As environmental groups cheer the addition of the Polar Bear to the endangered species protected species list, the first such listing as a direct consequence of global warning, Republican Governor Sarah Palin announces that the State of Alaska will file a lawsuit to challenge the decision.

Yareth Rosen of Reuters reports:

Even though Kempthorne enacted a rule aimed at precluding any new restrictions on oil and gas operations as a result of the listing, the Palin administration believes a wide variety of other development activities in Alaska would be hampered if the listing goes through, Daugherty said.

Any development or activity requiring federal permits or using federal funds would have to engage in a "consultation" process to ensure that polar bears are not harmed, he said.

That consultation, mandated by the Endangered Species Act, "is a long and time-consuming process," he said. "It's just, basically, a big time-and-money-waster."

Considering the swag that Alaska's Senator Ted "The Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens brings home in the form of pork and development earmarks, this move by Palin comes as no surprise.  Until our leaders on both sides of the aisle grasp the concept of sustainable development we will continue to see greed prioritized over the health of our planet and it's creatures.

(AP Photo/Subhankar Banerjee, File)