gravel for road and pad construction. Ice roads would also be constructed to support the installation of VSM and pipelines. Off-road winter vehicles would be used when the tundra is frozen and covered with snow to provide maintenance and access for inspection. Temporary ice roads and ice pads would be built to allow for the movement and staging of heavy equipment, maintenance, and construction. Oil Search Alaska would perform regular winter travel to support operations across the Pikka Unit. Oil Search Alaska plans to install a bridge over the Kachemach River (more than 8 km [5 mi] from the coast) and install the STP at Oliktok Point. Both projects would require in-water pile driving, which is expected to take place during the winter seasons. In-water pile driving (in the winter), placement of gravel fill (open-water period), and installation of the STP barge outfall structure (open-water period) would take place at Oliktok Point. Dredging and screeding activities would prepare the site for STP and module delivery via barge. Annual maintenance screeding and dredging (expected twice during the Request period) may be needed to maintain the site. Dredging spoils would be transported away, and all work would occur during the open-water season between May and October. Screeding activities are expected to take place annually over the course of a 2-week period, depending on stability and safety needs. Gas Hydrate Exploration and Research The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that the North Slope contains over 54 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas assets (Collette et al. 2019). Over the last 5 years, Industry has demonstrated a growing interest in the potential to explore and extract these reserves. Federal funds from the Department of Energy have been provided in the past to support programs on domestic gas hydrate exploration, research, and development. Furthermore, the State of Alaska provides support for gas hydrate research and development through the development of the Eileen hydrate trend deferred area near Milne Point, with specific leases being offered for gas hydrate research and exploration. As of 2021, a few gas hydrate exploration and test wells have been drilled within the Beaufort Sea region. Due to the support the gas hydrate industry has received, AOGA expects continued interest to grow over the years. As such, AOGA expects that a relatively low but increasing amount of gas hydrate exploration and research is expected throughout the 2021-2026 period. Environmental Studies Per AOGA's Request, Industry would continue to engage in various environmental studies throughout the life of the ITR. Such activities include: Geological and geotechnical surveys (i.e., seismic surveys); surveys on geomorphology (soils, ice content, permafrost), archeology and cultural resources; vegetation mapping; analysis of fish, avian, and mammal species and their habitats; acoustic monitoring; hydrology studies; and various other freshwater, marine, and terrestrial studies of the coastal and offshore regions within the Arctic. These studies typically include various stakeholders, including consultants and consulting companies; other industries; government; academia (university-level); nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations; and local community parties. However, AOGA's 2021-2026 ITR Request seeks coverage only for environmental studies directly related to Industry activities (e.g., monitoring studies in response to regulatory requirements). No third-party studies will be covered except by those mentioned in this ITR and the AOGA Request. During the 2021-2026 lifespan of the ITR, Industry would continue studies that are conducted for general monitoring purposes for regulatory and/or permit requirements and for expected or planned exploration and development activities within the Beaufort Sea region. Environmental studies are anticipated to occur during the summer season as to avoid overlap with any denning polar bears. Activities [[Page 43001]] may utilize vessels, fixed-wing aircrafts, or helicopters to access research sites. Mitigation Measures AOGA has included in their Request a number of measures to mitigate the effects of the proposed activities on Pacific walruses and polar bears. Many of these measures have been historically used by oil and gas entities throughout the North Slope of Alaska and have been developed as a part of past coordination with the Service. Measures include: Development and adherence to polar bear and Pacific walrus interaction plans; design of facilities to reduce the possibility of polar bears reaching attractants; avoidance of operating equipment near potential den locations; flying aircraft at a minimum altitude and distance from polar bears and hauled out Pacific walruses; employing trained protected species observers; and reporting all polar bear or Pacific walrus encounters to the Service. Additional descriptions of these measures can be found in the AOGA Request for an ITR at: www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2021-0037. Maternal Polar Bear Den Survey Flights Per AOGA's Request, Industry will also conduct aerial infrared (AIR) surveys to locate maternal polar bear dens in order to mitigate potential impacts to mothers and cubs during the lifetime of this ITR. AIR surveys are used to detect body heat emitted by polar bears, which, in turn, is used to determine potential denning polar bears. AIR surveys are performed in winter months (December or January) before winter activities commence. AIR imagery is analyzed in real-time during the flight and then reviewed post-flight with the Service to identify any suspected maternal den locations, ensure appropriate coverage, and check the quality of the images and recordings. Some sites may need to be resurveyed if a suspected hotspot (heat signature detectable in a snowdrift) is observed. These followup surveys of hotspots are conducted in varying weather conditions or using an electro-optical camera during daylight hours. On-the-ground reconnaissance or the use of scent-training dogs may also be used to recheck the suspected den. Surveys utilize AIR cameras on fixed-wing aircrafts with flights typically flown between 245-457 meters (800-1,500 feet) above ground level at a speed of http://www.fws.gov/r7/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/pdf/federal_register_notice.pdf. Stock Size and Range In Alaska, polar bears have historically been observed as far south in the Bering Sea as St. Matthew Island and the Pribilof Islands (Ray 1971). A detailed description of the SBS polar bear stock can be found in the Service's revised Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Stock Assessment Report (86 FR 33337, June 24, 2021). Digital copies of these Stock Assessment Report is are available at: https://www.fws.gov/alaska/sites/default/files/2021-06/Southern%20Beaufort%20Sea%20SAR%20Final_May%2019rev.pdf. and https://www.fws.gov/alaska/sites/default/files/2021-06/Chukchi_Bering%20Sea%20SAR%20Final%20May%2019%20rev.pdf. Southern Beaufort Sea Stock The SBS polar bear stock is shared between Canada and Alaska. Radio-telemetry data, combined with ear tag returns from harvested bears, suggest that the SBS stock occupies a region with a western boundary near Icy Cape, Alaska (Scharf et al. 2019), and an eastern boundary near Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada (Durner et al. 2018). The most recent population estimates for the Alaska SBS stock were produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2020 (Atwood et al. 2020) and are based on mark-recapture and collared bear data collected from the SBS stock from 2001 to 2016. The SBS stock declined from 2003 to 2006 (this was also reported by Bromaghin et al. 2015) but stabilized from 2006 through 2015. The stock may have increased in size from 2009 to 2012; however, low survival in 2013 appears to have offset those gains. Atwood et al. (2020) provide estimates for the portion of the SBS stock only within the State of Alaska; however, their updated abundance estimate from 2015 is consistent with the estimate from Bromaghin et al. (2015) for 2010. Thus, the number of bears in the SBS stock is thought to have remained constant since the Bromaghin et al. (2015) estimate of 907 bears. This number is also supported by survival rate estimates provided by Atwood et al. (2020) that were relatively high in 2001-2003, decreased during 2004-2008, then improved in 2009, and remained high until 2015, except for much lower rates in 2012. Pacific Walrus Pacific walruses constitute a single panmictic population (Beatty et al. 2020) primarily inhabiting the shallow continental shelf waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas where their distribution is largely influenced by the extent of the seasonal pack ice and prey densities (Lingqvist et al. 2009; Berta and Churchill 2012; USFWS 2017). From April to June, most of the population migrates from the Bering Sea through the Bering Strait and into the Chukchi Sea along lead systems that develop in the sea-ice and that are closely associated with the edge of the seasonal pack ice during the open-water season (Truhkin and Simokon 2018). By July, tens of thousands of animals can be found along the edge of the pack ice from Russian waters to areas west of Point Barrow, Alaska (Fay 1982; Gilbert et al. 1992; Belikov et al. 1996; USFWS 2017). The pack ice has historically advanced rapidly southward in late fall, and most walruses return to the Bering Sea by mid- to late-November. During the winter breeding season, walruses are found in three concentration areas in the Bering Sea where open leads, polynyas, or thin ice occur (Fay 1982; Fay et al. 1984, Garlich-Miller et al. 2011a; Duffy-Anderson et al. 2019). While the specific location of these groups varies annually and seasonally depending upon the extent of the sea-ice, generally one group occurs near the Gulf of Anadyr, another south of St. Lawrence Island, and a third in the southeastern Bering Sea south of Nunivak Island into northwestern Bristol Bay (Fay 1982; Mymrin et al. 1990; Garlich-Miller et al. 2011 USFWS 2017). Although most walruses remain either in the Chukchi (for adult females and dependent young) or Bering (for adult males) Seas throughout the summer [[Page 43004]] months, a few occasionally range into the Beaufort Sea in late summer (Mymrin et al. 1990; Garlich-Miller and Jay 2000; USFWS 2017). Industry monitoring reports have observed no more than 38 walruses in the Beaufort Sea ITR geographic region between 1995 and 2015, with only a few instances of disturbance to those walruses (AES Alaska 2015, Kalxdorff and Bridges 2003, USFWS unpubl. data). The USGS and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) have fitted between 30-60 walruses with satellite transmitters each year during spring and summer since 2008 and 2013 respectively. In 2014, a female tagged by ADF&G spent about 3 weeks in Harrison Bay, Beaufort Sea (ADF&G 2014). The USGS tracking data indicates that at least one tagged walrus ventured into the Beaufort Sea for brief periods in all years except 2011. Most of these movements extend northeast of Utqiagvik to the continental shelf edge north of Smith Bay (USGS 2015). All available information indicates that few walruses currently enter the Beaufort Sea and those that do, spend little time there. The Service and USGS are conducting multiyear studies on the walrus population to investigate movements and habitat use patterns, as it is possible that as sea-ice diminishes in the Chukchi Sea beyond the 5-year period of this rule, walrus distribution and habitat use may change. Walruses are generally found in waters of 100 m (328 ft) or less where they utilize sea-ice for passive transportation and rest over feeding areas, avoid predators, and birth and nurse their young (Fay 1982; Ray et al. 2006; Rosen 2020). The diet of walruses consists primarily of benthic invertebrates, most notably mollusks (Class Bivalvia) and marine worms (Class Polychaeta) (Fay 1982; Fay 1985; Bowen and Siniff 1999; Born et al. 2003; Dehn et al. 2007; Sheffield and Grebmeier 2009; Maniscalco et al. 2020). When foraging, walruses are capable of diving to great depths with most dives lasting between 5 and 10 minutes with a 1-2-minute surface interval (Fay 1982; Bowen and Siniff 1999; Born et al. 2003; Dehn et al. 2007; Sheffield and Grebmeier 2009). The foraging activity of walruses is thought to have a significant influence on the ecology of the Bering and Chukchi Seas by disturbing the sea floor, thereby releasing nutrients into the water column that provide food for scavenger organisms and contributing to the diversity of the benthic community (Oliver et al. 1983; Klaus et al. 1990; Ray et al. 2006). In addition to feeding on benthic invertebrates, native hunters have also reported incidences of walruses preying on seals, fish, and other vertebrates (Fay 1982; Sheffield and Grebmeier 2009; Seymour et al. 2014). Walruses are social and gregarious animals that often travel and haul-out onto ice or land in groups where they spend approximately 20- 30 percent of their time out of the water (Gilbert 1999; Kastelien 2002; Jefferson et al. 2008; Monson et al. 2013; USFWS 2017). Hauled- out walruses tend to be in close physical contact, with groups ranging from a few animals up to tens of thousands of individuals--the largest aggregations occurring at land haul-outs (Gilbert 1999; Monson et al. 2013; MacCracken 2017). In recent years, the barrier islands north of Point Lay, Alaska, have held large aggregations of walruses (20,000- 40,000) in late summer and fall (Monson et al. 2013; USFWS 2017). The size of the walrus population has never been known with certainty. Based on large sustained harvests in the 18th and 19th centuries, Fay (1957) speculated that the pre-exploitation population was represented by a minimum of 200,000 animals. Since that time, population size following European contact fluctuated markedly in response to varying levels of human exploitation. Large-scale commercial harvests are thought to have reduced the population to 50,000-100,000 animals in the mid-1950s (Fay et al. 1989). Following the implementation of harvest regulations in the 1960s and 1970s, which limited the take of females, the population increased rapidly and likely reached or exceeded the food-based carrying capacity of the region by 1980 (Fay et al. 1989, Fay et al. 1997, Garlich-Miller et al. 2006, MacCracken et al. 2014). Between 1975 and 1990, aerial surveys conducted jointly by the United States and Russia at 5-year intervals produced population estimates ranging from about 200,000 to 255,000 individuals with large confidence intervals (Fay 1957; Fay 1982; Speckman et al. 2011). Efforts to survey the walrus population were suspended by both countries after 1990 following problems with survey methods that severely limited their utility. In 2006, the United States and Russia conducted another joint aerial survey in the pack ice of the Bering Sea using thermal imaging systems to more accurately count walruses hauled out on sea-ice and applied satellite transmitters to account for walruses in the water (Speckman et al. 2011). In 2013, the Service began a genetic mark-recapture study to estimate population size. An initial analysis of data in the period 2013-2015 led to the most recent estimate of 283,213 Pacific walruses with a 95% confidence interval of 93,000 to 478,975 individuals (Beatty 2017). Although this is the most recent estimate of Pacific walrus population size, it should be used with caution as it is preliminary. Taylor and Udevitz (2015) used data from five aerial surveys and with ship-based age and sex composition counts that occurred in 1981- 1984, 1998, and 1999 (Citta et al. 2014) in a Bayesian integrated population model to estimate population trends and vital rates in the period 1975-2006. They recalculated the 1975-1990 aerial survey estimates based on a lognormal distribution for inclusion in their model. Their results generally agreed with the large-scale population trends identified by Citta et al. (2014) but with slightly different population estimates in some years along with more precise confidence intervals. Ultimately, Taylor and Udevitz (2015) concluded (i) that though their model provides improved clarity on past walrus population trends and vital rates, it cannot overcome the large uncertainties in the available population size data, and (ii) that the absolute size of the Pacific walrus population will continue to be speculative until accurate empirical estimation of the population size becomes feasible. A detailed description of the Pacific walrus stock can be found in the Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) Species Status Assessment (USFWS 2017). A digital copy of the Species Status Assessment is available at: https://ecos.fws.gov/ServCat/DownloadFile/132114?Reference=86869. Polar bears are known to prey on walruses, particularly calves, and killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been known to take all age classes of walruses (Frost et al. 1992, Melnikov and Zagrebin 2005; Rode et al. 2014; Truhkin and Simokon 2018). Predation rates are unknown but are thought to be highest near terrestrial haulout sites where large aggregations of walruses can be found; however, few observations exist of predation upon walruses further offshore. Walruses have been hunted by coastal Alaska Natives and native people of the Chukotka, Russian Federation, for thousands of years (Fay et al. 1989). Exploitation of the walrus population by Europeans has also occurred in varying degrees since the arrival of exploratory expeditions (Fay et al. 1989). Commercial harvest of walruses ceased in the United States in 1941, and sport [[Page 43005]] hunting ceased in 1972 with the passage of the MMPA and ceased in 1990 in Russia. Presently, walrus hunting in Alaska is restricted to subsistence use by Alaska Natives. Harvest mortality during 2000-2018 for both the United States and Russian Federation averaged 3,207 (SE = 194) walruses per year. This mortality estimate includes corrections for under-reported harvest and struck and lost animals. Harvests have been declining by about 3 percent per year since 2000 and were exceptionally low in the United States in 2012-2014. Resource managers in Russia have concluded that the population has declined and have reduced harvest quotas in recent years accordingly (Kochnev 2004; Kochnev 2005; Kochnev 2010; pers. comm.; Litovka 2015, pers. comm.) based in part on the lower abundance estimate generated from the 2006 survey. Total harvest quotas in Russia were further decreased in 2020 to 1,088 walruses (Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Order of March 23, 2020). Intra-specific trauma at coastal haulouts is also a known source of injury and mortality (Garlich-Miller et al. 2011). The risk of stampede-related injuries increases with the number of animals hauled out and with the duration spent on coastal haulouts, with calves and young being the most vulnerable to suffer injuries and/ or mortality (USFWS 2017). However, management and protection programs in both the United States and the Russian Federation have been somewhat successful in reducing disturbances and large mortality events at coastal haulouts (USFWS 2015). Climate Change Global climate change will impact the future of both Pacific walrus and polar bear populations. As atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations increase so will global temperatures (Pierrehumbert 2011; IPCC 2014) with substantial implications for the Arctic environment and its inhabitants (Bellard et al. 2012, Scheffers et al. 2016, Harwood et al. 2001, Nunez et al. 2019). The Arctic has warmed at twice the global rate (IPCC 2014), and long-term data sets show that substantial reductions in both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea- ice cover have occurred over the past 40 years (Meier et al. 2014, Frey et al. 2015). Stroeve et al. (2012) estimated that, since 1979, the minimum area of fall Arctic sea-ice declined by over 12 percent per decade through 2010. Record low minimum areas of fall Arctic sea-ice extent were recorded in 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2012. Further, observations of sea-ice in the Beaufort Sea have shown a trend since 2004 of sea-ice break-up earlier in the year, re-formation of sea-ice later in the year, and a greater proportion of first-year ice in the ice cover (Galley et al. 2016). The overall trend of decline of Arctic sea-ice is expected to continue for the foreseeable future (Stroeve et al. 2007; Amstrup et al. 2008; Hunter et al. 2010; Overland and Wang 2013; 73 FR 28212, May 15, 2008; IPCC 2014). Decline in Arctic sea ice affects Arctic species through habitat loss and altered trophic interactions. These factors may contribute to population distribution changes, population mixing, and pathogen transmission (Post et al. 2013), which further impact population health. For polar bears, sea-ice habitat loss due to climate change has been identified as the primary cause of conservation concern (e.g., Stirling and Derocher 2012, Atwood et al. 2016b, USFWS 2016). A 42 percent loss of optimal summer polar bear habitat throughout the Arctic is projected for the decade of 2045-2054 (Durner et al. 2009). A recent global assessment of the vulnerability of the 19 polar bear stocks to future climate warming ranked the SBS as one of the three most vulnerable stocks (Hamilton and Derocher 2019). The study, which examined factors such as the size of the stock, continental shelf area, ice conditions, and prey diversity, attributed the high vulnerability of the SBS stock primarily to deterioration of ice conditions. The SBS polar bear stock occurs within the Polar Basin Divergent Ecoregion (PBDE), which is characterized by extensive sea-ice formation during the winters and the sea ice melting and pulling away from the coast during the summers (Amstrup et al. 2008). Projections show that polar bear stocks within the PBDE may be extirpated within the next 45-75 years at current rates of sea-ice declines (Amstrup et al. 2007, Amstrup et al. 2008). Atwood et al. (2016) also predicted that polar bear stocks within the PBDE will be more likely to greatly decrease in abundance and distribution as early as the 2020-2030 decade primarily as a result of sea-ice habitat loss. Sea-ice habitat loss affects the distribution and habitat use patterns of the SBS polar bear stock. When sea ice melts during the summer, polar bears in the PBDE may either stay on land throughout the summer or move with the sea ice as it recedes northward (Durner et al. 2009). The SBS stock, and to a lesser extent the Chukchi Sea stock, are increasingly utilizing marginal habitat (i.e., land and ice over less productive waters) (Ware et al. 2017). Polar bear use of Beaufort Sea coastal areas has increased during the fall open-water period (June through October). Specifically, the percentage of radio-collared adult females from the SBS stock utilizing terrestrial habitats has tripled over 15 years, and SBS polar bears arrive onshore earlier, stay longer, and leave to the sea ice later (Atwood et al. 2016b). This change in polar bear distribution and habitat use has been correlated with diminished sea ice and the increased distance of the pack ice from the coast during the open-water period (i.e., the less sea ice and the farther from shore the leading edge of the pack ice is, the more bears are observed onshore) (Schliebe et al. 2006; Atwood et al. 2016b). The current trend for sea-ice in the SBS region will result in increased distances between the ice edge and land, likely resulting in more bears coming ashore during the open-water period (Schliebe et al. 2008). More polar bears on land for a longer period of time may increase both the frequency and the magnitude of polar bear exposure to human activities, including an increase in human-bear interactions (Towns et al. 2009, Schliebe et al. 2008, Atwood et al. 2016b). Polar bears spending more time in terrestrial habitats also increases their risk of exposure to novel pathogens that are expanding north as a result of a warmer Arctic (Atwood et al. 2016b, 2017). Heightened immune system activity and more infections (indicated by elevated number of white blood cells) have been reported for the SBS polar bears that summer on land when compared to those on sea ice (Atwood et al. 2017; Whiteman et al. 2019). The elevation in immune system activity represents additional energetic costs that could ultimately impact stock and individual fitness (Atwood et al. 2017; Whiteman et al. 2019). Prevalence of parasites such as the nematode Trichinella nativa in many Arctic species, including polar bears, pre-dates the recent global warming. However, parasite prevalence could increase as a result of changes in diet (e.g., increased reliance on conspecific scavenging) and feeding habits (e.g., increased consumption of seal muscle) associated with climate-induced reduction of hunting opportunities for polar bears (Penk et al. 2020, Wilson et al. 2017). The continued decline in sea-ice is also projected to reduce connectivity among polar bear stocks and potentially lead to the impoverishment of genetic diversity that is key to maintaining viable, resilient wildlife populations (Derocher et al. 2004, Cherry et al. 2013, Kutchera et al. 2016). The circumpolar polar bear population has been divided into six genetic clusters: The Western Polar Basin (which includes the SBS [[Page 43006]] and CS stocks), the Eastern Polar Basin, the Western and Eastern Canadian Archipelago, and Norwegian Bay (Malenfant et al. 2016). There is moderate genetic structure among these clusters, suggesting polar bears broadly remain in the same cluster when breeding. While there is currently no evidence for strong directional gene flow among the clusters (Malenfant et al. 2016), migrants are not uncommon and can contribute to gene flow across clusters (Kutschera et al. 2016). Changing sea-ice conditions will make these cross-cluster migrations (and the resulting gene flow) more difficult in the future (Kutschera et al. 2016). Additionally, habitat loss from decreased sea-ice extent may impact polar bear reproductive success by reducing or altering suitable denning habitat and extending the polar bear fasting season (Rode et al. 2018, Stirling and Derocher 2012, Moln[aacute]r et al. 2020). In the early 1990s, approximately 50 percent of the annual maternal dens of the SBS polar bear stock occurred on land (Amstrup and Gardner 1994). Along the Alaskan region the proportion of terrestrial dens increased from 34.4 percent in 1985-1995 to 55.2 percent in 2007-2013 (Olson et al. 2017). Polar bears require a stable substrate for denning. As sea-ice conditions deteriorate and become less stable, sea- ice dens can become vulnerable to erosion from storm surges (Fischbach et al. 2007). Under favorable autumn snowfall conditions, SBS females denning on land had higher reproductive success than SBS females denning on sea-ice. Factors that may influence the higher reproductive success of females with land-based dens include longer denning periods that allow cubs more time to develop, higher snowfall conditions that strengthen den integrity throughout the denning period (Rode et al. 2018), and increased foraging opportunities on land (e.g., scavenging on Bowhead whale carcasses) (Atwood et al. 2016b). While SBS polar bear females denning on land may experience increased reproductive success, at least under favorable snowfall conditions, it is possible that competition for suitable denning habitat on land may increase due to sea-ice decline (Fischbach et al. 2007) and land-based dens may be more vulnerable to disturbance from human activities (Linnell et al. 2000). Polar bear reproductive success may also be impacted by declines in sea ice through an extended fasting season (Moln[aacute]r et al. 2020). By 2100, recruitment is predicted to become jeopardized in nearly all polar bear stocks if greenhouse gas emissions remain uncurbed (RCP8.5 [Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5] scenario) as fasting thresholds are increasingly exceeded due to declines in sea-ice across the Arctic circumpolar range (Moln[aacute]r et al. 2020). As the fasting season increases, most of these 12 stocks, including in the SBS, are expected to first experience significant adverse effects on cub recruitment followed by effects on adult male survival and lastly on adult female survival (Moln[aacute]r et al. 2020). Without mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and assuming optimistic polar bear responses (e.g., reduced movement to conserve energy), cub recruitment in the SBS stock has possibly been already adversely impacted since the late 1980s, while detrimental impacts on male and female survival are forecasted to possibly occur in the late 2030s and 2040s, respectively. Extended fasting seasons are associated with poor body condition (Stirling and Derocher 2012), and a female's body condition at den entry is a critical factor that determines whether the female will produce cubs and the cubs' chance of survival during their first year (Rode et al. 2018). Additionally, extended fasting seasons will cause polar bears to depend more heavily on their lipid reserves for energy, which can release lipid-soluble contaminants, such as persistent organic pollutants and mercury, into the bloodstream and organ tissues. The increased levels of contaminants in the blood and tissues can affect polar bear health and body condition, which has implications for reproductive success and survival (Jenssen et al. 2015). Changes in sea-ice can impact polar bears by altering trophic interactions. Differences in sea-ice dynamics, such as the timing of ice formation and breakup, as well as changes in sea-ice type and concentration, may impact the distribution of polar bears and/or their prey's occurrence and reduce polar bears' access to prey. A climate- induced reduction in overlap between female polar bears and ringed seals was detected after a sudden sea-ice decline in Norway that limited the ability of females to hunt on sea-ice (Hamilton et al. 2017). While polar bears are opportunistic and hunt other species, their reliance on ringed seals is prevalent across their range (Thiemann et al. 2007, 2008; Florko et al. 2020; Rode et al. 2021). Male and female polar bears exhibit differences in prey consumption. Females typically consume more ringed seals compared to males, which is likely related to more limited hunting opportunities for females (e.g., prey size constraints) (McKinney et al. 2017, Bourque et al. 2020). Female body condition has been positively correlated with consumption of ringed seals, but negatively correlated with the consumption of bearded seals (Florko et al. 2020). Consequently, females are more prone to decreased foraging and reproductive success than males during years in which unfavorable sea-ice conditions limit polar bears' access to ringed seals (Florko et al. 2020). In the SBS stock, adult female and juvenile polar bear consumption of ringed seals was negatively correlated with winter Arctic oscillation, which affects sea-ice conditions. This trend was not observed for male polar bears. Instead, male polar bears consumed more bowhead whale as a result of scavenging the carcasses of subsistence- harvested bowhead whales during years with a longer ice-free period over the continental shelf. It is possible that these alterations in sea-ice conditions may limit female polar bears' access to ringed seals, and male polar bears may rely more heavily on alternative onshore food resources in the southern Beaufort Sea region (McKinney et al. 2017). Changes in the availability and distribution of seals may influence polar bear foraging efficiency. Reduction in sea ice is expected to render polar bear foraging energetically more demanding, as moving through fragmented sea ice and open-water swimming require more energy than walking across consolidated sea ice (Cherry et al. 2009, Pagano et al. 2012, Rode et al. 2014, Durner et al. 2017). Inefficient foraging can contribute to nutritional stress and poor body condition, which can have implications for reproductive success and survival (Regehr et al. 2010). The decline in Arctic sea ice is associated with the SBS polar bear stock spending more time in terrestrial habitats (Schliebe et al. 2008). Recent changes in female denning habitat and extended fasting seasons as a result of sea-ice decline may affect the reproductive success of the SBS polar bear stock (Rode et al. 2018; Stirling and Derocher 2012; Moln[aacute]r et al. 2020). Other relevant factors that could negatively affect the SBS polar bear stock include changes in prey availability, reduced genetic diversity through limited population connectivity and/or hybridization with other bear species, increased exposure to disease and parasite prevalence and/or dissemination, impacts of human activities (oil and gas exploration/extraction, shipping, harvesting, etc.) and pollution (Post et al. 2013; Hamilton and Derocher 2019). Based on the projections of sea-ice decline in the [[Page 43007]] Beaufort Sea region and demonstrated impacts on SBS polar bear utilization of sea-ice and terrestrial habitats, the Service anticipates that polar bear use of the Beaufort Sea coast will continue to increase during the open-water season. For walruses, climate change may affect habitat and prey availability. The loss of Arctic sea ice has affected walrus distribution and habitat use in the Bering and Chukchi Seas (Jay et al. 2012). Walruses use sea ice as a breeding site, a location to birth and nurse young, and a protective cover from storms and predation; however, if the sea ice retreats north of the continental shelf break in the Chukchi Sea, walruses can no longer use it for these purposes. Thus, loss of sea ice is associated with increased use of coastal haul-outs during the summer, fall, and early winter (Jay et al. 2012). Coastal haulouts are potentially dangerous for walruses, as they can stampede toward the water when disturbed, resulting in injuries and mortalities (Garlich-Miller et al. 2011). Use of land haulouts is also more energetically costly, with walruses hauled out on land spending more time in water but not foraging than those hauled out on sea ice. This difference has been attributed to an increase in travel time in the water from land haulouts to foraging areas (Jay et al. 2017). Higher walrus abundance at these coastal haulouts may also increase exposure to environmentally and density-dependent pathogens (Post et al. 2013). Climate change impacts through habitat loss and changes in prey availability could affect walrus population stability. It is unknown if walruses will utilize the Beaufort Sea more heavily in the future due to climate change effects; however, considering the low number of walruses observed in the Beaufort Sea (see Take Estimates for Pacific Walruses and Polar Bears), it appears that walruses will remain uncommon in the Beaufort Sea for the next 5 years. Potential Effects of the Specified Activities on Subsistence Uses Polar Bear Based on subsistence harvest reports, polar bear hunting is less prevalent in communities on the north coast of Alaska than it is in west coast communities. There are no quotas under the MMPA for Alaska Native polar bear harvest in the Southern Beaufort Sea; however, there is a Native-to-Native agreement between the Inuvialuit in Canada and the Inupiat in Alaska. This agreement, the Inuvialuit-Inupiat Polar Bear Management Agreement, established quotas and recommendations concerning protection of denning females, family groups, and methods of take. Although this Agreement is voluntary in the United States and does not have the force of law, legally enforceable quotas are administered in Canada. In Canada, users are subject to provincial regulations consistent with the Agreement. Commissioners for the Agreement set the original quota at 76 bears in 1988, split evenly between the Inuvialuit in Canada and the Inupiat in the United States. In July 2010, the quota was reduced to 70 bears per year. Subsequently, in Canada, the boundary of the SBS stock with the neighboring Northern Beaufort Sea stock was adjusted through polar bear management bylaws in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in 2013, affecting Canadian quotas and harvest levels from the SBS stock. The current subsistence harvest established under the Agreement of 56 bears total (35 in the United States and 21 in Canada) reflect this change. The Alaska Native subsistence harvest of polar bears from the SBS population has declined. From 1990 to 1999, an average of 42 bears were taken annually. The average subsistence harvest decreased to 21 bears annually in the period 2000-2010 and 11 bears annually during 2015- 2020. The reason for the decline of harvested polar bears from the SBS population is unknown. Alaska Native subsistence hunters and harvest reports have not indicated a lack of opportunity to hunt polar bears or disruption by Industry activity. Pacific Walrus Few walruses are harvested in the Beaufort Sea along the northern coast of Alaska since their primary range is in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. Walruses constitute a small portion of the total marine mammal harvest for the village of Utqiagvik. Hunters from Utqiagvik have harvested 407 walruses since the year 2000 with 65 harvested since 2015. Walrus harvest from Nuiqsut and Kaktovik is opportunistic. They have reported taking four walruses since 1993. None of the walrus harvests for Utqiagvik, Nuiqsut, or Kaktovik from 2014 to 2020 occurred within the Beaufort Sea ITR region. Evaluation of Effects of the Specified Activities on Subsistence Uses There are three primary Alaska Native communities on the Beaufort Sea whose residents rely on Pacific walruses and polar bears for subsistence use: Utqiagvik, Nuiqsut, and Kaktovik. Utqiagvik and Kaktovik are expected to be less affected by the Industry's proposed activities than Nuiqsut. Nuiqsut is located within 5 mi of ConocoPhillips' Alpine production field to the north and ConocoPhillips' Alpine Satellite development field to the west. However, Nuiqsut hunters typically harvest polar bears from Cross Island during the annual fall bowhead whaling. Cross Island is approximately 16 km (~10 mi) offshore from the coast of Prudhoe Bay. We have received no evidence or reports that bears are altering their habitat use patterns, avoiding certain areas, or being affected in other ways by the existing level of oil and gas activity near communities or traditional hunting areas that would diminish their availability for subsistence use. However, as is discussed in Evaluation of Effects of Specified Activities on Pacific Walruses, Polar Bears, and Prey Species below, the Service has found some evidence of fewer maternal polar bear dens near industrial infrastructure than expected. Changes in Industry activity locations may trigger community concerns regarding the effect on subsistence uses. Industry must remain proactive to address potential impacts on the subsistence uses by affected communities through consultations and, where warranted, POCs. Evidence of communication with the public about activities will be required as part of an LOA. Current methods of communication are variable and include venues such as public forums, which allow communities to express feedback prior to the initiation of operations, the employ of subsistence liaisons, and presentations to regional commissions. If community subsistence use concerns arise from new activities, appropriate mitigation measures, such as cessation of activities in key locations during hunting seasons, are available and will be applied as a part of the POC. No unmitigable concerns from the potentially affected communities regarding the availability of walruses or polar bears for subsistence uses have been identified through Industry consultations with the potentially affected communities of Utqiagvik, Kaktovik, or Nuiqsut. During the 2016-2021 ITR period, Industry groups have communicated with Native communities and subsistence hunters through subsistence representatives, community liaisons, and village outreach teams as well as participation in community and commission meetings. Based on information gathered from these sources, it appears that subsistence hunting opportunities for walruses and polar bears have not been affected by past Industry activities conducted pursuant to the 2016- 2021 [[Page 43008]] Beaufort ITR and are not likely to be affected by the activities described in this ITR. Given the similarity between the nature and extent of Industry activities covered by the prior Beaufort Sea ITR and those specified in AOGA's pending Request, and the continued requirement for Industry to consult and coordinate with Alaska Native communities and representative subsistence hunting and co-management organizations (and develop a POC if necessary), we do not anticipate that the activities specified in AOGA's pending Request will have any unmitigable effects on the availability of Pacific walruses or polar bears for subsistence uses. Potential Effects of the Specified Activities on Pacific Walruses, Polar Bears, and Prey Species Industry activities can affect individual walruses and polar bears in numerous ways. Below, we provide a summary of the documented and potential effects of oil and gas industrial activities on both polar bears and walruses. The effects analyzed included harassment, lethal take, and exposure to oil spills. Polar Bear: Human-Polar Bear Encounters Oil and gas industry activities may affect individual polar bears in numerous ways during the open-water and ice-covered seasons. Polar bears are typically distributed in offshore areas associated with multiyear pack ice from mid-November to mid-July. From mid-July to mid- November, polar bears can be found in large numbers and high densities on barrier islands, along the coastline, and in the nearshore waters of the Beaufort Sea, particularly on and around Barter and Cross Islands. This distribution leads to a significantly higher number of human-polar bear encounters on land and at offshore structures during the open- water period than other times of the year. Bears that remain on the multiyear pack ice are not typically present in the ice-free areas where vessel traffic occurs, as barges and vessels associated with Industry activities travel in open water and avoid large ice floes. On land, the majority of Industry's bear observations occur within 2 km (1.2 mi) of the coastline. Industry facilities within the offshore and coastal areas are more likely to be approached by polar bears and may act as physical barriers to movements of polar bears. As bears encounter these facilities, the chances for human-bear interactions increase. The Endicott and West Dock causeways, as well as the facilities supporting them, have the potential to act as barriers to movements of polar bears because they extend continuously from the coastline to the offshore facility. However, polar bears have frequently been observed crossing existing roads and causeways. Offshore production facilities, such as Northstar, Spy Island, and Oooguruk, have frequently been approached by polar bears but appear to present only an inconsequential small-scale, local obstruction to the bears' movement. Of greater concern is the increased potential for human-polar bear interaction at these facilities. Encounters are more likely to occur during the fall at facilities on or near the coast. Polar bear interaction plans, training, and monitoring required by past ITRs have proven effective at reducing human-polar bear encounters and the risks to bears and humans when encounters occur. Polar bear interaction plans detail the policies and procedures that Industry facilities and personnel will implement to avoid attracting and interacting with polar bears as well as minimizing impacts to the bears. Interaction plans also detail how to respond to the presence of polar bears, the chain of command and communication, and required training for personnel. Industry uses technology to aid in detecting polar bears including bear monitors, closed-circuit television, video cameras, thermal cameras, radar devices, and motion-detection systems. In addition, some companies take steps to actively prevent bears from accessing facilities by using safety gates and fences. The noises, sights, and smells produced by the proposed project activities could disturb and elicit variable responses from polar bears. Noise disturbance can originate from either stationary or mobile sources. Stationary sources include construction, maintenance, repair and remediation activities, operations at production facilities, gas flaring, and drilling operations. Mobile sources include aircraft traffic, geotechnical surveys, ice road construction, vehicle traffic, tracked vehicles, and snowmobiles. The potential behavioral reaction of polar bears to the proposed activities can vary by activity type. Camp odors may attract polar bears, potentially resulting in human-bear encounters, intentional hazing, or possible lethal take in defense of human life (see 50 CFR 18.34 for further guidance on passive polar bear deterrence measures). Noise generated on the ground by industrial activity may cause a behavioral (e.g., escape response) or physiologic (e.g., increased heart rate, hormonal response) (Harms et al. 1997; Tempel and Gutierrez 2003) response. The available studies of polar bear behavior indicate that the intensity of polar bear reaction to noise disturbance may be based on previous interactions, sex, age, and maternal status (Anderson and Aars 2008; Dyck and Baydack 2004). Polar Bear: Effects of Aircraft Overflights Bears on the surface experience increased noise and visual stimuli when planes or helicopters fly above them, both of which may elicit a biologically significant behavioral response. Sound frequencies produced by aircraft will likely fall within the hearing range of polar bears (see Nachtigall et al. 2007) and will thus be audible to animals during flyovers or when operating in proximity to polar bears. Polar bears likely have acute hearing with previous sensitivities demonstrated between 1.4-22.5 kHz (tests were limited to 22.5 kHz; Nachtigall et al. 2007). This range, which is wider than that seen in humans, supports the idea that polar bears may experience temporary (called temporary threshold shift, or TTS) or permanent (called permanent threshold shift, or PTS) hearing impairment if they are exposed to high-energy sound. While species-specific TTS and PTS thresholds have not been established for polar bears, thresholds have been established for the general group ``other marine carnivores'' which includes both polar bears and walruses (Southall et al. 2019). Through a series of systematic modeling procedures and extrapolations, Southall et al. (2019) have generated modified noise exposure thresholds for both in-air and underwater sound (Table 1). [[Page 43009]] Table 1--Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) and Permanent Threshold Shift (PTS) Thresholds Established by Southall et al. (2019) Through Modeling and Extrapolation for ``Other Marine Carnivores,'' Which Includes Both Polar Bears and Walruses -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TTS PTS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Non-impulsive Impulsive Non-impulsive Impulsive ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SELCUM SELCUM Peak SPL SELCUM SELCUM Peak SPL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air..................................................... 157 146 161 177 161 167 Water................................................... 