WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Interior Department has declared the polar bear a threatened species, one that must be protected due to the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming.

Polar bears are the first species affeced by global warming to be protected by the Endangered Species Act. Some business leaders worry this could have a far-reaching impact through stricter environmental regulations.

It was thought that the Interior Department was going to make this announcement earlier this year, but it then said more time was needed before a decision was made. That generated outrage from Congress and as well as a lawsuit from environmentalists. Two weeks ago, a federal judge gave the department until tomorrow to rule one way or the other.

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