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Thursday, February 07, 2008

Oil and Gas Companies Win, Polar Bears Lose

Last week, Reg•Watch blogged about two pending decisions at the Department of the Interior: one to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and one to allow oil and gas drilling in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's coast.

Yesterday, Interior announced the first of the two decisions. According to The Washington Post, the department awarded "$2.6 billion in winning bids from companies seeking to drill for oil and gas in Alaska's Chukchi Sea." The polar bear decision is still pending, even though the statutory deadline for making the decision passed weeks ago.

Because of the convenient timing of the two decisions, oil and gas companies will not have to take special precautions to ensure the safety and health of the polar bear species in the Chukchi Sea — one of the polar bear's most important habitats. According to the World Wildlife Fund, "this lease sale is taking place before the ESA listing decision, allowing MMS to sell off polar bear habitat to the oil and gas industry without adhering to the protections of the ESA."

Related post: Polar Bear Trails Oil and Gas in Race to a Decision