Alaska seeks delisting of polar bears
Originally published Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 5:59 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 7:52 p.m.
Digg
delicious
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The state of Alaska is trying to bolster its efforts to overturn the listing of the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Attorney General Dan Sullivan announced Wednesday he has filed a supplement to the state's earlier lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C. In it, the state claims the U.S. Department of Interior did not respond to the state's concerns in a timely manner before polar bears were listed last year.
Former Gov. Sarah Palin and the state filed its initial lawsuit in August 2008, fearing a listing would cripple offshore oil and gas development in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in Alaska's northern waters, which provide prime habitat for the only polar bears under U.S. jurisdiction.
Gov. Sean Parnell, who succeeded Palin upon her resignation last summer, joined Sullivan at the Wednesday news conference in which they said the Endangered Species Act was being used as a way to shut down resource development along Alaska's northern coast.
Parnell said he does not intend to let that happen.
Sullivan reiterated concerns over models used by the government to list the bears. He claimed the models projecting future declines in sea ice are flawed.
A message left after business hours Thursday with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was not immediately returned.
Fish and Wildlife officials in Washington, D.C., were expected Thursday to discuss a proposal to designate critical habitat for polar bears.
The listing of polar bears by the federal government was wrong on several accounts, Sullivan said.
It used speculative scientific models that went too far into the future and failed to take into account what is already successfully being done to protect them, he said.
"The listing of the polar bears under the ESA is unprecedented," Sullivan said. "We are doing and others have been doing a good job in protecting the species."
Rebecca Noblin with the Center for Biological Diversity said the move by the state is disappointing. The center first petitioned to get polar bears listed in February 2005.
"We are really disappointed to see that the state of Alaska is continuing to deny the science of climate change," she said. "It is ironic in a state that is feeling the impacts of global warming before everyone else that the state would take this position that can only hurt Alaskans."
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
its about time. we need to figure out how to keep people that know nothing about our state, make the laws for us. People that would sell out to anyone to get an extra vote.
Keep the pressure on the enviroterrorists. Good job, Governor. Let's see it through until Noblin and her crew see the light, or at least as RR was wont to say, "make them feel the heat."
Does this mean that if a polar bear is chewing on my leg I can shoot it again?
a voice of sanity in the wilderness
Here's what the CIA said about global warming:
"The Central Intelligence Agency concluded at least a decade ago that global warming and climate change were occurring.
That's the conclusion drawn from recently declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act concerning a CIA program called MEDEA. It was a little known - although not super-secret - joint CIA-private sector environmental task force involving various academics and environmental scientists. Essentially, the CIA provided satellite imagery to scientists so they may study environmental issues."
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...
Once again we are reminded that a former oil company lobbyist is now the governor.
Of course there is the timber wolf,bald eagle(or did they take that off?), the lynx. But of course that is the lower 48 saying IT has few of these. An of course we live under thier rules. Like dont ride snow machines in a National Park be cause it destroys vegitation. But then Again Denali NP is the only raod access left to 6' of snow with 5 foot bushes. yes 1 foot above tree tops and 6 feet above ground. The funny thing is every transplant of Mammals to the lower 48 except Land Otters,,have been from Canada. WHY? Because our ADF&G cant decided where to take a wold frominthe state . So then Idaho went to Canada and bought 14 wolves at 20K(USD) apiece. DAMN I love this soapbox,,,sorry people
"its about time. we need to figure out how to keep people that know nothing about our state, make the laws for us."
Just because you live in Alaska doesn't make you an expert either.
Well you can still see polar bears at Hudson Bay in Canada. Tourists welcome. Alaskans don't seem to have family values and vote for polluting oil, coal and gold mining instead of their children's health.
It's not about the polar bear--it's about the drastic effects of climate change and the polar bear is only a symptom of what will happen to us if we continue plunder and destruction of Alaska. There is a massive migration going on to Alaska--tens of thousands are joining those of you who migrated earlier. That is changing the face of Alaska--no longer the last frontier.
put_alaska_first wrote "Here's what the CIA said about global warming:..."
But, Pelosi tells us the CIA lies. Don't you believe her?? Remember, they lied about dripping water on peoples heads and now they surely are lying about this right???
Get a grip. Human caused Global Warming is nothing more than a movement conjured up by Gore based on some Professors theory. Gore being the good politician he is, saw an opportunity to capitalize on it. He knew how gullible the envros and Greenpeacers are so he filled all your heads with his bunk and took it all hook, line and sinker. The Polar Bear is a poster child for this farce.
Now it's called climate change and is being used to strip your freedoms away. WAKE UP!!!
TundraTrekker...
So they are running away from what the created and trying to do the same thing in Alaska? So typical of leftist liberal enviros who can't see anything but their own fantasy ideology. Who needs facts when you can feel good? Save the fuzzy critters! Sell the SUV, buy a Prius! Stop farting, don't burn wood, don't step on the grass. Oh, and everyone else should do it as well..... what a croc....
Tundra - the earth will survive without us and any of the animals currently pooping in the woods, or on the ice.
What do we have, another Palin in office? Give me a break. Wake up Alaska. Soon there will be no more polar bears. The ice is melting.
Tundra-Canadian-trekker - Perhaps you should stick to Canadian websites for your comments. They do have them, right? Oh, forgot everything in your country is Government controlled. And you can shoot polar bears in Canada.
Alaska's polar bears are threatened with extinction. Period.
It's so very sad that their existence has become political fodder in the ongoing snarkfest between conservationists and developers.
Thats why there are more polar bears in North America than in the last 50 years.
People far smarter than I make the laws, they need to have our best interest in mind, not an out spoken group of extremist.
I was thinking over a cup of Red Rose this polar bear deal. Funny we stopped cutting trees because of the spotted owl. It wasnt endangered either but is this a real problem or another spotted owl? I know grizzly numbers because I live where they do and spend hours in the woods. I dont know polar bears, hell 98% of us here dont know a damn thing on POLAR bears. We have to take the word of media nad bunny huggers. I see actors asking for money for the polar bear. How does that work? Send money and they will what, breed more? Maybe they use Viagra laced seal meat to increase breeding? They got female Viagra now!! HEY THATS IT!,,SO PLEASE send your money to me!!!
Dear Al Gore followers. Yes the earth is going through a short (in geologic time) interglacial warm period. . Grew up in NW Pennsylvania, where the advance of the last glaciation stopped. They estimate the ice was about a mile deep over my hometown. This was the Wisconsin Glacial Episode. We did not see it, but it will not be the last. We and the rest of the people living in world will not see it. Why did ice melt? Must be that human caused "Global Warming" or was it methane caused by Mammoth, mastodon and bison excrement.
"Like dont ride snow machines in a National Park be cause it destroys vegitation." Primarily it is because the park rangers do not want to come rescue you when the wolves eat your leg off.
I think Parnell is an improvement over Palin, but this move is not a good one. I'll see what he does going forward, but I doubt I'll vote for him. It's one thing not to be in the forefront of protecting wildlife. It's another thing to use state money to oppose those who are.
tundra trekker, sometimes it is better to remain silent and be thought stupid than to speak up and erase all doubt.
theabowman...i agree! The state of Alaska against protecting wildlife, now that's a headline!
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.