Extraction or extinction? That is the question both environmental groups and oil-and-gas plan supporters are asking themselves days before the auction of Chukchi Sea on the northwest coast of Alaska is set to begin. The ‘perfect timing’ between the oil exploration approval and delaying the decision on declaring the polar bear as an endangered species raised a lot of question on Bush administration’s priorities: money over environmental issues.

The anti-extraction plan supporters claimed an unfair and questionable assessment of the situation by the Minerals Management Service, an agency belonging to the U.S. Interior Department, saying that the federal government has been ignoring the devastating effect of both global warming and oil extraction over the Arctic Ocean and the impact on animals living here.

Last week, Alaska Natives, together with several conservationists groups, filed a lawsuit against the federal government in order to put a stop to the auction and raise awareness on the negative effects of petroleum explorations in the area. “We’re in the process of reviewing it and will determine what we do after we’ve reviewed it,” said Gary Strasburg, spokesman for the Minerals Management Service, as a response to the lawsuit.

It’s a bit strange how some have the nerve to claim the conservationists’ demands are unfair to United State’s oil production. How about the polar bears? That would be our question. The stakes are high, as 15 million barrels of oil and 77 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are reportedly ‘waiting’ to be extracted. The Fish and Wildlife Services, also belonging to the U.S. Interior Department, had previously delayed the decision on declaring the polar bear as an endangered species, just in time for the auction to be given a green light.

There is much to be discussed in this extraction over extinction matter, and the controversy is likely to continue. In the meantime, U.S. Sen. John Kerry introduced a law to prohibit oil and gas exploration in the Chukchi Sea, at least until the real impact on the Arctic environment will be fully assessed and understood.