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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 04/01/2010 : 19:49:58
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Chris Clarke at Coyote Crossing has the details: Obama administration grants ESA protection to front half of polar bear
Posted by Chris Clarke on April 1, 2010
Washington, DC April 1, 2010 — In what many Democratic strategists are hailing as a pragmatic political masterstroke, the Obama administration today announced that it would be granting full Endangered Species Act protections to the front half of the beleaguered polar bear.
The polar bear, Ursus maritimus, is the world’s largest bear species. Conservationists had feared that given threats to the bear from climate change, Arctic oil development and poaching, the species might have gone extinct as early as 2050 without full ESA protection.
“This is a landmark decision,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who made the announcement during a keynote speech at a conference of recreational mountaintop removal enthusiasts. “By granting full protection to the anterior portion of the Arctic’s most picturesque predator, we signal that hope and change are coming to the Arctic wilderness. This truly is a great day in the annals of wildlife protection.”
In March 2009, Salazar announced that he would be leaving in place exemptions on polar bear protections that excluded greenhouse gases and oil development from regulation. Today’s announcement marks a partial reversal of that decision, which had been criticized by environmental groups.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 04/01/2010 19:51:48
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ESA gives protection to front half of polar bear
