Alaska Will Sue Over Polar Bears

Gov. Sarah Palin Says There Is Not Enough Evidence To Support Threatened Species Distinction

(AP)  The state of Alaska will sue to challenge the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened species, the governor announced.

Gov. Sarah Palin and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts.

Palin argued Wednesday that there is not enough evidence to support a listing. Polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation, she said.

Climate models that predict continued loss of sea ice, the main habitat of polar bears, during summers are unreliable, said Palin, a Republican.

The announcement drew a strong response from the primary author of the listing petition.

"She's either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading, and both are unbecoming," said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity. "Alaska deserves better."

Siegel said it was unconscionable for Palin to ignore overwhelming evidence of global warming's threat to sea ice, the polar bear's habitat.

"Even the Bush administration can't deny the reality of global warming," she said. "The governor is aligning herself and the state of Alaska with the most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints by denying this."

As marine mammals, polar bears are regulated by the federal government, not the state. U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne last week made the listing decision and said it was based on three findings.

"First, sea ice is vital to polar bear survival. Second, the polar bear's sea-ice habitat has dramatically melted in recent decades. Third, computer models suggest sea ice is likely to further recede in the future," he said.

Summer sea ice last year shrank to a record low, about 1.65 million square miles, nearly 40 percent less than the long-term average between 1979 and 2000.

Polar bears rely on sea ice for hunting ringed seals. In recent years, summer sea ice has receded far beyond the relatively shallow, biologically rich waters of the outer continental shelf, giving polar bears less time in prime feeding areas.

The bear's numbers rebounded after the 1970s, but conservation groups contend that was in response to measures taken to stop over-hunting.

Polar bear researchers fear recent effects of the loss of sea ice on Alaska polar bear populations. A 2006 study by the U.S. Geological Survey concluded that far fewer polar bear cubs in the Beaufort Sea were surviving and that adult males weighed less and had smaller skulls than those captured and measured two decades previously - trends similar to observations in Canada's western Hudson Bay before a population drop.

A U.S. Geological Survey study completed last year as part of the petition process predicted polar bears in Alaska could be wiped out by 2050.

Kempthorne said last week he considered every point Palin made, and rejected them.

[scalliwagrx8]

she''s a republican, of course she will side with the oil industry regardless of the facts. She was bought and paid for with their money.

[cbsblogger]

One more reason to replace Repubs in government. They demonstrate complete disillusionment with reality especially when there is a conflict between business profits and the greater good. Profits always wins out as demonstrated repeatedly by this administration. They have had a consistent non-chalant attitude toward food safety, water safety, air pollution, and the public at large. Profits always come above safety ...whether it be humans or polar bears.

[kansas1946]

Climate models that predict continued loss of sea ice, the main habitat of polar bears, during summers are unreliable, said Palin, a Republican.
***********************************

We all know that Republicans never met a scientist that they liked or belived, and besides, they all think the earth is 8,000 years old, carbon dating is a hoax, and GWB is a god.

[minnick8-2009]

I can''t understand how or why Obama has so many people duped. The Libs think he will solve everything. Won''t they be surprised when that isn''t the case? He is, after all, only a man and he certainly is NOT the Messiah. I think it is really scary that he is the most liberal, Marxist candidate that has ever run for President of the United States. I think the USA is in for Chaos if Barack Huessin Obama is elected.

[minnick8-2009]

Republicans never met a scientist that they liked or belived, and besides, they all think the earth is 8,000 years old, carbon dating is a hoax, and GWB is a god.
Posted by kansas1946

Have you interviewed every Republican to be able to make a statement like that? That is not true. I am a Republican because I am capable of thinking clearly. I work at a University and I like a lot of the scientists there. I have been out in the geologic layers of the Colorado Plateau collecting and identifying the fossilized species of life in the various layers and have a lovely rock collection which ages go all the way back to the Precambrian layers found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. There is actually one place on the planet where it is possible to obtain a sample of Zoraster Granite with an igneous intrusion of Pink Vishnu Schist because it is the only place it is exposed which is outside of the National Park. It is carbon dated at 2.7 billion years old. The creation of the Universe is believed to have begun about 4.7 billion years ago. I am also a Christian.

[sedean1]

Doesn''t this sound just like a Republican? The only thing they see is the oil under their feet...drill, drill, drill. After all, at four bucks a gallon, it makes sense to fill Alaska with holes!

