Polar Bears
Some members of the Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming suggested that the delay might be more than just typical bureaucratic delay or holiday season hibernation. Is the delay caused by a rush to sell the polar bears' habitat to oil companies for drilling first, they asked?
A petition has been filed with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to list the polar bear as "threatened" (the first step toward endangered status) and identify its critical habitat in Alaska. But last week the Service said it would miss the deadline on Jan.9, because it needed another month to determine if the habitat is indeed critical.
This is the same habitat that another branch of the Interior department is currently considering to lease for gas and oil drilling. Nearly 30 million acres in the Chuckchi Sea are part of a lease deal that could go through as soon as next month, according to today's testimony.
from here.
A petition has been filed with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to list the polar bear as "threatened" (the first step toward endangered status) and identify its critical habitat in Alaska. But last week the Service said it would miss the deadline on Jan.9, because it needed another month to determine if the habitat is indeed critical.
This is the same habitat that another branch of the Interior department is currently considering to lease for gas and oil drilling. Nearly 30 million acres in the Chuckchi Sea are part of a lease deal that could go through as soon as next month, according to today's testimony.
from here.