[Vision2020] The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin IV: Endangered Species

[Saundra Lund]

The Atlantic
The Daily Dish
Andrew Sullivan
18 Oct 2008 03:31 pm

The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin IV: Endangered Species

On the question of extending the Endangered Species Act to polar bears,
Sarah Palin hews to the Stephen Colbert position. And in her defense, she
cited a study by her own state government in an op-ed for the New York Times
earlier this year. In that article, she wrote:

I strongly believe that adding [polar bears] to the list is the wrong move
at this time. My decision is based on a comprehensive review by state
wildlife officials of scientific information from a broad range of climate,
ice and polar bear experts. In fact, there is insufficient evidence that
polar bears are in danger of becoming extinct within the foreseeable future
- the trigger for protection under the Endangered Species Act. And there is
no evidence that polar bears are being mismanaged through existing
international agreements and the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. 

Yep: you guessed it. We found out subsequently in the New York Times that
the state's wildlife officials discovered no such thing:

Rick Steiner, a University of Alaska professor, sought the e-mail messages
of state scientists who had examined the effect of global warming on polar
bears ... An administration official told Mr. Steiner that his request would
cost $468,784 to process.

When Mr. Steiner finally obtained the e-mail messages - through a federal
records request - he discovered that state scientists had in fact agreed
that the bears were in danger, records show.

For the record.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/the-odd-lies-10
.html