There will be oil

The Bush administration simply can't list polar bears as threatened. That could threaten drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Interior Department’s inspector general has begun a preliminary investigation into why the department has delayed for nearly two months a decision on listing the polar bear as a threatened species. The decision was supposed to have been made by early January. But when the deadline came, the Fish and Wildlife Service, an Interior unit, said it needed another month. That timetable was also not met. A spokesman for the inspector general’s office said a case had been opened in response to a letter from several environmental groups. He said the preliminary inquiry would determine whether a full-fledged investigation was warranted. Scientists say the bear is under growing threat as a result of significant loss of Arctic sea ice because of global warming.