[brianbwb-2009]

"I think it is really scary that he is the most liberal, Marxist candidate that has ever run for President of the United States." Posted by minnick8

Either youth, stupidity, or intentional misinformation (or a combination of all three) is behind this statement. You forget that Angela Davis once ran for president, (1968) and was a proud Marxist, while Mr. Obama''s record shows him to be one or two degrees right of center.

[sistatee-2009]

When gas hits five bucks a gallon, they''ll be drilling in Alaska, shooting Polar Bears by the train load, and nobody will say a word.

[mommakat64]

We need to get rid of our "environmental socialists"...RIGHT NOW. We haven''t drilled OUR OWN OIL or built new, better refineries in thirty (30) years because of them. No wonder we are being held hostage by the Saudis and Hugo Chavez. In fact, Cuba, China and Mexico are right now sucking up our oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. Our Democrat/Liberals are being paid by these Far Left Liberal Environmentalist...Robert Redford is a biggie, as is the Kennedy family...to stop ANY NEW OR OLD energy research and development...NO WIND TURBINES ANYWHERE NEAR THE KENNEDY COMPOUND, FOR GOODNESS SAKE. They just might spoil the view...jeez. As long as we allow our selves and our economy to be high jacked, and held hostage by lobbyists and "ENVIRONMENTAL NAZIS", we will continue to spiral down into a communistic type of government...and we all know how THAT worked out.

[mommakat64]

We need to get rid of our "environmental socialists"...RIGHT NOW. We haven''t drilled OUR OWN OIL or built new, better refineries in thirty (30) years because of them. No wonder we are being held hostage by the Saudis and Hugo Chavez. In fact, Cuba, China and Mexico are right now sucking up our oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. Our Democrat/Liberals are being paid by these Far Left Liberal Environmentalist...Robert Redford is a biggie, as is the Kennedy family...to stop ANY NEW OR OLD energy research and development...NO WIND TURBINES ANYWHERE NEAR THE KENNEDY COMPOUND, FOR GOODNESS SAKE. They just might spoil the view...jeez. As long as we allow our selves and our economy to be high jacked, and held hostage by lobbyists and "ENVIRONMENTAL NAZIS", we will continue to spiral down into a communistic type of government...and we all know how THAT worked out.

[mommakat64]

Sorry...I CAN be impatient. And I really, really understand the vetting process. My "home" newspaper is The Columbian of Vancouver, Washington, which tried a "comments page" for it''s "letters to the editor"--not a blog--that was high jacked by a local Repub "questionable" who literally destroyed any honest debate, and caused such horrible discourse, that it, sadly, had to be shut down.

[mommakat64]

I don''t know Sista T....we''ve put up with such cannibalistic, socialism. I hope and pray that we WILL NOT bow down to socialism/communism. I will cry for our Founding Fathers....who are now, and have been, literally, spinning in their graves.

[mommakat64]

YES... sue the socialist/communist environmentalists. They are the people...like Robert Redford,especially...who have kept us from drilling and refining our natural resources...among others. These socialist/communist/environmentalist only campaign for animals. I have campaigned for eagles, bobcats, coyotes, mustangs, cougars, jack rabbits, seals, wolves, bisons, peregrine falcons, California Condors, salmon ( of all kinds) skunks and all mammals... and, especially the California seals, and the endangered Steller''s seal, and the Pacific sea otter, but there comes a time when the Salmon have been harvested way too much...and faces extinction, so sadly

[dimmu19]

Republican ideas will lead to the end of this planet. Drilling in Alaska and else where in the U.S. will only lower the price a few cents. Do the smart people here a favor and stop posting such stupid comments

[cfin5]

Posted by corey2444 at 06:19 AM : May 22, 2008------Really. Take a look at his attendance record. If you and I don''t show up for work, we get fired. Being a Senator has its privileges.

[mcvet]

Record? What record? What has Oboma ever done as a senator? WHAT? What right of center has he ever done? He''''s all talk. Worste choice this country could make for a president. I would rather have 8 years of Hillary.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by corey2444 at 06:19 AM : May 22, 2008
+ report abuse

Well when you compare what the young Senator from Illinois hasn''t done to the gross wrongs of Senator McSame... voting for that OLD fool would be the worst thing anyone could do. He has the SAME position as the Worst in our history on just about EVERY issue. So I guess IF you want to continue the insanity of the last 8 years vote for the ROCK McSame!! Sieg Heil Bush

[mcvet]

I don''''t know Sista T....we''''ve put up with such cannibalistic, socialism. I hope and pray that we WILL NOT bow down to socialism/communism. I will cry for our Founding Fathers....who are now, and have been, literally, spinning in their graves.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by MommaKat64 at 05:20 AM : May 22, 2008

