"The Fish and Wildlife Service today clawed back a high-profile proposal to list the North American wolverine under the Endangered Species Act, reigniting a fight that's previously entangled climate science and politics.
The withdrawal marks the second time the agency has sought to retract a 2013 proposal to protect the snow-loving mammal, and comes following additional studies that officials say shed new light on the wolverine's present condition and future prospects.
'In the time since our original proposal, the science on [the] wolverine has been greatly advanced thanks to the work of state wildlife agencies and researchers in the U.S. and around the world,' Noreen Walsh, Mountain-Prairie regional director for FWS, said in a statement.
FWS noted that 'the most significant stressor' on the species apparently remains 'the effects of climate change, such as warming temperatures and loss of snowpack.' "
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