Environmentalists blast Bush Administration changes to Endangered Species rules

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: CNN

The Bush administration cleared the way Thursday for federal agencies to skip consultations with government scientists when embarking on projects that could impact endangered wildlife, the Interior Secretary said. The final regulations to the Endangered Species Act take effect before President Bush leaves office in January, but wildlife conservation groups say undoing the damage could take months....

***

Developers and agencies with large projects have long sought a weakening of Endangered Species Act regulations, which they say delay their projects and add to costs.

Environmental groups contend that this change will take scientists and biologists who have protected endangered species completely out of the mix, leaving wildlife more vulnerable and harder to protect. They also say that more than 250,000 citizens voiced their opposition to the measure through the Web site regulations.gov....

The National Wildlife Federation, also voicing strong opposition, said that "in the eleventh hour of his presidency, President Bush has rammed through a sweeping overhaul of the Endangered Species Act. This action eviscerates key protections that have helped safeguard and recover endangered fish, wildlife and plants for the past 35 years.'...

President-elect Barack Obama has said he would work to reverse the changes, but since they go into effect before he takes office, his administration would have to reopen the rulemaking process. Congress could also act to block the new regulations.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/12/12/endangered.species/index.html

[ananda]

1. When is this national nightmare going to END?????

I feel as though I'm living in a sinister,
bizarre, surreal nightmare.. a collective
one that I and everyone are somehow complicit
in even though I really hate the Bush evils
and corruption.

Is this ever going to end?

[Kaleko]

5. Yes, it will end when enough people have been awakened to the truth

through personal pain and suffering.

Meanwhile, the sheep will bleat for the shepherds to lead them to heaven via the slaughterhouse.

[fascisthunter]

2. no love of life there... choose life, huh.... yeah, right!

[jetphixer]

3. Please Pray

Pray this crap gets reversed Write your congress your Senator stop this Insanity Bush is a sorry example of a human being. The asshole says hes a fundie now he al;lows massive killing. I would love to rite my real thoughts .......

[karynnj]

4. Bush is doing this by executive order

Leading Senators, including John Kerry, publicly argued against this when his EPA first moved in that direction. From Prosense:

"On October 14, Kerry and thirteen other senators sent another letter to Secretary Kempthorne strongly condemning the proposed changes to the ESA that appeared in the Federal Register on August 15, 2008.

“If adopted, these changes would seriously weaken the safety net of habitat protections that we have relied upon to protect and recover endangered fish, wildlife and plants for the past 35 years,” the senators wrote in the letter. “We urge you to withdraw the proposal.”

Here's a link to that and Kerry's statement issued when Bush made this move.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7972945&mesg_id=7975430

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Thanks for that link and additional info, karynnj! nt

[Veruca Salt]

13. So Obama will be able to overturn this then, correct?

god I hope so, this is terrible! :mad:

[quidam56]

7. Third world Appalachia, come see the prosperity thanks to coal

Don't think we can stand anymore http://www.wisecountyissues.com

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. It's ignorant; not to put too fine a point on it. . . . nt

[Jamastiene]

9. I hate Bush more every single day.

That bullshit just doubled it.

[XemaSab]

10. I'm a consulting biologist

This is a BIG DEAL. x(

[Gato Moteado]

11. i never knew you were a biologist!

i knew you were a bird freak....but didn't know you were a biologist. that's awesome.

so, can this move be stopped? do you think our huge majority in congress can stop this mess?

[XemaSab]

12. I think it's going to get overturned by the courts

:shrug: