Posted on 04/08/2008 3:13:34 AM PDT by Aristotelian
Temperatures are rising over the delay in deciding whether to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.
"The polar bear cannot wait much longer," said Kassie Siegel, climate program director for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the three litigants. "As our greenhouse emissions increase and the Arctic sea ice melts, the window of opportunity to save the polar [bear] is closing rapidly."
The problem, say Bush administration officials, is that the polar bear is no longer just a shaggy, white mammal with a taste for seal. The species has become a proxy for the debate on global warming, and the implications of a listing decision stretch far beyond its U.S. habitat in northern Alaska.
"The world is watching," Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Valerie Fellows said. "It"s been fascinating. In the eyes of the public, the polar bear has really become the face of global climate change."
The Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the polar bear in January 2007 and held three public comment periods and three hearings on the proposal. The agency's self-imposed deadline was Jan. 9, but speculation now has it that the decision could be delayed until early summer.
Mrs. Fellows said that missing such a deadline, particularly in a sensitive or complicated case like this, was hardly unusual.
"This is not the first deadline we've missed nor will it be the last," said Mrs. Fellows, citing the service's "overwhelming" litigation load and insufficient staff. "I don't want to say it's frequent, but it's not infrequent."
The agency received 670,000 responses during its public-comment period, shattering all previous records with regard to species listing.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Give those bear frequent haircuts, and they can enjoy the warming trend with the rest of us.
From the article: “If the agency’s decision links global warming to fossil-fuel emissions, critics say, activities ranging from operating a power plant to driving a car anywhere in the country could be seen as threats to the polar bear.”
I can’t bear it any more!!
I thought this article was going to be about manbearpig.
I’ll start giving a crap when it stops snowing in Iowa.
“Map of Meat” ... HAHAHA
Somebody have the stats on the Polar Bear POPULATION INCREASE over the last 50 years?
I believe the broader measure is that 13 of 16 distinct groups have INCREASED IN NUMBER!
To objectively consider a species “endangered” don’t the numbers have to be going DOWN?????
If these people were objective, they would not be global warming cultists.
They are pushing any symbol that might turn more of the masses to their direction. And it's not about climate or warming or bears. Global warming action is a proxy for all liberals hold dear - trying to force Americans into a greatly-diminished lifestyle.
” “It”s been fascinating. In the eyes of the public, the polar bear has really become the face of global climate change.” “
Exactly. There are more polar bears now than there have ever been, and they’re applying for endangered status. That summarizes this lunatic psychosis perfectly, including the fact that the media always omit to mention the juxtaposition of the hysterical allegation with the facts.
Those are gay polar bears, right? I mean, left.
The US Congress has no jurisdiction over polar bears.
Placing polar bears on the endangered species list would be a totally meaningless gesture, which is the thing that our Congress does best.
Alaska seceded?
I repeat. There are no resident polar bears in the United States.
Where to find: Polar bears live along the Arctic Ocean, and they're sometimes found down the Bering Sea coast. Although they wander into Barrow and other towns along the shore, they mostly stay on the pack ice, to hunt their main food source -- ringed seals. They also attack and eat walruses.
The most reliable place to see a polar bear is the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, where a bear named Ahpun lives.
“Map of Meat” ... HAHAHA
Isn’t that a nice touch?
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