Kempthorne on official firing line over polar bears

The Interior Department’s Inspector General has started an investigation into why Interior has delayed listing polar bears as a threatened species due to shrinking Arctic ice habitat:

A spokesman for the department’s inspector general's office said a case had been opened in response to a letter from six environmental groups. He said the preliminary inquiry would determine whether a full-fledged investigation is warranted.

“The letter had specific allegations ... (so) we started an initial inquiry,” said Kris J. Kolesnik, associate inspector general for external affairs. “If the initial inquiry produces something that warrants us to take further action, that’s when we open an investigation.”

Enviros say the delay was to allow Interior to auction oil leases in the Chukchi Sea.