Appeals Judges Skeptical As AK Argues Against Threatened Listing For Polar Bears
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Judge Harry Edwards sounded unimpressed with Feldman’s claims that the Fish and Wildlife Service used flawed population forecasting models. The judge said those models simply confirmed other findings and were not a key part of the decision to list the bears. “It’s beating up on something that appears not critical,” Edwards said.
He and Judge Merrick Garland also questioned Feldman’s repeated use of U.S. Geological Survey statements to argue against the listing. Edwards said that argument ignored the agency’s conclusion that the bears should have been listed as not only threatened, but endangered.
Arctic sea ice melted to a record low this summer, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, which said the seasonal melting is more rapid than expected. Polar bears spend much of their lives hunting seals from sea ice. Biologists say the melting makes it harder to find the seals and forces the bears to swim tremendous distances between ice, putting them at risk for drowning.
The Obama administration has blunted the impact of the polar bear listing with a proposed rule that the Endangered Species Act would not be used to control greenhouse gas emissions outside of the bears’ territory. That means a new coal-fired power plant in the Lower 48 couldn’t be stopped with the argument that it contributes to melting ice, driving Alaska’s polar bears toward extinction.
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http://www.adn.com/2012/10/19/2665720/alaska-argues-to-keep-polar-bear.html