Environmental groups are calling on Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to postpone the Chukchi Sea lease sale scheduled for next month. The Minerals Management Service announced yesterday its holding the first oil and gas lease sale in the area since 1991. The decision comes just as the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing to announce whether the polar bear should listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage
