shiver me timbers (but sarevil would LOVE to shoot 'em from helicopters i betcha! that woman makes me want to puke) it's not blood for oil. this time it's whales for oil. drill drill drill - right sarevil? what difference does it make if ALL whales die anyway. the rapture is right around the corner
Alaska beluga whales put on endangered list
Gov. Sarah Palin opposed the move by the Bush administration. The National Marine Fisheries Service will extend federal protections to the 375 whales.
The Bush administration Friday designated a small, isolated population of beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet as endangered, rejecting arguments from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin that the small, white whales were on their way to recovery.
The National Marine Fisheries Service decided to extend federal protections to these whales near Anchorage after their numbers declined nearly 50% in the 1990s. The whales failed to rebound despite a decade-long program to revive the species.
The National Marine Fisheries Service decided to extend federal protections to these whales near Anchorage after their numbers declined nearly 50% in the 1990s. The whales failed to rebound despite a decade-long program to revive the species.
"In spite of protections already in place, Cook Inlet beluga whales are not recovering," said James W. Balsiger, acting director of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
As a practical matter, the new protections mean that new offshore oil drilling, construction of a new bridge, and other industrial activities that involve federal dollars or oversight will have to be shown as harmless to the estimated 375 beluga whales remaining in local waters.
The decision came after Palin won a six-month postponement last year, arguing that she and state scientists believed the endangered status was "unwarranted" and that "we've actually seen the beginnings of an increase in their population."
On Friday, Palin released a statement saying: "The state of Alaska has had serious concerns about the low population of belugas in Cook Inlet for many years. However, we believe that this endangered listing is premature."........As a practical matter, the new protections mean that new offshore oil drilling, construction of a new bridge, and other industrial activities that involve federal dollars or oversight will have to be shown as harmless to the estimated 375 beluga whales remaining in local waters.
The decision came after Palin won a six-month postponement last year, arguing that she and state scientists believed the endangered status was "unwarranted" and that "we've actually seen the beginnings of an increase in their population."
pic:
Ted S. Warren / Associated Press
New protections mean that offshore oil drilling and other industrial activities that involve federal dollars or oversight will have to be shown as harmless to an isolated population of beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet.
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