The Obama administration is appraching a 60-day deadline this weekend to rescind the Bush-era rule change to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) concerning the polar bear.
In March, federal lawmakers authorized Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to rescind two rule changes made by the Bush administration, saving the agency from having to go through a lengthy rewriting process.
Salazar already rescinded one of the changes that voided federal agencies of their responsibility to consult with wildlife experts before taking actions that could affect threatened or endangered species.
But Salazar has given little indication whether or not he will rescind the polar bear rule, which forbids actions outside of arctic regions from being considered a threat to the animals. The Bush administration created this rule-change so that the ESA could not be used to address greenhouse gas emissions around the country.
The polar bear was listed as a threatened species due to habitat loss (melting sea ice) caused by global climate change.
Read Associated Press coverage at the link below.
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