199 188 226 219 203 232 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Values are weighted for other marine carnivores' hearing thresholds and given in cumulative sound exposure level (SELCUM dB re (20[mu]Pa)2s in air and SELCUM dB re (1 [mu]Pa)\2\s in water) for impulsive and non-impulsive sounds, and unweighted peak sound pressure level in air (dB re 20[mu]Pa) and water (dB 1[mu]Pa) (impulsive sounds only). During an FAA test, test aircraft produced sound at all frequencies measured (50 Hz to 10 kHz) (Healy 1974; Newman 1979). At frequencies centered at 5 kHz, jets flying at 300 m (984 ft) produced \1/3\ octave band noise levels of 84 to 124 dB, propeller-driven aircraft produced 75 to 90 dB, and helicopters produced 60 to 70 dB (Richardson et al. 1995). Thus, the frequency and level of airborne sounds typically produced by Industry is unlikely to cause temporary or permanent hearing damage unless marine mammals are very close to the sound source. Although temporary or permanent hearing damage is not anticipated, impacts from aircraft overflights have the potential to elicit biologically significant behavioral responses from polar bears. Observations of polar bears during fall coastal surveys, which flew at much lower altitudes than typical Industry flights (see Estimating Take Rates of Aircraft Activities), indicate that the reactions of non- denning polar bears is typically varied but limited to short-term changes in behavior ranging from no reaction to running away. Bears associated with dens have been shown to increase vigilance, initiate rapid movement, and even abandon dens when exposed to low-flying aircraft (see Effects to Denning Bears for further discussion). Aircraft activities can impact bears over all seasons; however, during the summer and fall seasons, aircraft have the potential to disturb both individuals and congregations of polar bears. These onshore bears spend most of their time resting and limiting their movements on land. Exposure to aircraft traffic is expected to result in changes in behavior, such as going from resting to walking or running and, therefore, has the potential to be energetically costly. Mitigation measures, such as minimum flight elevations over polar bears and habitat areas of concern as well as flight restrictions around known polar bear aggregations when safe, are included in this ITR to achieve least practicable adverse impact to polar bears by aircraft. Polar Bear: Effects of In-Water Activities In-water sources of sound, such as pile driving, screeding, dredging, or vessel movement, may disturb polar bears. In the open- water season, Industry activities are generally limited to relatively ice-free, open water. During this time in the Beaufort Sea, polar bears are typically found either on land or on the pack ice, which limits the chances of the interaction of polar bears with offshore Industry activities. Though polar bears have been observed in open water miles from the ice edge or ice floes, the encounters are relatively rare (although the frequency of such observations may increase due to sea ice change). However, if bears come in contact with Industry operations in open water, the effects of such encounters likely include no more than short-term behavioral disturbance. While polar bears swim in and hunt from open water, they spend less time in the water than most marine mammals. Stirling (1974) reported that polar bears observed near Devon Island during late July and early August spent 4.1 percent of their time swimming and an additional 0.7 percent engaged in aquatic stalking of prey. More recently, application of tags equipped with time-depth recorders indicate that aquatic activity of polar bears is greater than was previously thought. In a study published by Lone et al. (2018), 75 percent of polar bears swam daily during open-water months, with animals spending 9.4 percent of their time in July in the water. Both coastal- and pack-ice-dwelling animals were tagged, and there were no significant differences in the time spent in the water by animals in the two different habitat types. While polar bears typically swim with their ears above water, Lone et al. (2018) found polar bears in this study that were fitted with depth recorders (n=6) spent approximately 24 percent of their time in the water with their head underwater. Thus, for the individuals followed as a part of the study, an average of 2.2 percent of the day, or 31 minutes, were spent with their heads underwater. The pile driving, screeding, dredging, and other in-water activities proposed by Industry introduce substantial levels of noise into the marine environment. Underwater sound levels from construction along the North Slope have been shown to range from 103 decibels (dB) at 100 m (328 ft) for auguring to 143 dB at 100 m (328 ft) for pile driving (Greene et al. 2008) with most of the energy below 100 Hz. Airborne sound levels from these activities range from 65 dB at 100 m (328 ft) for a bulldozer and 81 dB at 100 m (328 ft) for pile driving, with most of the energy for in-air levels also below 100 Hz (Greene et al. 2008). Therefore, in-water activities are not anticipated to result in temporary or permanent damage to polar bear hearing. In 2012, during the open-water season, Shell vessels encountered a few polar bears swimming in ice-free water more than 70 mi (112.6 km) offshore in the Chukchi Sea. In those instances, the bears were observed to either swim away from or approach the Shell vessels. Sometimes a polar bear would swim around a stationary vessel before leaving. In at least one instance a polar bear approached, touched, and investigated a stationary vessel from the water before swimming away. Polar bears are more likely to be affected by on-ice or in-ice Industry activities versus open-water activities. From 2009 through 2014, there were a few Industry observation reports of polar bears during on-ice activities. Those observations were primarily of bears moving through an area during winter seismic surveys on near-shore ice. The disturbance to bears moving across the surface is frequently minimal, short-term, and temporary due to the mobility of such projects and limited to [[Page 43010]] small-scale alterations to bear movements. Polar Bear: Effects to Denning Bears Known polar bear dens in the Beaufort Sea ITR region, whether discovered opportunistically or as a result of planned surveys such as tracking marked bears or den detection surveys, are monitored by the Service. However, these known denning sites are only a small percentage of the total active polar bear dens for the SBS stock in any given year. Each year, Industry coordinates with the Service to conduct surveys to determine the location of Industry's activities relative to known dens and denning habitat. Under past ITRs Industry activities have been required to avoid known polar bear dens by 1.6 km (1 mi). However, occasionally an unknown den may be encountered during Industry activities. When a previously unknown den is discovered in proximity to Industry activity, the Service implements mitigation measures such as the 1.6-km (1-mi) activity exclusion zone around the den and 24-hour monitoring of the site. The responses of denning bears to disturbance and the consequences of these responses can vary throughout the denning process. Consequently, we divide the denning period into four stages when considering impacts of disturbance: Den establishment, early denning, late denning, and post-emergence. Den Establishment The den establishment period begins in autumn near the time of implantation when pregnant females begin scouting for, excavating, and occupying a den. The timing of den establishment is likely governed by a variety of environmental factors, including snowfall events (Zedrosser et al. 2006; Evans et al. 2016; Pigeon et al. 2016), accumulation of snowpack (Amstrup and Gardner 1994; Durner et al. 2003, 2006), temperature (Rode et al. 2018), and timing of sea ice freeze-up (Webster et al. 2014). Spatial and temporal variation in these factors may explain variability in the timing of den establishment, which occurs between October and December in the SBS stock (Durner et al. 2001; Amstrup 2003). Rode et al. (2018) estimated November 15 as the mean date of den entry for bears in the SBS stock. The den establishment period ends with the birth of cubs in early to mid-winter (Ramsay and Stirling 1988) after a gestation period that is likely similar to the ~60-day period documented for brown bears (Tsubota et al. 1987). Curry et al. (2015) found the mean and median birth dates for captive polar bears in the Northern Hemisphere were both November 29. Similarly, Messier et al. (1994) estimated that most births had occurred by December 15 in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago based on activity levels recorded by sensors on females in maternity dens. Much of what is known of the effects of disturbance during the den establishment period comes from studies of polar bears captured by researchers in autumn. Although capture is a severe form of disturbance atypical of events likely to occur during oil and gas activities, responses to capture can inform our understanding of how polar bears respond to substantial levels of disturbance. Ramsay and Stirling (1986) reported that 10 of 13 pregnant females that were captured and collared at dens in October or November abandoned their existing dens. Within 1-2 days after their release, these bears moved a median distance of 24.5 km and excavated new maternal dens. The remaining three polar bears reentered their initial dens or different dens =60 days old and ends at den emergence in the spring, which coincides with increases in prey availability (Rode et al. 2018b). In the SBS, March 15th is the median estimated emergence date for land-denning bears (Rode et al. 2018b). During late denning, cubs develop the ability to travel more efficiently and become less susceptible to heat loss, which enhances their ability to survive after leaving the den (Rode et al. 2018b). For example, date of den emergence was identified as the most important variable influencing cub survival in a study of marked polar bears in the CS and SBS stocks (Rode et al. 2018b). The authors reported that all females that denned through the end of March had >= one cub when re-sighted Fleeing (running or swimming away from a human or a human activity); Displaying a stress-related behavior such as jaw or lip- popping, front leg stomping, vocalizations, circling, intense staring, or salivating; Abandoning or avoiding preferred movement corridors such as ice floes, leads, polynyas, a segment of coastline, or barrier islands; Using a longer or more difficult route of travel instead of the intended path; Interrupting breeding, sheltering, or feeding; Moving away at a fast pace (adult) and cubs struggling to keep up; Ceasing to nurse or rest (cubs); Ceasing to rest repeatedly or for a prolonged period (adults); Loss of hunting opportunity due to disturbance of prey; or Any interruption in normal denning behavior that does not cause injury, den abandonment, or early departure of the family group from the den site. This list is not meant to encompass all possible behaviors; other behavioral responses may equate to take by Level B harassment. Relatively minor changes in behavior such as increased vigilance or a short-term change in direction of [[Page 43014]] travel are not likely to disrupt biologically important behavioral patterns, and the Service does not view such minor changes in behavior as resulting in a take by Level B harassment. It is also important to note that depending on the duration, frequency, or severity of the above-described behaviors, such responses could constitute take by Level A harassment (e.g., repeatedly disrupting a polar bear versus a single interruption). Evaluation of Take The general approach for quantifying take in this ITR was as follows: (1) Determine the number of animals in the project area; (2) assess the likelihood, nature, and degree of exposure of these animals to project-relative activities; (3) evaluate these animals' probable responses; and (4) calculate how many of these responses constitute take. Our evaluation of take included quantifying the probability of either lethal take or Level A harassment (potential injury) and quantifying the number of responses that met the criteria for Level B harassment (potential disruption of a biologically significant behavioral pattern), factoring in the degree to which effective mitigation measures that may be applied will reduce the amount or consequences of take. To better account for differences in how various aspects of the project could impact polar bears, we performed separate take estimates for Surface-Level Impacts, Aircraft Activities, Impacts to Denning Bears, and Maritime Activities. These analyses are described in more detail in the subsections below. Once each of these categories of take were quantified, the next steps were to: (5) Determine whether the total take will be of a small number relative to the size of the species or stock; and (6) determine whether the total take will have a negligible impact on the species or stock, both of which are determinations required under the MMPA. Pacific Walrus: All Interactions With the low occurrence of walruses in the Beaufort Sea and the adoption of the mitigation measures required by this ITR, the Service concludes that the only anticipated effects from Industry noise in the Beaufort Sea would be short-term behavioral alterations of small numbers of walruses. All walrus encounters within the ITR geographic area in the past 10 years have been of solitary walruses or groups of two. The closest sighting of a grouping larger than two was outside the ITR area in 2013. The vessel encountered a group of 15 walrus. Thus, while it is highly unlikely that a group of walrus will be encountered during the proposed activities, we estimate that no more than one group of 15 Pacific walruses will be taken as a result of Level B harassment each year during the ITR period. Polar Bear: Surface Interactions Encounter Rate The most comprehensive dataset of human-polar bear encounters along the coast of Alaska consists of records of Industry encounters during activities on the North Slope submitted to the Service under existing and previous ITRs. This database is referred to as the ``LOA database'' because it aggregates data reported by the oil and gas industry to the Service pursuant to the terms and conditions of LOAs issued under current and previous incidental take regulations (50 CFR part 18, subpart J). We have used records in the LOA database in the period 2014-2018, in conjunction with bear density projections for the entire coastline, to generate quantitative encounter rates in the project area. This 5-year period was used to provide metrics that reflected the most recent patterns of polar bear habitat use within the Beaufort Sea ITR region. Each encounter record includes the date and time of the encounter, a general description of the encounter, number of bears encountered, latitude and longitude, weather variables, and a take determination made by the Service. If latitude and longitude were not supplied in the initial report, we georeferenced the encounter using the location description and a map of North Slope infrastructure. Spatially Partitioning the North Slope Into ``Coastal'' and ``Inland'' Zones The vast majority of SBS polar bear encounters along the Alaskan coast occur along the shore or immediately offshore (Atwood et al. 2015, Wilson et al. 2017). Thus, encounter rates for inland operations should be significantly lower than those for offshore or coastal operations. To partition the North Slope into ``coastal'' and ``inland'' zones, we calculated the distance to shore for all encounter records in the period 2014-2018 in the Service's LOA database using a shapefile of the coastline and the dist2Line function found in the R geosphere package (Hijmans 2019). Linked sightings of the same bear(s) were removed from the analysis, and individual records were created for each bear encountered. However, because we were able to identify and remove only repeated sightings that were designated as linked within the database, it is likely that some repeated encounters of the same bear remained in our analysis. From 2014 through 2018, of the 1,713 bears encountered, 1,140 (66.5 percent) were offshore. While these bears were encountered offshore, the encounters were reported by onshore or island operations (i.e., docks, drilling and production islands, or causeways). We examined the distribution of bears that were onshore and up to 10 km (6.2 mi) inland to determine the distance at which encounters sharply decreased (Figure 2). BILLING CODE 4333-15-P [[Page 43015]] [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.001 The histogram illustrates a steep decline in human-polar bear encounters at 2 km (1.2 mi) from shore. Using this data, we divided the North Slope into the ``coastal zone,'' which includes offshore operations and up to 2 km (1.2 mi) inland, and the ``inland zone,'' which includes operations more than 2 km (1.2 mi) inland. Dividing the Year Into Seasons As we described in our review of polar bear biology above, the majority of polar bears spend the winter months on the sea ice, leading to few polar bear encounters on the shore during this season. Many of the proposed activities are also seasonal, and only occur either in the winter or summer months. In order to develop an accurate estimate of the number of polar bear encounters that may result from the proposed activities, we divided the year into seasons of high bear activity and low bear activity using the Service's LOA database. Below is a histogram of all bear encounters from 2014 through 2018 by day of the year (Julian date). Two clear seasons of polar bear encounters can be seen: an ``open-water season'' that begins in mid-July and ends in mid- November, and an ``ice season'' that begins in mid-November and ends in mid-July. The 200th and 315th days of the year were used to delineate these seasons when calculating encounter rates (Figure 3). [[Page 43016]] [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.002 North Slope Encounter Rates Encounter rates in bears/season/km\2\ were calculated using a subset of the Industry encounter records maintained in the Service's LOA database. The following formula was used to calculate encounter rate (Equation 1): [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.003 The subset consisted of encounters in areas that were constantly occupied year-round to prevent artificially inflating the denominator of the equation and negatively biasing the encounter rate. To identify constantly occupied North Slope locations, we gathered data from a number of sources. We used past LOA requests to find descriptions of projects that occurred anywhere within 2014-2018 and the final LOA reports to determine the projects that proceeded as planned and those that were never completed. Finally, we relied upon the institutional knowledge of our staff, who have worked with operators and inspected facilities on the North Slope. To determine the area around industrial facilities in which a polar bear can be seen and reported, we queried the Service LOA database for records that included the distance to an encountered polar bear. It is important to note that these values may represent the closest distance a bear came to the observer or the distance at initial contact. Therefore, in some cases, the bear may have been initially encountered farther than the distance recorded. The histogram of these values shows a drop in the distance at which a polar bear is encountered at roughly 1.6 km (1 mi) (Figure 4). [[Page 43017]] [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.004 BILLING CODE 4333-15-C Using this information, we buffered the 24-hour occupancy locations listed above by 1.6 km (1 mi) and calculated an overall search area for both the coastal and inland zones. The coastal and inland occupancy buffer shapefiles were then used to select encounter records that were associated with 24-hour occupancy locations, resulting in the number of bears encountered per zone. These numbers were then separated into open-water and ice seasons (Table 2). Table 2--Summary of Encounters of Polar Bears on the North Slope of Alaska in the Period 2014-2018 Within 1.6 km (1 mi) of the 24-hour Occupancy Locations and Subsequent Encounter Rates for Coastal (a) and Inland (b) Zones ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ice season Open-water season Year encounters encounters ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (A) Coastal Zone (Area = 133 km\2\) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2014.............................. 2 193 2015.............................. 8 49 2016.............................. 4 227 2017.............................. 7 313 2018.............................. 13 205 Average........................... 6.8 197.4 ------------------------------------- Seasonal Encounter Rate........... 0.05 bears/km\2\ 1.48 bears/km\2\ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (B) Inland Zone (Area = 267 km\2\) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2014.............................. 3 3 2015.............................. 0 0 2016.............................. 0 2 2017.............................. 3 0 2018.............................. 0 2 Average........................... 1.2 1.4 ------------------------------------- Seasonal Encounter Rate........... 0.004 bears/km\2\ 0.005 bears/km\2\ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [[Page 43018]] Harassment Rate The Level B harassment rate or the probability that an encountered bear will experience either incidental or intentional Level B harassment, was calculated using the 2014-2018 dataset from the LOA database. A binary logistic regression of harassment regressed upon distance to shore was not significant (p = 0.65), supporting the use of a single harassment rate for both the coastal and inland zones. However, a binary logistic regression of harassment regressed upon day of the year was significant. This significance held when encounters were binned into either ice or open-water seasons (po)) for each individual structure (e.g., each road, pipeline, well pad, etc.) of their proposed activities for each month of the ITR period. Months were averaged to create open-water and ice-season occupancy rates. For example, occupancy rates for July 2022, August 2022, September 2022, October 2022, and November 2022 were averaged to calculate the occupancy rate for a given structure during the open-water 2022 season. Using the buffer tool in ArcGIS, we created a spatial file of a 1.6-km (1-mi) buffer around all industrial structures. We binned the structures according to their seasonal occupancy rates by rounding them up into tenths (10 percent, 20 percent, etc.). We determined the impact area of each bin by first calculating the area within the buffers of 100 percent occupancy locations. We then removed the spatial footprint of the 100 percent occupancy buffers from the dataset and calculated the area within the 90 percent occupancy buffers. This iterative process continued until we calculated the area within all buffers. The areas of impact were then clipped by coastal and inland zone shapefiles to determine the coastal areas of impact (ac) and inland areas of impact (ai) for each activity category. We then used spatial files of the coastal and inland zones to determine the area in coastal verse inland zones for each occupancy percentage. This process was repeated for each season from open-water 2021 to open-water 2026. Impact areas were multiplied by the appropriate encounter rate to obtain the number of bears expected to be encountered in an area of interest per season (Bes). The equation below (Equation 3) provides an example of the calculation of bears encountered in the ice season for an area of interest in the coastal zone. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.007 To generate the number of estimated Level B harassments for each area of interest, we multiplied the number of bears in the area of interest per season by the proportion of the season the area is occupied, the rate of occupancy, and the harassment rate (Equation 4). [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.008 [[Page 43021]] The estimated harassment values for the open-water 2021 and open- water 2026 seasons were adjusted to account for incomplete seasons as the regulations will be effective for only 85 and 15 percent of the open-water 2021 and 2026 seasons, respectively. Aircraft Impact to Surface Bears Polar bears in the project area will likely be exposed to the visual and auditory stimulation associated with AOGA's fixed-wing and helicopter flight plans; however, these impacts are likely to be minimal and not long-lasting to surface bears. Flyovers may cause disruptions in the polar bear's normal behavioral patterns, thereby resulting in incidental Level B harassment. Sudden changes in direction, elevation, and movement may also increase the level of noise produced from the helicopter, especially at lower altitudes. This increased level of noise could disturb polar bears in the area to an extent that their behavioral patterns are disrupted and Level B harassment occurs. Mitigation measures, such as minimum flight altitudes over polar bears and restrictions on sudden changes to helicopter movements and direction, will be required to reduce the likelihood that polar bears are disturbed by aircraft. Once mitigated, such disturbances are expected to have no more than short-term, temporary, and minor impacts on individual bears. Estimating Harassment Rates of Aircraft Activities To predict how polar bears will respond to fixed-wing and helicopter overflights during North Slope oil and gas activities, we first examined existing data on the behavioral responses of polar bears during aircraft surveys conducted by the Service and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) between August and October during most years from 2000 to 2014 (Wilson et al. 2017, Atwood et al. 2015, and Schliebe et al. 2008). Behavioral responses due to sight and sound of the aircraft have both been incorporated into this analysis as there was no ability to differentiate between the two response sources during aircraft survey observations. Aircraft types used for surveys during the study included a fixed-wing Aero-Commander from 2000 to 2004, a R-44 helicopter from 2012 to 2014, and an A-Star helicopter for a portion of the 2013 surveys. During surveys, all aircraft flew at an altitude of approximately 90 m (295 ft) and at a speed of 150 to 205 km per hour (km/h) or 93 to 127 mi per hour (mi/h). Reactions indicating possible incidental Level B harassment were recorded when a polar bear was observed running from the aircraft or began to run or swim in response to the aircraft. Of 951 polar bears observed during coastal aerial surveys, 162 showed these reactions, indicating that the percentage of Level B harassments during these low-altitude coastal survey flights was as high as 17 percent. Detailed data on the behavioral responses of polar bears to the aircraft and the distance from the aircraft each polar bear was observed were available for only the flights conducted between 2000 to 2004 (n = 581 bears). The Aero-Commander 690 was used during this period. The horizontal detection distance from the flight line was recorded for all groups of bears detected. To determine if there was an effect of distance on the probability of a response indicative of potential Level B harassment, we modeled the binary behavioral response by groups of bears to the aircraft with Bayesian probit regression (Hooten and Hefley 2019). We restricted the data to those groups observed less than 10 km from the aircraft, which is the maximum distance at which behavioral responses were likely to be reliably recorded. In nearly all cases when more than one bear was encountered, every member of the group exhibited the same response, so we treated the group as the sampling unit, yielding a sample size of 346 groups. Of those, 63 exhibited behavioral responses. Model parameters were estimated using 10,000 iterations of a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm composed of Gibbs updates implemented in R (R core team 2021, Hooten and Hefley 2019). Normal (0,1) priors, which are uninformative on the prior predictive scale (Hobbs and Hooten 2015), were placed on model parameters. Distance to bear as well as squared distance (to account for possible non-linear decay of probability with distance) were included as covariates. However, the 95 percent confidence intervals for the estimated coefficients overlapped zero suggesting no significant effect of distance on polar bears' behavioral responses. While it is likely that bears do respond differently to aircraft at different distances, the data available is heavily biased towards very short distances because the coastal surveys are designed to observe bears immediately along the coast. We were thus unable to detect any effect of distance. Therefore, to estimate a single rate of harassment, we fit an intercept-only model and used the distribution of the marginal posterior predictive probability to compute a point estimate. Because the data from the coastal surveys were not systematically collected to study polar bear behavioral responses to aircraft, the data likely bias the probability of behavioral response low. We, therefore, chose the upper 99th percentile of the distribution as our point estimate of the probability of potential harassment. This equated to a harassment rate of 0.23. Because we were not able to detect an effect of distance, we could not correlate behavioral responses with profiles of sound pressure levels for the Aero-Commander (the aircraft used to collect the survey data). Therefore, we could also not use that relationship to extrapolate behavioral responses to sound profiles for takeoffs and landings nor sound profiles of other aircraft. Accordingly, we applied the single harassment rate to all portions of all aircraft flight paths. General Approach to Estimating Harassment for Aircraft Activities Aircraft information was determined using details provided in AOGA's Request, including flight paths, flight take-offs and landings, altitudes, and aircraft type. More information on the altitudes of future flights can be found in the Request. If no location or frequency information was provided, flight paths were approximated based on the information provided. Of the flight paths that were described clearly or were addressed through assumptions, we marked the approximate flight path start and stop points using ArcGIS Pro (version 2.4.3), and the paths were drawn. For flights traveling between two airstrips, the paths were reviewed and duplicated as closely as possible to the flight logs obtained from www.FlightAware.com (FlightAware), a website that maintains flight logs in the public domain. For flight paths where airstrip information was not available, a direct route was assumed. Activities such as pipeline inspections followed a route along the pipeline with the assumption the flight returned along the same route unless a more direct path was available. Flight paths were broken up into segments for landing, take-off, and traveling to account for the length of time the aircraft may be impacting an area based on flight speed. The distance considered the ``landing'' area is based on approximately 4.83 km (3 mi) per 305 m (1,000 ft) of altitude descent speed. For all flight paths at or exceeding an altitude of 152.4 m (500 ft), the ``take-off'' area was marked as 2.41 km (1.5 mi) derived from flight logs found through FlightAware, which suggested that ascent to maximum flight altitude took approximately half the time of the average descent. The remainder of the flight path that [[Page 43022]] stretches between two air strips was considered the ``traveling'' area. We then applied the exposure area of 1,610 m (1 mi) along the flight paths. The data used to estimate the probability of Level B harassments due to aircraft (see section Estimating Harassment Rates of Aircraft Activities) suggested 99% of groups of bears were observed within 1.6 km of the aircraft. We then differentiated the coastal and inland zones. The coastal zone was the area offshore and within 2 km (1.2 mi) of the coastline (see section Spatially Partitioning the North Slope into ``coastal'' and ``inland'' zones), and the inland zone was anything greater than 2 km (1.2 mi) from the coastline. We calculated the areas in square kilometers for the exposure area within the coastal zone and the inland zone for all take-offs, landings, and traveling areas. For flights that involve an inland and a coastal airstrip, we considered landings to occur at airstrips within the coastal zone. Seasonal encounter rates developed for both the coastal and inland zones (see section Search Effort Buffer) were applied to the appropriate segments of each flight path. Surface encounter rates were calculated based on the number of bears per season (see section Search Effort Buffer). To apply these rates to aircraft activities, we needed to calculate a proportion of the season in which aircraft were flown. However, the assumption involved in using a seasonal proportion is that the area is impacted for an entire day (i.e., for 24 hours). Therefore, to prevent estimating impacts along the flight path over periods of time where aircraft are not present, we calculated a proportion of the day the area will be impacted by aircraft activities for each season (Table 5). BILLING CODE 4333-15-P [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.009 [[Page 43023]] The number of times each flight path was flown (i.e., flight frequency) was determined from the Request. We used the description combined with the approximate number of weeks and months within the open-water season and the ice season to determine the total number of flights per season for each year (f). We then used flight frequency and number of days per season (ds) to calculate the seasonal proportion of flights (Sp; Equation 6). [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.010 After we determined the seasonal proportion of flights, we estimated the amount of time an aircraft would be impacting the landing/take-off areas within a day (tLT). Assuming an aircraft is not landing at the same time another is taking off from the same airstrip, we estimated the amount of time an aircraft would be present within the landing or take-off zone would be tLT = 10 minutes. We then calculated how many minutes within a day an aircraft would be impacting an area and divided by the number of minutes within a 24-hour period (1,440 minutes). This determined the proportion of the day in which a landing/ take-off area is impacted by an aircraft for each season (Dp(LT); Equation 7). [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.011 To estimate the amount of time an aircraft would be impacting the travel areas (tTR, we calculated the minimum amount of time it would take for an aircraft to travel the maximum exposure area at any given time, 3.22 km (2.00 mi). We made this estimate using average aircraft speeds at altitudes less than 305 m (1,000 ft) to account for slower flights at lower altitudes, such as summer cleanup activities and determined it would take approximately 1.5 minutes. We then determined how many 3.22-km (2-mi) segments are present along each traveling path (x). We determined the total number of minutes an aircraft would be impacting any 3.22-km (2-mi) segment along the travel area in a day and divided by the number of minutes in a 24-hour period. This calculation determined the proportion of the day in which an aircraft would impact an area while traveling during each season (Dp(TR); Equation 8). [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.012 We then used observations of behavioral reactions from aerial surveys (see section Estimating Harassment Rates of Aircraft Activities) to determine the appropriate harassment rate in the exposure area (1,610 m (1 mi) from the center of the flight line; see above in this section). The harassment rate areas were then calculated separately for the landing and take-off areas along each flight path as well as the traveling area for all flights with altitudes at or below 457.2 m (1,500 ft). To estimate number of polar bears harassed due to aircraft activities, we first calculated the number of bears encountered (Bes) for the landing/take-off and traveling sections using both coastal (eci or co) and inland (eii or io) encounter rates within the coastal (ac) and inland (ai) exposure areas (Equation 9). [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.013 [[Page 43024]] Using the calculated number of coastal and inland bears encountered for each season, we applied the daily seasonal proportion for both landings/take-offs and traveling areas to determine the daily number of bears impacted due to aircraft activities (Bi). We then applied the aircraft harassment rate (ta) associated with the exposure area (see section Estimating Harassment Rates of Aircraft Activities), resulting in a number of bears harassed during each season (Bt; Equation 10). Harassment associated with AIR surveys was analyzed separately. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.014 BILLING CODE 4333-15-C Analysis Approach for Estimating Harassment During Aerial Infrared Surveys Typically, during every ice season Industry conducts polar bear den surveys using AIR. Although the target for these surveys is polar bear dens, bears on the surface can be impacted by the overflights. These surveys are not conducted along specific flight paths and generally overlap previously flown areas within the same trip. Therefore, the harassment estimates for surface bears during AIR surveys were estimated using a different methodology. Rather than estimate potential flight paths, we used the maximum amount of flight time that is likely to occur for AIR surveys during each year. The period of AIR surveys lasts November 25th to January 15th (52 days), and we estimated a maximum of 6 hours of flight time per day, resulting in a total of 312 flight hours per year. To determine the amount of time AIR flights are likely to survey coastal and inland zones, we found the area where industry activities and denning habitat overlap and buffered by 1.6 km (1 mi). We then split the buffered denning habitat by zone and determined the proportion of coastal and inland denning habitat. Using this proportion, we estimated the number of flight hours spent within each zone and determined the proportion of the ice season in which AIR surveys were impacting the survey areas (see General Approach to Estimating Harassment for Aircraft Activities). We then estimated the aircraft footprint to determine the area that would be impacted at any given time as well as the area accounting for two take-offs and two landings. Using the seasonal bear encounter rates for the appropriate zones multiplied by the area impacted and the proportion of the season AIR flights were flown, we determined the number of bears encountered. We then applied the aircraft harassment rate to the number of bears encountered per zone to determine number of bears harassed. Estimated Harassment From Aircraft Activities Using the approach described in General Approach to Estimating Harassment for Aircraft Activities and Analysis Approach for Estimating Harassment during Aerial Infrared Surveys, we estimated the total number of bears expected to be harassed by the aircraft activities included in the analyses during the Beaufort Sea ITR period of 2021- 2026 (Table 6). Table 6--Estimated Level B Harassment of Polar Bears on the North Slope of Alaska by Year as a Result of Aircraft Operations During the 2021-2026 ITR Period [Average estimated polar bear harassments per year = 1.09 bears] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21-22 22-23 23-24 24-25 25-26 26 Total -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Est. Harassment.................. 0.89 0.95 0.95 1.09 1.09 0.15 5.45 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Methods for Modeling the Effects of Den Disturbance Case Studies Analysis To assess the likelihood and degree of exposure and predict probable responses of denning polar bears to activities proposed in the AOGA Request, we characterized, evaluated, and prioritized a series of rules and definitions towards a predictive model based on knowledge of published and unpublished information on denning ecology, behavior, and cub survival. Contributing information came from literature searches in several major research databases and data compiled from polar bear observations submitted by the oil and gas Industry. We considered all available scientific and observational data we could find on polar bear denning behavior and effects of disturbance. From these sources, we identified 57 case studies representing instances where polar bears at a maternal den may have been exposed to human activities. For each den, we considered the four denning periods separately, and for each period, determined whether adequate information existed to document whether (1) the human activity met our definition of an exposure and (2) the response of the bear(s) could be classified according to our rules and definitions. From these 57 dens, 80 denning period-specific events met these criteria. For each event, we classified the type and frequency (i.e., discrete or repeated) of the exposure, the response of the bear(s), and the level of take associated with that response. From this information, we calculated the probability that a discrete or repeated exposure would result in each possible level of take during each denning period, which informed the probabilities for outcomes in the simulation model (Table 7). [[Page 43025]] Table 7--Probability That a Discrete or Repeated Exposure Elicited a Response by Denning Polar Bears That Would Result in Level B Harassment, Level A Harassment (Including Serious and Non-Serious Injury), or Lethal Take [Level B harassment was applicable to both adults and cubs, if present; Level A harassment and lethal take were applicable to cubs only. Probabilities were calculated from the analysis of 57 case studies of polar bear responses to human activity. Cells with NAs indicate these types of take were not possible during the given denning period.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Non-serious Serious Level Exposure type Period None Level B Level A A Lethal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discrete............................... Den Establishment.............. 0.400 0.600 NA NA NA Early Denning.................. 1.000 0.000 NA NA 0.000 Late Denning................... 0.091 0.000 NA 0.909 0.000 Post-emergence................. 0.000 0.000 0.750 NA 0.250 Repeated............................... Den Establishment.............. 1.000 0.000 NA NA NA Early Denning.................. 0.800 0.000 NA NA 0.200 Late Denning................... 0.708 0.000 NA 0.292 0.000 Post-emergence................. 0.000 0.267 0.733 NA 0.000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Case Study Analysis Definitions Below, we provide definitions for terms used in this analysis, a general overview of denning chronology and periods (details are provided in the Potential Effects to Pacific Walrus, Polar Bears and Prey Species: Effects on denning bears), and the rules established for using the case studies to inform the model. Exposure and Response Definitions Exposure: Any human activity within 1.6 km (1 mi) of a polar bear den site. In the case of aircraft, an overflight within 457 m (0.3 mi) above ground level. Discrete exposure: An exposure that occurs only once and of short duration ( No response: No observed or presumed behavioral or physiological response to an exposure. Likely physiological response: An alteration in the normal physiological function of a polar bear (e.g., elevated heart rate or stress hormone levels) that is typically unobservable but is likely to occur in response to an exposure. Behavioral response: A change in behavior in response to an exposure. Behavioral responses can range from biologically insignificant (e.g., a resting bear raising its head in response to a vehicle driving along a road) to substantial (e.g., cub abandonment) and concomitant levels of take vary accordingly. Timing Definitions Entrance date: The date a female first enters a maternal den after excavation is complete. Emergence date: The date a maternal den is first opened and a bear is exposed directly to external conditions. Although a bear may exit the den completely at emergence, we considered even partial-body exits (e.g., only a bear's head protruding above the surface of the snow) to represent emergence in order to maintain consistency with dates derived from temperature sensors on collared bears (e.g., Rode et al. 2018b). For dens located near regularly occurring human activity, we considered the first day a bear was observed near a den to be the emergence date unless other data were available to inform emergence dates (e.g., GPS collar data). Departure date: The date when bears leave the den site to return to the sea ice. If a bear leaves the den site after a disturbance but later returns, we considered the initial movement to be the departure date. Definition of Various Denning Periods Den establishment period: Period of time between the start of maternal den excavation and the birth of cubs. Unless evidence indicates otherwise, all dens that are excavated by adult females in the fall or winter are presumed to be maternal dens. In the absence of other information, this period is defined as denning activity prior to December 1 (i.e., estimated earliest date cubs are likely present in dens (Derocher et al. 1992, Van de Velde et al. 2003)). Early denning period: Period of time from the birth of cubs until they reach 60 days of age and are capable of surviving outside the den. In the absence of other information, this period is defined as any denning activity occurring between December 1 and February 13 (i.e., 60 days after 15 December, the estimated average date of cub birth; Van de Velde et al. 2003, Messier et al. 1994). Late denning period: Period of time between when cubs reach 60 days of age and den emergence. In the absence of other information, this period is defined as any denning activity occurring between 14 February and den emergence. Post-emergence period: Period of time between den emergence and den site departure. We considered a ``normal'' duration at the den site between emergence and departure to be greater than or equal to 8 days and classified departures that occurred post emergence ``early'' if they occurred less than 8 days after emergence. Descriptions of Potential Outcomes Cub abandonment: Occurs when a female leaves all or part of her litter, either in the den or on the surface, at any stage of the denning process. We classified events where a female left her cubs but later returned (or was returned by humans) as cub abandonment. Early emergence: Den emergence that occurs as the result of an exposure (see `Rules' below). Early departure: Departure from the den site post-emergence that occurs as the result of an exposure (see `Rules' below). Predictive Model Rules for Determining Den Outcomes and Assigning Take We considered any exposure in a 24-hour period that did not result in a Level A harassment or lethal take to potentially be a Level B harassment take [[Page 43026]] if a behavioral response was observed. However, multiple exposures do not result in multiple Level B harassment takes unless the exposures occurred in two different denning periods. If comprehensive dates of specific exposures are not available and daily exposures were possible (e.g., the den was located within 1.6 km [1 mi] of an ice road), we assumed exposures occurred daily. In the event of an exposure that resulted in a disturbance to denning bears, take was assigned for each bear (i.e., female and each cub) associated with that den. Whereas assigned take for cubs could range from Level B harassment to lethal take, for adult females only Level B harassment was possible. In the absence of additional information, we assumed dens did not contain cubs prior to December 1 but did contain cubs on or after December 1. If an exposure occurred and the adult female subsequently abandoned her cubs, we assigned a lethal take for each cub. If an exposure occurred during the early denning period and bears emerged from the den before cubs reached 60 days of age, we assigned a lethal take for each cub. In the absence of information about cub age, a den emergence that occurred between December 1 and February 13 was considered to be an early emergence and resulted in a lethal take of each cub. If an exposure occurred during the late denning period (i.e., after cubs reached 60 days of age) and bears emerged from the den before their intended (i.e., undisturbed) emergence date, we assigned a serious injury Level A harassment take for each cub. In the absence of information about cub age and intended emergence date (which was known only for simulated dens), den emergences that occurred between (and including) February 14 and March 14 were considered to be early emergences and resulted in a serious injury Level A harassment take of each cub. If a den emergence occurred after March 14 but was clearly linked to an exposure (e.g., bear observed emerging from the den when activity initiated near the den), we considered the emergence to be early and resulted in a serious injury Level A harassment take of each cub. For dens where emergence was not classified as early, if an exposure occurred during the post-emergence period and bears departed the den site prior to their intended (i.e., undisturbed) departure date, we assigned a non-serious injury Level A harassment take for each cub. In the absence of information about the intended departure date (which was known only for simulated dens), den site departures that occurred less than 8 days after the emergence date were considered to be early departures and resulted in a non-serious injury Level A harassment take of each cub. Den Simulation We simulated dens across the entire north slope of Alaska, ranging from the areas identified as denning habitat (Blank 2013, Durner et al. 2006, 2013) contained within the National Petroleum Reserve--Alaska (NPRA) in the west to the Canadian border in the east. While AOGA's Request does not include activity inside ANWR, we still simulated dens in that area to ensure that any activities directly adjacent to the refuge that might impact denning bears inside the refuge would be captured. To simulate dens on the landscape, we relied on the estimated number of dens in three different regions of northern Alaska provided by Atwood et al. (2020). These included the NPRA, the area between the Colville and Canning Rivers (CC), and ANWR. The mean estimated number of dens in each region during a given winter were as follows: 12 dens (95% CI: 3-26) in the NPRA, 26 dens (95% CI: 11-48) in the CC region, and 14 dens (95% CI: 5-30) in ANWR (Atwood et al. 2020). For each iteration of the model (described below), we drew a random sample from a gamma distribution for each of the regions based on the above parameter estimates, which allowed uncertainty in the number of dens in each area to be propagated through the modeling process. Specifically, we used the method of moments (Hobbs and Hooten 2015) to develop the shape and rate parameters for the gamma distributions as follows: NPRA (12\2\/5.8\2\,12/5.8\2\), CC (26\2\/9.5\2\,26/9.5\2\), and ANWR (14\2\/ 6.3\2\,14/6.3\2\). Because not all areas in northern Alaska are equally used for denning and some areas do not contain the requisite topographic attributes required for sufficient snow accumulation for den excavation, we did not randomly place dens on the landscape. Instead, we followed a similar approach to that used by Wilson and Durner (2020) with some additional modifications to account for differences in denning ecology in the CC region related to a preference to den on barrier islands and a general (but not complete) avoidance of actively used industrial infrastructure. Using the USGS polar bear den catalogue (Durner et al. 2020), we identified polar bear dens that occurred on land in the CC region and that were identified either by GPS-collared bears or through systematic surveys for denning bears (Durner et al. 2020). This resulted in a sample of 37 dens of which 22 (i.e., 60 percent) occurred on barrier islands. For each iteration of the model, we then determined how many of the estimated dens in the CC region occurred on barrier islands versus the mainland. To accomplish this, we first took a random sample from a binomial distribution to determine the expected number of dens from the den catalog (Durner et al. 2020) that should occur on barrier islands in the CC region during that given model iteration; nbarrier = Binomial(37,22/37), where 37 represents the total number of dens in the den catalogue (Durner et al. 2020) in the CC region suitable for use (as described above) and 22/37 represents the observed proportion of dens in the CC region that occurred on barrier islands. We then divided nbarrier by the total number of dens in the CC region suitable for use (i.e., 37) to determine the proportion of dens in the CC region that should occur on barrier islands (i.e., pbarrier). We then multiplied pbarrier with the simulated number of dens in the CC region (rounded to the nearest whole number) to determine how many dens were simulated to occur on barriers islands in the region. In the NPRA, the den catalogue (Durner et al. 2020) data indicated that two dens occurred outside of defined denning habitat (Durner et al. 2013), so we took a similar approach as with the barrier islands to estimate how many dens occur in areas of the NPRA with the den habitat layer during each iteration of the model; nhabitat ~ Binomial(15, 13/ 15), where 15 represents the total number of dens in NPRA from the den catalogue (Durner et al. 2020) suitable for use (as described above), and 13/15 represents the observed proportion of dens in NPRA that occurred in the region with den habitat coverage (Durner et al. 2013). We then divided nhabitat by the total number of dens in NPRA from the den catalogue (i.e., 15) to determine proportion of dens in the NPRA region that occurred in the region of the den habitat layer (phabitat). We then multiplied phabitat with the simulated number of dens in NPRA (rounded to the nearest whole number) to determine the number of dens in NPRA that occurred in the region with the den habitat layer. Because no infrastructure exists and no activities are proposed to occur in the area of NPRA without the den habitat layer, we only considered the potential impacts of activity to those dens simulated to occur [[Page 43027]] in the region with denning habitat identified (Durner et al. 2013). To account for the potential influence of industrial activities and infrastructure on the distribution of polar bear selection of den sites, we again relied on the subset of dens from the den catalogue (Durner et al. 2020) discussed above. We further restricted the dens to only those occurring on the mainland because no permanent infrastructure occurred on barrier islands with identified denning habitat (Durner et al. 2006). We then determined the minimum distance to permanent infrastructure that was present when the den was identified. This led to an estimate of a mean minimum distance of dens to infrastructure being 21.59 km (SD = 16.82). From these values, we then parameterized a gamma distribution: Gamma(21.59\2\/16.82\2\, 21.59/16.82\2\). We then obtained 100,000 samples from this distribution and created a discretized distribution of distances between dens and infrastructure. We created 2.5-km intervals between 0 and 45 km, and one bin for areas >45 km from infrastructure and determined the number of samples that occurred within each distance bin. We then divided the number of samples in each bin by the total number of samples to determine the probability of a simulated den occurring in a given distance bin. The choice of 2.5 km for distance bins was based on a need to ensure that kernel density grid cells occurred in each distance bin. To inform where dens are most likely to occur on the landscape, we developed a kernel density map by using known den locations in northern Alaska identified either by GPS-collared bears or through systematic surveys for denning bears (Durner et al. 2020). To approximate the distribution of dens, we used an adaptive kernel density estimator (Terrell and Scott 1992) applied to n observed den location, which took the form [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.019 where the adaptive bandwidth h(s) = ([beta]0 + [beta]1I(si [isin] M)I(s [isin] M))[beta]2 for the location of the ith den and each location s in the study area. The indicator functions allowed the bandwidth to vary abruptly between the mainland M and barrier islands. The kernel k was the Gaussian kernel, and the parameters [theta], [beta]0, [beta]1, [beta]2 were chosen based on visual assessment so that the density estimate approximated the observed density of dens and our understanding of likely den locations in areas with low sampling effort. The kernel density map we used for this analysis differs slightly from the version used in previous analyses, specifically our differentiation of barrier islands from mainland habitat. We used this modified version because previous analyses did not require us to consider denning habitat in the CC region, which has a significant amount of denning that occurs on barrier islands compared to the other two regions. If barrier islands were not differentiated for the kernel density estimate, density from the barrier island dens would spill over onto the mainland, which was deemed to be biologically unrealistic given the clear differences in den density between the barrier islands and the mainland in the region. For each grid cell in the kernel density map within the CC region, we then determined the minimum distance to roads and pads that had occupancy >=0.50 identified by AOGA during October through December (i.e., the core period when bears were establishing their dens). We restricted the distance to infrastructure component to only the CC region because it is the region that contains the vast majority of oil and gas infrastructure and has had some form of permanent industrial infrastructure present for more than 50 years. Thus, denning polar bears have had a substantial amount of time to modify their selection of where to den related to the presence of human activity. To simulate dens on the landscape, we first sampled in which kernel grid cell a den would occur based on the underlying relative probability (Figure 6) within a given region using a multinomial distribution. Once a cell was selected, the simulated den was randomly placed on the denning habitat (Blank 2013, Durner et al. 2006, 2013) located within that grid cell. For dens being simulated on mainland in the CC region, an additional step was required. We first assigned a simulated den a distance bin using a multinomial distribution of probabilities of being located in a given distance bin based on the discretized distribution of distances described above. Based on the distance to infrastructure bin assigned to a simulated den, we subset the kernel density grid cells that occurred in the same distance bin and then selected a grid cell from that subset based on their underlying probabilities using a multinomial distribution. Then, similar to other locations, a den was randomly placed on denning habitat within that grid cell. [[Page 43028]] [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.015 For each simulated den, we assigned dates of key denning events; den entrance, birth of cubs, when cubs reached 60 days of age, den emergence, and departure from the den site after emergence. These represent the chronology of each den under undisturbed conditions. We selected the entrance date for each den from a normal distribution parameterized by entrance dates of radio-collared bears in the Southern Beaufort subpopulation that denned on land included in Rode et al. (2018) and published in USGS (2018; n = 52, mean = 11 November, SD = 18 days). These data were restricted to those dens with both an entrance and emergence data identified and where a bear was in the den for greater than or equal to 60 days to reduce the chances of including non-maternal bears using shelter dens. Sixty days represents the minimum age of cubs before they have a chance of survival outside of the den. Thus, periods less than 60 days in the den have a higher chance of being shelter dens. We truncated this distribution to ensure that all simulated dates occurred within the range of observed values (i.e., 12 September to 22 December) identified in USGS (2018) to ensure that entrance dates were not simulated during biologically unreasonable periods given that the normal distribution allows some probability (albeit small) of dates being substantially outside a biologically reasonable range. We selected a date of birth for each litter from a normal distribution with the mean set to ordinal date 348 (i.e., 15 December) and standard deviation of 10, which allowed the 95 percent CI to approximate the range of birth dates (i.e., December 1 to January 15) identified in the peer-reviewed literature (Messier et al. 1994, Van de Velde et al. 2003). We ensured that simulated birth dates occurred after simulated den entrance dates. We selected the emergence date as a random draw from an asymmetric Laplace distribution with parameters [mu] = 81.0, [sigma] = 4.79, and p = 0.79 estimated from the empirical emergence dates in Rode et al. (2018) and published in USGS (2018, n = 52) of radio-collared bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea stock that denned on land using the mleALD function from package `ald' (Galarzar and Lachos 2018) in program R (R Core Development Team 2021). We constrained simulated emergence dates to occur within the range of observed emergence dates (January 9 to April 9, again to constrain dates to be biologically realistic) and to not occur until after cubs were 60 days old. Finally, we assigned the number of days each family group spent at the den site post-emergence based on values reported in four behavioral studies, Smith et al. (2007, 2010, 2013) and Robinson (2014), which monitored dens near immediately after emergence (n = 25 dens). Specifically, we used the mean (8.0) and SD (5.5) of the dens monitored in these studies to parameterize a gamma distribution using the method of moments (Hobbs and Hooten 2015) with a shape parameter equal to 8.0\2\/5.5\2\ and a rate parameter equal to 8.0/5.5\2\; we selected a post-emergence, pre-departure time for each den from this distribution. We restricted time at the den post emergence to occur within the range of times observed in Smith et al. (2007, 2010, 2013) and Robinson (2014) (i.e., 2-23 days, again to ensure biologically realistic times spent at the den site were simulated). Additionally, we assigned each den a litter size by drawing the number of cubs from a multinomial distribution with probabilities derived from litter sizes (n = 25 litters) reported in Smith et al. (2007, 2010, 2013) and Robinson (2014). Because there is some probability that a female naturally emerges with 0 cubs, we also wanted to ensure this scenario was captured. It is difficult to parameterize the probability of litter size equal to 0 because it is rarely observed. We, therefore, assumed that dens in the USGS (2018) dataset that had denning durations less than the shortest den duration where a female [[Page 43029]] was later observed with cubs (i.e., 79 days) had a litter size of 0. There were only 3 bears in the USGS (2018) data that met this criteria, leading to an assumed probability of a litter size of 0 at emergence being 0.07. We, therefore, assigned the probability of 0, 1, 2, or 3 cubs as 0.07, 0.15, 0.71, and 0.07, respectively. Infrastructure and Human Activities The model developed by Wilson and Durner (2020) provides a template for estimating the level of potential impact to denning polar bears of proposed activities while also considering the natural denning ecology of polar bears in the region. The approach developed by Wilson and Durner (2020) also allows for the incorporation of uncertainty in both the metric associated with denning bears and in the timing and spatial patterns of proposed activities when precise information on those activities is unavailable. Below we describe the different sources of potential disturbance we considered within the model. We considered infrastructure and human activities only within the area of proposed activity in the ITR Request. However, given that activity on the border of this region could still affect dens falling outside of the area defined in the ITR Request, we also considered the impacts to denning bears within a 1-mile buffer outside of the proposed activity area. Roads and Pads We obtained shapefiles of existing and proposed road and pad infrastructure associated with industrial activities from AOGA. Each attribute in the shapefiles included a monthly occupancy rate that ranged from 0 to 1. For this analysis, we assumed that any road or pad with occupancy greater than 0 for a given month had the potential for human activity during the entire month unless otherwise noted. Ice Roads and Tundra Travel We obtained shapefiles of proposed ice road and tundra travel routes from AOGA. We also received information on the proposed start and end dates for ice roads and tundra routes each winter from AOGA with activity anticipated to occur at least daily along each. Seismic Surveys Seismic surveys are planned to occur in the central region of the project area proposed by AOGA (Figure 7). The region where seismic surveys would occur were split into two different portions representing relatively high and relatively low probabilities of polar bear dens being present (Figure 7). During any given winter, no more than 766 km\2\ and 1183 km\2\ will be surveyed in the high- and low-density areas, respectively. Therefore, for this analysis, we estimated take rates by assuming that seismic surveys would occur in the portions of those areas with the highest underlying probabilities of denning occurring and covering the largest area proposed in each (i.e., 766 km\2\ and 1183 km\2\). All seismic surveys could start as early as January 1 and operate until April 15. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.016 [[Page 43030]] Pipelines We obtained shapefiles of existing and proposed pipelines, as well as which months and years each pipeline would be operational, from AOGA. Based on the description in the Request, we assumed that all pipelines would have aerial surveys conducted weekly with aircraft flying at altitudes 457.2 m (>1,500 ft). After reviewing current and proposed flight patterns for flights likely to occur at altitudes =1 take of a bear occurring during a given winter. Maritime Activities Vessel Traffic Maritime activities were divided into two categories of potential impact: vessel traffic and in-water construction. Vessel traffic was further divided into two categories: Repeated, frequent trips by small boats and hovercraft for crew movement and less frequent trips to move fuel and equipment by tugs and barges. We estimated the potential Level B harassment take from the repeated, frequent trips by crew boats and hovercraft in Polar Bear: Surface Interactions as marine roads using an occupancy rate of 0.2. This occupancy rate accounts for 20 percent of the impact area (i.e., the length of the route buffered by 1.6 km (1 mi)) being impacted at any given point throughout the year, which is consistent with the daily trips described by AOGA. For less frequent trips for fuel and equipment resupply by tugs and barges, AOGA has supplied the highest expected number of trips that may be taken each year. Because we have been supplied with a finite number of potential trips, we used the impact area of the barge/tug combination as it moves in its route from one location to the next. We estimated a 16.5-km\2\ (6.37-mi\2\) take area for the barge, tug, and associated tow line, which accounts for a barge, tow, and tug length of 200 m (656 ft), width of 100 m (328 ft), and a 1.6-km (1-mi) buffer surrounding the vessels. We calculated the total hours of impact using an average vessel speed of two knots (3.7 km/hr), and then calculated the proportion of the open-water season that would be impacted (Table 9). [[Page 43032]] Table 9--Calculation of the Total Number of Barge and Tug Vessel Trip Hours and the Proportion of the Season Polar Bears May be Impacted in a 16.5-km\2\ Impact Area by Barge/Tug Presence ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Est. length Total time Origin Destination Frequency (km) Time/trip (hr) (hr) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Dock..................... Milne Point..... 1 38 10 10 Milne Point................... West Dock....... 1 38 10 10 West Dock..................... Endicott........ 30 22 6 178 Endicott...................... Badami.......... 10 42 11 114 Badami........................ Pt. Thomson..... 10 32 9 86 Pt. Thomson................... West Dock....... 10 96 26 259 --------------------------------------------------------------- Total Hours............... ................ .............. .............. .............. 658 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proportion of Season Impacted by Barge/Tug Use 0.24 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The number of estimated takes was then calculated using Equation 4, in which the impact area is multiplied by encounter rate, proportion of season, and harassment rate for the open-water season. The final number of estimated Level B harassment events from barge/tug trips was 1.12 bears per year. In-Water Construction Polar bears are neither known to vocalize underwater nor to rely substantially upon underwater sounds to locate prey. However, for any predator, loss of hearing is likely to be an impediment to successful foraging. The Service has applied a 190 dB re 1 [micro]Pa threshold for TTS and a 180 dB re1[micro]Pa threshold for Level B harassment arising from exposure of polar bears to underwater sounds for previous authorizations in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas; seas. However, given the projection of polar bear TTS at 188 dB by Southall et al. (2019) referenced in Figure 1, we used a threshold of Level B harassment at 180 dB re 1 [micro]Pa in our analysis for these regulations. The proposal for the 2021-2026 ITR period includes several activities that will create underwater sound, including dredging, screeding, pile driving, gravel placement, and geohazard surveys. Underwater sounds and the spatial extent to which they propagate are variable and dependent upon the sound source (e.g., size and composition of a pile for pile driving, equipment type for geophysical surveys, etc.), the installation method, substrate type, presence of sea ice, and water depth. Source levels range from less than 160 dB re 1 [micro]Pa to greater than 200 dB re 1 [micro]Pa (Rodkin and Pommerenck, 2014), meaning some sounds reach the level of TTS, however they do not reach the level of PTS (Table 1). Although these activities result in underwater areas that are above the 180 dB Level B harassment threshold for polar bears, the areas above the threshold will be small and fall within the current impact area (1.6 km) used to estimate polar bear harassment due to surface interactions. Thus, additional harassment calculations based on in-water noise are not necessary. Similarly, any in-air sounds generated by underwater sources are not expected to propagate above the Level B harassment thresholds listed in Table 1 beyond the 1.6-km (1.0-mi) impact area established in Polar Bear: Surface Interactions. Sum of Harassment From All Sources A summary of total numbers of estimated take by Level B harassments during the duration of the project by season and take category is provided in Table 10. The potential for lethal or Level A harassment was explored. The highest probability of greater than or equal to 1 lethal or serious Level A harassment take of polar bears over the 5- year ITR period was 0.462. Table 10--Total Estimated Level B Harassment Events of Polar Bears per Year and Source -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level B harassment of polar bears on the surface or in water -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year Surface Seismic Vessel Aircraft Total activity exploration activity overflights Denning bears -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Open water 2021-Ice 2021/2022........................... 56.54 1.94 1.12 0.82 3.1 65 Open water 2022-Ice 2022/2023........................... 83.77 1.94 1.12 0.95 3.2 91 Open water 2023-Ice 2023/2024........................... 84.28 1.94 1.12 0.95 3.1 92 Open water 2024-Ice 2024/2025........................... 84.23 1.94 1.12 1.09 3.1 92 Open water 2025-Ice 2025/2026........................... 84.48 1.94 1.12 1.09 3.2 92 Open water 2026......................................... 