endangered species act

On Monday, the Bush administration proposed a policy that threatens to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to the point of extinction. This comes as no surprise. Like the war in Iraq, removing the fetters of environmental protection has been an administrational goal since 2001. Unlike the war in Iraq, this time Bush and his cronies could very well succeed.

Secretary Kempthorne announces that he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dale Hall to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The listing is based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat.

In a stunning reversal of direction, the Bush administration has officially filed the papers to request an addition to the Endangered Species list. What threatened species could elicit this drastic change of course for the Bush Administration? It is, of course, the elusive Climate Change Skeptic (Dubium Mundus Fervesco),

Big wins for the world's most endangered whale and several rare bird species.

Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) questions members of the Bush administration regarding the delay of a decision to list polar bears under theEndangered Species Act until after a controversial lease sale for oil drilling off of Alaska. The hearing also features experts on wildlife protection and oil drilling.