Three groups sent notice today to federal agencies and officials within the Bush Administration that they plan to sue the government for failing to add polar bears to the threatened species list as authorized by the Endangered Species Act.
The Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Greenpeace say that polar bears are at great risk of extinction because of global warming. The U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service missed a deadline today to protect polar bears under the Act saying the agency needs more time to study the issue.
The formal notice by the conservation groups must be sent before a lawsuit can be filed.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries both share responsibility for administration of the Endangered Species Act.
Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j9NGJ0_eVkxqgpEFC6RMHVlvT9qwD8U2I4R81
