Andrew Wetzler’s Recent Comments

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  Re: Endangered Species Act

  These are really good questions.  Since I'm one of the folks trying to get the polar bear listed as a threatened species, let me try to answer them.

  Listing polar bears under the Endangered Species Act would:

  First, make it a federal crime to "take" (that is, kill, injure or harm) a polar bear;

  Second, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be required to designate "critical habitat" for the polar bear (critical habitat is habitat essential for the recovery of the bear);

  Third, listing would require all federal agencies to refrain from taking any actions (such as issuing federal permits) that would either "jeopardize the continued existence" of the polar bear or result the in the destruction of its "critical habitat.

  Finally, the Act would require the Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare a "recovery plan" for the bear.  That plan, of course, would have to address the main threat to polar bears--i.e., global warming.

  For more about the polar bear and this most recent report, see my blog post at:

  http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/awetzler/grim_news_and_ ... On Eh ... posted 2 years, 2 months ago 10 Responses