BREATHING ROOM FOR THE BEAR

Published: October 23, 2009

The Obama
administrations proposed
designation of 200,000 square
miles of Alasan !aters and sea
ice as critical habitat for the
polar bear is not "ust
encouraging ne!s for the bear#
$t signals a more s%mpathetic
attitude to!ard endangered
species, and is further e&idence
that the secretar% of the
interior, 'en (ala)ar, !ill tae
a more measured approach than
the *ush administration to oil
and gas drilling in the Arctic#
After much prodding b% the
courts and its o!n scientists,
the *ush administration listed
the polar bear as threatened
under the +ndangered (pecies Act
in ,a% 200-# *ut it deferred the
required designation of
protected habitat . the area
deemed essential to the sur&i&al
of a threatened or endangered
species . partl% because doing
so could ha&e torpedoed its
grand plans to open millions of
acres of prime polar bear
territor% in the *eaufort and
/huchi (eas to oil and gas
e0ploration#
,r# (ala)ar is no!
re&ie!ing those plans# Though a
pre1e0isting (hell Oil lease in
the *eaufort !ill be allo!ed to
go for!ard, it seems highl%
unliel% that ,r# (ala)ar !ould
authori)e ma"or oil and gas
de&elopment in territor% that
his o!n 2ish and 3ildlife
(er&ice has identified as
crucial to the bears future#
The designation of
critical habitat does not
automaticall% bar commercial
acti&ities lie oil and gas
drilling# $t does mean that such
acti&ities, if the% occur on
federal land or require a
federal permit, cannot go
for!ard !ithout intensi&e re&ie!
b% agencies lie the 2ish and
3ildlife (er&ice, !hich can
limit them or prohibit them#
Oil drilling in the arctic
Polar bears are losing their habitat
The biggest threat to the
bears is, of course, the gradual
disappearance of the sea ice
!here it li&es and hunts, !hich
in turn is lined to global
!arming# The +ndangered (pecies
Ac t is not designed to sol&e
the problem of climate change, a
global problem# $t can relie&e
an alread%1burdened animal of
the added stresses that
!idespread drilling !ould surel%
bring#
(ources:
http:44!orld!ildlife
#org4threats4oil1
and1gas1de&elopment
http:44!!!#endangere
dpolarbear#com