THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume X, Issue # 56, February 27, 2008
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
LISTING THE POLAR BEAR UNDER THE ESA
COULD SPELL DISASTER
By Peyton Knight
USING POLAR BEARS & THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT TO DESTROY THE AMERICAN ECONOMY:
ENVIRONMENTALISTS & GLOBAL WARMING ALARMISTS SEEKING TO GET POLAR BEARS LISTED AS AN ENDANGERED
SPECIES UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, AN ESA LISTING WHICH COULD SPAWN LAWSUITS, IMPOSE
ECONOMY-CRIPPLING RESTRICTIONS ON CARBON DIOXIDE & OTHER GREENHOUSE GASES, & RAISE ENERGY COSTS FOR
CONSUMERS
FULL STORY:
In reaction to the Bush administration's deliberation over whether to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act,
the Natural Resources Defense Council's Andrew Wetzler claims: "There's no reason for them not to finalize that decision
now."
There are big reasons, one of which may explain the NRDC's zeal for a rush to judgment.
The polar bear population has doubled since 1965, from 10,000 to 20,000-25,000 today. Even the World Wildlife Fund, which
advocates listing the bear, in 2006, said there are "at least 22,000 polar bears worldwide" and "the general status of polar
bears is currently stable."
Further, listing the bear could spawn lawsuits and impose economy-crippling restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions.
Because the ESA makes it a crime to "harm" a listed animal or its habitat, environmentalists could sue any public or private
entity that emits CO2, which, they claim, causes global warming and harms the bear. The Natural Resources Defense
Council and others already have successfully sued under the ESA to stop everything from military training to cattle
ranching.
Listing the polar bear would benefit environmental activists, but would raise energy costs for consumers and harm our
economy, while providing few if any benefits to the bears.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Political Environmentalism Versus Human Progress & Prosperity:
Policy Issues Relating to Energy, Environment,
& Natural Resources
Political Economy -- Philosophies, Systems, & Public Policies:
Government, the Economy, & Economic Prosperity
J. Peyton Knight is Executive Director of the American Policy Center, a nonprofit, grassroots activist think tank
headquartered in Warrenton, Virginia, and dedicated to advancing the principles of private property rights, free markets,
and constitutionally limited government. He is also Washington, D.C. representative for the American Land Rights
Association, a grassroots, nonprofit property rights and multiple-use advocacy organization. Knight's commentary is
published by the Conservative Monitor, NewsWithViews.com, www.examiner.com, Amy
Ridenour's National Center Blog (www.national center.org), The Progressive Conservative USA
(www.proconservative.net), and numerous other periodicals and websites.
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues
Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity