Ak. Gov. fights Endangered Species Act abuse

Author: Brandon Middleton

As we noted earlier, the State of Alaska is prepared to contest bogus Endangered Species Act restrictions.  Leading the effort is Governor Sean Parnell, who sees the issue of ESA abuse as a critical one for Alaska's future:

He announced plans to fight the scope of the federal Endangered Species Act, including opposing the size of the federally designated "critical habitat" for polar bears and intervening in a lawsuit that seeks to place ribbon seals on the endangered species list.

Parnell also has been considering intervening in lawsuits by environmental groups that have held up oil and gas development, including offshore. He's also made a case to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for allowing offshore development to move forward in Alaska at an aggressive clip.

"It's me standing up for Alaskans' interests and wanting to make sure that we will have an economy that will grow in the future. Frankly, most of our economic wealth is going to grow from the national resources, from the land and the sea. When the agencies attempt to regulate air, land and sea and add another layer of regulation over what's there, that diminishes job opportunities for Alaskans."