Court Orders U.S. to Stop Keeping Polar Bear Status on Ice [News]

A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Bush administration to stop dragging its feet on the fate of polar bears and decide by May 15 whether declining sea ice in the Arctic threatens their existence. The ruling marks a victory for a coalition of environmentalists--the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)--which sued to force the U.S. Department of the Interior to decide whether to protect the hoary Arctic predators under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which it had committed to do by January 9. [More]