How do you know this? Oh LET me guess!! You have been playing with your Magic Swastika again. YOU do know the founders were "LIBERAL" ... NO let me say it as the KING did... they were RADICAL LIBERAL''s. YOU con Freaks?? YOU fought for the king! You losers have called just about EVERY social advancement in this nations history "Socialism"... No I''ll take that back as well, before the Joe McCarthy blow up you called them Communist. You have NEVER contributed ANY to a solution to any problems you promised to address... HISTORY clearly shows the only thing Conservatives are good for is complaining about any progress out of the dark ages! Now stand... let the fuhrer know you''re out here!! SIEG HEIL BUSH!! By the way where is the Rally this weekend?? Are they burning a cross??

[mcvet]

We have so much oil in this country we could knock it price of oil down by at least a dollar. Drill in the Gulf, Drill in Alaska, Drill in the Dakoda''''s. You would rather see the US paying $10 for a loaf of bread?

The era of Horse & Buggy is OVER! Get real.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by corey2444 at 06:06 AM : May 22, 2008

Now WASN''T that the solution you fascist sold us in 1980? YOU were going to "fix" the energy problem by increasing drilling?? Now you fascist had complete control of the congress and you had the LIAR of all time in the White House for 6 years. Darth had his OWN energy Policy formed in secret in a backroom. YOU Nazi''s could have passed any law, made any change you wanted. PROBLEM?? Well it seems that any change in the off limits Oil Drilling would have to include brother JEB''s State... OOPS!! Your PARTY is a failure, your SECTRET Energy Policy is a FAILURE and your Leaders War for OIL is a COMPLETE Failure. Time to move on!! Now stand and be a good NAZI here!! Sieg Heil Bush!! Good bootlicker!!

[dsr57]

GOD !! ! ! ! I really wish MCVET would shut the Hell up, I think if I see Magic Swastika, sieg heil, swastika breath or Nazi again I''m going to completely devote all my time to following him around CBSNEWS antagonizing him until my blood pressure drops!

[mcvet]

GOD !! ! ! ! I really wish MCVET would shut the Hell up, I think if I see Magic Swastika, sieg heil, swastika breath or Nazi again I''''m going to completely devote all my time to following him around CBSNEWS antagonizing him until my blood pressure drops!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by DSR57 at 07:33 AM : May 22, 2008
+ report abuse

Ah did I hurt your PRETEND feelings? You and YOUR party are FASCIST sparky... not my fault. Want me and the rest of the ENTIRE world to stop calling you what you are? CHANGE your ways swastika breath!! Your answer to EVERY problem is to "blame Lib''s"... doesn''t matter that You FREAKS have been in charge. Doesn''t matter that you nazi''s could have changed any law you wanted... NONE of that matters to you LOSERS!! Simply put.. YOU stop being fascist and I''ll stop calling you one. Now stand, let Darth and his SECRET Energy task force hear YOU!! Sieg Heil Bush!! Good bootlicker!!

[mcvet]

Let''''s get this straight, ok? We have some of the richest oil reserves up there and we can go get it because somebody likes the looks of these fuzzy wuzzy witto bears? Think about that when your gas pump says $5 a gallon for your fill up. Give them an ice flow to play on and give me my gas.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by maxify55 at 07:37 AM : May 22, 2008
+ report abuse

Let''s get this straight... the Earth is begining to feel the effects of Global Warming... even your Fuhrer has to accept that fact. We MUST find a better way to develope energy... obviously you fascist haven''t a clue how to do that so you want to further distroy the Earth hunting for the last few drops. You losers came to power PROMISING to "fix" the problem... you not only didn''t "fix" the Problem, you NEVER do, you and Darth''s SECRET ENERGY POLICY has made it MUCH worse. Time to look in a different direction America... these tired old fascist have NO solutions except to blame OTHER American''s... Well unless you count Iraq!! ROFLMAO Sieg Heil Bush

[credibility2]

I understand the need to protect the environment and endangered species, but we are quickly approaching a point of no return when our decisions may permanently and irrevocably place humankind in such a predicament economically that they will have great difficulty surviving economically and I''m not referring to even having a lavish existence. The other predicament is how to find balance in all of this, including making sure that companies making investments for drilling for oil, don''t end up using economically endangered people. Clearly bio-fuels aren''t the answer. Look what it''s doing the cost of food! These complex problems must be addressed immediately. We can''t forgo the existence of the masses just for a few critters, for example. That''s lunacy and it must be met with intelligence. Humanity is endangered at this point. Let''s start addressing that major concern.

