Palin Now Going After Endangered Whales

First wolves, then polar bears, now beluga whales. And those are just the endangered animals (remember the turkey being ground up during her tv interview?)

At issue is the population of {the Cook Inlet beluga) whales, which were put under the protections of the Marine Mammal Protection Act eight years ago, which scientists argue hasn't sped their recovery:

Palin begs to differ. Her administration argues that that the belugas are faring just fine under the protections in place, and the population is even beginning to show signs of recovering. For this reason, the state of Alaska contends that additional regulation is unnecessary. "The State of Alaska has worked cooperatively with the federal government to protect and conserve beluga whales in Cook Inlet," Palin said last week. "This listing decision didn't take those efforts into account as required by law."


At the heart of Palin's objections are concerns that additional safeguards will interfere with oil and gas development, among other lucrative projects. "I am especially concerned that an unnecessary federal listing and designation of critical habitat would do serious long-term damage to the vibrant economy of the Cook Inlet area," Palin said in 2007.