Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 07/08/2008 9:43:23 PM PDT by Fred
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Two environmental groups on Tuesday filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn new federal regulations that grants permission to oil companies working in the Chukchi Sea to disturb the polar bears and walrus that live there.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, challenges regulations issued last month by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that allow "incidental takes" of the animals, meaning permission to disturb or accidentally harass them as long as such actions do not result in physical injury or death.
Tuesday's lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Environment, is the latest volley in legal challenges over protections for polar bears and other animals from expanded oil development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off Alaska.
"It may seem like we're filing a lot of lawsuits," said Brendan Cummings, oceans program director for the center.
"But the fundamental thing is they're all really focusing on the same fundamental issue, which is protecting polar bear habitat in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas."
A spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Service declined to comment on Tuesday's lawsuit but defended the incidental-take regulations, which are meant to be in effect for five years.
"We believe that the incidental-take regulations are a valuable conservation tool," said Bruce Woods, spokesman for the service's Alaska headquarters.
Polar bears were listed in May as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and a petition is pending that would give similar protections to the Pacific walrus.
The remote and ice-choked Chukchi, which lies between northwestern Alaska and northeastern Siberia, is emerging as a hot oil prospect.
After many years of scant industry activity, Royal Dutch
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
If they were drilling, they already had the mineral rights or would not have been permitted to drill.
Shell nixes 2008 drilling {Shell out of time to prepare for Beaufort season}
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037723/posts
With no sign of a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on a lawsuit over Shell’s U.S. Beaufort Sea exploration plans, the company has decided to call it quits on its planned Beaufort Sea drilling program during the 2008 open water season. The company had hoped to do some top-hole drilling at its Sivulliq prospect on the west side of Camden Bay, as well as conducting some geotechnical boring in the seafloor.
I think he’s drilling for BS. And hit a heck of a zone.
“The power to file third party lawsuits has made environmentalists the fifth branch of government.”
This is the key to ridding ourselves of the eco-fascist movement. Remove that and the eco-nazis go out of business. We can thank that stupid RINO Nixon for our problems.
Incidentally, the economic impact of listing endangered species must also be considered, but the Marxist traitor judges never bring that into the mix.
We are infested with seditionists in this country.
Can you explain your comment? How will we get more natural gas if drilling is banned in places with large reserves of both oil and natural gas.
It may have been the intent of the 9th Circuit to delay a decision and, thus, prevent Shell from drilling.
Now I understand Montana Kid (7/08/08) bringing the Obama/Dem side of the story....uhh no thanks.
Look at this crap organization at http://www.pacificenvironment.org/article.php?id=1800
Yes, you’ve got it all figured out. Oil companies like drilling at a cost of millions of dollars but not producing any oil or gas to pay for it.
I look forward to more of your insights into the industry.
On the other hand, it might greatly elevate our natural gas supply.”
Can you explain your comment? How will we get more natural gas if drilling is banned in places with large reserves of both oil and natural gas.”
I was being quite sarcastic - natural gas, as in hot air and related things :-)))))))))))))))))))
Plus maybe you have a situation where the Sierra Club sues even though it has no members where the suit is filed”
no matter, the ACLU will ride in to save the day for them!!! “details” such as what you said don’t matter to them. :-)))))
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