A federal appeals court on Friday upheld Endangered Species Act protections for the polar bear, Reuters reported. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit means the bear will remain listed as threatened, the lower of two levels of federal protection. That designation was originally challenged from two sides. Environmental groups said the bear should be listed as endangered, the highest level of protection, while industry and sporting groups and Alaska said it didn't merit any protection. Only some of the parties in the latter group joined Alaska in appealing a lower court ruling that upheld the threatened designation. They claimed that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finding should be thrown out because of deficiencies in the rule-making process. Although the polar bear listing had sparked some controversy because of disputes over the impact of climate change, the court's ruling did not delve into the underlying science supporting the conclusion it be listed. -- SPA
