The US Department of the Interior has just announced that it will list the polar bear as "Threatened Species" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
But what the heck does that mean for oil exploration in Alaska? Surely Bush and Cheney are still hell bent on drilling for black gold up there.
The US Department of the Interior has just announced that it will list the polar bear as "Threatened Species" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
But what the heck does that mean for oil exploration in Alaska? Surely Bush and Cheney are still hell bent on drilling for black gold up there.
Here's the release.
Here's the quote from the release that really makes me wonder if all of this is going to change anything:
In making the announcement, Kempthorne said, "I am also announcing that this listing decision will be accompanied by administrative guidance and a rule that defines the scope of impact my decision will have, in order to protect the polar bear while limiting the unintended harm to the society and economy of the United States."
Here's my translation:
"Administrative guidance" - translation: "White House guidance"
"Scope of impact" - translation: "The Alaskan oil patch"
"Limiting unintended harm to the society and economy of the United States" - translation: "We're still going to drill for oil, we'll just smile a lot more and maybe even try to pet the cute li'l polar bears while we trash their habitat."
I hope my translation is wrong, and I'm sure people a lot closer to the issue will be weighing shortly.
UPDATE: Here's what Sierra Club has to say. They're not happy.