Groups Admit To "Using" Polar Bear To Force Climate Regs

"Environmental lawyers have now effectively admitted that they are want to use the polar bear as a way to short-circuit Congress on the climate issue and force heavy handed regulation of climate change through the Fish & Wildlife Service," said Darrell Henry of the Partnership for America.  "This would bypass Congress completely.  Frankly, I don't think Members of Congress have focused yet on what these groups are trying to do and how bad it would be for America and their own constituents."

In a news story published this week in Roll Call, a widely read publication in Washington, D.C., environmental lawyers admitted to using the Polar Bear listing to drive a climate change regulatory agenda and that such a listing would put the endangered species law into uncharted territory.

From The Roll Call story:

Environmental advocates said because the listing would take the endangered species law into uncharted territory, it is not clear how wide its impact would be.

“This exact situation has never been consulted before, so it’s an open question about what happens to proposals for major greenhouse gas emitters,” said Andrew Wetzler, director of the Endangered Species Project for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “But since the principal threat identified was climate change, and the recovery plan has to be concrete, theoretically, the plan is going to have to address climate change.”

More From Roll Call:

“The environmentalists are trying to get a backdoor climate change act by listing the polar bear,” said Darrell Henry, a lobbyist for the Western Business Roundtable and the Partnership for America, both of which are opposed to federal regulation of the environment.

Kassie Siegel, director of the climate, air, energy program at the Joshua, Calif.-based Center for Biological Diversity, countered: “It’s not a backdoor. It’s a front door, because the number one threat to polar bears is greenhouse gas emissions.”

"What these activists don't say is that scientists acknowledge Polar Bear populations are healthy," Henry said.  "These groups are shamelessly using warm and fuzzy pictures of the polar bear to circumvent Congressional authority and the intent of the Endangered Species Act in order to regulate carbon by federal bureaucrats in Washington."

"Most polar bears live in Russia, Canada, and other artic nations, but reside in only one U.S. state:  Alaska," Henry said.  "Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and other state officials are concerned that the listing would hurt current successful polar bear conservation efforts," Henry said.

·         Click here to view the Roll Call article in it’s entirety (subscription required)
 

·         Go here to see why Alaska Governor Palin is concerned about a polar bear ESA listing
 

·         Go here to see a compilation of what current science says about Polar Bear populations

Henry noted the following:

·         Polar Bear Populations are Healthy and Growing and Don't Need Meddling by Government Bureaucrats
Polar bears are currently managed in healthy numbers and, in fact, are currently at historic high population levels of two to three times the population of 30 - 40 years ago, with sustaining numbers between 20,000 and 25,000 species.  Bears don't need government bureaucrats managing them through government programs and red tape!  Go here to see the facts.

·         Wildlife Experts Say An ESA Listing Would Hurt Bear Conservation Efforts
State of Alaska wildlife experts say that "a listing of polar bears under ESA in the United States may actually be harmful for the conservation of polar bear populations internationally."  Go here to see this testimony, and to see other scientific facts about the status of polar bears.

·         The ESA Fails Miserably At Helping Species
When it comes to helping troubled species recover to health, the Endangered Species Act has been a spectacular failure over its more than 30 years of operation.  In fact, it has failed to recover species in more than 99 out of 100 cases.  That is a less than 1 percent success rate.  Why would we want to subject yet another species to ESA's jail??  Go here to see more information on why the ESA law is a failure.

Click here for more information on the Partnership's Polar Bear Campaign

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ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP
The Partnership for America is a broad-based alliance of people who support a clean environment and a healthy, growing economy. The Partnership's membership includes more than 600 companies, associations, coalitions and individuals who collectively employ or represent more than one million citizens across America in the following sectors: farm/ranching, coal, timber/wood products, small businesses, utilities, hard rock mining, oil & gas, construction, manufacturing, property rights advocates, education proponents, recreational access advocates, county government advocates, local, state and federal elected officials, grassroots advocates and others.

CONTACTS:

·         Darrell Henry, VP Government Affairs, 202-220-1331, dhenry@partnershipforamerica.org

·         Darrell Proctor, Director of Communications and New Media, 303-577-4617, dproctor@policycom.com

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P.O. Box 155 - La Salle, CO  80645
info@goodneighborlaw.com

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