It’s the eleventh hour of the Bush administration and it seems they just can’t stop trying to undermine environmental protections. They’ve done all they can to give oil companies complete access to our lands and waters offshore and are moving on to try and weaken what some would say is the most comprehensive wildlife protection law in the world, the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA imposes restrictions on actions by Federal agencies and private landowners that would result in direct harm to an animal or its habitat if the species is listed as endangered. Rule changes proposed by the Bush administration Monday, would “allow federal agencies to decide whether protected species would be imperiled by agency projects, eliminating the independent scientific reviews that have been required for more than three decades,” explains the Washington Post in a front page article yesterday. But since most federal agencies don’t have staff scientists, allowing them to decide if their action will impact an endangered species could be tough, especially since it only causes them more paperwork and usually project delays. Bob Irvin from Defenders of Wildlife accurately assess that this is a bit like getting a fox to guard your chickens.
The administration and the Fish and Wildlife Service state that the rule is intended to provide clarity in the project review process and shift some of the burden of project review to the agencies themselves so that FWS can focus on bigger projects.
The proposed rule changes are subject to a 30 day comment period but don’t need congressional approval to stick. Democratic leadership and conservation groups are voicing opposition. To see what they have to say, head to this Grist article: 'I ... have never seen such a sneaky attack'
No comments:
Post a Comment