Alaska to sue over beluga whale decision

The State of Alaska says it will sue over a decision to list the beluga whales of Cook Inlet under the Endangered Species Act.

The state announced Jan. 14 that it will challenge the decision by the federal government to list the whales as threatened, and wants the listing decision withdrawn.

Gov. Sarah Palin previously said she was opposed to the listing of the Cook Inlet belugas because of the impact a listing could have on major Alaska development projects.

Palin says that the state has worked cooperatively with the federal government to protect and conserve the whales, and she says the listing decision did not take that into account.

Federal biologists have listed 18 potential threats to the white whales in Cook Inlet, whose numbers have trended downward for years. Scientists say if nothing changes the whales are headed toward extinction.

—The Associated Press