Things just keep getting worse for the environment as the Bush administration does everything it can to weaken key environmental laws through the rule making process before leaving office. The latest victim is the Endangered Species Act. New regulations announced this week – though I couldn't find anything about them on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website – eliminate the requirement that agencies seek advice from expert biologists in decisions about whether dams, towers, highways and other projects will harm species.
Heaven forbid that those pesky scientists with all their facts might get in the way of a pet project by some developer or politician. It sure looks like the Bush administration doesn't want federal bureaucrats to be burdened with any messy facts before they give more permission to rape the environment.
"This administration’s disdain for wildlife and the environment has never been more clear than it is today," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president of Defenders of Wildlife and former director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. "For 35 years, the Endangered Species Act has helped save and recover imperiled wildlife on the brink of extinction. Now, with this administration facing its last days, they are doing everything they can to cement their anti-environmental legacy before the Obama administration takes office."
Again, those who think such decisions should be made after the scientists have had a chance to at least state the consequences can only hope the incoming administration will quickly reverse some of Bush's disturbing last-minute changes.
– Tom Wharton