Time has the story. I think this is a feel-good win for various environmental groups. The facts are clear, polar bears are in trouble due to the warming trends in the last two decades. However, given that no polar bears actually live in the U.S., and due to the fact that global warming is hotly debated by the Bush admin, I find it very doubtful that any US legislation will help the polar bears (ditto for penguins, for that matter, which live in the southern hemisphere). Unless the US starts invading and holding countries, there is little we can do to affect species living in other countries. So, yes, we are headed for a mass extinction, but the US can do little, since we are not the ones, primarily, that are over-harvesting everything from tropical rainforests to oceanic fish. We could curb our appetite, and engage in sustainable logging practices and promote aquaculture though. Really when you think about it, oil is only one part of a huge problem that we have.