Environmentalists, energy companies look to U.S. for decision on polar bears

[Karl]

The Canadian Press – May 11, 2008

Canadian environmentalists and energy companies will be looking to the American government this week for a decision that will affect everything from the economy of remote northern communities to how this country's energy is sold in the U.S.

After months of delay, a court order will force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare Thursday whether or not it believes polar bears are endangered. "It's coming to a head," said Pete Ewins of the World Wildlife Fund. "The key thing, what are they going to say?" The wildlife service has been expected since January to make a recommendation on whether the great white bears should come under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Tired of waiting, several American environmental organizations took the service to court over the delay and a judge has ordered it to make a ruling by Thursday.

That decision will be closely watched in Nunavut, where Inuit guides charge American hunters up to $30,000 for the privilege of shooting a polar bear. An endangered species listing would make it nearly impossible to bring trophies from such a hunt into the U.S., a restriction greatly expected to reduce the number of bear sport hunts in the Arctic. The government of Nunavut has intervened in the U.S., asking the service not to declare the bears endangered.

But energy exports to the U.S. could also be affected, says Ewins. Such a listing for polar bears would commit the U.S. to not doing anything that could threaten the species further. Because the main threat to the bears is considered to be habitat loss from climate change, that could make it tougher to sell fuels that produce a higher amount of greenhouse gases, such as oil derived from Alberta's oilsands. "U.S. programs, policies and financial measures involving the U.S. government that would further jeopardize the survival of polar bears would come under extremely strong scrutiny," Ewins said. "Further increases in greenhouse gases, causing the sea ice to melt, would be deemed as clearly in contravention of the Endangered Species Act."

There have already been legislative moves in the U.S. to restrict the use of oilsands-derived oil. American environmental groups have also pressured users such as the airline industry to avoid it. "There are huge implications here for the way fossil fuels are used and extracted," said Ewins. American Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, responsible for the Fish and Wildlife service, was in Ottawa last Friday to meet with Canadian Environment Minister John Baird. Officials confirmed that polar bears were on the agenda.

Canada is also deciding what to do about the massive Arctic predator. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife In Canada recently said it would recommend the bears remain as a species of special concern. That would oblige Ottawa to address threats to the animal's survival, including climate change, but would give it until 2014 to come up with a management plan for Canada's estimated 15,000 bears. That's a date by which some scientists believe the Arctic could be completely free of summer sea ice - the bears' favoured hunting platform. Baird will receive the committee's report in August and will make a decision some time after that.

(Source: The Canadian Press: Environmentalists, energy companies look to U.S. for decision on polar bears)
(Related: The Great Beyond: Polar bear not ‘endangered’, just ‘concerning’)

[Karl]

By Wallace Witkowski - May 14, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior said Wednesday it listed polar bears as a threatened species because growing losses of sea ice threaten the animals' natural habitat. Under the Endangered Species Act, a "threatened" species is under serious threats that may eventually lead to its extinction, whereas an "endangered" species is on the brink of extinction. "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," Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne said in a statement.

Source: Interior Dept. lists polar bears as threatened species - MarketWatch
Related: Polar bear now listed as 'threatened' species - CNN.com

[Steven Sukot]

I thought Polar Bear should have been listed under endangered species long time.....

[Karl]

The US government on Wednesday declared the polar bear a threatened species under federal environmental protection laws, a ruling that may further limit efforts to develop US energy resources in Alaska. The Interior Department said it is listing the polar bear as a threatened species, “based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat”.

Advocates of increased US domestic energy development - including many in the US Congress - have long sought access to oil and gas reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) on Alaska’s north coast. The US chemicals industry, which is heavily dependent on natural gas as a feedstock, and the broader manufacturing sector have been appealing to Congress to open ANWR and other US onshore and offshore reserves to development.

Environmentalists have opposed drilling in the refuge on grounds it would disrupt and endanger the wildlife that ANWR was created to protect. Former president Bill Clinton vetoed a congressionally approved ANWR drilling programme in 1995. Under the ESA, an animal group termed threatened could be elevated to the endangered category, which would require broad restrictions on human activity in and around the animal’s habitat. Despite the ruling, Dirk Kempthorne said the US nevertheless can “continue to develop our natural resources in the arctic region in an environmentally sound way”. Because of the Interior Department ruling, anyone seeking energy development or any other facility construction in polar bear habitat will have to obtain a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: US says polar bear threatened; limits energy work

Related: Global Warming Examiner - Polar Bears Threaten Energy Development - Examiner.com,

Video:

[Karl]

mongabay.com - May 16, 2008

A large swathe of Alaska will be off-limits to oil development under a decision today by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Conservationists welcomed the move.

In a plan released Friday, the BLM announced it would grant permanent protection from energy exploration to 219,000 acres of Teshekpuk Lake, an area known for birds and other wildlife. "This represents a significant conservation victory for arctic wildlife and demonstrates that there is room for both protection of key areas and for responsible energy development in the arctic coastal plain rich in natural resources," said Dr. Steven E. Sanderson, President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

"We have found that the Teshekpuk Lake region is distinctive for its high diversity, abundance, and nesting productivity for these migrants," said Dr. Steve Zack, conservation scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society. "We are pleased to see protection afforded this important place and look forward to seeking full protection of those areas near Teshekpuk that now have deferred leasing. It may well be that this area rich in wetlands may be an important refuge in the future as the climate continues to change the arctic in dramatic ways."

Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior, said that nearby areas in the Northeast portion of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska would be available for leasing to energy firms.

Source: U.S. government bans oil development in Alaskan Arctic area