Critical Habitat for Polar Bears Proposed

Over 200,000 square miles of land, water and ice may become a designated critical habitat for polar bears in Alaska if a proposal by the Interior Department is adopted. The proposal is the result of a partial settlement of a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Greenpeace under the Endangered Species Act, against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But don't celebrate yet - the proposal has nothing with climate change and would still allow for oil and gas drilling.

Although threats to habitat are usually considered under the ESA, a special rule for polar bears means that the ESA cannot be used to restrict activities that contribute to global warming, even though global warming is a major threat to polar bears.

Oil and gas drilling are also a threat. The proposal itself states that "the chance of a large spill greater than or equal to 1,000 barrels occurring and entering offshore waters is within a range of 33 to 51 percent." Also, "the release of oil trapped under the ice from an underwater spill during the winter could be catastrophic during spring break-up if bears were present." The proposal came the same week that the Shell oil company was granted permission to drill in the proposed critical habitat.

As Melanie Duchin, a Greenpeace campaigner, explains:

Designating polar bear critical habitat is a good first step toward protecting this species . . . However, as long as the secretary of the interior maintains that he can do nothing about greenhouse emissions and global warming, protections for the polar bear will ultimately be ineffective.

You can submit a comment online or via mail at:

Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R7-ES-2009-0042
Division of Policy and Directives Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222
Arlington, VA 22203

Keep in mind that your public comments are public - your information as well as your comment will be made available online, but you can leave a field blank if you'd rather not divulge your name, address or phone number. The deadline for submitting comments is December 28, 2009.

Tom Brakefield / Getty Images

Suggested Reading:

• What is the Endangered Species Act?
  
• Polar Bears Won't be Protected from Global Warming
  
• Sarah Palin Covered Up Polar Bear Info
  
• U.S. Proposes Plan to Protect Critical Polar Bear Habitat in Alaska from the Guide to Environmental Issues

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