The Polar Bear Seas Protection Act

I guess this whole arctic oil drilling thing has kind of gotten stuck in my craw lately. But it's a big concern. It's a disaster-in-waiting and it's being rammed through as quickly as possible with little regard for the possible consequences.

Oil leases are being sold off as fast as hot dogs at a ball game. Permits to explore are being handed out as fast as the ink can dry on them. Regulations for monitoring and oversight are being scrapped as fast as they can be swept off the table. But why the rush?

Plans for seismic exploration are slated to begin this summer, and the oil companies want nothing more than to get started this summer while they still have a friendly administration ready and willing to open the doors for them. Now, open water season in the arctic can be measured in weeks and the oil industry wants to have all the pieces in place to begin as soon as the waters are ice free. They have plenty of helping hands at Interior. After months of delay, Secretary Kempthorne designated the polar bear as threatened Wednesday. But it's a do-nothing designation that only keeps this administration from being in contempt of federal court for not following an order to do so. But it does nothing to address global warming and the polar bears' shrinking habitat.

Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) introduced a house bill, the Polar Bear Seas Protection Act (HR 6057), designed to plug the glaring loopholes in Kempthorne's designation. It would ensure protection for the bears from oil and gas activity. Senator John Kerry introduced a similar one in the Senate earlier this year. Here's hoping that countermeasures such as these have the teeth and support to stop the oil company giveaways here in the waning months of BushCo's reign. I fervently hope that there are many more challenges to come.