The rule makes it impossible for greenhouse gas emissions that are produced outside the range of the polar bears to be restricted under the ESA. Since most emissions impacting the ice in the Arctic are produced outside the polar bear’s range, environmentalists want the Interior Department to limit emissions in order to save the bears from extinction.
In response to the announce, Secretary Salazar stated: “We must do all we can to help the polar bear recover, recognizing that the greatest threat to the polar bear is the melting of Arctic sea ice caused by climate change. However, the Endangered Species Act is not the proper mechanism for controlling our nation’s carbon emissions.”
Salazar continued: “Instead, we need a comprehensive energy and climate strategy that curbs climate change and its impacts- including the loss of sea ice. Both President Obama and I are committed to achieving that goal.”
Environmentalists are planning to contest the ruling in court. Jane Kochersperger, a spokeswoman for Greenpeace, stated: “[The rule] significantly undercuts protections for the polar bear by omitting global warming pollution as a factor in the polar bear’s risk of extinction.” The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) stated: “We need to use every tool at our disposal, including the Endangered Species Act. The rule endorsed today is illegal, and we will continue to fight it in court.”
On the other side of the ruling, U.S. manufacturers and oil and natural gas companies were relieved. The groups felt that removing the ruling would enable further species to be used in order to reign in emissions in the future if the polar bear was included now.
Doc Hastings, a Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee, stated: “Withdrawing this rule would give the federal government vast new climate change power to regular any federal or federally permitted activity in our country that emits greenhouse gases. This reaches far beyond the scope of polar bears in the Arctic.”
Environmentalists are determined to see this through in court, so this may not be the last word on the polar bear ruling yet.
This sounds like a terrible hit for the polar bears of the world but hopefully this will spur the Obama administration to pass a more comprehensive emmision restricting bill.