Groups give notice they will sue to protect beluga whales Two environmental groups have given formal notice that they intended to sue the U.S. government over its failure to protect an endangered population of beluga whales in Alaska from problems related to oil and gas drillingANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Two environmental groups gave formal notice Friday that they will sue to protect endangered Alaska beluga whales from problems caused by oil and gas operations. The Center for Biological Diversity and Cook Inletkeeper said they will sue the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for violating the Endangered Species Act by not protecting Cook Inlet belugas. The agency should not allow any take of Cook Inlet belugas until it can ensure their recovery, the groups said. Cook Inlet petroleum supplies energy for Alaska's largest city and other communities. The Cook Inlet whale numbers dwindled steadily through the 1980s and early '90s and they were declared endangered in 2008.

Source: ABC News January 31, 2020 21:12 UTC