Polar Bear Listing Likely to Spur More Litigation, Not Quell It

Nossaman partner Paul Weiland is quoted in the Daily Journal article, "Polar Bear Listing Likely to Spur More Litigation, Not Quell It." The Interior Secretary's recent decision to list the polar bear as a threatened species has caused a pointed reaction from both conservatives and conservationists. The Interior Department also issued a rule aimed to stop greenhouse gas related oppositions to activities outside Alaska.

Mr. Weiland, who leads Nossaman's Land Use practice and who previously worked in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, is quoted as saying that the announcement,
"wouldn't result in a decision to regulate greenhouse gases to a specific amount, but it might result in a court decision that if the federal government doesn't consult they may have to do so. And the federal government is left figuring out how to do it appropriately." He goes on to say, "The likelihood is that other activities both within their habitat but also activities further away that contribute to climate change will provide some test cases on how far reaching the decision will be."

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