Bush Votes Against Palin's Objections, Classifies Beluga Whale Endangered

The Bush administration placed Alaskan beluga whales on the endangered list, despite protests from Governor Sarah Palin and other officials against the designation.

The Cook Inlet Beluga whales are one of the five Beluga whale species that live in Alaska. They are easily visible from downtown Anchorage and one of the primary tourist attractions in Alaska. However, its population had decreased by 50 per cent in the late 1990s. Despite conservation efforts, the beluga whale population has not increased. Some of the protection efforts included a ban of hunting by Alaska Natives. James W. Balsiger, the acting assistant administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, a fisheries agency, said in a written statement to the press that the conservation efforts have not helped and the whales are not recovering. If conditions remain, the beluga whales may become extinct. The officials wanted to label beluga whales as endangered but the Alaskan government and other officials were very vocal against it. Governor Sarah Palin opposed it because the endangerment status will restrict all coastal and offshore oil and gas development in the area. They also have other projects that may get affected by this decision. The Alaskan government is planning to expand Port of Anchorage and a proposed bridge over Knick Arm that will connect Anchorage to the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and Palin’s hometown, Wasilla. Palin wrote in a written statement to Federal government in 2007.

“I am especially concerned...that an unnecessary federal listing and designation of critical habitat would do serious long-term damage to the vibrant economy of the Cook Inlet area.

But the Bush administration went ahead on Friday and placed the beluga whales in the Cook Inlet in Alaska on the endangered list. Palin and the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Denby S. Lloyd both said the fisheries agencies statistics are wrong -- the actual beluga whale population is higher but the National Marine Fisheries Service agency insists their figures are correct. Others opposing the federal government listing are Mayor Mark Begich of Anchorage, a Democrat and Senator Lisa Murkowski and Representative Don Young, both Republicans. The fisheries agency was worried with oil exploration and development, pollution, ship traffic that will adversely affect the beluga whales. Palin also fought against efforts to list polar bears as threatened early this year, but the federal government listed it as endangered. The Alaskan government is currently suing the federal government over that polar bear listing. And the Palin government actively promotes aerial hunting of wolves. McCain has a 0 percent environmental rating score, and it looks like Sarah Palin may not be far behind.