Summary Box: Polar bears to be protected species

THREATENED BEAR: The polar bear was declared a threatened species by the Interior Department Wednesday. It cited dramatic declines in sea ice that will likely result in two-thirds of the polar bears disappearing by mid-century.

BROADER ISSUE: Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said it would be "wholly inappropriate" to use the protection of the bear to broadly address climate change. The department outlined actions and limits to how it planned to protect the bear so economic activities would not be affected.

REACTION: Environmentalists and some members of Congress said the measure doesn't go far enough.

More Politics headlines...

E-mail article Print view