Alaska takes aim at polar bear critical habitat

Author:  Damien M. Schiff

The State of Alaska announced today that it intends to sue the Fish and Wildlife Service over the agency's 180,000 square mile plus designation of critical habitat for the polar bear.  I've already written here about the questionable economic analysis that the Service completed for the designation.  Alaska's suit is not surprising, given that the state is already challenging the polar bear's threatened listing (and of course if the state wins in that suit, the critical habitat designation will fall with it).

In other news, a bid by Idaho's senators to remove the Northern Rockies distinct population segment of gray wolf from the ESA has failed.