[dsr57]

I found an article about MCVET''s family

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356858,00.html

This is how the liberal families do it.

[tapsettle]

Actually I think polar bears are rather lovely ... I''d much rather have one of those than a tank full of gas :-)

[dsr57]

Ah did I hurt your PRETEND feelings? You and YOUR party are FASCIST sparky... not my fault. Want me and the rest of the ENTIRE world to stop calling you what you are? CHANGE your ways swastika breath!! Your answer to EVERY problem is to "blame Lib''''s"... doesn''''t matter that You FREAKS have been in charge. Doesn''''t matter that you nazi''''s could have changed any law you wanted... NONE of that matters to you LOSERS!! Simply put.. YOU stop being fascist and I''''ll stop calling you one. Now stand, let Darth and his SECRET Energy task force hear YOU!! Sieg Heil Bush!! Good bootlicker!!


Posted by MCVet

---------------------------------------------------

Thing is, you have no idea what party I support or if I support any parth at all!

So the fact that I commented on what you write ( Not your point of veiws exactly) The contsant Nazi references is what gets on my nerves.

You are very unoriginal and redundant.

And your choice of words really downplays what Jewish people went through in NAZI Germany.

It''s people like you that take the sting out of words and people like you that the word Mother F%^KER is pretty much used as a greeting more so that an insult.

[dsr57]

MCVET,

I''m not a Liberal and I''m not a conservative.... But when I see you firing off your S**T Cannon Your just begging me to dissagree with everything that you say

SIEG HEIL MCVET ! ! !

[tapsettle]

They have such cute eyes .... and fluffy fur ....

[johngress]

Drill, drill, drill. That%u2019s the mantra of the of the Bush/Cheney oil syndicate. They want you to believe that all we have to do is supply more oil and the problem goes away. What we need are the oil companies to reinvest more of their huge profits in other alternative energy and other technologies, or tax the profits and reinvest the money in those same technologies. If you believe Bush and his drill team, then you have been drilled too. The drilling starts right at your skull and into your prefrontal cortex. That makes you a proud member of the Bush lemmings with lobotomys club.

[jjp735i]

To the Republican Party it''s all about money for the oil companies and nothing else.

[tapsettle]

.... and they have such fun when they play ... rolling around in the snow ....

[libh8er]

It would cripple it....that''s why the bedwetting libs put them on the list in the first place.

THe wacko environmentalists prevent us from getting our own oil.....the assclowns in congress want to sue OPEC to produce more. We get most of our oil from Canada & Mexico. So sue OPEC???

Approval rating of 13%.....even lower than Bush. No wonder.

[tapsettle]

I wonder if you can see their poo piles on satellite imagery ... maybe the ones still warm show up on infra red?

[briannorwood]

All those billions of dollars in excess profits, you''d think the oil companies and their paid-in-full political cronies could spend just a little to help the environment.

[hunterdon6]

What caused global warming thousands of years ago when the last ice caps melted? The weather goes through cycles like this. The guy who brought us global warming "Al Gore" does his part in Tennessee. His mansion uses more energy in a month than what most home owners use in a year. Every time he flies from one city to another to talk about global warming, he is wasting energy and in his words creating global warming. His motto must be " Do as I say, not as I do". The polar bears will survive. If you want to save the bears, send them liberals to eat.

[tapsettle]

Sorry, I thought this debate was about Alaskan/Arctic polar bears and their imminent endangered status. I see now it is about greed, and how much one half of america hates the other. My mistake.

[al2008-2009]

I%u2019m appalled at the governor%u2019s lack of response to the global warming ice melts. We have no comprehensive strategy in place whatsoever, let alone a detailed plan of action to mitigate the effects of these melts, and mother earth continues to suffer while the governor%u2019s office refuses to go forward and do what%u2019s right for mother earth.
.
The ice has melted and now polar bears will be extinct in just a couple of decades.
.
How long must we sit idly by while our mother continues to suffer from the warming taking place at a feverish pace? How long must our mother suffer before we have proper c02 taxes put into place? How long must the destruction of mother earth take place before we finally put responsible plans into action? How long must we wait until we beef up our corn ethanol production? At least Obama wants to cut c02 pollution by 80%; he is definitely our best hope.
.
We the people call upon the governor to implement a comprehensive antiglobal warming strategy at once and work in coordination with state and federal officials; our ice sheets have melted, bears will soon be extinct, and the quicker we stop the warming the sooner we will allow the bears to survive. We need action now.

