US proposes endangered listing for seals 12/12/2010
NOAA seeks Endangered Species Act listing for Arctic, North Atlantic ringed seals, two populations of Pacific Ocean bearded seals
The federal government on Dec. 3 proposed listing two seals that depend on sea ice as threatened species because of the projected loss of ice from climate warming. The National Oceanic and Atmospheri...

FandW publishes final polar bear rule 12/05/2010
Critical habitat designation wins praise from environmentalists but causes concern for oil industry, NS Borough and the state
On Nov. 24 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule designating more than 187,000 square miles of the Alaska Arctic offshore, Arctic barrier islands and Alaska's northern coast as cri...

Oil Patch Bits: Crowley transforms refrigerated container fleet 11/21/2010
Crowley Maritime Corp. said Oct. 26 that when its liner services group takes delivery of 355 new 40-foot-high cube refrigerated containers later this year, it will mark an important milestone on the p...

Deadline set in polar bear listing case 11/14/2010
Federal judge gives Interior Department until Dec. 23 to say why bears 'threatened' instead of 'endangered'; hearing set for Feb. 23
A federal judge has given the Interior Department a Dec. 23 deadline to explain why polar bears were listed in 2008 as a "threatened" species instead of the more-protective "endangered." The written...

Companies fight to keep GHG data secret 11/07/2010
Some of America's largest emitters of heat-trapping gases, including businesses that publicly support efforts to curb global warming, don't want the public knowing exactly how much they pollute. Oil...

Pelosi digs into Canada's oil sands 09/19/2010
House Speaker hears from both sides in oil sands debate; leaves Alberta premier in 'buoyant' mood and ready to work with US
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose San Francisco congressional district is the heart of California's support for low-carbon fuel standards and opposition to imports of crude from the Alberta oil sands,...

Coast Guard to test jet boat for Arctic 07/11/2010
Looking to find a small boat that can operate in shallow, silty Arctic Ocean waters off Alaska's northern beaches, in July the Coast Guard will test a 28-foot jet boat that drafts just two feet. The...

Few tools protect bears from melting ice 07/04/2010
US Fish and Wildlife holds hearing on critical habitat designation; ASRC official says regulatory hardships little benefit to bears
Polar bear policy in America can be summed up succinctly: The iconic bears are threatened with extinction, and so far nothing much is being done. Two years after they were listed under the Endangered...

Feds get 52,000 comments on ANWR future 06/27/2010
Question of wilderness designation for coastal plain sparks spirited oil and gas debate, with wide range of interests weighing in
If anybody wonders whether the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge still matters to the American people, just ask the landlord. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received an estimated 52,000-plus respons...

Alaska protests bear habitat designation 06/20/2010
The federal plan for designating more than 187,000 square miles as polar bear critical habitat is too large and will lead to huge, unnecessary costs for Alaska's petroleum industry, opponents of the p...

NASA icebreaker Beaufort, Chukchi bound 06/13/2010
Agency's first dedicated oceanographic field campaign leaves June 15 to probe climate change impact on Arctic chemistry, ecosystems
NASA's first dedicated oceanographic field campaign goes to sea June 15 to take an up-close look at how changing conditions in the Arctic are affecting the ocean's chemistry and ecosystems that play a...