Letters / Juneau Empire / APRIL 13, 2009

Just before leaving office, the Bush administration issued rules eviscerating the central consultation process of the Endangered Species Act; exempting greenhouse gas-emitting projects from regulation under the Act; and specifically banning federal agencies from protecting the polar bear from greenhouse gas emissions, the primary threat to its continued existence. These rules gut our nation's most important wildlife protection law, which has been safeguarding species for more than 35 years, and fail to use this successful law to fight the greatest future threat to endangered species - global warming.

On March 11, President Barack Obama signed into law an omnibus appropriations bill, giving Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 60 days to rescind the Bush rules with the stroke of a pen and restore the Endangered Species Act to its former glory. This is a golden opportunity for Salazar to fulfill Obama's campaign promises to bring science back to federal agencies.

As global citizens, we must urge Salazar to do what is right, and take the first steps in repairing the environmental damage of the Bush administration by immediately rescinding these Endangered Species Act regulations by May 9. Call Salazar today at 202-208-7351 and go to www.savethepolarbear.org to send him a letter. The survival of endangered species across the planet depends on it.

Michelle Stone, Douglas AK