Alaska Suing to Bounce Bears Off Threatened List

They're just fine, governor insists
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted May 22, 2008 8:51 AM CDT
Alaska Suing to Bounce Bears Off Threatened List
A polar bear walks in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Interior Department has declared the polar bear a threatened species, citing the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming.    (AP Photo/Subhankar Banerjee, File)

The state of Alaska will sue to challenge the federal government's decision to place polar bears on the endangered species list, reports CBC News. The Department of the Interior  cited the bears' diminishing sea ice habitat as a reason for listing them as threatened, but Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin fears offshore shore oil and gas exploration will be inhibited by safeguards for the bears.

"The state maintains that there is insufficient evidence to support a listing of the polar bear as threatened for any reason," she said. "Polar bears are currently well-managed and have dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation measures enacted through international agreements." (More polar bear stories.)

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