A few months back, here at takepart we told you the good news that the Department of the Interior listed the polar bear as an endangered species, the first species that is protected due to climate change. Well, it turns out not everyone thought the protection of the Alaskan polar bears was such a good idea. Specifically, the Alaskans.

The Associated Press reports that the state of Alaska is suing Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne (awesome name) to have the ruling reversed to take polar bears off the endangered species list. From the article:

Gov. Sarah Palin and other state officials fear a listing will cripple offshore oil and gas development in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in Alaska’s northern waters, which provide prime habitat for the only polar bears under U.S. jurisdiction.

In announcing the decision to sue, Governor Palin stated, “We believe that the Service’s decision to list the polar bear was not based on the best scientific and commercial data available.”

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It’s May 16th, I’m Gina Telaroli and this is TakePart.com’s look at the week in social action…

The Interior Department has decided today to protect the polar bear population under the Endangered Species Act. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne says that polar bears are threatened because the Arctic ice is melting. And faster than we imagined.

This is the first time that the Endangered Species Act has been used to protect a species threatened by the impacts of climate change. But the New York Times reports, this ruling may not have the impact many are hoping for:

But the long-delayed decision to list the bear as a threatened species may prove less of an impediment to industries along the Alaskan coast than many environmentalists had hoped. While further protecting the polar bear from direct or immediate threats — like hunting — the Interior Department added stipulations, seldom invoked under the act, that will make it relatively easy for oil and gas exploration and development activities to proceed.

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