The Bush administration has a shoddy environmental record, and last week's announcement of the polar bear's listing as an endangered species is another one for the record.

In 2005 the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) petitioned the Bush administration to list the polar bears as an endangered species. When the Bush administration ignored the petition the groups sued. In April a judge ruled that the Bush administration had until May 15 to list the polar bears as endangered. Just a day before the court ordered deadline, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced on May 14 that the polar bears were listed as an endangered species.

The Bush administration listed the polar bears as an endangered species with a 4(d) distinction, which means, according to Greenpeace, "federal agencies will not have to consider how global warming jeopardizes the existence of polar bears or adversely effects their critical habitat."

"While the legal standards under the ESA compel me to list the polar bear as threatened, I want to make clear that this listing will not stop global climate change or prevent any sea ice from melting," Kempthorne said.

"Any real solution requires action by all major economies for it to be effective," he said.

Kempthorne's statements about the Bush administration's decision are in direct contrast to environmental groups statements.

"The administration's attempts to reduce protection to the polar bear from greenhouse gas emissions are illegal and won't hold up in court," said Kassie Siegel, climate program director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

"The Bush Administration has proposed using loopholes in the law to allow the greatest threat to the polar bear -- global warming pollution -- to continue unabated," said Andrew Wetzler, Director of the Endangered Species Project at NRDC.

"The administration's inclusion of this language exempts the impact of global warming on the polar bear and would gut any protections the ruling would have provided," said Melanie Duchin, global warming campaigner for Greenpeace USA in Alaska.

"Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne was quite explicit in saying…that continued energy production in Alaska remains a priority. WWF strongly disagrees with that position," said Carter Roberts, president of the US arm of the World Wildlife Fund.

"Today's decision is a tremendous victory for one of the world's most iconic and charismatic animals," he said.

"The other big winner today is sound science, which has clearly trumped politics, providing polar bears a new lease on life," he added.

"We must take the necessary measures now to help save the polar bear. The ESA listing is an important first step, but we must also address the underlying cause of climate change: rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions," said Margaret Williams, managing director of WWF's office in Alaska.

"Federal protection represents only the tip of the iceberg if Americans want to save the polar bear," said Betsy Loyless, senior vice president of the National Audubon Society.

"Listing the bear as threatened is not going to save it if we continue to melt (ice) and drill its habitat," she said.

"The administration's decision is riddled with loopholes, caveats, and backhanded language that could actually undermine protections for the polar bear and other species," said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope.

"We can't protect polar bears unless we combat global warming and keep oil drills out of their habitat," he added.