It's official: Legislature abandons ESA fight

According to the Juneau Empire, the Legislature's plan to fight the federal government's listing of polar bears and other species under the Endangered Species Act is officially dead. The Legislative Council had approved $1.5 million to fund a conference and conduct a "grassroots" campaign against the listings, the idea being to "defend the state" (in the words of Council Chairman Rep. John Harris, R-Valdez, in February) and to work with other states and organizations against potential restriction of Alaska's oil and gas industry. On Monday, the Legislative Council, the Legislature's operating arm, officially acknowledged that the campaign has been abandoned after the appropriation reverted to the general fund on June 30 out of inaction. One critic of the conference said its backers and the state would have ended up being "embarrassed" by it. Read much more, here, and be sure to read to the end, there's a funny (if tight-lipped) bit there about the proposals being "delightful" subcommittee reading.