Regulations last checked for updates: Feb 12, 2026

Title 50 - Wildlife and Fisheries last revised: Feb 10, 2026
§ 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 § 18.3 and under section 3 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1362), of Pacific walruses while conducting oil and gas industry exploration, development, and production within the Beaufort Sea ITR region described in § 18.120.

(b) An LOA allows for the nonlethal, incidental, but not intentional take by Level A harassment and Level B harassment, as defined in § 18.3 and under section 3 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1362), of polar bears while conducting oil and gas industry exploration, development, and production within the Beaufort Sea ITR region described in § 18.120.

(c) Each LOA will identify terms and conditions for each activity and location.

[90 FR 27431, June 26, 2025] Effective Date Note:At 90 FR 27431, June 26, 2025, § 18.124 was revised, effective June 26, 2025 through Aug. 5, 2026.
authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361
source: 39 FR 7262, Feb. 25, 1974, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 50 CFR 18.124