BUSH LITE ENVIRONMENTALISM:

W.H.: Polar bears not 'endangered' (ROBIN BRAVENDER, 12/22/10, Politico)

The Obama administration is sticking with a George W. Bush-era decision to deny polar bears endangered species status.

In a court filing Wednesday, the Fish and Wildlife Service defended the previous administration’s decision to give the polar bear the less-protective “threatened” species designation, a move that will frustrate environmentalists who hoped for stronger protections under the Endangered Species Act.