Rule Lets Fossil Fuel Companies “Unintentionally” Kill Polar Bears and Walruses

Support justice-driven, accurate and transparent news — make a quick donation to Truthout today! Oil and gas companies will now be permitted to kill polar bears and Pacific walruses off the northern coast of Alaska so long as such killings are “unintentional,” according to a new Trump administration rule. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on Friday finalized a rule change that would shield fossil fuel companies from legal liability if they engage in the “incidental, unintentional” killing of the animals “during year-round oil and gas industry activities in the Beaufort Sea… and adjacent northern coast of Alaska.” Under the rule change, which is scheduled to last through 2031, the FWS “will issue letters of authorization” that sign off on the incidental killing of wildlife upon request by oil and gas companies. As noted by a report in Bloomberg Law , the proposed rule change “drew more than 85,500 public comments, nearly all in opposition,” before the FWS ultimately signed off on it. The rule change was a major priority for the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, which represents fossil fuel giants and requested the revision in September 2025. Related Story Op-Ed | Environment & Health New Documents Expose Exxon’s Attempt to Suppress Damning Climate Evidence A paper from 1992 shows the oil company anticipating how the melting of Arctic ice sheets could impact its bottom line. By Aaron Regunberg & David Arkush , T ruthout October 16, 2026 Truthout Allowing for the incidental killing of polar bears isn’t the only controversial rollback of environmental regulations made by the Trump administration in recent weeks. In September, The New York Times reported that FWS had gutted a key provision in the Endangered Species Act by arguing that only the intentional killing or wounding of protected species counts as illegal “harm.” Last week, it was revealed that the US Department of the Interior is moving ahead with a plan to let fossil fuel companies conduct specific wintertime operations at the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska without undergoing reviews mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act. Even though the Trump administration has prioritized the development of domestic fossil fuel production by gutting environmental standards, these policies have not translated into the promised cheaper oil and gas prices, which have spiked over the last half year thanks to the president’s illegal war with Iran. An urgent fundraising appeal: 5 Days to raise $38,000 Truthout is one of only a few platforms for justice-oriented, grassroots journalism. Today, we face an existential threat. Due to Google’s launch of AI search, we’ve seen a drastic plunge in our site traffic and, as a result, our revenue. We lost 15 percent of our readership overnight. This was a readership we painstakingly built over decades, and it vanished because Google chose corporate greed over a healthy democracy. We are fundraising right now to meet our basic operating expenses. If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work. Anything you can do makes a difference — we appreciate your support. Share Share via Facebook Facebook Circle Icon Share via Bluesky Bluesky Circle Icon Share via Flipboard Flipboard Circle Icon Share via Mail Mail Circle Icon Share via Print More Share via Threads Share via Reddit Reddit Cirlce Icon Share via Pocket Pocket Circle Icon Share via Linkedin LinkedIn Circle Icon Share via Twitter Twitter Circle Icon This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. Brad Reed Brad Reed is a contributor at Common Dreams . Truthout