Senate Opposes Listing Polar Bear as Threatened
Senate passes resolution urging other States to join

Juneau – The Senate passed a resolution today opposing a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

“It is important that we prevent listing the polar bear as threatened, not only because the designation is not clearly supported by science, but because it will be used as leverage to stop development projects across the country, including our own natural gas pipeline,” said Sen. Gary Wilken, R-Fairbanks.

Senate Resolution 6 was introduced by Sen. Gene Therriault, R-North Pole, on behalf of the five members of the Senate Republican Caucus. The full Senate approved the measure today by a vote of 12 to five. Because it is expressing a position of the Senate, the resolution does not need to go to the House for consideration.

University of Alaska Fairbanks Research Associate Professor Matt Cronin, Ph.D, agrees that an endangered species listing is inappropriate.

“Recent declines in sea ice and indications that polar bears in some areas may be negatively impacted are cause for concern, but in my opinion do not warrant designation of the species as threatened with extinction,” Cronin said. “I believe that consideration of multiple hypotheses regarding the future of sea ice and polar bear populations would provide better science than reliance on one extreme case hypothesis of loss of sea ice and associated drastic declines in polar bear populations.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing polar bears as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in the Federal Register on Jan. 9, 2007. Comments in the federal process must be submitted by April 9, 2007.