From: Center for Biological Diversity
Subject: Breaking News: Salazar Says No to Protecting Polar Bear

In the last 60 days, nearly 100,000 of our supporters signed petitions to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar urging him to rescind Bush's 11th-hour special polar bear rule. Thank you for all your help to get the word out to your networks and for signing the petition.

I'm writing to let you know that today Salazar confirmed our worst fears for his tenure as Secretary of the Interior -- he announced that he will adopt Bush's polar bear extinction plan, a "special rule" sharply limiting protections for the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act, as his own.

Salazar's decision to keep the Bush rule is a terrible blow to polar bears and the future of their Arctic habitat.

When Salazar responded last week to requests from you, as well as scientists, legal experts, and lawmakers around the country to revoke Bush's nationwide Endangered Species Act regulations, we knew his job was only half done. And his decision today cynically denies the polar bear the full protections it needs to survive.

The 60-day opportunity approved by Congress for Salazar to revoke the Bush extinction plan with the stroke of a pen has passed, but we're not giving up. The Center for Biological Diversity is already challenging the polar bear extinction plan in court. We will now ask the judge in that case to throw out this illogical and illegal rule, and will continue to pressure the Obama administration to use our nation's most successful law for the protection of plants and animals on the brink of extinction to fully protect the polar bear.

In the face of this bad news I also want to let you know how impressed we have been by the dedication and actions of our supporters to speak out for polar bears and the Endangered Species Act in the last two months. Thank you for your extraordinary efforts. We will continue to count on your support in the months to come. And you can count on us to keep you updated as our legal case develops. 

Sincerely,

Kierán Suckling
Executive Director
Center for Biological Diversity

P.S. For more information on Salazar's decision today to keep Bush's special polar bear extinction plan, check out our press release.
www.BiologicalDiversity.org