It took former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne three years to get around to listing the polar bear as a threatened species. You probably remember those not-so-long-ago days when the Cheney-Bush administration pretty much fell into line with folks who claimed that Arctic ice was not melting any faster than it ever had because global warming is, of course, just an Al Gore fabrication.
Kempthorne finally listed the polar bear in mid-2008. But, six months later, he issued a "special rule" under the Endangered Species Act to block attempts to protect the bears by regulating greenhouse gases:
"Kempthorne made permanent a rule that says the listing of polar bears will not be used to limit greenhouse gas emissions, a leading cause of global warming, and the primary reason for the loss of Arctic sea ice, the main habitat of polar bears.
Kempthorne’s rule also declared that decisions on petroleum management off Alaska’s coast will continue to be governed by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a law that conservation groups say has been interpreted too loosely to afford adequate protection for whales, polar bears, walrus and seals that depend on ice." ...
"Kempthorne on Thursday repeated the logic that led him to propose the special rule in May. There’s no proof, he said, that activities outside Alaska 'show a casual connection impacting individual polar bears.'" |
In case you didn’t recognize it, that’s called global warming denial.
Never mind that scientists were saying as far back as 2004 that polar bears might go extinct by the end of the century. Within three years, they were saying the bears might go extinct by mid-century.
The Obama administration has until Saturday to reverse the rule. It’s already tossed out Cheney-Bush revisions in the ESA that eliminated the need to consult with federal biologists when a project might have an impact on an endangered species.
The New York Times pointed out Monday that:
Industry groups are fighting to make sure that reversal of the "4(d) rule" for the polar bear does not happen. The National Association of Home Builders is among the groups arguing that the narrowed requirements in both of the Bush rule revisions gave some certainty about what would be required of them as more species gain protection against habitat damage linked to climate change. |
On the other side,
environmental advocates are pushing for the reversal. Center for Biological Diversity Senior Counsel Bill Snape this week delivered more than 94,000 petitions to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar seeking to overturn the special rule.
"Congress and the American people have made clear that they want Secretary Salazar to protect the polar bear," said Snape. "The polar bear is severely threatened by loss of sea ice to climate change and needs the full protections of the Endangered Species Act to survive." ...
"The special rule is a death warrant for the polar bear," said Snape. "It makes no sense to determine, on one hand, that the polar bear is threatened, and then on the other hand to deny it that protection." |
You can sign the petition
here.
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The rescue begins below and continues in the jump.
2008za tells a jaundiced view of What People Have Heard About High Speed Rail: "We are continuing to hear high speed rail assumptions that have been repeated for 25 years now and are based on the initial experiences of the first true high speed rail line, the Tokyo-Osaka ‘bullet train’ line that was first planned and built over 45 years ago. Like many assumptions carried forward 45 years, these assumptions no longer reflect how new high speed rail lines are planned, built, or operated. In the 25 years since France opened their Paris-Lyon TGV line, these assumptions have been disproven every few years as a new line opens in another part of the world and attracts new riders and new uses and builds new connections between cities."
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The Overnight News Digest is posted and includes the story, Obama will slice budget by $17 billion.
If you’re tired of seeing Haole in Hawaii’s wonderful photos, like those in Feathers and Fins, let me know so I can ignore you.
Although jovie131's headline says Ford to mass produce electric Car for 2010! Yipee!, the new machine, which the company says will be able to travel 100 miles without gasoline, is actually slated for 2011 delivery.
Cook for Good works on the menu some more in Organic food prices still dropping plus fruit splurge: "Organic food prices continue to drop to an average of $1.65 per meal per person since the high of $1.88 in February, using the Cook for Good menu plan. Regular meals are up a penny to $1.16. You can go green for $0.52 a meal or 44% more total for the month. See more details below, plus learn why splurging on strawberry shortcake is an affordable indulgence after all."
Because of swine flu, Egypt Slaughters 300,000 Pigs, Factory Farm Hogs on the Way, and sharistuff thinks that’s part of a plan to usher in factory farming. "This is so wrong, Egypt just doesn't even have a clue how bad it is in a factory farm. How horrible it will be for their country in the long run. I guess they were just waiting for a reason to shut down the pig farmers in the slums, so they could have these wonderful clean and shiny factory farms. If only that were true. Why don't people do their homework, like researching the harm large factory farms do to the local population. To the environment, to the pigs, to the people, to the world."
Stranded Wind updates us on a favorite topic of his, The National Renewable Ammonia Architecture Spring 2009: "Today we face depletion of the fossil fuel resources that drive our nitrogen production at the same time the carbon dioxide from our industries is acidifying the seas. Oceanic acidification has the potential to largely wipe out seafood production, eliminating another major source of human dietary protein. Ammonia from renewable sources can ensure food production, serve as a liquid fuel directly as well as support biofuel production, and as the critical nutrient in plant growth it has a role to play in carbon sequestration as well. We should immediately assess what it will take to place a renewable ammonia foundation underneath our agriculture, energy, and climate change remediation efforts."