Endangered Process

Proposed rule changes to the Endangered Species Act could do lasting harm in the natural world. Tuesday, August 19, 2008; Page A12 IN MAY, the Bush administration reluctantly listed the polar bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. The facts left it with little choice: the bear's Arctic Sea ice habitat is melting because of global warming. But the administration wasn't happy, because the Endangered Species Act was never intended to be an instrument for coping with climate change. Our sympathy was limited, since President Bush spent his entire time in office resisting the adoption of laws that would have been better suited to combating greenhouse gas emissions. But we agreed that the Endangered Species Act was the wrong tool for the problem. Now, however, in what is ostensibly an attempt to deal with this polar... [read full story]