[hungry1968]

"Palin argued Wednesday that there is not enough evidence to support a listing. Polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation, she said."





This is what happens when lobbyists and big business have more influence over our elected politicians than common sense, scientific facts, or even population counts of the bears.

She will listen to the "findings" of big business, in spite of the fact that there are THOUSANDS of less polar bears than just a few years ago, their habit is disappearing rapidly, and even the seals they eat are having to move to dry land habitats because of shrinking sea ice.

She''ll eventually lose an election because of it, but by then the damage will be done.

[hungry1968]

Do your research before opening your mouth. The estimates on the oil sands of Canada is that there''''s enough oil there to fuel this planet for another 2000 years. Got that? That''''s a 2 with three, count them..1-2-3, zeros behind it. Get in line with the rest of the fools shouting global warming and shell out you money to the geniuses selling you green cars. I''''ll be over here on this horse farm with my 4 - K2500 Suburbans working. You''''re so easy.

Posted by maxify55 at 08:56 AM : May 22, 2008





You say "do your research before opening your mouth", and THEN you say that there are 2000 years worth of oil in Canada.


At current production rates, they have an estimated 182 years of reserve life - Mexico has 10. Saudi Arabia has 81. And those are at CURRENT production levels - of course they are going to increase over time.

Follow your own advice, and do some legitimate research yourself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves#Estimated_reserves_in_order

[msay3]

When will people begin to understand that it doesn''''t matter where you drill, or who gets the blame, but the fact of the matter is that oil is actually a finite resource? I know people fear change, but it would be better for future generations if we came up with alternatives to the combustion engine now, as well as finding other sources of energy. It''''s like medicine, some will work and some will not, but you have to keep looking and experimenting instead of blaming liberals for everything. Geez....

Posted by terikrause at 09:14 AM : May 22, 2008
----------------------------

I agree with your post....

[talkingham]

''bout time for another big earthquake in Alaska, maybe that will keep those greedy conservatives mouths shut for a while or have them whining about something else. Buncha greedy crybabies. I hope it warms up enough that they have to install air conditioning in Juno and pine beetles eat their forests (that''s already happening- cheers!).

these neocons have way too much time on their hands listening to the Viagra King of the Dominican Republic Limbaugh.

normally I put people above animals but not when it comes to Alaska''s neocronies who wet their pants everytime they hear the phrase global warming.

[hungry1968]

Drill for oil. Harvest all forms of energy and work towards new cleaner energy before we sink into times worse than the GREAT DEPRESSION.

Posted by corey2444 at 10:08 AM : May 22, 2008





So what are your solutions? It''s easy to say drill for more oil and harvest all forms of energy, but HOW do you propose it gets done?

Do you really think that there AREN''T people that are working on the problem?


Your solution is like someone that is broke saying, "I need more money!!!" to solve their problems. Yes more money would solve their problems, but HOW they get it is the issue - just like our energy crisis.

[libh8er]

The USA can drill for oil more cleanly than anyone else in the world save for the North Sea. Lib democrats just don''t want to because, if we started drilling and using our own oil, America would become more prosperous.

[libh8er]

Posted by corey2444 at 10:08 AM : May 22, 2008

Oh, it''s not that enviro-wack jobs don''t want drilling. They just don''t want the US to drill.

[libh8er]

Silly want to be Vet..
Posted by cornbiker at 10:03 AM : May 22, 2008

2/3 of his brain remained in the corps. And he only went in with half a brain to start off....so he''s really working from an 82 IQ. LOL

[minnick8-2009]

Do as I say, not as I do".
Posted by hunterdon6

From what I can tell, most environmentalists are elitists, and yes, their motto is, "Do as I say, not as I do." As long as they have theirs, to H E L L with the rest of us.

[tksk53]

I was going to post my comment for the day - but after reading all the others - I rest my case
TKTK53

[antifear]

Hey Corey2444
Did the fact that Ethanol is a hydrocarbon also escape you and that the burning and production of it actually puts more CO2 into the atmosphere than gasoline? How does that alleviate global warming?

[antifear]

Where did the Polar bears go when the Vikings were farming on Greenland during the last real warm spell?

[antifear]

I guess I will now have to go to Canada to get my Polar Bear skin rug. Always wanted one of those for my hunting room.

[awt62]

I cant believe people are so blind to believe polar bears are endangered. All these people that don''t want to drill seem to care more about the polar bears then then are own future. I think we should drill for oil...the polar bears are not endangered as far as I''m concerned. If it came down to the bear and me , it would be me.