Earth Equity News

Polar Bear Listed as Endangered, Though Listing is 'Riddled with Loopholes'. By Adam Satariano, Bloomberg News, May 15, 2008. "The U.S. [Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne] declared the polar bear a threatened species, giving protected status for the first time to an animal because of global warming [though the agency also included] provisions to ensure continued oil and gas development [in Alaska's Chukchi Sea]... [Kempthorne said that] the decision includes guidelines to make sure the Endangered Species Act isn't used... to regulate greenhouse gases... The decision drew criticism from both sides of the climate change debate... The administration plans to apply another animal standard, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, to the polar bear, which may mean no changes for companies seeking energy-exploration permits, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall. Environmental groups denounced the decision and vowed to challenge the accompanying stipulations in court... 'The administration's decision is riddled with loopholes, caveats and backhanded language that could actually undermine protections for the polar bear and other species,' said Carl Pope... of the Sierra Club... 'While the listing itself is welcome news, I am deeply concerned that the administration's plan will deny the polar bear some of the key protections of the Endangered Species Act,' said [Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chair] Senator Barbara Boxer."