Alaska’s governor Sarah Palin has announced that the state of Alaska plans to sue the federal government over its decision to place beluga whales from Anchorage’s Cook Inlet on the Endangered Species List.
Palin is said to be against the decision because of the effects it may have on oil and gas developments and the expansion of the city’s port. (The area happens to be a mature oil-producing basin.) Read the rest of this entry »
In the coming days, there will be 22 inauguration balls held to celebrate President Barack Obama’s entrance into the highest office. Of those balls, two will officially be green.
In fact, both of these balls are called “The Green Inaugural Ball,” which could certainly lead to confusion for guests invited to both. One ball will be held by Al Gore and the other by PETA. From the Baltimore Sun:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plans to give away fur coats to the homeless while offering hot soy-milk cocoa in cups that read: “Thank You for Not Wearing Fur!”
Many of the other balls are encouraging attendees to carpool, will serve organic foods, and are using energy-efficient lighting.
But what about little science? Very teeny? Elections do have consequences for every interested party in science, from the greatest Nobel Laureates to the humblest specks of nano stuff.
Looks like they went heavily Obama, too.
And no wonder, with the war on science we just survived.
The kind assistant Professor John Hart of the University of Michigan helped these tiny nanovoters in his care add their voice to the science vote for Nanobama.
In an unusual move for an administration that cares little for endangered species, the U.S. Department of the Interior proposed adding 48 species found only in Hawaii to the federal endangered species list this week. The administration claimed to be using a “newly developed, ecosystem-based approach to species conservation,” even though the Clinton administration used such an approach. In related news, the Center for Biological Diversity filed five lawsuits regarding Bush Administration political interference in designations for six western species, including the California tiger salamander, southwestern willow flycatcher, and western snowy plover. Noah Greenwald, science director for the Center for Biological Diversity stated:
The Bush administration has the worst record protecting endangered species of any administration since passage of the landmark Endangered Species Act. In the case of these six species, the administration’s malfeasance resulted in the removal of protection for over 300,000 acres of habitat in seven western states.
The Center for Biological Diversity recently awarded Governor Sarah Palin her first award since becoming Vice Presidential running mate with Senator-turned-Republican Presidential nominee John McCain.
Here is part of explanation for the decision to award Ms. Palin with this year’s dubious honor:
“Governor Palin has waged a deceptive, dangerous, and costly battle against the polar bear,” said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. “Her position on global warming is so extreme, she makes Dick Cheney look like an Al Gore devotee.”
Click here to read the full press release issued by the Center.
California, the world’s sixth largest economy, is expected to grow as a result of a global warming law. AB32 requires a 25 percent cut in industrial greenhouse gases by 2020. Two new studies released by the California Air Resources Board claims the economy and public health will benefit from emissions reductions as a result of the law. Economic production will increase by $27 billion and overall personal income by $14 billion. It is predicted 300 premature deaths will be eliminated statewide.
Michael M. Phillips recently blogged for the Wall Street Journal about some bad press that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is receiving from environmental groups in the form of the above video:
“Soon after she took office, Palin proposed that the state provide a $150 ‘incentive’ for aerial wolf hunters; to collect it the hunters would have to turn in the animal’s severed left forepaw. Several environmental groups immediately attacked the proposal as an illegal ‘bounty’ and sued the state. The court agreed, shutting the program down before it started.”
In an uncharacteristic move, the Bush administration announced today they are withdrawing attempts to remove gray wolves living in the Northern Rockies from the endangered species list. Such a rule would have opened the way for public hunting of wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming this fall.
The delisting of the West Virginia northern flying squirrel appears to be part of the Bush administration’s plan to gut the Endangered Species Act by keeping rare species off the list, undercutting protections for some on the list, and removing others from the list altogether.
Down-listing the flying squirrel to threatened status would have been a more prudent decision.
Alaska’s governor Sarah Palin has announced that the state of Alaska plans to sue the federal government over its decision to place beluga whales from Anchorage’s Cook Inlet on the Endangered Species List. 
We know that 
