Interior is on the clock on polar bears and on the hook on wolves

The Department of the Interior has 16 days to stop stalling and decide whether to list polar bears as an endangered or threatened species or not.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken agreed with suing environmental organizations that Interior missed a Jan. 9 deadline to consider listing polar bears. She rejected an Interior request for more time, saying that would violate the Endangered Species Act and congressional intent that time was of the essence in listing threatened species.

Interior said it is considering its options, but you know it’s going to appeal, just to drag this out if nothing else.

Kind of ironic, isn’t it, that this ruling was the same day as Preznit Bush’s press conference, the one in which he again called for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Meanwhile Interior has just been sued over its delisting of wolves in the northern Rockies.

The lawsuit alleges those states lack adequate laws to ensure wolves are not again eradicated from the region. At least 37 were killed in the last month.

The groups are seeking an immediate court order to restore federal control over the species until the case is resolved.

You know, in Montana, a Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer, could prove he has some environmental cred by working to stiffen laws there, but I’m not holding my breath.