Does the "threatened" label really help polar bears?

The answer of polar bears being protected by the Endangered Species Act is still up in the air. Even though the Interior Department labeled polar bears as a “threatened” species, the bears still face a difficult future. According to a Los Angeles Times article,

the listing as ‘threatened’ falls short of what wildlife protection groups had hoped for; the designation ‘endangered’ would have brought more substantial protection measures. Plus, since a ‘threatened’ listing doesn’t require the federal government to actively patrol people or industries harming Arctic territories, all challenges contesting how, or even if, the polar bear is being protected will have to navigate the legal system.

In other words, projects such as off-shore drilling in bear habitats will continue to happen since polar bears were not labeled as an endangered species.