12 0.00 1.12 0.15 0 14 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Critical Assumptions To conduct this analysis and estimate the potential amount of Level B harassment, several critical assumptions were made. Level B harassment is equated herein with behavioral responses that indicate harassment or disturbance. There is likely a portion of animals that respond in ways that indicate some level of disturbance but do not experience significant biological consequences. Our estimates do not account for variable responses by polar bear age and sex; however, sensitivity of denning bears was incorporated into the analysis. The available information suggests that polar bears are generally resilient to low levels of disturbance. Females with dependent young and juvenile polar bears are physiologically the most sensitive (Andersen and Aars 2008) and most likely to experience harassment from disturbance. There is not enough information on composition of the SBS polar bear stock in the ITR area to incorporate individual variability based on age and sex or to predict its influence on harassment estimates. Our estimates are derived from a variety of sample populations with various age and sex structures, and we assume the exposed population will have a similar [[Page 43033]] composition and therefore, the response rates are applicable. The estimates of behavioral response presented here do not account for the individual movements of animals away from the ITR area or habituation of animals to noise or human presence. Our assessment assumes animals remain stationary, (i.e., density does not change). There is not enough information about the movement of polar bears in response to specific disturbances to refine this assumption. This situation could result in overestimation of harassment; however, we cannot account for harassment resulting from a polar bear moving into less preferred habitat due to disturbance. Potential Effects of Oil Spills on Pacific Walruses and Polar Bears Walrus and polar bear ranges overlap with many active and planned Industry activities--resulting in associated risks of oil spills from facilities, ships, and pipelines in both offshore and onshore habitat. To date, no major offshore oil spills have occurred in the Alaska Beaufort Sea. Although numerous small onshore spills have occurred on the North Slope. To date, there have been no documented effects to polar bears. Oil spills are unintentional releases of oil or petroleum products. In accordance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Program, all North Slope oil companies must submit an oil spill contingency plan. It is illegal to discharge oil into the environment, and a reporting system requires operators to report spills. Between 1977 and 1999, an average of 70 oil and 234 waste product spills occurred annually on the North Slope oilfields. Although most spills have been small by Industry standards (less than 50 bbl), larger spills (more than 500 bbl) accounted for much of the annual volume. In the North Slope, a total of seven large spills occurred between 1985 and 2009. The largest of these spills occurred in the spring of 2006 when approximately 6,190 bbl leaked from flow lines near an oil gathering center. More recently, several large spills have occurred. In 2012, 1,000 bbl of drilling mud and 100 bbl of crude were spilled in separate incidents; in 2013, approximately 166 bbl of crude oil was spilled; and in 2014, 177 bbl of drilling mud was spilled. In 2016, 160 bbl of mixed crude oil and produced water was spilled. These spills occurred primarily in the terrestrial environment in heavily industrialized areas not utilized by walruses or polar bears and therefore, posed little risk to the animals. The two largest onshore oil spills were in the terrestrial environment and occurred because of pipeline failures. In the spring of 2006, approximately 6,190 bbl of crude oil spilled from a corroded pipeline operated by BP Exploration (Alaska). The spill impacted approximately 0.8 ha (~2 ac). In November 2009, a spill of approximately 1,150 bbl from a ``common line'' carrying oil, water, and natural gas operated by BP occurred as well, impacting approximately 780 m\2\ (~8,400 ft\2\). None of these spills were known to impact polar bears, in part due to the locations and timing. Both sites were within or near Industry facilities not frequented by polar bears, and polar bears are not typically observed in the affected areas during the time of the spills and subsequent cleanup. Nonetheless, walruses and polar bears could encounter spilled oil from exploratory operations, existing offshore facilities, pipelines, or from marine vessels. The shipping of crude oil, oil products, or other toxic substances, as well as the fuel for the shipping vessels, increases the risk of a spill. As additional offshore Industry projects are planned, the potential for large spills in the marine environment increases. Oil spills in the sea-ice environment, at the ice edge, in leads, polynyas, and similar areas of importance to walruses and polar bears present an even greater challenge because of both the difficulties associated with cleaning oil in sea-ice along with the presence of wildlife in those areas. Oiling of food sources, such as ringed seals, may result in indirect effects on polar bears, such as a local reduction in ringed seal numbers, or a change to the local distribution of seals and bears. More direct effects on polar bears could occur from: (1) Ingestion of oiled prey, potentially resulting in reduced survival of individual bears; (2) oiling of fur and subsequent ingestion of oil from grooming; (3) oiling and fouling of fur with subsequent loss of insulation, leading to hypothermia; and (4) disturbance, injury, or death from interactions with humans during oil spill response activities. Polar bears may be particularly vulnerable to disturbance when nutritionally stressed and during denning. Cleanup operations that disturb a den could result in death of cubs through abandonment, and perhaps, death of the female as well. In spring, females with cubs of the year that denned near or on land and migrate to contaminated offshore areas may encounter oil following a spill (Stirling in Geraci and St. Aubin 1990). In the event of an oil spill, the Service follows oil spill response plans, coordinates with partners, and reduces the impact of a spill on wildlife. Several factors will be considered when responding to an oil spill--including spill location, magnitude, oil viscosity and thickness, accessibility to spill site, spill trajectory, time of year, weather conditions (i.e., wind, temperature, precipitation), environmental conditions (i.e., presence and thickness of ice), number, age, and sex of walruses and polar bears that are (or are likely to be) affected, degree of contact, importance of affected habitat, cleanup proposal, and likelihood of human-bear interactions. Response efforts will be conducted under a three-tier approach characterized as: (1) Primary response, involving containment, dispersion, burning, or cleanup of oil; (2) secondary response, involving hazing, herding, preventative capture/relocation, or additional methods to remove or deter wildlife from affected or potentially affected areas; and (3) tertiary response, involving capture, cleaning, treatment, and release of wildlife. If the decision is made to conduct response activities, primary and secondary response options will be vigorously applied. Tertiary response capability has been developed by the Service and partners, though such response efforts would most likely be able to handle only a few animals at a time. More information is available in the Service's oil spill response plans for walruses and polar bears in Alaska, which is located at: https://www.fws.gov/r7/fisheries/contaminants/pdf/Polar%20Bear%20WRP%20final%20v8_Public%20website.pdf. BOEM has acknowledged that there are difficulties in effective oil- spill response in broken-ice conditions, and the National Academy of Sciences has determined that ``no current cleanup methods remove more than a small fraction of oil spilled in marine waters, especially in the presence of broken ice.'' BOEM advocates the use of non-mechanical methods of spill response, such as in-situ burning during periods when broken ice would hamper an effective mechanical response (MMS 2008). An in-situ burn has the potential to rapidly remove large quantities of oil and can be employed when broken-ice conditions may preclude mechanical response. However, the resulting smoke plume may contain toxic chemicals and high levels of particulates that can pose health risks to marine mammals, birds, and other wildlife as well as to humans. As a result, smoke trajectories must be considered before making the decision to burn spilled oil. Another potential [[Page 43034]] non-mechanical response strategy is the use of chemical dispersants to speed dissipation of oil from the water surface and disperse it within the water column in small droplets. However, dispersant use presents environmental trade-offs. While walruses and polar bears would likely benefit from reduced surface or shoreline oiling, dispersant use could have negative impacts on the aquatic food chain. Oil spill cleanup in the broken-ice and open-water conditions that characterize Arctic waters is problematic. Evaluation of Effects of Oil Spills on Pacific Walruses and Polar Bears The MMPA does not authorize the incidental take of marine mammals as the result of illegal actions, such as oil spills. Nor do the specified activities in AOGA's request include oil spills. Any event that results in an injurious or lethal outcome to a marine mammal is not authorized under this ITR. However, for the purpose of developing a more complete context for evaluating potential effects on walruses and polar bears, the Service evaluated the potential impacts of oil spills within the Beaufort Sea ITR region. Pacific Walrus As stated earlier, the Beaufort Sea is not within the primary range for walruses. Therefore, the probability of walruses encountering oil or waste products as a result of a spill from Industry activities is low. Onshore oil spills would not impact walruses unless they occurred on or near beaches or oil moved into the offshore environment. However, in the event of a spill that occurs during the open-water season, oil in the water column could drift offshore and possibly encounter a small number of walruses. Oil spills from offshore platforms could also contact walruses under certain conditions. For example, spilled oil during the ice-covered season that isn't cleaned up could become part of the ice substrate and could eventually be released back into the environment during the following open-water season. Additionally, during spring melt, oil would be collected by spill response activities, but it could eventually contact a limited number of walruses. Little is known about the effects of oil, specifically on walruses, as no studies have been conducted to date. Hypothetically, walruses may react to oil much like other pinnipeds. Walruses are not likely to ingest oil while grooming since walruses have very little hair and exhibit no grooming behavior. Adult walruses may not be severely affected by the oil spill through direct contact, but they will be extremely sensitive to any habitat disturbance by human noise and response activities. In addition, due to the gregarious nature of walruses, an oil spill would most likely affect multiple individuals in the area. Walruses may also expose themselves more often to the oil that has accumulated at the edge of a contaminated shore or ice lead if they repeatedly enter and exit the water. Walrus calves are most likely to suffer the ill-effects of oil contamination. Female walruses with calves are very attentive, and the calf will always stay close to its mother--including when the female is foraging for food. Walrus calves can swim almost immediately after birth and will often join their mother in the water. It is possible that an oiled calf will be unrecognizable to its mother either by sight or by smell and be abandoned. However, the greater threat may come from an oiled calf that is unable to swim away from the contamination and a devoted mother that would not leave without the calf, resulting in the potential mortality of both animals. Further, a nursing calf might ingest oil if the mother was oiled, also increasing the risk of injury or mortality. Walruses have thick skin and blubber layers for insulation. Heat loss is regulated by control of peripheral blood flow through the animal's skin and blubber. The peripheral blood flow is decreased in cold water and increased at warmer temperatures. Direct exposure of walruses to oil is not believed to have any effect on the insulating capacity of their skin and blubber, although it is unknown if oil could affect their peripheral blood flow. Damage to the skin of pinnipeds can occur from contact with oil because some of the oil penetrates the skin, causing inflammation and death of some tissue. The dead tissue is discarded, leaving behind an ulcer. While these skin lesions have only rarely been found on oiled seals, the effects on walruses may be greater because of a lack of hair to protect the skin. Direct exposure to oil can also result in conjunctivitis. Like other pinnipeds, walruses are susceptible to oil contamination in their eyes. Continuous exposure to oil will quickly cause permanent eye damage. Inhalation of hydrocarbon fumes presents another threat to marine mammals. In studies conducted on pinnipeds, pulmonary hemorrhage, inflammation, congestion, and nerve damage resulted after exposure to concentrated hydrocarbon fumes for a period of 24 hours. If the walruses were also under stress from molting, pregnancy, etc., the increased heart rate associated with the stress would circulate the hydrocarbons more quickly, lowering the tolerance threshold for ingestion or inhalation. Walruses are benthic feeders, and much of the benthic prey contaminated by an oil spill would be killed immediately. Others that survived would become contaminated from oil in bottom sediments, possibly resulting in slower growth and a decrease in reproduction. Bivalve mollusks, a favorite prey species of the walrus, are not effective at processing hydrocarbon compounds, resulting in highly concentrated accumulations and long-term retention of the contamination within the organism. Specifically, bivalve mollusks bioconcentrate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These compounds are a particularly toxic fraction of oil that may cause a variety of chronic toxic effects in exposed organisms, including enzyme induction, immune impairment, or cancer, among others. In addition, because walruses feed primarily on mollusks, they may be more vulnerable to a loss of this prey species than other pinnipeds that feed on a larger variety of prey. Furthermore, complete recovery of a bivalve mollusk population may take 10 years or more, forcing walruses to find other food resources or move to nontraditional areas. The relatively few walruses in the Beaufort Sea and the low potential for a large oil spill (1,000 bbl or more), which is discussed in the following Risk Assessment Analysis, limit potential impacts to walruses to only certain events (i.e., a large oil spill), which is further limited to only a handful of individuals. Fueling crews have personnel that are trained to handle operational spills and contain them. If a small offshore spill occurs, spill response vessels are stationed in close proximity and respond immediately. Polar Bear To date, large oil spills from Industry activities in the Beaufort Sea and coastal regions that would impact polar bears have not occurred, although the interest in and the development of offshore hydrocarbon reservoirs has increased the potential for large offshore oil spills. With limited background information available regarding oil spills in the Arctic environment, the outcome of such a spill is uncertain. For example, in the event of a large spill equal to a rupture in the Northstar pipeline and a complete drain of the subsea portion of the pipeline (approximately 5,900 bbl), oil would be influenced by seasonal weather and sea conditions including temperature, winds, wave action, and currents. Weather and sea conditions [[Page 43035]] also affect the type of equipment needed for spill response and the effectiveness of spill cleanup. Based on the experiences of cleanup efforts following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, where logistical support was readily available, spill response may be largely unsuccessful in open-water conditions. Indeed, spill response drills have been unsuccessful in the cleanup of oil in broken-ice conditions. Small spills of oil or waste products throughout the year have the potential to impact some bears. The effects of fouling fur or ingesting oil or wastes, depending on the amount of oil or wastes involved, could be short term or result in death. For example, in April 1988, a dead polar bear was found on Leavitt Island, northeast of Oliktok Point. The cause of death was determined to be a mixture that included ethylene glycol and Rhodamine B dye (Amstrup et al. 1989). Again, in 2012, two dead polar bears that had been exposed to Rhodamine B were found on Narwhal Island, northwest of Endicott. While those bears' deaths were clearly human-caused, investigations were unable to identify a source for the chemicals. Rhodamine B is commonly used on the North Slope of Alaska by many people for many uses, including Industry. Without identified sources of contamination, those bear deaths cannot be attributed to Industry activity. During the ice-covered season, mobile, non-denning bears would have a higher probability of encountering oil or other production wastes than non-mobile, denning females. Current management practices by Industry, such as requiring the proper use, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials, minimize the potential occurrence of such incidents. In the event of an oil spill, it is also likely that polar bears would be intentionally hazed to keep them away from the area, further reducing the likelihood of impacting the population. In 1980, Oritsland et al. (1981) performed experiments in Canada that studied the effects of oil exposure on polar bears. Effects on experimentally oiled bears (where bears were forced to remain in oil for prolonged periods of time) included acute inflammation of the nasal passages, marked epidermal responses, anemia, anorexia, and biochemical changes indicative of stress, renal impairment, and death. Many effects did not become evident until several weeks after the experiment. Oiling of the pelt causes significant thermoregulatory problems by reducing insulation value. Irritation or damage to the skin by oil may further contribute to impaired thermoregulation. Experiments on live polar bears and pelts showed that the thermal value of the fur decreased significantly after oiling, and oiled bears showed increased metabolic rates and elevated skin temperature. Oiled bears are also likely to ingest oil as they groom to restore the insulation value of the oiled fur. Oil ingestion by polar bears through consumption of contaminated prey, and by grooming or nursing, could have pathological effects depending on the amount of oil ingested and the individual's physiological state. Death could occur if a large amount of oil was ingested or if volatile components of oil were aspirated into the lungs. In the Canadian experiment (Ortisland et al. 1981), two of three bears died. A suspected contributing factor to their deaths was ingestion of oil. Experimentally oiled bears ingested large amounts of oil through grooming. Much of the oil was eliminated by vomiting and defecating; some was absorbed and later found in body fluids and tissues. Ingestion of sublethal amounts of oil can have various physiological effects on polar bears, depending on whether the animal is able to excrete or detoxify the hydrocarbons. Petroleum hydrocarbons irritate or destroy epithelial cells lining the stomach and intestine, thereby affecting motility, digestion, and absorption. Polar bears swimming in or walking adjacent to an oil spill could inhale toxic, volatile organic compounds from petroleum vapors. Vapor inhalation by polar bears could result in damage to the respiratory and central nervous systems depending on the amount of exposure. Oil may also affect food sources of polar bears. Seals that die as a result of an oil spill could be scavenged by polar bears. This food source would increase exposure of the bears to hydrocarbons and could result in lethal impacts or reduced survival to individual bears. A local reduction in ringed seal numbers as a result of direct or indirect effects of oil could temporarily affect the local distribution of polar bears. A reduction in density of seals as a direct result of mortality from contact with spilled oil could result in polar bears not using a particular area for hunting. Further, possible impacts from the loss of a food source could reduce recruitment and/or survival. Spilled oil can concentrate and accumulate in leads and openings that occur during spring break-up and autumn freeze-up periods. Such a concentration of spilled oil would increase the likelihood that polar bears and their principal prey would be oiled. To access ringed and bearded seals, polar bears in the SBS concentrate in shallow waters less than 300 m (984 ft) deep over the continental shelf and in areas with greater than 50 percent ice cover (Durner et al. 2004). Due to their seasonal use of nearshore habitat, the times of greatest impact from an oil spill to polar bears are likely the open- water and broken-ice periods (summer and fall), extending into the ice- covered season (Wilson et al. 2018). This scenario is important because distributions of polar bears are not uniform through time. Nearshore and offshore polar bear densities are greatest in fall, and polar bear use of coastal areas during the fall open-water period has increased in recent years in the Beaufort Sea. An analysis of data collected from the period 2001-2005 during the fall open-water period concluded: (1) On average approximately 4 percent of the estimated polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea stock were observed onshore in the fall; (2) 80 percent of bears onshore occurred within 15 km (9 mi) of subsistence- harvested bowhead whale carcasses, where large congregations of polar bears have been observed feeding; and (3) sea-ice conditions affected the number of bears on land and the duration of time they spent there (Schliebe et al. 2006). Hence, bears concentrated in areas where beach- cast marine mammal carcasses occur during the fall would likely be more susceptible to oiling. Wilson et al. (2018) analyzed the potential effects of a ``worst case discharge'' (WCD) on polar bears in the Chukchi Sea. Their WCD scenario was based on an Industry oil spill response plan for offshore development in the region and represented underwater blowouts releasing 25,000 bbls of crude oil per day for 30 days beginning in October. The results of this analysis suggested that between 5 and 40 percent of a stock of 2,000 polar bears in the Chukchi Sea could be exposed to oil if a WCD occurred. A similar analysis has not been conducted for the Beaufort Sea; however, given the extremely low probability (i.e., 0.0001) that an unmitigated WCD event would occur (BOEM 2016, Wilson et al. 2017), the likelihood of such effects on polar bears in the Beaufort Sea is extremely low. The persistence of toxic subsurface oil and chronic exposures, even at sublethal levels, can have long-term effects on wildlife (Peterson et al. 2003). Exposure to PAHs can have chronic effects because some effects are sublethal (e.g., enzyme induction or [[Page 43036]] immune impairment) or delayed (e.g., cancer). Although it is true that some bears may be directly affected by spilled oil initially, the long- term impact could be much greater. Long-term effects could be substantial through complex environmental interactions--compromising the health of exposed animals. For example, PAHs can impact the food web by concentrating in filter-feeding organisms, thus affecting fish that feed on those organisms, and the predators of those fish, such as the ringed seals that polar bears prey upon. How these complex interactions would affect polar bears is not well understood, but sublethal, chronic effects of an oil spill may affect the polar bear population due to reduced fitness of surviving animals. Polar bears are biological sinks for some pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls or organochlorine pesticides, because polar bears are an apex predator of the Arctic ecosystem and are also opportunistic scavengers of other marine mammals. Additionally, their diet is composed mostly of high-fat sealskin and blubber (Norstrom et al. 1988). The highest concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in Arctic marine mammals have been found in seal-eating walruses and polar bears near Svalbard (Norstrom et al. 1988, Andersen et al. 2001, Muir et al. 1999). As such, polar bears would be susceptible to the effects of bioaccumulation of contaminants, which could affect their reproduction, survival, and immune systems. In addition, subadult polar bears are more vulnerable than adults to environmental effects (Taylor et al. 1987). Therefore, subadults would be most prone to the lethal and sublethal effects of an oil spill due to their proclivity for scavenging (thus increasing their exposure to oiled marine mammals) and their inexperience in hunting. Due to the greater maternal investment a weaned subadult represents, reduced survival rates of subadult polar bears have a greater impact on population growth rate and sustainable harvest than reduced litter production rates (Taylor et al. 1987). Evaluation of the potential impacts of spilled Industry waste products and oil suggest that individual bears could be adversely impacted by exposure to these substances (Oritsland et al. 1981). The major concern regarding a large oil spill is the impact such a spill would have on the rates of recruitment and survival of the SBS polar bear stock. Polar bear deaths from an oil spill could be caused by direct exposure to the oil. However, indirect effects, such as a reduction of prey or scavenging contaminated carcasses, could also cause health effects, death, or otherwise affect rates of recruitment and survival. Depending on the type and amount of oil or wastes involved and the timing and location of a spill, impacts could be acute, chronic, temporary, or lethal. For the rates of polar bear reproduction, recruitment, or survival to be impacted, a large-volume oil spill would have to take place. The following section analyzes the likelihood and potential effects of such a large-volume oil spill. Risk Assessment of Potential Effects Upon Polar Bears From a Large Oil Spill in the Beaufort Sea In this section, we qualitatively assess the likelihood that polar bear populations on the North Slope may be affected by large oil spills. We considered: (1) The probability of a large oil spill occurring in the Beaufort Sea; (2) the probability of that oil spill impacting coastal polar bear habitat; (3) the probability of polar bears being in the area and coming into contact with that large oil spill; and (4) the number of polar bears that could potentially be impacted by the spill. Although most of the information in this evaluation is qualitative, the probability of all factors occurring sequentially in a manner that impacts polar bears in the Beaufort Sea is low. Since walruses are not often found in the Beaufort Sea, and there is little information available regarding the potential effects of an oil spill upon walruses, this analysis emphasizes polar bears. The analysis was based on polar bear distribution and habitat use using four sources of information that, when combined, allowed the Service to make conclusions on the risk of oil spills to polar bears. This information included: (1) The description of existing offshore oil and gas production facilities previously discussed in the Description of Activities section; (2) polar bear distribution information previously discussed in the Biological Information section; (3) BOEM Oil-Spill Risk Analysis (OSRA) for the OCS (Li and Smith 2020), including polar bear environmental resource areas (ERAs) and land segments (LSs); and (4) the most recent polar bear risk assessment from the previous ITRs. Development of offshore production facilities with supporting pipelines increases the potential for large offshore spills. The probability of a large oil spill from offshore oil and gas facilities and the risk to polar bears is a scenario that has been considered in previous regulations (71 FR 43926, August 2, 2006; 76 FR 47010, August 3, 2011; 81 FR 52275, August 5, 2016). Although there is a slowly growing body of scientific literature (e.g., Amstrup et al. 2006, Wilson et al. 2017), the background information available regarding the effects of large oil spills on polar bears in the marine arctic environment is still limited, and thus the impact of a large oil spill is uncertain. As far as is known, polar bears have not been affected by oil spilled as a result of North Slope Industry activities. The oil-spill scenarios for this analysis include the potential impacts of a large oil spill (i.e., 1,000 bbl or more) from one of the offshore Industry facilities: Northstar, Spy Island, Oooguruk, Endicott, or the future Liberty. Estimating a large oil-spill occurrence is accomplished by examining a variety of factors and associated uncertainty, including location, number, and size of a large oil spill and the wind, ice, and current conditions at the time of a spill. BOEM Oil Spill Risk Analysis Because the BOEM OSRA provides the most current and rigorous treatment of potential oil spills in the Beaufort Sea Planning Area, our analysis of potential oil spill impacts applied the results of BOEM's OSRA (Li and Smith 2020) to help analyze potential impacts of a large oil spill originating in the Beaufort Sea ITR region to polar bears. The OSRA quantitatively assesses how and where large offshore spills will likely move by modeling effects of the physical environment, including wind, sea-ice, and currents, on spilled oil. (Smith et al. 1982, Amstrup et al. 2006a). A previous OSRA estimated that the mean number of large spills is less than one over the 20-year life of past, present, and reasonably foreseeable developments in the Beaufort Sea Planning Area (Johnson et al. 2002). In addition, large spills are more likely to occur during development and production than during exploration in the Arctic (MMS 2008). Our oil spill assessment during a 5-year regulatory period is predicated on the same assumptions. Trajectory Estimates of Large Offshore Oil Spills Although it is reasonable to conclude that the chance of one or more large spills occurring during the period of these regulations on the Alaskan OCS from production activities is low, for analysis purposes, we assume that a large spill does occur in order to evaluate potential impacts to polar bears. The BOEM OSRA modeled the trajectories of 3,240 oil spills from 581 [[Page 43037]] possible launch points in relation to the shoreline and biological, physical, and sociocultural resource areas specific to the Beaufort Sea. The chance that a large oil spill will contact a specific ERA of concern within a given time of travel from a certain location (launch area or pipeline segment) is termed a ``conditional probability.'' Conditional probabilities assume that no cleanup activities take place and there are no efforts to contain the spill. We used two BOEM launch areas (LAs), LA 2 and LA 3, and one pipeline segment (PL), PL 2, from Appendix A of the OSRA (Figure A-2; Li and Smith 2020) to represent the oil spills moving from hypothetical offshore areas. These LAs and PLs were selected because of their proximity to current and proposed offshore facilities. Oil-Spill-Trajectory Model Assumptions For purposes of its oil spill trajectory simulation, BOEM made the following assumptions: All spills occur instantaneously; large oil spills occur in the hypothetical origin areas or along the hypothetical PLs noted above; large spills do not weather (i.e., become degraded by weather conditions) for purposes of trajectory analysis; weathering is calculated separately; the model does not simulate cleanup scenarios; the oil spill trajectories move as though no oil spill response action is taken; and large oil spills stop when they contact the mainland coastline. Analysis of the Conditional Probability Results As noted above, the chance that a large oil spill will contact a specific ERA of concern within a given time of travel from a certain location (LA or PL), assuming a large spill occurs and that no cleanup takes place, is termed a ``conditional probability.'' From the OSRA, Appendix B, we chose ERAs and land segments (LSs) to represent areas of concern pertinent to polar bears (MMS 2008a). Those ERAs and LSs and the conditional probabilities that a large oil spill originating from the selected LAs or PLs could affect those ERAs and LSs are presented in a supplementary table titled ``Conditional Oil Spill Probabilities'' that can be found on http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS- R7-ES-2021-0037. From the information in this table, we note the highest chance of contact and the range of chances of contact that could occur should a large spill occur from LAs or PLs. Polar bears are vulnerable to a large oil spill during the open- water period when bears form aggregations onshore. In the Beaufort Sea, these aggregations often form in the fall near subsistence-harvested bowhead whale carcasses. Specific aggregation areas include Point Utqigvik, Cross Island, and Kaktovik. In recent years, more than 60 polar bears have been observed feeding on whale carcasses just outside of Kaktovik, and in the autumn of 2002, North Slope Borough and Service biologists documented more than 100 polar bears in and around Utqigvik. In order for significant impacts to polar bears to occur, (1) a large oil spill would have to occur, (2) oil would have to contact an area where polar bears aggregate, and (3) the aggregation of polar bears would have to occur at the same time as the spill. The risk of all three of these events occurring simultaneously is low. We identified polar bear aggregations in environmental resource areas and non-grouped land segments (ERA 55, 93, 95, 96, 100; LS 85, 102, 107). The OSRA estimates the chance of contacting these aggregations is 18 percent or less (see Table 1, ``Conditional Oil Spill Probabilities,'' in the Supporting and Related Material in Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2021-0037). The OSRA estimates for LA 2 and LA 3 have the highest chance of a large spill contacting ERA 96 in summer (Midway, Cross, and Bartlett islands). Some polar bears will aggregate at these islands during August-October (3-month period). If a large oil spill occurred and contacted those aggregation sites outside of the timeframe of use by polar bears, potential impacts to polar bears would be reduced. Coastal areas provide important denning habitat for polar bears, such as the ANWR and nearshore barrier islands (containing tundra habitat) (Amstrup 1993, Amstrup and Gardner 1994, Durner et al. 2006, USFWS unpubl. data). Considering that 65 percent of confirmed terrestrial dens found in Alaska in the period 1981-2005 were on coastal or island bluffs (Durner et al. 2006), oiling of such habitats could have negative effects on polar bears, although the specific nature and ramifications of such effects are unknown. Assuming a large oil spill occurs, tundra relief barrier islands (ERA 92, 93, and 94, LS 97 and 102) have up to an 18 percent chance of a large spill contacting them from PL 2. The OSRA estimates suggest that there is a 12 percent chance that oil would contact the coastline of the ANWR (GLS 166). The Kaktovik area (ERA 95 and 100, LS 107) has up to a one percent chance of a spill contacting the coastline. The chance of a spill contacting the coast near Utqiagvik (ERA 55, LS 85) would be as high as 15 percent (see Table 1, ``Conditional Oil Spill Probabilities,'' in the Supporting and Related Material in Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2021-0037). All barrier islands are important resting and travel corridors for polar bears, and larger barrier islands that contain tundra relief are also important denning habitat. Tundra-bearing barrier islands within the geographic region and near oilfield development are the Jones Island group of Pingok, Bertoncini, Bodfish, Cottle, Howe, Foggy, Tigvariak, and Flaxman Islands. In addition, Cross Island has gravel relief where polar bears have denned. The Jones Island group is located in ERA 92 and LS 97. If a spill were to originate from an LA 2 pipeline segment during the summer months, the probability that this spill would contact these land segments could be as great as 15 percent. The probability that a spill from LA 3 would contact the Jones Island group would range from 1 percent to as high as 12 percent. Likewise, for PL 2, the range would be from 3 percent to as high as 12 percent. Risk Assessment From Prior ITRs In previous ITRs, we used a risk assessment method that considered oil spill probability estimates for two sites (Northstar and Liberty), oil spill trajectory models, and a polar bear distribution model based on location of satellite-collared females during September and October (68 FR 66744, November 28, 2003; 71 FR 43926, August 2, 2006; 76 FR 47010, August 3, 2011; and 81 FR 52275, August 5, 2016). To support the analysis for this action, we reviewed the previous analysis and used the data to compare the potential effects of a large oil spill in a nearshore production facility (less than 5 mi), such as Liberty, and a facility located further offshore, such as Northstar. Even though the risk assessment of 2006 did not specifically model spills from the Oooguruk or Nikaitchuq sites, we believe it was reasonable to assume that the analysis for Liberty and indirectly, Northstar, adequately reflected the potential impacts likely to occur from an oil spill at either of these additional locations due to the similarity in the nearshore locations. Methodology of Prior Risk Assessment The first step of the risk assessment analysis was to examine oil spill probabilities at offshore production sites for the summer (July- October) and winter (November-June) seasons based on information developed for the original Northstar and Liberty EISs. We assumed that one large spill occurred during the 5-year period covered by the regulations. A detailed description of the methodology can be found at 71 FR [[Page 43038]] 43926 (August 2, 2006). The second step in the risk assessment was to estimate the number of polar bears that could be impacted by a large spill. All modeled polar bear grid cell locations that were intersected by one or more cells of a rasterized spill path (a modeled group of hundreds of oil particles forming a trajectory and pushed by winds and currents and impeded by ice) were considered ``oiled'' by a spill. For purposes of the analysis, if a bear contacted oil, the contact was assumed to be lethal. This analysis involved estimating the distribution of bears that could be in the area and overlapping polar bear distributions and seasonal aggregations with oil spill trajectories. The trajectories previously calculated for Northstar and Liberty sites were used. The trajectories for Northstar and Liberty were provided by the BOEM and were reported in Amstrup et al. (2006a). BOEM estimated probable sizes of oil spills from a pinhole leak to a rupture in the transportation pipeline. These spill sizes ranged from a minimum of 125 to a catastrophic release event of 5,912 bbl. Researchers set the size of the modeled spill at the scenario of 5,912 bbl caused by a pinhole or small leak for 60 days under ice without detection. The second step of the risk assessment analysis incorporated polar bear densities overlapped with the oil spill trajectories. To accomplish this, in 2004, USGS completed an analysis investigating the potential effects of hypothetical oil spills on polar bears. Movement and distribution information were derived from radio and satellite locations of collared adult females. Density estimates were used to determine the distribution of polar bears in the Beaufort Sea. Researchers then created a grid system centered over the Northstar production island and the Liberty site to estimate the number of bears expected to occur within each 1-km\2\ grid cell. Each of the simulated oil spills were overlaid with the polar bear distribution grid. Finally, the likelihood of occurrence of bears oiled during the duration of the 5-year ITRs was estimated. This likelihood was calculated by multiplying the number of polar bears oiled by the spill by the percentage of time bears were at risk for each period of the year. In summary, the maximum numbers of bears potentially oiled by a 5,912-bbl spill during the September open-water season from Northstar was 27, and the maximum from Liberty was 23, assuming a large oil spill occurred and no cleanup or mitigation measures took place. Potentially oiled polar bears ranged up to 74 bears with up to 55 bears during October in mixed-ice conditions for Northstar and Liberty, respectively. Median number of bears oiled by the 5,912-bbl spill from the Northstar simulation site in September and October were 3 and 11 bears, respectively. Median numbers of bears oiled from the Liberty simulation site for September and October were 1 and 3 bears, respectively. Variation occurred among oil spill scenarios, resulting from differences in oil spill trajectories among those scenarios and not the result of variation in the estimated bear densities. For example, in October, 75 percent of trajectories from the 5,912-bbl spill affected 20 or fewer polar bears from spills originating at the Northstar simulation site and 9 or fewer bears from spills originating at the Liberty simulation site. When calculating the probability that a 5,912-bbl spill would oil five or more bears during the annual fall period, we found that oil spills and trajectories were more likely to affect fewer than five bears versus more than five bears. Thus, for Northstar, the chance that a 5,912-bbl oil spill affected (resulting in mortality) 5 or more bears was 1.0-3.4 percent; 10 or more bears was 0.7-2.3 percent; and 20 or more bears was 0.2-0.8 percent. For Liberty, the probability of a spill that would affect 5 or more bears was 0.3-7.4 percent; 10 or more bears, 0.1-0.4 percent; and 20 or more bears, 0.1-0.2 percent. Discussion of Prior Risk Assessment Based on the simulations, a nearshore island production site (less than 5 mi from shore) would potentially involve less risk of polar bears being oiled than a facility located farther offshore (greater than 5 mi). For any spill event, seasonality of habitat use by bears will be an important variable in assessing risk to polar bears. During the fall season when a portion of the SBS bear stock aggregate on terrestrial sites and use barrier islands for travel corridors, spill events from nearshore industrial facilities may pose more chance of exposing bears to oil due to its persistence in the nearshore environment. Conversely, during the ice-covered and summer seasons, Industry facilities located farther offshore (greater than 5 mi) may increase the chance of bears being exposed to oil as bears will be associated with the ice habitat. Conclusion of Risk Assessment To date, documented oil spill-related impacts in the marine environment to polar bears in the Beaufort Sea by the oil and gas Industry are minimal. No large spills by Industry in the marine environment have occurred in Arctic Alaska. Nevertheless, the possibility of oil spills from Industry activities and the subsequent impacts on polar bears that contact oil remain a major concern. There has been much discussion about effective techniques for containing, recovering, and cleaning up oil spills in Arctic marine environments, particularly the concern that effective oil spill cleanup during poor weather and broken-ice conditions has not been proven. Given this uncertainty, limiting the likelihood of a large oil spill becomes an even more important consideration. Industry oil spill contingency plans describe methodologies put in place to prevent a spill from occurring. For example, all current offshore production facilities have spill containment systems in place at the well heads. In the event an oil discharge should occur, containment systems are designed to collect the oil before it makes contact with the environment. With the limited background information available regarding oil spills in the Arctic environment, it is unknown what the outcome of such a spill event would be if one were to occur. For example, polar bears could encounter oil spills during the open-water and ice-covered seasons in offshore or onshore habitat. Although most polar bears in the SBS stock spend a large amount of their time offshore on the pack ice, it is likely that some bears would encounter oil from a large spill that persisted for 30 days or more. An analysis of the potential effects of a ``worst case discharge'' (WCD) on polar bears in the Chukchi Sea suggested that between 5 and 40 percent of a stock of 2,000 polar bears could be exposed to oil if a WCD occurred (Wilson et al. 2017). A similar analysis has not been conducted for the Beaufort Sea; however, given the extremely low probability (i.e., 0.0001) that an unmitigated WCD event would occur (BOEM 2015, Wilson et al. 2017), the likelihood of such effects on polar bears in the Beaufort Sea is extremely low. Although the extent of impacts from a large oil spill would depend on the size, location, and timing of spills relative to polar bear distributions along with the effectiveness of spill response and cleanup efforts, under some scenarios, stock-level impacts could be expected. A large spill originating from a marine oil platform could have significant impacts on polar bears if an oil spill contacted an aggregation of polar bears. Likewise, a spill occurring during the broken-ice period could significantly impact the SBS polar bear stock in part because polar bears may be more active during this season. [[Page 43039]] If an offshore oil spill contaminated numerous bears, a potentially significant impact to the SBS stock could result. This effect would be magnified in and around areas of polar bear aggregations. Bears could also be affected indirectly either by food contamination or by chronic lasting effects caused by exposure to oil. During the 5-year period of these regulations, however, the chance of a large spill occurring is low. While there is uncertainty in the analysis, certain factors must align for polar bears to be impacted by a large oil spill occurring in the marine environment. First, a large spill must occur. Second, the large spill must contaminate areas where bears may be located. Third, polar bears must be seasonally distributed within the affected region when the oil is present. Assuming a large spill occurs, BOEM's OSRA estimated that there is up to a 6 percent chance that a large spill from the analyzed sites would contact Cross Island (ERA 96) within 360 days, as much as a 12 percent chance that it would contact Barter Island and/or the coast of the ANWR (ERA 95 and 100, LS 107, and GLS 166), and up to a 15 percent chance that an oil spill would contact the coast near Utqigvik (ERA 55, LS 85) during the summer time period. Data from polar bear coastal surveys indicate that polar bears are unevenly and seasonally distributed along the coastal areas of the Beaufort Sea ITR region. Seasonally, only a portion of the SBS stock utilizes the coastline between the Alaska-Canada border and Utqiagvik and only a portion of those bears could be in the oil-spill-affected region. As a result of the information considered here, the Service concludes that the likelihood of an offshore spill from an offshore production facility in the next 5 years is low. Moreover, in the unlikely event of a large spill, the likelihood that spills would contaminate areas occupied by large numbers of bears is low. While individual bears could be negatively affected by a spill, the potential for a stock-level effect is low unless the spill contacted an area where large numbers of polar bears were gathered. Known polar bear aggregations tend to be seasonal during the fall, further minimizing the potential of a spill to impact the stock. Therefore, we conclude that the likelihood of a large spill occurring is low, but if a large spill does occur, the likelihood that it would contaminate areas occupied by large numbers of polar bears is also low. If a large spill does occur, we conclude that only small numbers of polar bears are likely to be affected, though some bears may be killed, and there would be only a negligible impact to the SBS stock. Take Estimates for Pacific Walruses and Polar Bears Small Numbers Determinations and Findings The following analysis concludes that only small numbers of walruses and polar bears are likely to be subjected to take incidental to the described Industry activities relative to their respective stocks. For our small numbers determination, we consider whether the estimated number of marine mammals to be subjected to incidental take is small relative to the population size of the species or stock. 