"The permit lasts five years."
"The oil industry will be able to continue working around polar bears on the North Slope for the next five years, thanks to a renewed authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The service on Aug. 4 issued an updated Incidental Take Authorization that allows energy companies operating onshore and in the Beaufort Sea to disturb polar bears by non-lethal means. The authorization also covers disturbances to walruses, the other Arctic marine mammal species managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
An Incidental Take Authorization, which allows accidental disturbances and harassment of certain species, is not technically required for operating on the North Slope. However, any disturbances to polar bears of walruses that are committed without such an authorization would violate the Marine Mammal Protection Act."
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