The possibility of exploration for oil and natural gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been raging at an accelerated pace for months, with both sides firmly stating their place on the issue: Democrats saying nay, Republicans saying yay. As Barack Obama and Joe Biden prepare to accept the official nominations of their  party, it’s time to examine more closely the two men who will be representing Democrats this coming November and how their positions on this crucial issue could have lasting repercussions for generations to come. more »

MONTREAL (AFP) — Canada is stepping up efforts to stake a claim in the oil-rich Arctic Ocean basin that receding ice sheets are opening up to exploitation, but Russia is way ahead in the race for natural resources.

A Canadian icebreaker this week will begin a scientific data gathering mission in the polar region to bolster Canada’s claims over the potentially oil-rich zone. more »

Research crews circling above the Chukchi Sea took note of an interesting phenomenon: there were between eight to ten polar bears out in the open sea, leading many to speculate that the disappearing ice in the Chukchi Sea may well be driving the bears out deeper into the waters and forcing them to venture out farther than they are used to swimming. It’s unsual to see that many bears making a swim that long at one time and the number has researchers worried about the fate of these ice-lovers and their hunting grounds. more »

OTTAWA – The Harper (canada.com) government has been warned that the ecological “footprint” of the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline on an Arctic bird sanctuary that protects migratory birds and at-risk species such as polar bears could exceed the threshold deemed acceptable by Environment Canada, newly released documents reveal. more »

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is unhappy; she feels that the decision to place the polar bear on the Endangered Species List was based on political pandering, not sound scientific research. After all, the polar bear has survived periods of warming before and continued on as a species.  The Arctic ice isn’t melting as fast as it had been expected to. And most importantly, this ruling could be really, really bad for industry in Alaska. At least, that’s most important if you’re human. The polar bears may have other priorities. more »

The Bush Administration made no new friends in the environmental movement when it announced a proposal to introduce “common-sense modifications to the existing Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations.” The announcement from the office of Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne outlined what will be the new guidelines for ensuring the environment doesn’t suffer as contrsuction takes place: allow federal agencies decide for themselves whether or not their projects will cause harm. more »

Canada and the US (Telegraph.co.uk) are teaming up to for a research mission to the Arctic continental shelf as part of their bid to lay claim to the vast oil and natural gas reserves believed to lie beneath the Arctic Ocean floor.

A US Coast Guard cutter will set out on Thursday on a three-week trip to map a relatively unexplored area known as the Chukchi borderland, about 600 miles north of Alaska. more »

It’s a scramble (Washington Bureau) for the spoils of global warming as the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice is opening access to previously unreachable deposits of oil and gas, setting off a race by northern nations – including the United States, Canada and Russia – to claim them. more »