US Ordered to Act on Polar Bear

A judge has told the US government to decide within weeks whether to list polar bears as an endangered species.
The federal judge rejected the Bush administration’s pleas for a further delay, and ordered it to make and implement its decision by 15 May. A listing could restrict oil and gas exploration in the US Arctic, and lead to curbs on greenhouse gas emissions.
“Today’s decision is a huge victory for the polar bear,” said Kassie Siegel, climate program director with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the conservation groups behind the legal challenge.
“By 15 May, the polar bear should receive the protections it deserves under the Endangered Species Act, which is the first step toward saving the polar bear and the entire Arctic ecosystem from global warming.”
The bear will need protection if Bush gets his way and ANWR is opened.