1. The estimated number of walruses and polar bears that will be harassed by Industry activity is small relative to the number of animals in their stocks. As stated previously, walruses are extralimital in the Beaufort Sea with nearly the entire walrus population found in the Chukchi and Bering Seas. Industry monitoring reports have observed no more than 38 walruses between 1995 and 2015, with only a few observed instances of disturbance to those walruses (AES Alaska 2015, USFWS unpublished data). Between those years, Industry walrus observations in the Beaufort Sea ITR region averaged approximately two walruses per year, although the actual observations were of a single or two animals, often separated by several years. At most, only a tiny fraction of the Pacific walrus population--which is comprised of hundreds of thousands of animals--may be found in areas potentially affected by AOGA's specified activities. We do not anticipate that seasonal movements of a few walruses into the Beaufort Sea will significantly increase over the 5-year period of this ITR. The estimated take of 15 Pacific walruses per year from a population numbering approximately 283,213 animals represents 0.005 percent of that population. We therefore find that the Industry activities specified in AOGA's Request would result in only a small number of incidental harassments of walruses. The Beaufort Sea ITR region is completely within the range of the SBS stock of polar bears, and during some portions of the year polar bears can be frequently encountered by Industry. From 2014 through 2018, Industry made 1,166 reports of polar bears comprising 1,698 bears. However, when we evaluated the effects upon the 1,698 bears observed, we found that 84 percent (1,434) did not result in take. Over those 5 years, Level B harassments of polar bears totaled 264, approximately 15.5 percent of the observed bears. No other forms of take or harassment were observed. Annually an average of 340 polar bears were observed during Industry activities. The number of Level B harassment events has averaged 53 per year from 2014 to 2018. We conclude that over the 5-year period of this ITR, Industry activities will result in a similarly small number of incidental harassments of polar bears, and that those events will be similarly limited to Level B harassment. Based on this information derived from Industry observations, along with the results of the Service's own predictive modeling analysis described above, we estimate that there will be no more than 443 Level B harassment takes of polar bears during the 5-year period of this ITR, with no more than 92 occurring within a single year. Conservatively assuming that each estimates take will accrue to a different individual polar bear, we note that take of 92 animals is 10.14 percent of the best available estimate of the current stock size of 907 animals in the Southern Beaufort Sea stock (Bromaghin et al. 2015, Atwood et al. 2020) ((92 / 907) x 100 [ap] 10.14), and find that this proportion represents a ``small number'' of polar bears of that stock. The incidental Level B harassment of no more than 92 polar bears each year is unlikely to lead to significant consequences for the health, reproduction, or survival of affected animals. All takes are anticipated to be incidental Level B harassment involving short-term and temporary changes in bear behavior. The required mitigation and monitoring measures described in the regulations are expected to prevent any lethal or injurious takes. 2. Within the specified geographical region, the area of Industry activity is expected to be small relative to the range of walruses and polar bears. Walruses and polar bears range well beyond the boundaries of the Beaufort Sea ITR region. As such, the ITR region itself represents only a subset of the potential area in which these species may occur. Further, only seven percent of the ITR area (518,800 ha of 7.9 million ha) is estimated to be impacted by the proposed Industry activities, even accounting for a disturbance zone surrounding industrial facility and transit routes. Thus, the Service concludes that the area of Industry activity will be relatively small compared to the range of walruses and polar bears. [[Page 43040]] Conclusion We expect that only small numbers of Pacific walruses and SBS polar bears stocks would be taken by the Industry activities specified in AOGA's Request because: (1) Walruses are extralimital in the Beaufort Sea and SBS polar bears are widely distributed throughout their expansive range, which encompasses areas beyond the Beaufort Sea ITR region, meaning only a small proportion of the walrus or polar bear stocks will occur in the areas where Industry activities will occur; and (2) the estimated number of walruses and polar bears that could be impacted by the specified activities is small relative the size of the species (walruses) or stock (polar bears). Negligible Impacts Determination and Finding Based on the best scientific information available, the results of Industry monitoring data from the previous ITRs, the review of the information generated by the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species and the designation of polar bear critical habitat, the results of our modeling assessments, and the status of the species and stocks, we find that the incidental take we have estimated to occur and authorize through this ITR will have no more than a negligible impact on walruses and polar bears. We do not expect that the total of these disturbances will individually or collectively affect rates of recruitment or survival for walruses or polar bears. Factors considered in our negligible impacts determination include: 1. The behavior and distribution of walruses and polar bears in areas that overlap with Industry activities are expected to limit interactions of walruses and polar bears with those activities. The distribution and habitat use patterns of walruses and polar bears indicate that relatively few animals will occur in the proposed areas of Industry activity at any particular time, and therefore, few animals are likely to be affected. As discussed previously, only small numbers of walruses are likely to be found in the Beaufort Sea where and when offshore Industry activities are proposed. Likewise, SBS polar bears are widely distributed across a range that is much greater than the geographic scope of the ITR, are most often closely associated with pack ice, and are unlikely to interact with the open water industrial activities specified in AOGA's Request, much less the majority of activities that would occur onshore. 2. The predicted effects of Industry activities on walruses and polar bears will be incidental nonlethal, temporary takes of animals. The documented impacts of previous Industry activities on walruses and polar bears, taking into consideration cumulative effects, suggests that the types of activities analyzed for this ITR will have minimal effects and will be short-term, temporary behavioral changes. The vast majority of reported polar bear observations have been of polar bears moving through the Beaufort Sea ITR region, undisturbed by the Industry activity. 3. The footprint of the proposed Industry activities is expected to be small relative to the range of the walrus and polar bear stocks. The relatively small area of Industry activity compared to the ranges of walruses and polar bears will reduce the potential of their exposure to and disturbance from Industry activities. 4. The type of harassment that is estimated is not expected to have effects on annual rates of recruitment of survival. The Service does not anticipate any lethal or injurious take that would remove individual polar bears or Pacific walruses from the population or prevent their successful reproduction. In fact, the majority of the Service's model runs result in no serious injury Level A harassment or lethal takes and the median of the model runs is 0.0. Level B harassment events lead only to short-term, non-injurious behavioral disturbances that do not reduce the affected animals' probability of surviving or reproducing. These disturbances would not, therefore, affect the rates of recruitment or survival for the walrus and polar bear stocks. These regulations do not authorize lethal take, and we do not anticipate any lethal take will occur. 5. Mitigation measures will limit potential effects of Industry activities. Under this regulation, holders of an LOA will be required to adopt monitoring requirements and mitigation measures designed to reduce the potential impacts of their operations on walruses and polar bears. Seasonal restrictions, early detection monitoring programs, den detection surveys for polar bears, and adaptive mitigation and management responses based on real-time monitoring information (described in these regulations) will be used to avoid or minimize interactions with walruses and polar bears and, therefore, limit potential Industry disturbance of these animals. In making this finding, we considered the following: The distribution of the species; the biological characteristics of the species; the nature of Industry activities; the potential effects of Industry activities and potential oil spills on the species; the probability of oil spills occurring; the documented impacts of Industry activities on the species, taking into consideration cumulative effects; the potential impacts of climate change, where both walruses and polar bears can potentially be displaced from preferred habitat; mitigation measures designed to minimize Industry impacts through adaptive management; and other data provided by Industry monitoring programs in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. We also considered the specific Congressional direction in balancing the potential for a significant impact with the likelihood of that event occurring. The Service has previously explained that Congressional direction that justifies balancing probabilities with impacts follows: If potential effects of a specified activity are conjectural or speculative, a finding of negligible impact may be appropriate. A finding of negligible impact may also be appropriate if the probability of occurrence is low but the potential effects may be significant. In this case, the probability of occurrence of impacts must be balanced with the potential severity of harm to the species or stock when determining negligible impact. In applying this balancing test, the Service will thoroughly evaluate the risks involved and the potential impacts on marine mammal populations. Such determination will be made based on the best available scientific information (53 FR 8474, March 15, 1988; accord 132 Cong. Rec. S 16305 (October. 15, 1986)). We reviewed the effects of the oil and gas Industry activities on walruses and polar bears, including impacts from surface interactions, aircraft overflights, maritime activities, and oil spills. Based on our review of these potential impacts, past LOA monitoring reports, and the biology and natural history of walrus and polar bear, we conclude that any incidental take reasonably likely to occur as a result of projected activities will be limited to short term behavioral disturbances that would not affect the rates of recruitment or survival for the walrus and polar bear stocks. This regulation does not authorize lethal take, and we do not anticipate any lethal take will occur. The probability of an oil spill that will cause significant impacts to walruses and polar bears appears extremely low. We have included information from both offshore and onshore projects in our oil spill analysis. We have analyzed the likelihood of a marine oil spill of the magnitude necessary to lethally take a [[Page 43041]] significant number of polar bears for offshore projects and, through a risk assessment analysis, found that it is unlikely that there will be any lethal take associated with a release of oil. In the unlikely event of a catastrophic spill, we will take immediate action to minimize the impacts to these species and reconsider the appropriateness of authorizations for incidental taking through section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA. We have evaluated climate change regarding walruses and polar bears. Climate change is a global phenomenon and was considered as the overall driver of effects that could alter walrus and polar bear habitat and behavior. Although climate change is a pressing conservation issue for walruses and polar bears, we have concluded that the authorized taking of walruses and polar bears during the activities proposed by Industry during this 5-year rule will not adversely impact the survival of these species and will have no more than negligible effects. Conclusion We find that the impacts of these specified activities cannot be reasonably expected to, and are not reasonably likely to, adversely affect Pacific walrus or SBS polar bears through effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival. We therefore find that the total of the taking estimated above and authorized by this ITR will have a negligible impact on Pacific walrus and SBS polar bears. These regulations do not authorize lethal take, and we do not anticipate that any lethal take will occur. Least Practicable Adverse Impacts We evaluated the practicability and effectiveness of mitigation measures based on the nature, scope, and timing of Industry activities; the best available scientific information; and monitoring data during Industry activities in the specified geographic region. We have determined that the mitigation measures included within AOGA's Request--plus one additional mitigation measure noted below--will ensure the least practicable adverse impacts on polar bears and Pacific walruses (AOGA 2021). AOGA's initial request reflected the mitigation measures identified in prior Beaufort Sea ITRs as necessary to effect the least practicable adverse impact on Pacific walrus and SBS polar bears. The Service also collaborated extensively with AOGA concerning prior iterations of its Request in order to identify additional effective and practicable mitigation measures, which AOGA then incorporated into its final Request. Polar bear den surveys before activities begin during the denning season, and the resulting 1.6-km (1-mi) operational exclusion zone around all known polar bear dens and restrictions on the timing and types of activities in the vicinity of dens will ensure that impacts to denning female polar bears and their cubs are minimized during this critical time. In addition to conducting den detection surveys, during seismic operations, AOGA will use advance crews that use denning habitat maps and trained observers to scout for potential denning habitat including deep snow and steep bluffs in order to increase avoidance of these areas. Minimum flight elevations over polar bear areas and flight restrictions around known polar bear dens would reduce the potential for bears to be disturbed by aircraft. Additionally, during certain vessel based operations, or while conducting significant activities along to the coast that could introduce sound into the marine environment, AOGA will use trained protected species observers to alert crews when Pacific walruses or polar bears are in the vicinity. If they observe Pacific walruses or polar bears, they will shut down, reduce, or modify activities as needed to mitigate potential impacts. Protected species observers may also be required by the Service for use during other activities including aircraft operations or surface operations to also reduce potential impacts. Finally, AOGA will implement mitigation measures to prevent the presence and impact of attractants such as the use of wildlife-resistant waste receptacles and enclosing access doors and stairs. These measures will be outlined in polar bear and walrus interaction plans that are developed in coordination with the Service prior to starting activities. Based on the information we currently have regarding den and aircraft disturbance and polar bear attractants, we concluded that the mitigation measures outlined in AOGA's Request (AOGA 2021) and incorporated into this final rule will practically and effectively minimize disturbance from the specified oil and gas activities. The only additional mitigation measure not already included in AOGA's request but warranted to effect the least practicable adverse impact on polar bears and walruses is the requirement that aircraft operations within the ITR area will maintain an altitude of 1,500 ft above ground level when safe and operationally possible. Whereas AOGA's request committed to fly at such levels under ideal conditions, and the Proposed ITR stated that aircraft ``should'' fly at such levels when safe and operationally possible, this Final Rule replaces the Proposed Rule's use of ``should'' with ``will''. The Service determined that this revision could further reduce the extent to which aircraft are permitted to fly below 1,500 ft above ground level and thus further minimizes potential disturbances to polar bears and walruses while preserving safety and continuity of operations at minimal to no extra cost. A number of additional mitigation measures were considered but determined not to be practicable means of reducing impacts. These measures are listed below: Required use of helicopters for AIR surveys--Use of helicopters to survey active dens might actually lead to greater levels of disturbance and take compared to fixed-wing aircraft. Additionally, there have been no published data to indicate increased den detection efficacy of helicopter AIR. Grounding all flights if they must fly below 1,500 feet-- Requiring all aircraft to maintain an altitude of 1,500 ft is not practicable as some necessary operations may require flying below 1,500 ft in order to perform inspections or maintain safety of flight crew. Spatial and temporal restrictions on surface activity-- Some spatial and temporal restrictions of operations were included in the ITR as a result of the Service's collaboration with the applicant, but it was made clear during that process additional restrictions would not be practicable for oil and gas operations based on other regulatory and safety requirements. One mile buffer around all known polar bear denning habitat--One mile buffer around all known polar bear denning habitat is not practicable as many existing operations occur within denning habitat and it would not be able to shut down all operations based on other regulatory and safety requirements. Restriction of vessel speed to 10 knots or less-- Restricting the speed of all industry vessels to 10 knots or less is not practicable for safe and efficient operations. The Service analyzed take of walruses and polar bears for in-water activities within a 1- mile radius around a vessel at operational vessel speeds. Restricting vessel speeds unnecessarily will result in vessels spending more time in the water and it will increase the likelihood that marine mammals will be exposed to vessel disturbance for a longer period of time. Requirements for pile driving sound mitigation--Additional mitigation measures to reduce in-water sound were not required as the area of sound propagation would not extend beyond [[Page 43042]] the impact area for visual disturbance that is already included in the analysis. Therefore, there is no additional mitigative benefit to requiring this measure. Prohibition of driving over high relief areas, embankments, or stream and river crossings--While the denning habitat must be considered in tundra travel activities, complete prohibition of travel across such areas is not practicable because it would preclude necessary access to various operational areas and pose potential safety concerns. Moreover, not all high relief areas, embankments, and stream and river crossing constitute suitable polar bear denning habitat. Use of a broader definition of ``denning habitat'' for operational offsets--There is no available data to support broadening the defining features of denning habitat beyond that established by USGS. Such a redefinition would cause an increase in the area surveyed for maternal dens and increase potential harassment of bears on the surface. Establishment of corridors for sow and cub transit to the sea ice--As there is no data to support the existence of natural transit corridors to the sea ice, establishment of corridors in the ITR area would be highly speculative. Therefore, there would be no mitigative benefit realized by their establishment. Requirement of third-party neutral marine mammal observers--It is often not practicable to hire third-party marine mammal observers due to operational constraints. Additional crew may require additional transit vehicles, which could increase disturbance. Require all activities to cease if a polar bear or walrus is injured or killed until an investigation is completed--The Service has incorporated into this rule reporting requirements for all polar bear and Pacific walrus interactions. While it may aid in any subsequent investigation, ceasing activities in an active oil field may not be practicable or safe in certain circumstances, and thus will not be mandated. Require use of den detection dogs-- It is not practicable to require scent trained dogs to detect dens due to the large spatial extent that would need to be surveyed each year. Require the use of handheld or vehicle-mounted FLIR--The efficacy rates for AIR has been found to be four times more likely to detect dens versus ground-based FLIR (handheld or vehicle-mounted FLIR) due to impacts of blowing snow on detection. While use of handheld or vehicle-mounted FLIR could increase the potential of detecting active dens in some circumstances, in other circumstances these potential benefits could be outweighed by the additional disturbances created by increasing vehicle use or human presence in the vicinity of dens. The safety of personnel tasked to prolong their presence in such areas is also an important consideration. The Service therefore finds that use of such techniques should remain at the discretion of operators on a case-by-case basis. Impacts on Subsistence Uses We based our findings on past experience, requirements concerning community consultations through the Plan of Cooperation (POC) process, the limited anticipated overlap of hunting areas and Industry projects, the best scientific information available, anticipated 5-year effects of Industry activities on subsistence hunting, and the results of monitoring data and the Service's Marking, Tagging, and Reporting Program. Through these data, we find that any incidental harassment that may result from oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities in the specified geographic region will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of walruses and polar bears for taking for subsistence uses during the regulatory timeframe. While walruses and polar bears represent a small portion, in terms of the number of animals, of the total subsistence harvest for the communities of Utqiagvik, Nuiqsut, and Kaktovik, the harvest of these species is important to Alaska Natives. Prior to receipt of an LOA, Industry must provide evidence to us that community consultations have occurred or that an adequate POC has been presented to the subsistence communities. Industry will be required to contact subsistence communities that may be affected by its activities to discuss potential conflicts caused by location, timing, and methods of proposed operations. Industry must make reasonable efforts to ensure that activities do not interfere with subsistence hunting and that adverse effects on the availability of walruses and polar bear are minimized. Although multiple meetings for multiple projects from numerous operators have already taken place, no official concerns have been voiced by the Alaska Native communities regarding Industry activities limiting availability of walruses or polar bears for subsistence uses. However, should such a concern be voiced as Industry continues to reach out to the Alaska Native communities, development of POCs, which must identify measures to minimize any adverse effects, will be required. The POC will ensure that oil and gas activities will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species or stock for subsistence uses. This POC must provide the procedures addressing how Industry will work with the affected Alaska Native communities and what actions will be taken to avoid interference with subsistence hunting of walruses and polar bears, as warranted. The Service has not received any reports and is aware of no information that indicates that walruses or polar bears are being or will be deflected from hunting areas or impacted in any way that diminishes their availability for subsistence use by the expected level of oil and gas activity. If there is evidence during the 5-year period of the regulations that oil and gas activities are affecting the availability of walruses or polar bears for take for subsistence uses, we will reevaluate our findings regarding permissible limits of take and the measures required to ensure continued subsistence hunting opportunities. Monitoring and Reporting The purpose of monitoring requirements is to assess the effects of industrial activities on walruses and polar bears, ensure that the number of takes and the effects of taking are consistent with that anticipated in the ITR, and detect any unanticipated effects on the species or stocks. Monitoring plans document when and how bears and walruses are encountered, the number of bears and walruses, and their behavior during the encounter. This information allows the Service to measure encounter rates and trends of walrus and polar bear activity in the industrial areas (such as numbers and gender, activity, seasonal use) and to estimate numbers of animals potentially affected by Industry. Monitoring plans are site-specific, dependent on the proximity of the activity to important habitat areas, such as den sites, travel corridors, and food sources; however, Industry is required to report all sightings of walruses and polar bears. To the extent possible, monitors will record group size, age, sex, reaction, duration of interaction, and closest approach to Industry onshore. Activities within the specified geographic region may incorporate daily watch logs as well, which record 24-hour animal observations throughout the duration of the project. Polar bear monitors will be incorporated into the monitoring plan if bears are known to frequent the area or known polar bear dens are present in the area. At offshore Industry sites, systematic monitoring [[Page 43043]] protocols will be implemented to statistically monitor observation trends of walruses or polar bears in the nearshore areas where they usually occur. Monitoring activities will be summarized and reported in a formal report each year. The applicant must submit an annual monitoring and reporting plan at least 90 days prior to the initiation of a proposed activity, and the applicant must submit a final monitoring report to us no later than 90 days after the expiration of the LOA. We base each year's monitoring objective on the previous year's monitoring results. We require an approved plan for monitoring and reporting the effects of oil and gas Industry exploration, development, and production activities on polar bears and walruses prior to issuance of an LOA. Since production activities are continuous and long term, upon approval, LOAs and their required monitoring and reporting plans will be issued for the life of the activity or until the expiration of the regulations, whichever occurs first. Each year, prior to January 15, we will require that the operator submit development and production activity monitoring results of the previous year's activity. We require approval of the monitoring results for continued operation under the LOA. We find that this regulation will establish monitoring and reporting requirements to evaluate the potential impacts of planned activities and to ensure that the effects of the activities remain consistent with the rest of the findings. Summary of and Response to Comments and Recommendations Response to Comments The Service published a proposed rule in the Federal Register (FR) on June 1, 2021, with a 30-day period seeking comments on both the proposed ITR and the draft EA (86 FR 79082). The comment period closed on July 1, 2021. The Service received 30,271 comments. Comments were received from two Federal agencies, the Marine Mammal Commission, the State of Alaska, the North Slope Borough, various trade and environmental organizations, and interested members of the public. We reviewed all comments, which are part of the docket for this ITR, for substantive issues, new information, and recommendations regarding this ITR and EA. The Service used ``DiscoverText'' \1\ to aggregate the comments submitted by the public. The Service determined that of the comments received, 30,251, aggregated and submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity, consisted of comments all of which expressed opposition to the promulgation of the regulation. All 30,251 of these comments either repeated, summarized, or provided edits to a standardized message. The Service notes that these modified form letters provided no new information or specific comments but rather brief to lengthy statements expressing the writer's general opposition to the ITR. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ The use of DiscoverText does not convey or imply that the Service directly or indirectly endorses any product or service provided. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The comments are aggregated by subject matter, summarized and addressed below, and changes have been incorporated into the final rule and final EA as appropriate. A summary of the changes to this final ITR from the proposed ITR is found in the preamble section entitled, Summary of Changes from the Proposed Rule. Response to Comments MMPA Requirements Comment 1: One commenter suggested that the Service's definition of harassment does not consider the ``potential'' to disrupt biologically important behaviors, which results in an underestimation of the amount of take from activities. Response: The Service acknowledges that the definitions of harassment relevant to AOGA's specified activities are those found at 16 U.S.C. 1362(18)(A)(i)-(ii). These definitions are cited in the ITR and were employed in the Service's analysis. The Service disagrees with the commenter's assertion that the Service misapplied these definitions in the ITR. The ITR language quoted by the comment is a partial quote that is not portrayed in appropriate context. The Service stands by its assumption that not all minor changes in behavior (i.e., ``disturbances'') are of a type that can result in harassment, even Level B harassment, because they simply would not disrupt natural behavioral patterns. By way of a simple example, where a polar bear perceived noise from an industrial source located several miles away, the bear could potentially manifest a ``disturbance'' by briefly pausing travel and/or looking toward the noise source, but it would quickly resume what it was doing a moment prior, without any disruption to its pattern of natural behavior. That said, where the noise source is sufficiently loud or close to the polar bear such that the polar bear may flee, express stress-related behavior, abandon a hunt, find itself unable to rest for long periods, or react in one of the numerous other manners cited by the ITR as indicative of a disruption of natural behavioral patterns, the Service assumes that a take by Level B harassment occurs. Meanwhile, the Service disagrees with the commenter's apparent suggestion to use the most sensitive individual (an ``outlier'' in statistical terms) in the SBS population as the basis for all of its modeling assumptions. Doing so would ignore the best available scientific evidence about how the vast majority of polar bears react to industrial stimuli, effectively replace the implementing regulations' use of the terms ``likely'' and ``anticipated'' with the term ``possible'' (See 50 CFR 18.27(d)), result in vast overestimations of take, and fail to reflect what the Service or any other objective party could reasonably anticipate occurring. When conducting complex acoustic modeling of potential marine mammal responses to industrial stimuli, one must necessarily make a series of reasonable assumptions (including development and application of acoustic thresholds) in order to evaluate and quantify the potential for harassment. The Service's general approach and assumptions here are analogous to those typically utilized by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) when assessing the potential for anthropogenic noise to harass marine mammals. While it is possible that some animals do in fact experience disruption of behavioral patterns upon exposure to intermittent sounds at received levels less than [the 160dB acoustic threshold used by NMFS], this is not in and of itself adequate justification for using a lower threshold. Implicit in the use of a step function for quantifying Level B harassment is the realistic assumption, due to behavioral context and other factors, that some animals exposed to received levels below the threshold will in fact experience harassment, while others exposed to levels above the threshold will not. The Service reiterates two key concepts underpinning NMFS's modeling approach and comment response--that modeling assumptions must be realistic as opposed to based on outliers, and that not all disturbances lead to disruption of behavioral patterns and Level B harassment. Comment 2: One commenter suggested that the Service acknowledges a marine mammal's movement away from an area as take by Level B harassment, but they do not account for this movement in their take estimates. [[Page 43044]] Response: We disagree. As a nomadic species, any assumptions of an individual polar bear's intent to inhabit a specific location would be arbitrary. Included in our estimates of takes by level B harassment are instances when a polar bear changes course and moves in a different direction due to human interaction. However, the Service does not consider only ``increased vigilance'' to be a form of Level B harassment, because increased awareness of potential hazards in an animal's environment does not constitute a disruption of biologically significant behaviors as defined in the MMPA. Further, the Service does not classify a lower probability of denning near industrial infrastructure as a form of Level B harassment. We explain in the proposed rule that denning habitat adjacent to industrial activity has not been removed as a potential denning location. This is evidenced by our use of a probability distribution to determine potential offsets from active industrial sites when placing simulated dens, as opposed to a strict rule of simulating dens a fixed distance away from industry. We include the potential impact from new oil and gas infrastructure when simulating dens during our denning analysis as well. Comment 3: One commenter suggested that the Service should reevaluate their determinations and either deny the Request to issue an authorization or issue a revised proposed ITR after addressing public comments before promulgating the ITR. Response: The Service disagrees. The ITR includes a thorough and robust analysis based on detailed descriptions from the applicant of specified activities and the best available science. The Service has reasonably determined that the taking associated with AOGA's specified activities meets all applicable MMPA standards and will therefore issue the requested ITR, subject to appropriate conditions, pursuant to its statutory directive. There are no significant changes to AOGA's Request or the Service's assumptions, or analysis that would require publishing a revised proposed ITR. Comment 4: Commenters suggested that the Service is applying new and unreasonable interpretation of ``small numbers'' and should define their small numbers determination as well as explain why the Service anticipates an increase in harassment during this 5-year regulation period compared to the previous 5-year regulation period. Response: The Service's ``small numbers'' determination is consistent with applicable law, policy, and longstanding practice. There are several considerations relevant to the Service's ``small numbers'' standard, but the number of takes estimated in prior regulatory processes is not one of them. The SBS population estimate, calculated by USGS in 2020, is calculated using a number of annual metrics, including annual survival probabilities, annual number of dens, and annual denning success. The resulting value is an estimate of the number of individuals in the population in any given contemporary year. Appropriately, the Service has divided annual take estimates by the annual population estimate, to calculate a percentage of the population potentially taken for its small numbers determination. The Service has explained at length the quantitative methods that have been used to estimate the number of Level B harassment events projected in the proposed ITR. Comment 5: One commenter suggested that the Service combined the small numbers determination with the negligible impact determination, and these determinations should be addressed separately. Response: The Service rendered separate determinations for ``small numbers'' and ``negligible impact'' based on the distinct considerations relevant to each standard. It did not ``conflate'' these findings. This was explained in the proposed rule and remains true in the Final ITR. Comment 6: One commenter suggested that the Service's small number determination is inconsistent with the number of takes by Level B harassment anticipated for SBS polar bears and that polar bears repeatedly harassed should be considered in the Service's determination. Response: The potential that individual polar bears could experience multiple incidents of Level B harassment was acknowledged and accounted for in this analysis. The effects of each incident of Level B harassment (as opposed to more severe forms of take) are inherently limited and short term, and the Service does not anticipate that the effects of multiple Level B harassments of the same polar bear would aggregate or combine with each other in a manner that causes anything greater than Level B harassment. Per the MMPA, ``small numbers'' refers to the number of animals incidentally taken, not the number of incidental takes as the comment here suggests. That said, because the Service could not reliably calculate how many of the anticipated Level B harassments would accrue to the same animals, it conservatively assumed for the purposes of its ``small numbers'' determination that each of the anticipated takes would accrue to a different animal. Comment 7: Commenters suggested that the Service ignores the potential negligible impact implications for a skew within the model used to analyze denning impacts and the potential for take by Level A harassment. Response: The ITR does not authorize any Level A harassment or lethal take of polar bears (nor did AOGA request authorization for such take). The Service did employ a complex model to analyze the probability that harassing a denning or post-emergent bear could result in lethal take of her cubs. We provided all of the output data from the simulations as part of the proposed rule to be transparent and allow commenters to see for themselves where take comes from and why there is such a significant skew in the data on the number of estimated lethal take or serious take by Level A harassment. The reason for the skew is because the majority (i.e., 54%) of model iterations estimated 0 serious takes by Level A harassment or lethal takes occurring annually. We disagree with the commenter that the skew is caused by a combination of the number of dens and the number of bears in dens that are disturbed. In reality, the skew is the result of the high number of iterations where 0 take is estimated. It is true that the tail of the distribution is a function of the number of dens disturbed and the number of cubs in those dens. We disagree that the Service is ignoring the potential for take by Level A harassment. We presented all of the output of the model to be as transparent as possible, and to fully assess the potential that estimated and authorized Level B harassment of a denning or post-emergent sow could result in abandonment of her cubs. We also disagree that the mean is the appropriate metric to consider when estimating the expected level of take associated with the proposed activities. Means are the appropriate measure of central tendency when data are normally distributed or some other symmetric distribution. In these cases, the mean and median are nearly the same. However, when the data are significantly skewed, as our results are, the median is a more appropriate informative measure of the central tendency in the data. Comment 8: Commenters suggested that the Service should consider the effects of potential take by Level A harassment and potential lethal take of polar bear cubs for the negligible impact. Response: The Service has conducted a thorough analysis using detailed [[Page 43045]] project descriptions from the applicant and quantitative estimates of take developed using the best available science. As is explained in the proposed rule, due to the low (52 dens to occur in the region. As stated in the text of the document detailing the den simulations (pp. 86 FR 29407-29408, June 1, 2021), we use statistical distributions for each region in the ITR (i.e., NPR-A, Colville to Canning, the 1002 area) to simulate a number of dens in each region during each iteration of the model. Based on how these distributions were parameterized, it is possible to have up to ~102 dens simulated during any given iteration of the model. That is the sum of the upper 95% CI for each of the three regions where dens were simulated. Additionally, the data used in the den simulation portion of the model uses the best available information derived from the most up- to-date den catalogue published by Durner et al. (2020). Olson et al. (2017) shows that in the period 2007-2013 55% of dens occurred on land, and this did not differ from the period of 1996-2006 (i.e., 54.5%). So, our results are consistent with these studies, based on the most recent data, and reflective of what we expect to occur during the five-year period of this ITR. Comment 57: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider the energetic costs of denning female polar bears relocating to alternative den sites and the associated impacts of these energetic costs on the survival for both mother polar bears and their cubs. Response: While we agree with the commenter that these types of relationships are conceivable, we are unaware of any research to support or document these claims. Further, these statements are just conjectures, and it's equally feasible that females have sufficient energetic reserves to find a new den site given that they already spend energy scouting for ideal den sites. We are therefore required to use the currently best-available information, which indicates minimal impacts to denning females if forced to find a new den site after being disturbed. Comment 58: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider whether the number of cubs affected by premature den departure is underestimated. Response: We disagree with the notion that we have underestimated [[Page 43051]] such impacts. We use the best available science to address this question. While we agree that there are likely local factors at a den site that could play a role in triggering when bears decide to depart the den site, those relationships have not been established, nor would there be any way to project those conditions to all future denning bears. We use real-world data on den emergence dates and time spent at the den site post-emergence but prior to permanently departing the area. These observations already contain natural variation in the timing of these events, possibly based on the local conditions or the specific attributes of denning females (e.g., nutritional condition). Thus, drawing from these distributions should allow for the level of natural variation to be accounted for in the analysis. While it's true a larger sample size would always be better, polar bears are difficult to study and we must therefore use what we have available. It is also worth mentioning that the sample sizes are not so small as to be unreliable. In fact they were deemed sufficient for inclusion into multiple peer-reviewed studies (e.g., Rode et al. 2014, Smith et al. 2007). Comment 59: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider the potential impacts of take by Level A harassment that may result from a mother abandoning her cubs in response to disturbance. Response: The dataset that was used to analyze potential take from surface interactions encompassed all recorded human-polar bear interactions throughout the year, including the months when sows are moving toward the sea ice with cubs of the year. There are no recorded interactions in the 2014-2018 dataset between Industry and these bears that resulted in Level A harassment. The Service has also accounted for these potential interactions when establishing mitigation measures. Under the mitigation measures established in the proposed rule, Industry must survey for maternal polar bear dens, create exclusion zones around known dens, and report all polar bear interactions (including those with sows and cubs) to the Service within 48 hours of the event. Comment 60: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider the most recent evidence of cub survival and recruitment in the SBS polar bear population as part of their baseline to assess impacts to SBS polar bears. Response: We agree with the commenter that over the past ~20 years, cub-of-the-year survival in the SBS has been low relative to other subpopulations and is the primary driver of concomitant decreases in abundance. Survival was especially low in the period 2004-2008 (mean = ~0.24), a period of marked population decline, but was relatively higher in the period 2009-2014 (mean = 0.50), the last year for which estimates are available (Atwood et al. 2020). Comment 61: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify the explanation for distinguishing lethal take of polar bear cubs if cubs are abandoned before 60 days of age and serious take by Level A harassment of cubs if cubs are abandoned after 60 of age. Response: We disagree with the commenter that our different treatment of cubs emerging early during the early vs. late denning periods is inappropriate. We used 60 days based on published literature indicating that cubs have developed the basic functions to survive outside of the den by the time they reach ~2 months (60 days) of age. Prior to 60 days, the literature indicates that survival of cubs outside of the den is not possible. Serious Level A harassment is harassment that is likely to result in mortality. Based on the results of Rode et al. (2018), we know that early emergence from the den can lead to survival consequences for cubs. However, it is clear from the results of Rode et al. (2018) that not all cubs die as a result of early emergence (assuming they are >60 days old), thus, there is a different outcome to cubs emerging early during the early denning vs. the late denning periods. Hence, we treated early emergence during the late denning period as a serious Level A harassment because of the potential for a lethal outcome and lethal take for early emergence during the early denning period because of nearly 100% probability of cubs dying then. Comment 62: One commenter suggested that the Service should use systematically collected survey data that has been peer-reviewed in order to evaluate disturbance impacts to denning polar bears during Industry activities rather than use opportunistic observations of polar bear disturbance during Industry activities. Response: The case studies include published literature and reports of observations made by Industry and research and provided to USFWS. The published literature includes peer-reviewed literature, including literature by Amstrup (1993), which states that ``10 of 12 polar bears tolerated exposure to exceptional levels of activity'' and ``most bears in this study showed substantial tolerance to activity.'' They also state ``. . . live capture and marking were probably more disruptive to bears than other possible perturbations. Yet recruitment of cubs through the time of emergence from the den and sizes of cubs were not affected.'' In our analysis, we utilized the best available information, which included internal reports and observations, as well as peer-reviewed literature (e.g., Amstrup 1993). Thus, we used past reports to inform our findings, but the reports alone did not provide the basis for our findings as noted in the ``Info Source'' column of the AOGA ITR--Case Studies Summary Table--061621, document ID FWS-R7- ES-2021-0037-0011. Comment 63: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify the explanation for not classifying disturbance during early denning that did not result in den abandonment as take by Level A harassment. Response: The early denning period begins with the birth of cubs and ends 60 days after birth. Because cubs cannot survive outside the den prior to reaching 60 days of age, any exposure during early denning that resulted in an emergence was classified as lethal take. Of the 10 cases in the repeated-exposure category that occurred during the late denning period, 2 resulted in cub mortality; in the other 8 cases, exposures did not result in emergences--the bears remained in their dens until after 13 February, the date that marked the end of the early denning period in cases where cub age was not known. Although possible, no studies have clearly demonstrated latent effects of disturbance on denning bears that did not respond to the disturbance in observable manners. In these eight cases, negative response (e.g., early emergence) were not observed during early denning. The purpose of evaluating these case studies was to inform the probabilities of responses to exposures during different periods. In this case, simulated dens that were exposed to repeated exposures before cubs reached 60 days of age had a 20% probability, on average, of resulting in cub mortality and an 80% probability of remaining in the den until the beginning of the late denning period. Comment 64: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify their explanation for the dates assigned to the early denning period. Response: We used the best available information to inform average parturition date of 15 December. Messier et al. (1994) concluded that a majority of births occurred before or around 15 December as indicated by the drop in activity levels of instrumented females. [[Page 43052]] Comment 65: One commenter suggested that the Service should collect more extensive followup information on polar bear den disturbance case studies in order to determine whether cubs survived a den disturbance event. Response: For most of the case studies, we had documentation of only the immediate outcome of the exposure to a disturbance, which was sufficient for determining the immediate outcome. For most cases, there is no documentation of the outcome of the cubs beyond the immediate timeframe of the disturbance. We used the best available information, and it would not be appropriate to assume an outcome in the absence of information. Comment 66: Several commenters suggested that the Service did not adequately consider the possibility of lethal take or serious injury take by Level A harassment arising from direct contact of a vehicle with a den and varying reactions of denning animals to vehicles in close proximity. Response: We do not use only Smith et al. (2020) for estimates of AIR efficacy, but rather we include the results from Smith et al. (2020) and Amstrup et al. (2004) in our analysis, as well as a new study on artificial dens (Woodruff and Wilson 2021). We do take into account potential disturbance from ground noise and vibrations from drill and exploration in the form of our disturbance probabilities derived from our review of relevant case studies. While it is true that Amstrup et al. (2004) suggest helicopters may have higher detection rates than fixed-wing aircraft, the average detection rates from Amstrup et al. (2004) do not differ significantly from results obtained with a fixed-wing aircraft (Smith et al. 2020) when accounting for the proportion of dens that are unlikely to be available for detection given snow depth. Additionally, AOGA proposed using only fixed-wing aircraft, so that is what we considered in our analysis. The EA serves to assess the impacts of the Federal action of issuing the ITR. The ITR does not authorize the specified activities; therefore, the EA focuses its discussion on the effects of takes to be authorized pursuant to the ITR. The impacts from the activities themselves could proceed without MMPA coverage at the discretion of the applicant and are not effects of the Proposed Action, but were nevertheless considered as part of the environmental baseline and in the cumulative impacts analysis. Based on the output of the den disturbance analysis, we estimated the number of dens and probability of >=1 den being run over by equipment used while driving off established roads in the project area. Because it is possible to run over dens only when driving off established roads, we restricted our analysis to only those simulated dens that occurred adjacent to proposed ice roads, tundra travel routes, and seismic grids. Because the applicant did not specify how seismic grids would be laid out, we followed a similar approach as Wilson and Durner (2020) and simulated seismic grids across the high- and low-density seismic areas (Fig. 7). We simulated E-W and N-S seismic track lines, each separated by 201.2 m (660 ft). We assumed vehicles traveling seismic grids, ice roads, and tundra travel routes would have a width of 3.4 m (11.2 ft; Wilson and Durner 2020). For each iteration of the model, we determined which dens occurred within the footprint (i.e., 3.4 m) of the different movement paths. We then determined if dens had been identified by AIR surveys. If a den was identified on an AIR survey, we excluded it from further analysis. Lastly, we restricted the set of dens available to be run over to those that did not previously have a take by Level A harassment or lethal take assigned to it during the early or late denning periods. That is, those dens that did not previously respond to disturbance and, therefore, would be vulnerable to being run over by equipment. We did not consider the potential for running over dens during the den establishment period or post-emergence period because during both of these periods bears are known to be on the surface and would likely be visible to operators and the bears would be able to readily detect the potential risk of the vehicles and respond appropriately. Our approach for estimating the number of dens potentially run over by equipment can be considered conservative because it does not account for the fact that operators have stated they will avoid crossing denning habitat whenever possible, which would further reduce the probability of running over a den. Similarly, the seismic grids we simulated likely cover a greater area than a normal seismic layout, but because information was not provided by the applicant, we used the more liberal layout. We found that the probability of running over a den is exceedingly low each year of the ITR. The probability of running over >=1 den each winter ranged from 0.0041 to 0.0059. This makes sense given the existing mitigation measures analyzed take some dens off the table because they are found prior to the commencement of activities that could run over them. Additionally, the actual footprint of vehicles is very small compared to the scale of the project area, thus, there is a very low risk to begin with that a den would even overlap a vehicle's footprint on the landscape. When additional mitigation measures proposed by the applicant are considered, including the avoidance of steep terrain and the training of personnel for identifying den site characteristics, which cannot be quantified, the Service determined that the probability of running over a den was sufficiently small so that it could be dismissed and therefore was not included in this ITR. Comment 67: One commenter suggested that the Service should use randomized case studies for their polar bear denning analysis. Response: It is not clear exactly what the commenter means by the ``case studies used for the case studies are not randomized.'' There was no way to use ``randomized'' data in this case. The use of randomized data in this case would require conducting a study by radio- collaring denning females and then observing their response to any den disturbance. This runs the risk of substantial disturbance in both the capture and collaring (see Amstrup 1993, Lunn et al. 2004) and the observation (see Smith et al. 2007, 2010, 2013; Robinson 2014). Instead we relied on the case studies, the best available information, to inform our model and take probabilities. Comment 68: One commenter suggested that the Service should reevaluate the most recent scientific evidence on the number of land- based dens for the SBS polar bear stock to avoid underestimating the number of dens used for the denning analysis. Response: We are not sure what leads the commenter to believe that the results of Atwood et al. (2020) are an underestimate of the number of dens on shore. Atwood et al. (2020) represents the best available science and updates the approach developed by Wilson and Durner (2020) to incorporate newer data that was not available for Wilson and Durner (2020) and which does a better job incorporating uncertainty into the parameters used in the approach. The reason Atwood et al. (2020) is used over Wilson and Durner (2020) is two-fold. First, an updated den catalogue (i.e., Durner et al. 2020) wasn't available when Wilson and Durner (2020) conducted their analysis. This new set of dens is the primary reason that the estimate from Atwood et al. differs from Wilson and Durner. Second, multiple public comments on the analysis of Wilson and Durner noted that uncertainty in underlying parameters [[Page 43053]] were not adequately accounted for. Atwood et al. (2020) overcame this problem to present a more robust estimate. We agree with the commenter that, in the long term, land-based denning is likely to increase due to loss of sea ice. However, the most recent study of land-based denning in the SBS, Olson et al. (2017) found that rates of land-based denning have been constant (i.e., not statistically different) between the periods 1996-2006 and 2007-2013. Given that the lowest sea ice minimum extent was observed in 2012, it's unlikely that there has been a significant increase in land-based denning since the data used in Olson et al. (2017). Comment 69: One commenter suggested the Service should consider including more recent years of denning data in their denning analysis in order to account for the increased number of land-based dens. Response: Atwood et al. (2020) are clear about their methods and what data they used to calculate the 54% of dens occurring on land. This estimate conforms to those found in Olson et al. (2017), which is the most recently published study on the percent of SBS bears denning on land. Olson et al. (2017) found that on average, in the period 1996- 2006, 54% of bears in the SBS denned on land, and in the period 2007- 2013, 55% denned on land. Thus, these data nearly perfectly conform to the values used by Atwood et al. (2020; which also included uncertainty around those estimates). The reason Atwood only used data through 2015 is because that is the last year when bears received GPS collars, which are required to obtain an unbiased estimate of the distribution of denning. The graph the commenters present in their letter is not an accurate way to represent the data in the den catalogue. While it's true that there are additional years of dens in the den catalogue, beyond 2015 they are based on firsthand observations, which are going to show a positive bias towards land-based dens given that limited search effort is conducted offshore. Thus, the best available data are used by Atwood et al. 2020, and the approach used by the commenters is likely biased high and not a proper way to summarize the data. Comment 70: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify their methods for accounting for the variation and uncertainty in their polar bear population estimate and the interannual variation in the number of denning female polar bears that was used in the denning analysis. Response: We agree that Wilson and Durner (2020) failed to account for uncertainty associated with many of the underlying parameters used to estimate the number of dens on shore. That is why we relied on the estimate provided by Atwood et al. (2020) that does account for that uncertainty. The uncertainty accounted for by Atwood et al. (2020) incorporates annual variability in environmental conditions, which could lead to differences in the use of land. So, the Atwood et al. (2020) methods and results are robust to the issues presented by the commenter. Comment 71: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider accounting for the number of dens containing females without cubs and reevaluating the den emergence date to include only successful dens in order to not underestimate the number of takes for denning polar bears. Response: We disagree that the model does not account for dens with only a female bear. In fact we provide some probability (~7%) for a den to have 0 cubs. So, we do account for the probability of a female emerging without cubs. As for the incorrect skew of emergence dates, we again disagree with the commenter. We use den emergence data from Rode et al. 2018 and restrict the data to only those that were in the den for a sufficient amount of time to indicate the den was more than a shelter den. Additionally, even though Rode et al. identify some of the dens as not being observed with cubs ~100 days after emergence, it does not indicate that the dens were unsuccessful, only that they were later observed without cubs. Cubs could easily have been lost between emergence and subsequent re-observation. There is currently no way to know if a bear emerged without a cub. If those data were available, we would include them, but they don't exist. Comment 72: One commenter suggested that the Service's denning analysis using the Wilson and Durner (2020) model framework does not accurately predict impacts to denning polar bears throughout the geographic scope for project activities and the model does not account for uncertainty in the timing and location of Industry activities that may impact denning polar bears. Response: We disagree with the commenter that the general framework provided by Wilson and Durner (2020) is not suitable for use in this ITR. The approach developed by Wilson and Durner (2020) provides a general framework for how to incorporate different sources of information (as well as associated uncertainty) to analyze how different types of activity and infrastructure might affect denning polar bears. The specific model discussed in Wilson and Durner (2020) has been significantly modified to account for the proposed activities in this Request as well as additional sources of information (e.g., different denning periods) to increase the realism of the model. While it is true that Wilson and Durner (2020) only used the model to analyze impacts to polar bears over a smaller activity area, with one type of industrial activity, the model we published as part of this ITR clearly shows that it is capable of being applied to a larger area and suite of activities. We also disagree that the ITR does not provide reliable information on where and when activities will occur. Both the code and objects associated with the den disturbance model and the associated shapefiles published with the proposed ITR provide both spatial and temporal information on when/where activities will occur. In instances where specific dates or areas were unknown (e.g., seismic surveys), we accounted for that uncertainty by analyzing the seismic to occur in the ``worst'' place possible for polar bears (within the range provided by AOGA in their Request) as well as accounting for variability in the timing of activity within prescribed bounds. We also disagree with the commenter that the Service did not account for the possibility of a larger seismic survey. This is not true. We clearly state on page 29410 of the Federal Register publication of the Proposed ITR that during any given winter, the areas surveyed would be 80% for optimal weather conditions, but we don't use that value. We use the average AIR efficacy, which is closer to 55% for Amstrup. Because a range of weather conditions is used, our estimates are able to provide inference across those conditions. Additionally, while we agree that weather conditions in northern Alaska are likely to change with climate change, surveys are still required to be flown under conditions that have been found to be suitable. Comment 104: One commenter suggested that the Service should address that polar bear dens can remain undetected despite multiple AIR surveys in the area and whether the requirement for multiple AIR surveys will effectively increase the den detection rate. Response: We agree that more AIR surveys do not make them more effective. Dens in the model can continue to go undetected even after multiple surveys. But, the laws of probability indicate that if you do the surveys multiple times over a den that is available to be detected, the probability that it will be detected (at least once) increases. Similar to Amstrup et al. (2004), when you apply two AIR surveys to our simulated dens, the overall probability of detection is only ~65%. So, it is incorrect that more surveys do not equal more dens detected. Comment 105: One commenter suggested that the Service should address how the efficacy of AIR for detecting dens with various depths of snow cover was accounted for in their den detection model. Response: We don't assume that dens with snow depth >100 cm can't be detected for the current analysis. AIR efficacy rates are for all dens (i.e., independent of snow depth), so by default includes those dens that are unable to be detected for whatever reason. Smith et al. (2020) did not account for snow depth in their detection probability, and Woodruff and Wilson (2021) did not find a relationship between detection and snow depth. That is why we don't take into account snow depth for the approach we took in this model. Comment 106: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify their explanation for the sources used to inform their estimation of den detection probability and how uncertainty was accounted for during their estimation of den detection probability. Response: Our approach is not arbitrary. We are aware of only three studies that utilize AIR detection estimates. Although Scheidler and Perham published a report on aerial survey detections, they had significant issues (published in their report) that precluded our use of their results. Other studies use drones (Pedersen et al. 2020) or handheld infrared (Robinson et al. 2014), which are likely not comparable and don't actually provide detection probabilities. With respect to the Woodruff and Wilson (2021) study, the Service published the white paper to give readers details on how the probabilities were derived, but the greater context of the study was not provided because it is currently under peer-review. Many limitations to the study make the use of the lower estimate questionable (e.g., onboard navigation equipment was not allowed for observers compared to real surveys). Thus, we used the detection estimate from that study as the most reliable (i.e., dens that were determined to have been covered by the AIR camera). So, the decision was not arbitrary, but based on our in- depth knowledge of the study and its limitations. Lastly, the Service doesn't ignore the uncertainty in den [[Page 43059]] detection depending on people on the survey crew. Those differences are already incorporated into the estimates in Woodruff and Wilson (2021). All three surveyors had significant experience using AIR to detect polar bear dens. Thus, our estimate represents the average detection rates for people with training in the use of AIR to detect polar bear dens. Comment 107: One commenter suggested that the Service underestimated the number of polar bear dens that would remain undetected, which may affect their take estimations. Response: First, the den model does not assume only 52 dens are on the land in any given year. That is the mean value we used, but we accounted for the uncertainty in this estimate, so the number of dens simulated during each iteration is highly variable. We agree with the assessment by the commenter that the results of Woodruff and Wilson (2021) show that only 50% of dens were detected at least once during the study. While that is not the correct metric to use in the analysis, our approach to estimating infrared efficacy took into account the lower detection rates for this study in combination with the two other studies that provide an aerial detection rate of dens with AIR. Comment 108: Two commenters suggested that the Service should clarify the optimal weather conditions for AIR surveys to be conducted in order to avoid AIR surveys being conducted in suboptimal conditions and affecting polar bear den detection rates. Response: The estimates of AIR detection used in the analysis were not obtained under optimal weather conditions, but under a range of weather conditions that AIR surveys are possible. Thus, optimal weather conditions are not required based on the estimates of detection we used. That said, it has been standard practice for Industry operators to conduct their AIR surveys within parameters outlined by Amstrup et al., 2004 and York et al., 2004. This has been added to the Mitigation and Monitoring requirements in the ITR. Comment 109: The regulatory text in the proposed rule at Sec. 18.120(a) describes the offshore boundary of the ITR as matching the boundary of the BOEM Beaufort Sea Planning area. However, the preamble text and the maps in both the preamble and the proposed rule describe the geographic region as extending 80.5 km (50 mi) offshore rather than matching the BOEM Planning Area boundary. This discrepancy should be corrected. Response: We agree and have clarified this final rule so that the preamble text reflects the boundaries of the geographic area in the regulatory language. Comment 110: One commenter suggested that the Service should request that helicopters be used for AIR surveys because it has been reported that polar bear den detection rates are higher when helicopters are used compared to fixed-wing aircraft. Response: Use of helicopters to survey active dens might actually lead to greater levels of disturbance and take than with fixed-wing aircraft. While it's true that helicopters are more maneuverable than airplanes, we have not seen any published data (only conjecture) that detection rates for dens are higher when a helicopter is used vs. a fixed-wing aircraft. Interestingly, Amstrup et al. (2004) used a helicopter and Smith et al. (2020) used a fixed-wing, yet when accounting for likely undetectable dens, Amstrup et al. (2004) has a mean detection of ~55% compared to Smith et al. (2020)'s ~45%. These are likely statistically insignificant as the 95% CI for the Amstrup et al. (2004) estimate largely overlaps the Smith et al. (2004) point estimate, which does not provide an estimate of the associated uncertainty. Lastly, it is incorrect that fixed-wings create contrails and helicopters do not. We have run into issues with helicopters causing contrails, which impede visibility while circling bears during capture operations in the Arctic when temperatures are 50%. As we showed in our analysis, our mean detection was 41% and could go as low as 1.5% during any given iteration of the model. Comment 119: One commenter suggested that the Service should specify flight paths for AIR surveys to ensure complete coverage of all polar bear denning habitat and require that AIR surveys conduct multiple passes across denning habitat as well as use helicopters for AIR surveys to increase den detection rates. Response: Because the estimates used for AIR efficacy are based on the range of suitable weather conditions under which AIR surveys are acceptable, and the analytical approach requires that all den habitat (as identified in the studies cited) is adequately surveyed, the ITR already implicitly requires these to occur. Comment 120: One commenter suggested that the Service should address how the efficacy of AIR for detecting polar bear dens with more than 90 cm of snow cover was accounted for in their den detection model. Response: While one study (Robinson et al. 2014) showed lower detectability for dens in snow deeper than 90 cm, it was based on handheld infrared, not aerial. And in the Woodruff and Wilson study, a den with snow ~145 cm deep was detected, so a simple cutoff based on ground-based infrared is likely not appropriate. Comment 121: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider the practicality of requesting Industry entities to complete three AIR surveys prior to commencing activities in polar bear denning habitat. Response: The ITR does not indicate that industry will conduct three AIR surveys of all habitat. Three surveys are required only for areas receiving seismic surveys, and in years when seismic occurs, along the pipeline corridor between Deadhorse and Pt. Thomson. Regardless, our analysis requires that all den habitat within 1 mile of industrial activity/infrastructure will receive at least two AIR surveys under conditions suitable for detecting dens. Only if industry flies all of the AIR surveys required per the analysis will they have coverage under the ITR. The Service notes that the extent of AIR surveys required by this ITR significantly exceeds what has been required under prior iterations of the ITR and is sufficient to ensure that all applicable MMPA standards are met, including the requirement to prescribe means to effect the least practicable adverse impact on the species or stock and its habitat. Comment 122: One commenter suggested that the Service should [[Page 43061]] consider whether AIR efficacy and den detection rates will be lower in areas adjacent to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because snow cover in these areas are greater than other areas and polar bear denning density is anticipated to be greater and more complex in these areas. Response: We take into account in the model the fact that some dens inside ANWR will go undetected because AIR surveys are not planned there and the area is outside of the activity area proposed by AOGA. We clearly stated this in the Proposed ITR document (see page 29407 of the FR publication). We allow dens to be simulated in the refuge, even though activity does not occur there as part of this Request. But they were put there because they could be disturbed by activities in the petition area and go undetected by AIR. Any den within a mile of activity proposed in the ITR, but that occurred inside the refuge, was accounted for in our estimates of take. Because we account for these dens but assume that no AIR surveys will take place, differences in habitat conditions that could affect AIR detection rates are not relevant. Comment 123: One commenter suggested that the Service continue to evaluate and refine their polar bear denning model assumptions used to determine take estimates for their regulations as more data become available. Response: The Service has used a comprehensive dataset of polar bear observations to develop estimates of Level B harassment, and will continue to refine these methods and our database for future ITRs. Comparing denning model results to historic Industry-polar bear encounter records is not possible because a systematic effort has never been undertaken by Industry to find all dens adjacent to existing infrastructure, not just ice roads and tundra travel routes as is the current requirement under the existing ITR. Additionally, even when a den is found, monitoring has not occurred systematically (or frequently) to look at dates of den emergence and departure. Further, given that the effects of early emergence can lead to lower cub survival, there is no way for Industry to document all cub mortality events that are associated with den disturbance as this would require constantly monitoring a family group until at least 100 days post emergence (as Rode et al. 2018 did). Comment 124: One commenter suggested that the polar bear den case studies used to determine responses to den disturbance do not accurately represent the polar bear responses expected during Industry activities because these case studies were collected during scientific studies in which polar bears were captured and collared. Response: The goal of the case study analysis was to inform the consequences of den disturbance due to industrial activities. Including incidents spanning a range of activities (i.e., Industry and research- related) was reasonable as there are correlations between disturbance caused by research and that caused by Industry, such as inadvertently approaching a den at close distance. Additionally, the premise of some research was to evaluate the response of denning bears to remediation activities. Capture events likely are more intrusive than any disturbance related to industrial or other human activities and were not used in the calculation of take probabilities. Bear responses to capture events can, however, help inform our understanding of how polar bears respond to any type of disturbance. Other activities, such as disturbance caused by people approaching dens or accidental intrusion, are also possible when a den's location is unknown. Consequently, exposures by researchers are useful in understanding how bears respond to disturbance and allowed us to better estimate the response probabilities that informed the simulation model. Comment 125: One commenter suggested that the Service's use of the upper 99 percent quantile of each probability distribution is too conservative to determine polar bear responses to disturbance and does not accurately reflect observer bias and the number of unobserved takes and this approach results in overestimation of polar bear incidental take. Response: We disagree. The Service did not use the 99-percent quantiles to account for perceived directional bias by observers (which can neither be confirmed nor denied due to lack of neutral third party observational data), instead, the Service used the 99-percent quantiles to encompass the number of potential Level B harassment events as directed by the MMPA. Comment 126: One commenter suggested that the Service overestimated the take of polar bears during aircraft activities by assuming a lower flight altitude than is typically flown by Industry aircraft as part of their take determination analyses. Response: When reviewing the dataset from coastal polar bear surveys, the Service found there was not enough data to identify a significant relationship between polar bear response and distance to the aircraft. The Service applied a constant harassment rate to all flights listed as being flown at 1,500 ft AGL or lower. Many flights were listed with a minimum altitude of 1,500 ft AGL, which would be within the scope of the analysis. Flights that are expected to be above 1,500 ft (generally originating from outside of the ITR region) were described as remaining at this altitude until descent. Without more information on each individual flight's altitude, point of descent, and the present weather conditions, we made the assumption that an aircraft could descend to 1,500 ft AGL or less anywhere within the ITR region. Comment 127: One commenter suggested that the Service overestimated the number of polar bears observed by vessels during in-water activities and this approach resulted in an overestimation of polar bear encounter rates and take estimates during offshore activities. Response: There is no data to indicate the number of bears present in the water at any given time; however, we do have data for the number of bears located along the coast, which was used in the analyses. These bears frequently swim between barrier islands and may be impacted by these offshore activities. Comment 128: One commenter suggested that the Service should reconsider whether the addition of new Industry facilities and infrastructure will correlate with an increase in incidental harassment of polar bears. Response: We disagree. While AOGA has drawn this conclusion in their Request, the relationship described by the Service between distance to shore and polar bear encounters indicates that an increase in coastal infrastructure will increase the number of encounters and subsequent harassment events. This issue was described at length within the proposed rule. Comment 129: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify how they accounted for the uncertainty of non-responses of polar bears to disturbance and whether the likely underrepresentation of non-responses may lead to overestimation of take by Level A harassment. Response: