Bush Administration Plans To Gut The Endangered Species Act

[babylonsister]

AP IMPACT: Bush to relax protected species rules

AP IMPACT: Administration to relax protected species rules, cutting out independent reviews

DINA CAPPIELLO
AP News

Aug 11, 2008 15:13 EST


Parts of the Endangered Species Act may soon be extinct. The Bush administration wants federal agencies to decide for themselves whether highways, dams, mines and other construction projects might harm endangered animals and plants.

New regulations, which don't require the approval of Congress, would reduce the mandatory, independent reviews government scientists have been performing for 35 years, according to a draft obtained by The Associated Press.

The draft rules also would bar federal agencies from assessing the emissions from projects that contribute to global warming and its effect on species and habitats.

If approved, the changes would represent the biggest overhaul of the Endangered Species Act since 1988. They would accomplish through regulations what conservative Republicans have been unable to achieve in Congress: ending some environmental reviews that developers and other federal agencies blame for delays and cost increases on many projects.

The changes would apply to any project a federal agency would fund, build or authorize. Government wildlife experts currently perform tens of thousands of such reviews each year.

more...

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/08/ap_impact_bush_to_relax_protec.php

[RC]

1. Isn't the Endangered Species Act an act of Congress?

If so, how can bu$h gut it?

[babylonsister]

4. Per the article, new regs have been/will be introduced to bypass Congress:

New regulations, which don't require the approval of Congress, would reduce the mandatory, independent reviews government scientists have been performing for 35 years,

[MiniMe]

9. I do believe that would be unconstitutional

If it was an act of congress that created, I think it would have to be an act of congress that changes it. Separation of powers and all that stuff.

[babylonsister]

10. And luckily Barbara Boxer agrees with you; hopefully this will go

no where. But just the thought turns my stomach.

[ixion]

2. gutting, it's what the neo-cons do best

whether it's our Constitution, educational system or environment, there isn't any part they haven't gutted thoroughly.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. How can agencies override laws passed through Congress? This must be stopped before the idiot gets

out of office!

[Lorien]

6. If he would have been held accountable for his many crimes

this wouldn't be happening. Impeach. Remove. Jail. NOW.

[Lorien]

5. More from the article:

The reviews have helped safeguard protected species such as bald eagles, Florida panthers and whooping cranes. A federal government handbook from 1998 described the consultations as "some of the most valuable and powerful tools to conserve listed species."

In recent years, however, some federal agencies and private developers have complained that the process results in delays and increased construction costs.

"We have always had concerns with respect to the need for streamlining and making it a more efficient process," said Joe Nelson, a lawyer for the National Endangered Species Act Reform Coalition, a trade group for home builders and the paper and farming industry.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, called the proposed changes illegal.

"This proposed regulation is another in a continuing stream of proposals to repeal our landmark environmental laws through the back door," she said. "If this proposed regulation had been in place, it would have undermined our ability to protect the bald eagle, the grizzly bear and the gray whale."

(snip)

Lord knows that delays and slight cost increases on corporate projects are more important than the death of birth for the rest of life on earth. :eyes:

[VP505]

7. With that a-hole in

office the Human Race is an Endangered Species, IMPEACH Booo$h/Cheney NOW!!!

[annabanana]

8. Can't we just ignore him for these last few months? If everyone

in the world just ignored him we'd all be better off by January.

[babylonsister]

12. I think one of those prisoner boxes would do nicely:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/07/us-military-puts-iraqi-prisoners-in-wooden-boxes/

[Solly Mack]

11. K&R

[cal04]

13. Bush Administration’s Plan To Make The Endangered Species Act Extinct

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/11/endangered-species-2/

Today, the AP reports on new draft rules being proposed by the Bush administration to gut the Endangered Species Act. This would be the biggest change to the groundbreaking legislation since 1988, and would not require the approval of Congress.

Currently, federal agencies are required to consult with an independent agency — the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) or the National Marine Fisheries Service — to determine whether a project would harm an endangered species. The AP reports that under the new rules, agencies would simply be able to “decide for themselves”:

The Bush administration wants federal agencies to decide for themselves whether highways, dams, mines and other construction projects might harm endangered animals and plants. New regulations, which don’t require the approval of Congress, would reduce the mandatory, independent reviews government scientists have been performing for 35 years, according to a draft obtained by The Associated Press.

The draft rules also would bar federal agencies from assessing the emissions from projects that contribute to global warming and its effect on species and habitats.

This measure mirrors legislation proposed in 2005, by then-Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), a close ally of Jack Abramoff. Pombo proposed weakening the Endangered Species Act. Among other measures, Pombo’s bill would have eliminated review by the FWS or the Fisheries Service, allowing agencies to pursue unspecified “alternative procedures.” Pombo’s GOP-majority House cleared his bill, but it failed to go anywhere in the Senate. Bush is now bypassing Congress to push the legislation forward before he leaves office.

The Bush administration has been attempting to bypass or kill the Endangered Species Act for years. Recently, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff used his power to waive federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act, in order to expedite building the U.S.-Mexico border fence. Unclear if the new rules are the doing of Vice President Cheney, who has been maneuvering increased control over environmental