On January 7, the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service announced a delay in the final decision on whether to grant Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection to the polar bear. Late last year, DOI completed a study showing that the world population of polar bears would decrease by two-thirds by 2050 and disappear completely from Alaska, under current ice melting trends. The study led many to believe that DOI would list the species under ESA by the January 9 deadline. Because of the delay, the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, and the Natural Resources Defense Council announced they will bring suit against the government to enforce the listing deadline.
At issue is whether the ESA could be used as a weapon to combat global warming. If DOI lists the polar bear, it would be the first listing of a mammal based on the deterioration of its habitat resulting from increased temperatures in the earth's atmosphere. Environmentalists hope a polar bear listing will help in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to tightening Alaskan land management and limiting offshore oil and gas leasing. The Administration, however, has indicated that if the polar bear is listed, required mitigation would be more limited in scope.
In response to DOI's decision to the delay, Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-MA) of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming announced he will hold a hearing on January 17 on the timing of the decision, which came one day after a controversial lease sale for oil drilling off of Alaska. The sale of oil drilling rights in the Chukchi Sea, which is a sensitive polar bear area, was completed on January 6th. The hearing will focus on the Administration's response to the timing, and will feature experts on oil drilling and wildlife protection.