A ruling by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife that the polar bear is threatened, as claimed by the Center for Biological Diversity, will be felt even more profoundly by Alaskans than by the rest of the country. The petition specifically targets oil exploration and development, shipping and fishing as industries which could affect the polar bear population.

According to the Alaska Legislature it’s time for Alaska to take an active role in the decision making process. In the budget submitted to Governor Palin, the Legislature has included $2 million to fund a conference to highlight the growing mountain of evidence that supports NOT listing polar bears as threatened or endangered.

In the May 4th edition of the Anchorage Daily News, a liberal California newspaper published in Alaska, Homer correspondent Tom Kizzia wrote that the Alaska Legislature is,“looking to hire a few good polar bear scientists. The conclusions have already been agreed upon–researchers just have to fill in the science part.”

In response to the ADN’s condescending one-sided introduction we need to point out that ANY science undertaken to support a particular agenda or conclusion is suspect, including that presented by the environmentalists. If environmental science has been reduced to dueling expert opinions, then it follows that the State of Alaska shouldn’t come to the table unarmed.

Works cited:

Kizzia, Tom. (2008, May 4). Legislature wants polar bear study. Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved May 4, 2008, from http://www.adn.com/polarbears/story/395540.html

Read more:

Goklany, Indur. (2008, February 5). What to do about Climate Change. The Cato Institute. Retrieved May 4, 2008 from http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9125

Michaels, Patrick J. (2008, April 18). Doing Little Is Doing Right, or You’ll Wreck Economy. The Cato Institute. Retrieved May 4, 2008, from http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9344