Environmental brief ~ US FWS to review polar bear status under Endangered Species Act News
Environmental brief ~ US FWS to review polar bear status under Endangered Species Act

[JURIST] Leading Wednesday's environmental law news, the US Fish and Wildlife Service [official website] announced [press release] today that it has initiated a status review of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) [backgrounder, video] to determine whether it should be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act [text]. If listed, federal agencies would have to factor in the health of the species before taking any action, a move which could effect greenhouse gas emissions and other regulations. The FWS will accept comments regarding the species for a 60 day period, beginning February 9. AP has more.

In other environmental law news…

  • Japan's Environment Ministry [official website] has announced it will allow private companies to import and export industrial waste, as long as the company ensures the waste is properly disposed or recycled. Under the current Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law [PDF text] only local governments and others legally responsible for waste disposal can import and export industrial waste. The Ministry hopes that increased trade in the waste will lead to more recycling, particularly of electronic parts that contain scarce metals and other elements. The Asahi Shimbun has more.
THIS DAY @ LAW

UN General Assembly approves Palestine partition plan

The UN General Assembly approved UN Resolution Resolution 181 (II) on November 29, 1947, recommending that the British Mandate for Palestine be split into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and an international zone for Jerusalem. The vote in the assembly was 33 for to 13 against, with 10 abstentions. The resolution sparked a war between Palestinian Arabs and Jews in 1947 and a wider war after Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon invaded the new State of Israel in 1948. Read Resolution 181 (II).

UN divided Palestine between Arabs and Jews

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab territories, leading to the establishment of a Jewish state the following year. Read UN General Assembly Resolution 181.

Defense Secretary Robert McNamara resigns during Vietnam Conflict

On November 29, 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced that he was resigning from his office to accept an appointment as head of the World Bank. The announcement came as the Vietnam Conflict was becoming increasingly unpopular in the United States and abroad.