A federal judge on Monday ordered theInterior Department to make a decision on listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.
Judge Claudia Wilken said the Bush administration violated the law by delaying a decision. She gave a deadline of May 15 whether or not to list the polar bear as threatened or endangered.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to list the polar bear as threatened due to rising temperatures that affect the animal's habitat. The final decision will apparently be made by Interior Secretary Dirk
Kempthorne.
Get the Story:Administration Has Two Weeks to Make Polar Bear Decision (The Washington Post 4/30)
pwpwd
Judge Gives Agency Deadline for Decision on Polar Bear (The New York Times 4/30)
pwnyt Court Decision:
Center for Biological Diversity v. Kempthorne (April 28, 2008)