The case study analysis included all well-documented records of human activity that occurred within 1.6 km of active polar bear dens. We do not believe that exposures that elicited detrimental responses were more likely to be documented than those that seemingly did not. Consequently, the probabilities of exposures resulting in lethal take or Level A harassment are unlikely to be biased. Further, cases that [[Page 43062]] did not result in an observed detrimental response (i.e., `non- responses' in the comment) do not necessarily indicate that the animals were unaffected (Frid and Dill 2002, Bejder et al. 2006, Laske et al. 2011); hence, our classification of `likely physiological response.' Arousals during denning can lead to some increases in body temperature (Craighead et al. 1976, Laske et al. 2011, Evans et al. 2016b) and heart rate (Reynolds et al. 1986, Evans et al. 2016b), both of which require use of valuable energy reserves. Across taxa, unobserved effects, including higher levels of stress hormones (Moberg 2000, Keay et al. 2006) and others have been shown to have the potential to be equally as consequential for reproduction (Carney and Sydeman 1999, Ellenberg et al. 2006, Rode et al. 2018b). Decreased reproductive success or reproductive failure in bears is documented as a consequence of denning disturbance (Ramsay and Dunbrack 1986, Amstrup and Gardner 1994, Linnell et al. 2000, Swenson et al. 1997). Comment 130: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider additional factors that may cause a polar bear to emerge early from her den without necessarily resulting in reduced cub production and survival, which are referenced in the Rode et al. (2018) study. Response: We agree with the commenter that there are other hypotheses that may explain the results of Rode et al. (2018), as we acknowledge in the proposed ITR (p. 29393). However, Rode et al. (2018) does indicate that the most likely explanation for their results is the earlier emergence leading to survival consequences for cubs. This makes sense given the altricial nature of cubs when born and the time bears spend at the den site after emergence to allow cubs time to grow more and become acclimated to the outside environment. We do attempt to take into account some of the other causes of emerging from a den without cubs. We allow an average of 7% of simulated dens to emerge without any cubs, so we do account for some females naturally emerging without any offspring, which are not attributed to any form of disturbance from industrial activity. We disagree, however, that because there are other potential hypotheses for the relationship presented in Rode et al. (2018) that we have to ignore the relationship she published. As it currently stands, we don't have any additional data to suggest that the relationship documented in Rode et al. (2018) isn't accurate as portrayed. However, if additional information is published in the future, that would be considered the best scientific information available and we would use it accordingly. Comment 131: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider whether the variability of mobile activities will affect occupancy rates used to determine take estimates and whether take estimates are overestimated from a conservative occupancy rate. Response: Occupancy rates for all of the different infrastructure was provided by AOGA as part of their Request. Comment 132: One commenter suggested that the Service should estimate take for Level A and Level B harassment zones for in-water activities. Response: The Service has revised Table 1 to include details regarding the sound measurement units and included peak SPL for impulsive sound sources. The Service has also revised references to past ITR Level B harassment and TTS thresholds. With regards to the need for Level A harassment zones, the Service did not calculate this area as no sound sources identified in the proposed activities would produce Level A threshold noise. As was stated in the proposed rule, the Level B harassment zone was smaller than the impact area of surface activities, so we estimated take using the more conservative impact area. Comment 133: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider whether the number of takes during aircraft overflights is underestimated considering the increased use of helicopters compared to previous years and the higher polar bear response rate to helicopters. Response: Any flight paths associated with major construction activities have been incorporated into the aircraft analysis. AOGA provided the Service with a list of aircraft that would likely be used for each activity--an increase in helicopter use is speculative. While the harassment rates were calculated using data from AeroCommander flights, the Service discusses results from observational flights using helicopters. The harassment rates associated with these helicopter flights were found to be lower than the rates used in the AOGA Request. No significant relationship between polar bear response and distance to aircraft was concluded from the dataset. We are working to further refine our take rates associated with these analyses; however, more data is needed before we can differentiate take rates based on the type of aircraft. More detailed information on behavioral responses from these overflights can be found in the ITR section Aircraft Impacts to Surface Bears. Comment 134: A recent peer-reviewed article, ``Polar bear behavioral response to vessel surveys in northeastern Chukchi Sea, 2008-2014'' by Lomac-MacNair et al. (2021), should be incorporated into the Service's analysis of behavioral responses of polar bears to vessel activity as information in the publication could be used to improve the in-water analysis and could also supplement and support established mitigation measures, such as set-back distances for polar bears, as well. Response: We agree Lomac-MacNair et al. 2021 is a valuable addition to the body of polar bear disturbance literature. However, the paper published after the proposed rule was published for public comment. We have reviewed the publication, and the authors' findings are consistent with the current impact areas used in the proposed and final rules. Comment 135: The Service's discussion of the peer-reviewed article ``Aquatic behaviour of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in an increasingly ice-free Arctic.'' Lone, et al. 2018, appears to misstate or overstate conclusions contained in that article. Response: The Service has clarified our discussion regarding the conclusions we draw from this article as needed. Comment 136: The Service should supplant the Southall et al. (2019) modeled and extrapolated approach by gathering hearing data (i.e., TTS and PTS) specific to polar bears, rather than relying solely on information attributed to ``other marine carnivores,'' and use polar bear-specific acoustic information for future analyses. Response: We agree that our analysis could be improved with species-specific information for polar bear responses to sound. We also recognize that such efforts may be challenging to obtain on polar bears in the wild or held in captivity. However, we will continue to improve our understanding of polar bear hearing acuity as feasible. Comment 137: The Service should supplant the Southall et al. (2019) modeled and extrapolated approach by gathering hearing data (i.e., TTS and PTS) specific to walruses, rather than relying solely on information attributed to ``other marine carnivores,'' and use walrus- specific acoustic information for future analyses. Response: As noted above, we agree that our analysis could be improved with species-specific information for Pacific walrus responses to sound. We also recognize that such efforts may be [[Page 43063]] challenging to obtain on Pacific walrus in the wild or held in captivity. However, we will continue to improve our understanding of Pacific walrus hearing acuity as feasible. Comment 138: The Service should consider the report ``Simulation of Oil Spill Trajectories During the Broken Ice Period in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas'' (French-McCay et al. 2016) to better inform our analysis of potential polar bear oil spill exposure and effects in the Beaufort Sea. Response: We have used BOEM's 2020 Oil Spill Risk Assessment because it provides the most current and rigorous treatment of potential oil spills in the Beaufort Sea Planning Area. We agree analysis similar to Wilson et al. 2018 would be a valuable addition to future regulations. NEPA and ESA Comment 139: One commenter suggested that the Service's EA is inadequate because it does not present a reasoned explanation for the determinations of polar bear take and requests the Service to prepare an EIS. Response: We disagree. The Service's EA and FONSI reasonably reflect considerations important to SBS polar bears and Pacific walrus, and are scientifically and legally adequate. It is appropriate for the EA to reference and summarize the ITR's analysis and determinations rather than duplicate them in their entirety. Comment 140: One commenter suggested that the Service did not consider restricting the geographic scope and timing of activities as an alternative to reduce impacts in their EA. Response: We disagree. Temporal and geographic constraints were incorporated into AOGA's revised request in light of collaboration with the Service. The Service also considered the use of further time and space restrictions for oil and gas activities to limit the impact on denning bears. These restrictions were not determined to be practicable as they may interfere with human health and safety as well as the continuity of oil and gas operations. The Service found that no additional mitigation measures are required to be imposed through the ITR, other than those described, in order to effect the lease practicable adverse impact on polar bears and walruses. Comment 141: One commenter suggested that the Service should reevaluate the EA's no action alternative to account for baseline conditions in which the commenter suggests that this alternative will result in a curtailment of activities as opposed to activities proceeding without requested mitigation measures and potentially unauthorized take. Response: The EA's characterization of the No Action Alternative is appropriate and meets all NEPA requirements. Oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities have occurred at various locations on the North Slope and adjacent Beaufort Sea waters for several decades and will continue to occur in the future, with or without this ITR. Hence, they are necessarily recognized as part of the environmental baseline. The notion that denying AOGA's Request for this ITR would cause the specified oil and gas activities to cease or not occur has no basis in law or practical reality. Operators may proceed without an incidental take authorization (albeit at the risk of enforcement actions), modify their activities in a manner that avoids incidental take, and/or obtain other forms of incidental take authorization (i.e., IHAs or a different ITR). Comment 142: One commenter suggested that the Service does not adequately discuss the effectiveness of the requested mitigation measures in the EA. Response: The ``mitigation measures'' integrated into the ITR are already incorporated into the proposed action analyzed in the EA. The case cited by the commenter appears to address the manner in which an action agency must evaluate additional mitigation measures that are not already incorporated into the proposed action, and thus seems off- point. The EA's references to ``spatial and temporal restrictions'' encompass limitations inherent to AOGA's specified activities, e.g., finite project footprints, the seasonal rather than year-round nature of certain activities, buffer zones, etc. These limitations are described in detail in AOGA's Request, the ITR, and Section 2.3.1 of the EA. The EA need not comprehensively re-list each limitation in the Summary sections quoted by the commenter. Comment 143: One commenter suggested that the Service should account for the potential of take by Level A harassment and discuss the associated impacts on SBS polar bears in the EA. Response: The Service does not ignore the potential for lethal injurious take to occur. Rather, it quantitatively estimated the probability of such impacts occurring. The commenter acknowledges as much when it references the Service's own estimate. The Service does not assume that no ``take by Level A harassment'' will occur; rather, it does not anticipate that any take beyond take by Level B harassment will occur. The Service disagrees with the commenter's broad and unsupported assertion that it greatly underestimated ``take by Level A harassment.'' The Service analyzed all potential impacts using a rigorous methodology and the best available scientific evidence. Comment 144: One commenter suggested that the Service should account for additional impacts, such as planned development and increased emissions from future activities, when determining what level of take is permitted in order to be considered a negligible impact. Response: The MMPA directs the authorization of incidental take where the requestor's specified activities meet specific MMPA standard (e.g., small numbers, negligible impact, no unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the stock for subsistence purposes). Here, the Service has reasonably determined that the incidental take associated with the specific activities described in AOGA's Request adhere to applicable MMPA standards. The possibility that other activities (e.g., hypothetical activities at ANWR, Liberty, or greenhouse gas emission sources around the world) could independently impact the SBS stock of polar bears sometime in the future does not preclude the issuance of this ITR. Comment 145: One commenter suggested that the Service should conduct a more thorough site-specific analysis of impacts to polar bears and their ESA-designated critical habitat. Response: We disagree. As explained in the proposed rule, and affirmed in this final rule, the Service conducted a robust analysis of potential impacts to polar bears and their habitat under this rulemaking. Further, and as we acknowledged in the proposed rule, the Service recognized that the proposed regulation could impact polar bears and their ESA-designated critical habitat. Therefore, prior to finalizing this regulation, the Service conducted an intra-Service ESA section 7 consultation on our proposed regulation. The ESA section 7 biological opinion and its determinations issued prior to finalizing these regulations is available as a supporting document in the www.regulations.gov docket as well as on the web at: https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/report/biological-opinion. Comment 146: One commenter suggested that the Service should include an environmental impact statement as part of their authorization. Response: We disagree. As explained in the proposed rule, and affirmed in this final rule, the Service fully [[Page 43064]] complied with our NEPA responsibilities and determined that the preparation of an EIS was not required for these regulations. Additionally, the Service notes that the polar bear is considered threatened, not endangered, under the ESA. The Service likewise fully complied with the consultation requirements under section 7 of the ESA, finalizing this regulation only after receipt of required determinations under that consultation. Comment 147: One commenter suggested that the Service should broaden the purpose and need specified in the EA in order to consider additional alternatives for their environmental analysis. Response: The Service's statement of purpose and need is appropriate and not impermissibly narrow. Further explanation of the Service's efforts to identify other reasonable alternatives is provided in the final EA. The Service's summaries of (1) its early coordination with AOGA, which resulted in AOGA revising its Request in a manner that further limited the scope of its specified activities, and (2) its analysis conducted under the MMPA's least practicable adverse impacts standard further established that the Service complies with the letter and spirit of NEPA's requirement to analyze all reasonable alternatives. Comment 148: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify the EA's purpose and need to ensure that these statements are consistent with the Service's requirements under the MMPA and these statements are separate from the applicant's interests. Response: The Service's EA reflects the fact that the agency's interest is distinct from the applicant's. The Service's interest is in fulfilling its obligations under the MMPA and taking a hard look at its proposed action under NEPA. The Service will render its decision based on the relevant statutory and regulatory authorities whether or not that decision is in the applicant's interest. Comment 149: One commenter suggested that the Service should revise the purpose and need statements in the EA to clarify that the environmental impact analysis was conducted to limit impacts of Industry activities on polar bears and walruses rather than supporting the ITR determinations for authorization. Response: The Service did not ``predetermine'' anything in this process. The Service's EA analyzes the potential impacts of a proposed action, i.e., issuing an ITR, and not a decision that was already made. Were the Service (on the basis of its own initial review or additional information submitted via public comment) to find itself unable to make the requisite determinations under the MMPA, it would not issue a final ITR. While this much is clear from the larger context of the proposed ITR and draft EA, the Service has revised the final EA so as to review any reasonable implication to the contrary. Comment 150: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider as alternatives in their EA additional mitigation measures that include restricting Industry activities during the polar bear denning season, implementing a buffer around denning habitat, and only authorizing Industry activities that are compliant with the Nation's climate goals to limit global warming. Response: The Service has worked with the applicant to identify areas of high denning density and incorporate later start dates for seismic activity in this region. We also worked with the applicant to develop ideal temporal windows for maternal denning surveys. While further restrictions of operations during winter and implementation of a buffer around all potential denning habitat are not practicable given the location of existing facilities and roads that must be utilized during winter to ensure the continuity of operations and protection of tundra and wetlands, the ITR contemplates a suite of mitigation measures to protect denning bears (i.e., avoidance measures, multiple AIR surveys, exclusion zones around known or putative dens). Since the Service does not have authority to approve or disapprove the oil and gas activities themselves, it cannot pick and choose which activities may continue in order to meet climate goals. Comment 151: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify how the physical environment will be impacted by Industry activities in the EA. Response: The commenter appears to unduly conflate potential impacts from the proposed action--i.e., issuing an ITR--with potential impacts from the underlying oil and gas activities, which the Service does not authorize and which are not an effect of the action. In developing the EA, the Service considered whether issuing the ITR and authorizing the incidental take contemplated therein would cause any reasonably foreseeable impacts to the physical environment, and reasonably determined that it would not. None of the on-the-ground activities cited in the comment would be approved by the Service or caused by the ITR. Comment 152: One commenter suggested that the Service should address how additional oil and gas activities will impact the climate as part of the EA. Response: The scope of the EA is to describe impacts from the Federal action of issuing the ITR. Effects of the oil and gas activities themselves, to include upstream and downstream GHG emissions, are not effects of the Service's Proposed Action. Mitigation Measures Comment 153: One commenter suggested that the Service should include mitigation measures that restrict Industry activities. Response: While reviewing prior iterations of AOGA's Request, the Service discussed the appropriateness of further limiting the scope of AOGA's specified activities so as to reduce the potential taking of polar bears. AOGA subsequently made several revisions to its Request, which the Service accounted for in its analyses under the MMPA and NEPA. The Service also attempted to identify further operational restrictions in satisfaction of the MMPA's least practicable adverse impacts standard and NEPA's requirement to analyze reasonable alternatives and mitigation measures. The results of those efforts are described in the various analyses supporting the ITR process. Comment 154: One commenter suggested that the Service should address the inconsistency in the number of required AIR surveys in the EA and ITR. Response: We will provide further clarification in the EA on the number of AIR flights required for each activity. Comment 155: One commenter suggested that the Service should revise the mitigation measure at proposed Sec. 18.126(d)(2) to include ``safe and operationally possible'' in regards to maintaining the minimum aircraft flight altitude. Response: We have made this revision. Comment 156: One commenter suggested that the Service should revise the mitigation measure at Sec. 18.126(4)(c)(1) to include that vessel crew members may also qualify as dedicated marine mammal observers in order to accommodate vessels with limited crew capacity. Response: The Service recognizes the limited crew member capacity aboard certain vessels and that it may not always be possible to take on an additional crew member to conduct watches for marine mammals. Requirements for marine mammal observers will be evaluated upon submission of applications for LOAs. [[Page 43065]] Comment 157: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider additional infrared technology alternatives in addition to AIR in order to increase the detectability of polar bear dens. Response: AIR efficacy rates used in our estimates for take of denning bears were based upon surveys using both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. AOGA proposed using only fixed wing aircraft for IR so that is what the Service analyzed. While visual observations and on- the-ground surveys are commonly implemented mitigation measures in addition to AIR surveys, we currently lack the data needed to analyze the den detection efficacy rates of visual and handheld infrared methods. Comment 158: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify the required mitigation measures regarding offshore seismic surveys. Response: No offshore seismic operations were included in the proposed activities, thus take will not be authorized for offshore seismic projects in this rule. As such the Service did not need to include mitigation measures such as ramp-up and shutdown procedures. Comment 159: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify whether the requirement for Industry entities to cooperate with the Service and participate in joint research efforts to assess Industry impacts on marine mammals was removed. Response: This language was erroneously omitted. We have revised the final rule to include this language. Comment 160: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify whether human--polar bear encounters that occur during this regulation period will be submitted to the Polar Bear--Human Information Management System (PBHIMS) in order to contribute to international efforts for polar bear conservation. Response: The Service represents the United States as a participant in the Polar Bear Range States. We will continue to submit applicable human--polar bear encounter records to PBHIMS as part of our participation in this effort. Comment 161: One commenter suggested that the Service should request stricter mitigation measures for minimum aircraft flight altitudes and maximum vessel speeds to reduce potential impacts on marine mammals. Response: The Service has worked with the applicant to develop mitigation measures that create the least practicable adverse impact on polar bears and Pacific walruses. The ITR requires aircraft to fly high enough, and vessels to travel slow enough, to greatly reduce the potential for impacts. Further restrictions were deemed unnecessary to achieve the least practicable adverse impact because they were precluded either by safety considerations or they would not discernably reduce the potential for effects to marine mammals. Comment 162: Commenters suggested that the Service should request more specific mitigation measures to reduce impacts on marine mammals during project activities. Response: The ITR already prescribed the means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on Pacific walruses and SBS polar bears. Further, the Service retains discretion to impose additional mitigation measures on an activity-specific basis through the LOA process. Comment 163: One commenter suggested that the Service should address how the requested mitigation measures reduce Industry impacts on polar bear and walrus and their habitat. Response: The Service has worked with the applicant to identify areas of high denning density and incorporate later start dates for seismic activity in this region. We also worked with the applicant to develop ideal temporal windows for maternal denning surveys. These mitigation measures have been designed to impart the least practicable adverse impact from the proposed activities on polar bears. Comment 164: One commenter suggested that the Service should evaluate the effectiveness of monitoring by protected species observers (PSOs) to detect marine mammals during periods of restricted visibility. Response: While we acknowledge some weather conditions may hinder their ability to identify animals, the Service believes that PSOs contribute information important to the safety of humans, polar bears, and Pacific walruses. Comment 165: One commenter suggested that the Service should revise language in the mitigation measures to be more specific about Industry activity restrictions in order to reduce impacts on marine mammals. Response: There is an iterative process of communication between the Service and applicants when applying for individual LOAs and upon the receipt of results from maternal den surveys. The Service is unaware of the exact location dens may be occurring each year and is unable to make specific regulations based on these locations. Comment 166: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider all habitat characterized by a 1-meter elevation difference and a slope of eight degrees or greater as suitable polar bear denning habitat that should be avoided by Industry activities. Response: The applicant is required to consult the USGS map of potential denning habitat prior to activities. Mitigation measures outlined by the ITR must also be implemented to reduce disturbance to unknown dens. Comment 167: One commenter suggested that the Service should request that all Industry entities should hire PSOs to monitor Industry impacts on marine mammals. Response: Hiring of separate PSOs is not always practicable for the applicant's proposed activities. The Service has included training, monitoring, and reporting requirements in the rule. Comment 168: One commenter suggested that the Service should consider designating certain areas that are important to marine mammals as off-limits to Industry activities. Response: We appreciate the recommendation and will continue to research and incorporate innovative measures for achieving the least practicable impact in future ITRs. Comment 169: One commenter suggested that the Service should request a 1-mile buffer around all suitable polar bear denning habitat in order to prevent Industry activities disturbing undetected polar bear dens and reduce impacts to denning polar bears. Response: Proper denning habitat requires the creation of snow drifts, which can differ from year-to-year as it is based on terrain and weather conditions. The ability to identify areas in which these snow drifts may occur each year prior to operations is not practicable. Comment 170: One commenter suggested that the Service should analyze the results of polar bear den monitoring AIR surveys and human- polar bear encounters reported during this regulation period in a timely manner in order to better evaluate the effectiveness of the requested mitigation measures. Response: We appreciate the recommendation. Comment 171: One commenter suggested that the Service should request that Industry activities be shut down if an injured or dead walrus or polar bear is reported and activities not resume until the Service investigates the circumstances that caused the injury or death of the walrus or polar bear. Response: The Service has included in the rule a reporting requirement upon the injury or death of a walrus of polar bear as soon as possible but within 48 hours. While it may aid in any [[Page 43066]] subsequent investigation, ceasing activities in an active oil field may not be practicable or safe in certain circumstances, and thus will not be mandated. Comment 172: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify their definition for a concentration or group of walruses or polar bears, and the commenter recommended this definition be two or more individuals. Response: We have added this revision. Comment 173: Paragraph 4 under ``Mitigation measures for operational and support vessels'' notes the 1 July date to allow oil and gas vessels to enter the Beaufort Sea, which is based on past information that could become less relevant and accurate in the future. We recommend the Service consider other metrics to meet the intention of this measure. A more flexible approach, for example, would be to restrict entry into the Beaufort Sea until a sufficient percentage of shorefast ice has melted. Response: We have considered this request and recognize that in the future changing sea ice conditions, especially if the impacts of climate change are not ameliorated, may reflect a different metric. However, and because these regulations are issued for a period of 5 years only, at this time we believe the July 1 date best reflects our current understanding of sea ice changes. We also have determined that providing this date will provide better certainty to the regulated public for planning purposes. Comment 174: One commenter suggested that the Service should account for polar bears becoming habituated to Industry activities to avoid overestimating take. Response: We are not aware of any studies that have shown that bears become habituated to humans after denning in industrial areas or that this type of habituation leads to reduced disturbance. If the information existed, we would have incorporated it into the model. Harassment rate calculations incorporated the Service's polar bear sighting database, which contains all reports of Industry sightings of walrus and polar bears (as directed by the Service of all LOA holders). Assuming the practices of training, monitoring, and adaptive measures have previously been implemented, the sightings data would have somewhat incorporated their implementation. However, at this time there is no way to explicitly incorporate this data into the analysis. Comment 175: One commenter suggested that the Service should account for the effectiveness of mitigation measures in their take estimations in order to avoid overestimating the number of incidental takes of polar bears during Industry activities. Response: We agree that mitigation measures are important for reducing disturbance to polar bears, and we currently require each applicant to have a polar bear interaction plan and to have taken approved polar bear deterrence training. However, it is unclear how to integrate the measures into our quantitative modeling approach. The implementation of these mitigation measures is key to ensuring the least practicable adverse impact on polar bears and Pacific walrus as directed by the MMPA. Policy and Procedure Comment 176: This proposed ITR appears to include new information requirements from applicants seeking LOAs. New items include: (1) A digital geospatial file of the project footprint, (2) estimates of monthly human occupancy of the project area, and (3) dates of AIR surveys if such surveys are required. However, the text in the actual proposed rule, i.e., Sec. Sec. 18.122-18.123, does not clearly indicate a requirement for these items. We recommend that this requirement be clarified in the final rule. Similarly, the preamble of the proposed rule introduces a new concept of ``monthly human occupancy''; however, this new concept as written may be confusing, and we similarly recommend that it be better described in the final rule to ensure applicants can provide the requested information. Response: We have revised this final rule to clarify information requirements from applicants for LOAs and have clarified our discussion regarding monthly human occupancy. Comment 177: Section 18.126(b)(4) of the proposed regulation states that applicants will restrict timing of the activity to limit disturbance around dens. We recommend clarifying whether this will apply to an unoccupied den, putative dens, or verified occupied dens only and describing what types of timing restrictions can be expected. Response: We agree and have added clarifying language to Sec. 18.126(b)(4) of this final rule. Comment 178: The term ``other substantially similar'' activities is used in the title of subpart J of the proposed rule as well as in Sec. Sec. 18.119, 18.121, 18.122, and 18.124. This term follows the description of the activities from which take may occur but is not found in the preamble text. We recommend the Service provide examples of these activities in the proposed rule or define this term in the preamble to add clarity. Response: We agree and have revised this final rule to provide clarity. Comment 179: The proposed ITR incorrectly reflects the numbers of leases and land area covered by those leases in the NPR-A. Response: We agree. This final rule has been revised to reflect 307 leases covering 2.6 million acres. Comment 180: In regard to compliance with international conservation agreements, one commenter suggested that the Service should consider transboundary impacts on polar bears under international polar bear conservation agreements. Response: While we acknowledge polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea move between the United States and Canada, our analysis determined that authorizing the Level B harassment of a small number of polar bears in the Beaufort ITR region will not have any transboundary impacts, much less impacts that violate international obligations. The Service has also reasonably determined that these Level B harassments will not have any unmitigable adverse impacts on the availability of SBS polar bears for subsistence uses. Additionally, while we acknowledge the important management provisions accomplished under the 1988 Inuvialuit-Inupiat Polar Bear Management Agreement, we note that this is a voluntary agreement and therefore not binding on the U.S. Government. Comment 181: One commenter suggested that the Service should evaluate activity impacts for a larger geographic region that extends beyond areas of Industry activity. Response: The Service has conducted a thorough and robust analysis using the best available science to calculate the number of incidental harassments of polar bears and walrus due to Industry activities within the specified geographical region. The ITR refers specifically to ``the area of Industry activity'' as it is the source of the impact, which is not uniformly distributed across the specified geographical region. The Service is unable to calculate take from Industry activities in areas where Industry activities do not occur within the specified geographical region. While the range of a species may be larger than the specified activity area, the distribution is rarely (if ever) uniform within that space, especially in migratory species. Small numbers determinations are based on the number of individual bears exhibiting a Level B response and the appropriate stock population estimate. Comment 182: One commenter suggested that the Service did not [[Page 43067]] provide the allotted time for the public comment period that is specified in the MMPA, APA, and NEPA regulations. Response: The Service provided the public with a sufficient opportunity to comment on the proposed ITR and draft EA. The numerous, in-depth public comments that the Service received on the proposed ITR modeling analysis appear to corroborate the Service's judgment on this issue. ITRs establish important mitigation measures and provide significant conservation benefits to polar bears, and it is important that the Service finish its process and render a decision in a timely manner. We also note that the commenter has in fact had access to the referenced 57 case studies--which were provided as part of the administrative record in the Willow litigation in which they are a plaintiff--for several months. These studies have also been in the Service's Freedom of Information Act reading room for the duration of the proposed ITR comment period. With respect to the Woodruff and Wilson study, the Service gained access to a draft manuscript and preliminary results during the later stages of development of the proposed ITR and thought it was important to include this information as part of the best available scientific evidence. Although we expected a final manuscript would be available for public release prior to publication of the proposed ITR, this did not occur. In the interest of providing information for public review, the Service then developed its own summary of relevant findings and uploaded that summary to the docket as soon as it could. The Service adjusted the assumed AIR efficacy rate utilized in the ITR process based on this new information. Because the results of this study suggest an efficacy rate lower than that previously assumed, the Service's integration of this information resulted in a slight downward refinement of the assumed AIR efficacy rate. Comment 183: One commenter suggested that the Service should include a list of entities conducting activities under this authorization and a description with the accompanying analysis of expected impacts from these Industry activities in the authorization. Response: No entities may conduct activities under coverage of this ITR until they receive an LOA from the Service. The ITR provides sufficient description of the specified activities and those entities that qualify for LOAs. Comment 184: One commenter suggested that the Service should include a list of specific oil and gas activities that the Service evaluated and that would be authorized under LOAs issued under these regulations. Response: The description of specified activities provided in the ITR is sufficiently detailed. Additional information is available in AOGA's request. Comment 185: One commenter suggested that the Service should revise their language to exclude listing specific subsistence communities or organizations that may be consulted during a Plan of Cooperation and add a general requirement in order to avoid potentially excluding other communities or organizations. Response: Comment noted. Comment 186: One commenter suggested that the Service should complete government-to-government consultations with Alaska Native communities to ensure that the Service mitigates the impacts on subsistence use of marine mammals prior to finalizing this ITR. Response: The Service has determined that issuing this ITR would not cause any potential effects that trigger the obligation to engage in government-to-government consultation or government-to-ANCSA (Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act) corporation consultation. The effects of the Service's action is limited; it only authorizes the Level B harassment of small numbers of polar bears. Any resulting effects to individual polar bears would be inherently limited and short-term and, as explained in more detail elsewhere, would not cause more than a negligible impact to the SBS stock of polar bears and or any unmitigable adverse impacts on the availability of SBS polar bears for subsistence uses. As such, the Service has determined that promulgating this ITR will not have any substantial direct effects on any federally recognized Tribes or ANCSA corporations. That said, in the interest of cooperation and ensuring that the views and concerns of Alaska Native communities are heard and considered in its decision-making process, the Service sent notification of its proposed action to promulgate the ITR to federally recognized tribes and ANCSA corporations with interests in the Beaufort ITR area and surrounding areas on May 27, 2021. The Service did not receive any replies indicating interest in government-to-government consultation or government-to-ANCSA corporation consultation. The Service remains open to consulting with these parties at any time, including prior to the issuance of LOAs and further notes the regulatory requirement that LOA applicants conduct their own outreach with potentially affected subsistence communities. While the commenter is correct that communications with Industry are not government-to- government consultations or government-to-ANCSA corporation consultations, such communications have proven to be a productive means of resolving potential conflicts and identifying issues that may warrant formal consultation with the Service. Comment 187: One commenter suggested that the Service should reconsider whether Industry activities will have an unmitigable adverse impact on subsistence use of marine mammals considering the limit on the harvest of SBS polar bears due to their declining population abundance. Response: The Service disagrees. The ITR concludes that there will be no unmitigable adverse impacts on the availability of polar bears and has relied on the best scientific information available, monitoring data, locations of hunting areas relative to Industry activities, community consultation, Plans of Cooperation, and harvest records to reach this conclusion. Comment 188: One commenter suggested that the Service should reconsider whether the addition of new Industry facilities and infrastructure will correlate with an increase in incidental harassment of polar bears. Response: We disagree. While AOGA has drawn a contrary conclusion in their Request, the relationship described by the Service between distance to shore and polar bear encounters indicates an increase in coastal infrastructure will increase the number of encounters and subsequent harassment events. This was described at length within the ITR. Comment 189: Commenters suggested that the Service should clarify their explanation for the lack of an oil spill risk assessment. Response: Please note that the Service does not authorize the incidental take of marine mammals as the result of illegal actions, such as oil spills. A detailed, activity-specific analysis of potential take arising from a hypothetical oil spill is beyond the scope of this ITR. That said, the Service did consider available oil spill risk assessments to inform its ITR analysis. References to the various materials considered by the Service are provided in the ITR. While we used a timeframe ending in 1999 to present one summary statistic, we also considered data as recent as 2020. BOEM's OSRA represents the best available information on the risk of oil spills to polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea. We detailed a sample of cases of recent onshore oil spills and potential effects on polar bears. The commenter is correct that the [[Page 43068]] focus of our oil spill analysis was on large oil spills greater than 1,000 barrels. Spills less than 1,000 barrels are unlikely to cause the widespread impacts discussed in the oil spill analysis. Industry is required to notify multiple agencies, including the Service, of all spills on the North Slope and coordinates spill response accordingly. Lastly, as explained in the ITR, ``no major offshore oil spills have occurred in the Alaska Beaufort Sea. Although numerous small onshore spills have occurred on the North Slope, to date, there have been no documented effects to polar bears''. Comment 190: One commenter suggested that the Service should clarify the requirement for Industry entities to submit a Plan of Cooperation. Response: We agree. The Service included this information in the Description of Letters of Authorization section of the proposed and this final rule. Comment 191: One commenter suggested that the Service should request Industry entities to engage in outreach with subsistence communities, including communities in the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea, to ensure Industry vessel activity does not interfere with subsistence activities. Response: While the Service has included vessel traffic restrictions in the ITR as a precautionary measure, AOGA has not requested take authorizations for vessel activity through the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea; therefore, no take has been estimated or authorized for these activities. Comment 192: One commenter suggested that the Service should suspend the proposed rulemaking and request AOGA to submit a revised request that addresses shortcomings before moving forward with this action. Response: Thank you for the recommendation, but the Service already determined AOGA's revised request to be adequate and complete and finds no basis for requiring further revisions. Comment 193: One commenter suggested that the Service should be more collaborative with NMFS in order to develop, review, and implement acoustic and behavior thresholds for marine mammal species. Response: Comment noted. Required Determinations Treaty Obligations This ITR is consistent with the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, a multilateral treaty executed in Oslo, Norway, among the Governments of Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Article II of this Polar Bear Agreement lists three obligations of the Parties in protecting polar bear habitat. Parties are obliged to: (1) Take appropriate action to protect the ecosystem of which polar bears are a part; (2) give special attention to habitat components such as denning and feeding sites and migration patterns; and (3) manage polar bear subpopulations in accordance with sound conservation practices based on the best available scientific data. This rule will further consistency with the Service's treaty obligations through incorporation of mitigation measures that ensure the protection of polar bear habitat. Any LOAs issued pursuant to this rule would adhere to the requirements of the rule and would be conditioned upon including area or seasonal timing limitations or prohibitions, such as placing 1.6-km (1-mi) avoidance buffers around known or observed dens (which halts or limits activity until the bear naturally leaves the den) and monitoring the effects of the activities on polar bears. Available denning habitat maps are provided by the USGS. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Per the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the Service must evaluate the effects of the proposed action on the human environment. We have prepared an environmental assessment (EA) in conjunction with this rulemaking and have concluded that the issuance of an ITR for the nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take by harassment of small numbers of polar bears and Pacific walruses in Alaska during activities conducted by the applicant is not a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. A copy of the EA and the Service's FONSI can be obtained from the locations described in ADDRESSES. Endangered Species Act Under the ESA, all Federal agencies are required to ensure the actions they authorize are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any threatened or endangered species or result in destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. In 2008, the Service listed the polar bear as a threatened species under the ESA (73 FR 28212, May 15, 2008) and later designated critical habitat for polar bear subpopulations in the United States, effective January 6, 2011 (75 FR 76086, December 7, 2010). Consistent with these statutory requirements, prior to issuance of this final ITR, we completed intra- Service section 7 consultation regarding the effects of these regulations on polar bears with the Service's Fairbanks' Ecological Services Field Office. The Service has found the issuance of the ITR will not jeopardize the continued existence of polar bears or adversely modify their designated critical habitat, nor will it affect other listed species or designated critical habitat. The evaluations and findings that resulted from this consultation are available on the Service's website and at https://www.regulations.gov. Regulatory Planning and Review Executive Order 12866 provides that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will review all significant rules for a determination of significance. OMB has designated this rule as not significant. Executive Order 13563 reaffirms the principles of Executive Order 12866 while calling for improvements in the nation's regulatory system to promote predictability, reduce uncertainty, and use the best, most innovative, and least burdensome tools for achieving regulatory ends. The Executive order directs agencies to consider regulatory approaches that reduce burdens and maintain flexibility and freedom of choice for the public where these approaches are relevant, feasible, and consistent with regulatory objectives. Executive Order 13563 emphasizes further that regulations must be based on the best available science and that the rulemaking process must allow for public participation and an open exchange of ideas. We have developed this rule in a manner consistent with these requirements. OIRA bases its determination of significance upon the following four criteria: (a) Whether the rule will have an annual effect of $100 million or more on the economy or adversely affect an economic sector, productivity, jobs, the environment, or other units of the government; (b) whether the rule will create inconsistencies with other Federal agencies' actions; (c) whether the rule will materially affect entitlements, grants, user fees, loan programs, or the rights and obligations of their recipients; (d) whether the rule raises novel legal or policy issues. Expenses will be related to, but not necessarily limited to: The development of requests for LOAs; monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting activities conducted during Industry oil and gas operations; development of polar bear interaction plans; and coordination with Alaska Natives to minimize effects of operations on subsistence hunting. [[Page 43069]] Compliance with the rule is not expected to result in additional costs to Industry that it has not already borne under all previous ITRs. Realistically, these costs are minimal in comparison to those related to actual oil and gas exploration, development, and production operations. The actual costs to Industry to develop the request for promulgation of regulations and LOA requests probably do not exceed $500,000 per year, short of the ``major rule'' threshold that would require preparation of a regulatory impact analysis. As is presently the case, profits will accrue to Industry; royalties and taxes will accrue to the Government; and the rule will have little or no impact on decisions by Industry to relinquish tracts and write off bonus payments. Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act We have determined that this rule is not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 804(2), the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act. The rule is also not likely to result in a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, or government agencies or have significant adverse effects on competition, employment, productivity, innovation, or on the ability of United States-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises in domestic or export markets. Regulatory Flexibility Act We have also determined that this rule will not have a significant economic effect on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). Oil companies and their contractors conducting exploration, development, and production activities in Alaska have been identified as the only likely applicants under the regulations, and these potential applicants have not been identified as small businesses. Therefore, neither a regulatory flexibility analysis nor a small entity compliance guide is required. Takings Implications This rule does not have takings implications under Executive Order 12630 because it authorizes the nonlethal, incidental, but not intentional, take of walruses and polar bears by Industry and thereby, exempts these companies from civil and criminal liability as long as they operate in compliance with the terms of their LOAs. Therefore, a takings implications assessment is not required. Federalism Effects This rule does not contain policies with federalism implications sufficient to warrant preparation of a federalism assessment under Executive Order 13132. The MMPA gives the Service the authority and responsibility to protect walruses and polar bears. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act In accordance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.), this rule will not ``significantly or uniquely'' affect small governments. A Small Government Agency Plan is not required. The Service has determined and certifies pursuant to the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act that this rulemaking will not impose a cost of $100 million or more in any given year on local or State governments or private entities. This rule will not produce a Federal mandate of $100 million or greater in any year, i.e., it is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. Government-to-Government Coordination It is our responsibility to communicate and work directly on a Government-to-Government basis with federally recognized Tribes in developing programs for healthy ecosystems. We are also required to consult with Alaska Native Corporations. We seek their full and meaningful participation in evaluating and addressing conservation concerns for protected species. It is our goal to remain sensitive to Alaska Native culture and to make information available to Alaska Natives. Our efforts are guided by the following policies and directives: (1) The Native American Policy of the Service (January 20, 2016); (2) the Alaska Native Relations Policy (currently in draft form); (3) Executive Order 13175 (January 9, 2000); (4) Department of the Interior Secretarial Orders 3206 (June 5, 1997), 3225 (January 19, 2001), 3317 (December 1, 2011), and 3342 (October 21, 2016); (5) the Department of the Interior's policies on consultation with Tribes and with Alaska Native Corporations; and (6) the Presidential Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships (January 21, 2021). We have evaluated possible effects of the ITR on federally recognized Alaska Native Tribes and corporations and have concluded the issuance of the ITR does not require formal consultation with Alaska Native Tribes and corporations. Through the ITR process identified in the MMPA, the AOGA has presented a communication process, culminating in a POC if needed, with the Native organizations and communities most likely to be affected by their work. The applicant has engaged these groups in informational communications. We invite continued discussion about the ITR and sent an outreach letter regarding this ITR to Alaska Native Tribes and corporations on May 27, 2021. In addition, to facilitate co-management activities, the Service maintains cooperative agreements with the Eskimo Walrus Commission (EWC) and the Qayassiq Walrus Commission (QWC) and is working towards developing such an agreement with the newly formed Alaska Nannut Co- Management Council (ANCC). The cooperative agreements fund a wide variety of management issues, including: Commission co-management operations; biological sampling programs; harvest monitoring; collection of Native knowledge in management; international coordination on management issues; cooperative enforcement of the MMPA; and development of local conservation plans. To help realize mutual management goals, the Service, EWC, ANCC, and QWC regularly hold meetings to discuss future expectations and outline a shared vision of co-management. The Service also has ongoing cooperative relationships with the North Slope Borough and the Inupiat-Inuvialuit Game Commission where we work cooperatively to ensure that data collected from harvest and research are used to ensure that polar bears are available for harvest in the future; provide information to co-management partners that allows them to evaluate harvest relative to their management agreements and objectives; and provide information that allows evaluation of the status, trends, and health of polar bear subpopulations. Civil Justice Reform The Department's Office of the Solicitor has determined that these regulations do not unduly burden the judicial system and meet the applicable standards provided in sections 3(a) and 3(b)(2) of Executive Order 12988. Paperwork Reduction Act This rule does not contain any new collections of information that require approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 [[Page 43070]] et seq.). OMB has previously approved the information collection requirements associated with incidental take of marine mammals and assigned OMB control number 1018-0070 (expires January 31, 2022). An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Energy Effects Executive Order 13211 requires agencies to prepare statements of energy effects when undertaking certain actions. This rule provides exceptions from the MMPA's taking prohibitions for Industry engaged in specified oil and gas activities in the specified geographic region. By providing certainty regarding compliance with the MMPA, this rule will have a positive effect on Industry and its activities. Although the rule requires Industry to take a number of actions, these actions have been undertaken by Industry for many years as part of similar past regulations. Therefore, this rule is not expected to significantly affect energy supplies, distribution, or use and does not constitute a significant energy action. No statement of energy effects is required. References For a list of the references cited in this rule, see Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2021-0037, available at http://www.regulations.gov. List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 18 Administrative practice and procedure, Alaska, Imports, Indians, Marine mammals, Oil and gas exploration, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Transportation. Regulation Promulgation For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Service amends part 18, subchapter B of chapter I, title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations as set forth below. PART 18--MARINE MAMMALS 0 1. The authority citation of part 18 continues to read as follows: Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq. 0 2. Revise subpart J of part 18 to read as follows: Subpart J--Nonlethal Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Oil and Gas Exploration, Development, and Production Activities in the Beaufort Sea and Adjacent Northern Coast of Alaska Sec. 18.119 Specified activities covered by this subpart. 18.120 Specified geographic region where this subpart applies. 18.121 Dates this subpart is in effect. 18.122 Procedure to obtain a Letter of Authorization (LOA). 18.123 How the Service will evaluate a request for a Letter of Authorization (LOA). 18.124 Authorized take allowed under a Letter of Authorization (LOA). 18.125 Prohibited take under a Letter of Authorization (LOA). 18.126 Mitigation. 18.127 Monitoring. 18.128 Reporting requirements. 18.129 Information collection requirements. Sec. 18.119 Specified activities covered by this subpart. Regulations in this subpart apply to the nonlethal incidental, but not intentional, take of small numbers of polar bear and Pacific walrus by certain U.S. citizens while engaged in oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities in the Beaufort Sea and adjacent northern coast of Alaska. Sec. 18.120 Specified geographic region where this subpart applies. This subpart applies to the specified geographic region that encompasses all Beaufort Sea waters east of a north-south line through Point Barrow, Alaska (N71.39139, W156.475, BGN 1944), and 80.5 km (50 mi) north of Point Barrow, including Alaska State waters and Outer Continental Shelf waters, and east of that line to the Canadian border. (a) The offshore boundary of the Beaufort Sea incidental take regulations (ITR) region extends 80.5 km (50 mi) offshore. The onshore region is the same north/south line at Utqiagvik, 40.2 km (25 mi) inland and east to the Canning River. (b) The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the associated offshore waters within the refuge boundaries are not included in the Beaufort Sea ITR region. Figure 1 shows the area where this subpart applies. BILLING CODE 4333-15-P [[Page 43071]] [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR05AU21.018 BILLING CODE 4333-15-C Sec. 18.121 Dates this subpart is in effect. Regulations in this subpart are effective from August 5, 2021, through August 5, 2026, for year-round oil and gas exploration, development, and production. Sec. 18.122 Procedure to obtain a Letter of Authorization (LOA). (a) An applicant must be a U.S. citizen as defined in Sec. 18.27(c) and among: (1) Those entities specified in the request for this rule as set forth in paragraph (b) of this section; (2) Any of their corporate affiliates; or (3) Any of their respective contractors, subcontractors, partners, owners, co-lessees, designees, or successors-in-interest. (b) The entities specified in the request are the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, which includes Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, BlueCrest Energy, Inc., Chevron Corporation, ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., Eni U.S. Operating Co. Inc., ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., Furie Operating Alaska, LLC, Glacier Oil and Gas Corporation, Hilcorp Alaska, LLC, Marathon Petroleum, Petro Star Inc., Repsol, and Shell Exploration and Production Company, Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Energy Services, Oil Search (Alaska), LLC, and Qilak LNG, Inc. (c) If an applicant proposes to conduct oil and gas industry exploration, development, and production in the Beaufort Sea ITR region described in Sec. 18.120 that may cause the taking of Pacific walruses and/or polar bears and wants nonlethal incidental take authorization under the regulations in this subpart J, the applicant must request an LOA. The applicant must submit the request for authorization to the Service's Alaska Region Marine Mammals Management Office (see Sec. 2.2 for address) at least 90 days prior to the start of the activity. (d) The request for an LOA must comply with the requirements set forth in Sec. Sec. 18.126 through 18.128 and must include the following information: (1) A plan of operations that describes in detail the activity (e.g., type of project, methods, and types and numbers of equipment and personnel, etc.), the dates and duration of the activity, and the specific locations of and areas affected by the activity. (2) A site-specific marine mammal monitoring and mitigation plan to monitor and mitigate the effects of the activity on Pacific walruses and polar bears. (3) A site-specific Pacific walrus and polar bear safety, awareness, and interaction plan. The plan for each activity and location will detail the [[Page 43072]] policies and procedures that will provide for the safety and awareness of personnel, avoid interactions with Pacific walruses and polar bears, and minimize impacts to these animals. (4) A plan of cooperation to mitigate potential conflicts between the activity and subsistence hunting, where relevant. Applicants must provide documentation of communication with potentially affected subsistence communities along the Beaufort Sea coast (i.e., Kaktovik, Nuiqsut, and Utqigvik) and appropriate subsistence user organizations (i.e., the Alaska Nannut Co-Management Council, the Eskimo Walrus Commission, or North Slope Borough) to discuss the location, timing, and methods of activities and identify and mitigate any potential conflicts with subsistence walrus and polar bear hunting activities. Applicants must specifically inquire of relevant communities and organizations if the activity will interfere with the availability of Pacific walruses and/or polar bears for the subsistence use of those groups. Requests for an LOA must include documentation of all consultations with potentially affected user groups. Documentation must include a summary of any concerns identified by community members and hunter organizations and the applicant's responses to identified concerns. Sec. 18.123 How the Service will evaluate a request for a Letter of Authorization (LOA). (a) We will evaluate each request for an LOA based on the specific activity and the specific geographic location. We will determine whether the level of activity identified in the request exceeds that analyzed by us in considering the number of animals estimated to be taken and evaluating whether there will be a negligible impact on the species or stock and an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species or stock for subsistence uses. If the level of activity is greater, we will reevaluate our findings to determine if those findings continue to be appropriate based on the combined estimated take of the greater level of activity that the applicant has requested and all other activities proposed during the time of the activities in the LOA request. Depending on the results of the evaluation, we may grant the authorization, add further conditions, or deny the authorization. (b) In accordance with Sec. 18.27(f)(5), we will make decisions concerning withdrawals of an LOA, either on an individual or class basis, only after notice and opportunity for public comment. (c) The requirement for notice and public comment in paragraph (b) of this section will not apply should we determine that an emergency exists that poses a significant risk to the well-being of the species or stocks of polar bears or Pacific walruses. Sec. 18.124 Authorized take allowed under a Letter of Authorization (LOA). (a) An LOA allows for the nonlethal, non-injurious, incidental, but not intentional take by Level B harassment, as defined in Sec. 18.3 and under section 3 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1362), of Pacific walruses and/or polar bears while conducting oil and gas industry exploration, development, and production within the Beaufort Sea ITR region described in Sec. 18.120. (b) Each LOA will identify terms and conditions for each activity and location. Sec. 18.125 Prohibited take under a Letter of Authorization (LOA). Except as otherwise provided in this subpart, prohibited taking is described in Sec. 18.11 as well as: (a) Intentional take, Level A harassment, as defined in section 3 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1362), and lethal incidental take of polar bears or Pacific walruses; and (b) Any take that fails to comply with this subpart or with the terms and conditions of an LOA. Sec. 18.126 Mitigation. (a) Mitigation measures for all Letters of Authorization (LOAs). Holders of an LOA must implement policies and procedures to conduct activities in a manner that affects the least practicable adverse impact on Pacific walruses and/or polar bears, their habitat, and the availability of these marine mammals for subsistence uses. Adaptive management practices, such as temporal or spatial activity restrictions in response to the presence of marine mammals in a particular place or time or the occurrence of Pacific walruses and/or polar bears engaged in a biologically significant activity (e.g., resting, feeding, denning, or nursing, among others), must be used to avoid interactions with and minimize impacts to these animals and their availability for subsistence uses. (1) All holders of an LOA must: (i) Cooperate with the Service's Marine Mammals Management Office and other designated Federal, State, and local agencies to monitor and mitigate the impacts of oil and gas industry activities on Pacific walruses and polar bears. Where information is insufficient to evaluate the potential effects of activities on walruses, polar bears, and the subsistence use of these species, holders of an LOA may be required to participate in joint monitoring and/or research efforts to address these information needs and ensure the least practicable impact to these resources. (ii) Designate trained and qualified personnel to monitor for the presence of Pacific walruses and polar bears, initiate mitigation measures, and monitor, record, and report the effects of oil and gas industry activities on Pacific walruses and/or polar bears. (iii) Have an approved Pacific walrus and polar bear safety, awareness, and interaction plan on file with the Service's Marine Mammals Management Office and onsite and provide polar bear awareness training to certain personnel. Interaction plans must include: (A) The type of activity and where and when the activity will occur (i.e., a summary of the plan of operation); (B) A food, waste, and other ``bear attractants'' management plan; (C) Personnel training policies, procedures, and materials; (D) Site-specific walrus and polar bear interaction risk evaluation and mitigation measures; (E) Walrus and polar bear avoidance and encounter procedures; and (F) Walrus and polar bear observation and reporting procedures. (2) All applicants for an LOA must contact affected subsistence communities and hunter organizations to discuss potential conflicts caused by the activities and provide the Service documentation of communications as described in Sec. 18.122. (b) Mitigation measures for onshore activities. Holders of an LOA must undertake the following activities to limit disturbance around known polar bear dens: (1) Attempt to locate polar bear dens. Holders of an LOA seeking to carry out onshore activities during the denning season (November-April) must conduct two separate surveys for occupied polar bear dens in all denning habitat within 1.6 km (1 mi) of proposed activities using aerial infrared (AIR) imagery. Further, all denning habitat within 1.6 km (1 mi) of areas of proposed seismic surveys must be surveyed three separate times with AIR technology. (i) The first survey must occur between the dates of November 25 and December 15, the second between the dates of December 5 and December 31, and the third (if required) between the dates of December 15 and January 15. (ii) AIR surveys will be conducted during darkness or civil twilight and not during daylight hours. Ideal [[Page 43073]] environmental conditions during surveys would be clear, calm, and cold. If there is blowing snow, any form of precipitation, or other sources of airborne moisture, use of AIR detection is not advised. Flight crews will record and report environmental parameters including air temperature, dew point, wind speed and direction, cloud ceiling, and percent humidity, and a flight log will be provided to the Service within 48 hours of the flight. (iii) A scientist with experience in the in-air interpretation of AIR imagery will be on board the survey aircraft to analyze the AIR data in real-time. The data (infrared video) will be made available for viewing by the Service immediately upon return of the survey aircraft to the base of operations. (iv) All observed or suspected polar bear dens must be reported to the Service prior to the initiation of activities. (2) Observe the exclusion zone around known polar bear dens. Operators must observe a 1.6-km (1-mi) operational exclusion zone around all putative polar bear dens during the denning season (November-April, or until the female and cubs leave the areas). Should previously unknown occupied dens be discovered within 1 mile of activities, work must cease, and the Service contacted for guidance. The Service will evaluate these instances on a case-by-case basis to determine the appropriate action. Potential actions may range from cessation or modification of work to conducting additional monitoring, and the holder of the authorization must comply with any additional measures specified. (3) Use the den habitat map developed by the USGS. A map of potential coastal polar bear denning habitat can be found at: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/asc/science/polar-bear-maternal-denning?qt-science_center_objects=4#qt-science_center_objects. This measure ensures that the location of potential polar bear dens is considered when conducting activities in the coastal areas of the Beaufort Sea. (4) Polar bear den restrictions. Restrict the timing of the activity to limit disturbance around dens, including putative and known dens. (c) Mitigation measures for operational and support vessels. (1) Operational and support vessels must be staffed with dedicated marine mammal observers to alert crew of the presence of walruses and polar bears and initiate adaptive mitigation responses. (2) At all times, vessels must maintain the maximum distance possible from concentrations of walruses or polar bears. Under no circumstances, other than an emergency, should any vessel approach within an 805-m (0.5-mi) radius of walruses or polar bears observed on land or ice. (3) Vessel operators must take every precaution to avoid harassment of concentrations of feeding walruses when a vessel is operating near these animals. Vessels should reduce speed and maintain a minimum 805-m (0.5-mi) operational exclusion zone around feeding walrus groups. Vessels may not be operated in such a way as to separate members of a group of walruses (i.e., greater than two) from other members of the group. When weather conditions require, such as when visibility drops, vessels should adjust speed accordingly to avoid the likelihood of injury to walruses. (4) Vessels bound for the Beaufort Sea ITR region may not transit through the Chukchi Sea prior to July 1. This operating condition is intended to allow walruses the opportunity to move through the Bering Strait and disperse from the confines of the spring lead system into the Chukchi Sea with minimal disturbance. It is also intended to minimize vessel impacts upon the availability of walruses for Alaska Native subsistence hunters. Exemption waivers to this operating condition may be issued by the Service on a case-by-case basis, based upon a review of seasonal ice conditions and available information on walrus and polar bear distributions in the area of interest. (5) All vessels must avoid areas of active or anticipated walrus or polar bear subsistence hunting activity as determined through community consultations. (6) In association with marine activities, we may require trained marine mammal monitors on the site of the activity or onboard ships, aircraft, icebreakers, or other support vessels or vehicles to monitor the impacts of oil and gas industry activity on polar bear and Pacific walruses. (d) Mitigation measures for aircraft. (1) Operators of support aircraft shall, at all times, conduct their activities at the maximum distance possible from concentrations of walruses or polar bears. (2) Aircraft operations within the ITR area will maintain an altitude of 1,500 ft above ground level when safe and operationally possible. (3) Under no circumstances, other than an emergency, will aircraft operate at an altitude lower than 457 m (1,500 ft) within 805 m (0.5 mi) of walruses or polar bears observed on ice or land. Helicopters may not hover or circle above such areas or within 805 m (0.5 mi) of such areas. When weather conditions do not allow a 457-m (1,500-ft) flying altitude, such as during severe storms or when cloud cover is low, aircraft may be operated below this altitude. However, when weather conditions necessitate operation of aircraft at altitudes below 457 m (1,500 ft), the operator must avoid areas of known walrus and polar bear concentrations and will take precautions to avoid flying directly over or within 805 m (0.5 mile) of these areas. (4) Plan all aircraft routes to minimize any potential conflict with active or anticipated walrus or polar bear hunting activity as determined through community consultations. (e) Mitigation measures for the subsistence use of walruses and polar bears. Holders of an LOA must conduct their activities in a manner that, to the greatest extent practicable, minimizes adverse impacts on the availability of Pacific walruses and polar bears for subsistence uses. (1) Community consultation. Prior to receipt of an LOA, applicants must consult with potentially affected communities and appropriate subsistence user organizations to discuss potential conflicts with subsistence walrus and polar bear hunting caused by the location, timing, and methods of operations and support activities (see Sec. 18.122 for details). If community concerns suggest that the activities may have an adverse impact on the subsistence uses of these species, the applicant must address conflict avoidance issues through a plan of cooperation as described in paragraph (e)(2) of this section. (2) Plan of cooperation (POC). When appropriate, a holder of an LOA will be required to develop and implement a Service-approved POC. (i) The POC must include a description of the procedures by which the holder of the LOA will work and consult with potentially affected subsistence hunters and a description of specific measures that have been or will be taken to avoid or minimize interference with subsistence hunting of walruses and polar bears and to ensure continued availability of the species for subsistence use. (ii) The Service will review the POC to ensure that any potential adverse effects on the availability of the animals are minimized. The Service will reject POCs if they do not provide adequate safeguards to ensure the least practicable adverse impact on the availability of walruses and polar bears for subsistence use. [[Page 43074]] Sec. 18.127 Monitoring. Holders of an LOA must develop and implement a site-specific, Service-approved marine mammal monitoring and mitigation plan to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation measures and the effects of activities on walruses, polar bears, and the subsistence use of these species and provide trained, qualified, and Service-approved onsite observers to carry out monitoring and mitigation activities identified in the marine mammal monitoring and mitigation plan. Sec. 18.128 Reporting requirements. Holders of a Letter of Authorization (LOA) must report the results of monitoring and mitigation activities to the Service's Marine Mammals Management Office via email at: [email protected]. (a) In-season monitoring reports. (1) Activity progress reports. Holders of an LOA must: (i) Notify the Service at least 48 hours prior to the onset of activities; (ii) Provide the Service weekly progress reports of any significant changes in activities and/or locations; and (iii) Notify the Service within 48 hours after ending of activities. (2) Walrus observation reports. Holders of an LOA must report, on a weekly basis, all observations of walruses during any industry activity. Upon request, monitoring report data must be provided in a common electronic format (to be specified by the Service). Information in the observation report must include, but is not limited to: (i) Date, time, and location of each walrus sighting; (ii) Number of walruses; (iii) Sex and age (if known); (iv) Observer name and contact information; (v) Weather, visibility, sea state, and sea-ice conditions at the time of observation; (vi) Estimated range at closest approach; (vii) Industry activity at time of sighting; (viii) Behavior of animals sighted; (ix) Description of the encounter; (x) Duration of the encounter; and (xi) Mitigation actions taken. (3) Polar bear observation reports. Holders of an LOA must report, within 48 hours, all observations of polar bears and potential polar bear dens, during any industry activity. Upon request, monitoring report data must be provided in a common electronic format (to be specified by the Service). Information in the observation report must include, but is not limited to: (i) Date, time, and location of observation; (ii) Number of bears; (iii) Sex and age of bears (if known); (iv) Observer name and contact information; (v) Weather, visibility, sea state, and sea-ice conditions at the time of observation; (vi) Estimated closest distance of bears from personnel and facilities; (vii) Industry activity at time of sighting; (viii) Possible attractants present; (ix) Bear behavior; (x) Description of the encounter; (xi) Duration of the encounter; and (xii) Mitigation actions taken. (b) Notification of LOA incident report. Holders of an LOA must report, as soon as possible, but within 48 hours, all LOA incidents during any industry activity. An LOA incident is any situation when specified activities exceed the authority of an LOA, when a mitigation measure was required but not enacted, or when injury or death of a walrus or polar bear occurs. Reports must include: (1) All information specified for an observation report; (2) A complete detailed description of the incident; and (3) Any other actions taken. (c) Final report. The results of monitoring and mitigation efforts identified in the marine mammal monitoring and mitigation plan must be submitted to the Service for review within 90 days of the expiration of an LOA, or for production LOAs, an annual report by January 15th of each calendar year. Upon request, final report data must be provided in a common electronic format (to be specified by the Service). Information in the final (or annual) report must include, but is not limited to: (1) Copies of all observation reports submitted under the LOA; (2) A summary of the observation reports; (3) A summary of monitoring and mitigation efforts including areas, total hours, total distances, and distribution; (4) Analysis of factors affecting the visibility and detectability of walruses and polar bears during monitoring; (5) Analysis of the effectiveness of mitigation measures; (6) Analysis of the distribution, abundance, and behavior of walruses and/or polar bears observed; and (7) Estimates of take in relation to the specified activities. Sec. 18.129 Information collection requirements. (a) We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. OMB has approved the collection of information contained in this subpart and assigned OMB control number 1018-0070. You must respond to this information collection request to obtain a benefit pursuant to section 101(a)(5) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. We will use the information to: (1) Evaluate the request and determine whether or not to issue specific Letters of Authorization; and (2) Monitor impacts of activities and effectiveness of mitigation measures conducted under the Letters of Authorization. (b) Comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this requirement must be submitted to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at the address listed in 50 CFR 2.1. Shannon A. Estenoz, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. [FR Doc. 2021-16452 Filed 8-4-21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333-15-P