Polar bear, walrus protection sought - AP

[Eugene]

Polar bear, walrus protection sought

By DAN JOLING, Associated Press Writer

Tue Feb 13, 11:53 PM ET

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Two conservation groups sued the federal government
Tuesday, claiming regulators are not doing enough to protect polar bears and
walruses against the combined threat of energy exploration and global warming.

The groups say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not fully consider the effects
of global warming, such as diminished sea ice, when it wrote regulations allowing
for incidental harassment of polar bears and walruses by the oil and gas industry in
the Beaufort Sea and nearby coastal areas.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific
Environment, asks the federal court to declare the regulations illegal and force the
agency to thoroughly analyze how global warming and oil exploration and development
affect the mammals.

-snip-

Polar bears can suffer harm from drilling, seismic work and transportation, said
Earthjustice attorney Clayton Jernigan, who filed the lawsuit on behalf the California-
based groups. The petroleum activities disturb feeding, cause abandonment of maternity
dens and disrupt polar bear life cycles, Jernigan said.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070214/ap_on_re_us/marine_mammal_lawsuit_3

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Come on people, give a kick for the Polar bears!

[XemaSab]

2. The big problem with this

is how do I, in California, evaluate potential impacts of say, an LNG plant in California on polar bears? Where would the significance thresholds be? :shrug: