New Forest-Thinning Policy Drops Safeguard for Wildlife

[Judi Lynn]

December 4, 2003

THE NATION
New Forest-Thinning Policy Drops Safeguard for Wildlife

By Elizabeth Shogren and Richard Simon, Times Staff Writers


WASHINGTON — As President Bush, with much fanfare, signed legislation Wednesday aimed at speeding fire-prevention efforts in federal forests, his administration quietly adopted a rule that would expedite timber-thinning projects by removing a safeguard for endangered species.

Under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies are required to seek confirmation from the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service before taking any action that may adversely affect any endangered plant or animal.

The new policy, which does not require congressional approval, authorizes biologists for the Forest Service or other land-management agencies to make the call that no endangered species will be adversely affected, exempting them from consulting with the agencies whose main mandate is protecting rare plants and animals.

(snip) But environmentalists said the policy removed a key check and balance.

"The conflict of interest is that the agency whose top job is to do the logging will make this decision, rather than the agency whose top job is to protect threatened or endangered species," said Marty Hayden, legislative director for Earthjustice, an environmental law firm." (snip/...)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-forests4dec04,1,1854898.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
(Free registration required)

[pinniped]

1. One more year until jerkoff is busted out of his job...

No species on this planet is safe with killer in office.

Just about every single week President Assclown does something that puts more pollutants in the air, further endangers wildlife, or both.

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. "Bush could benefit politically by this legislation, " gee - -SUPRIZE !!

. . From the Article:

"Bush could benefit politically by this legislation, which could create additional logging jobs; in 2000, he lost Oregon by less than half a percentage point and Washington state by fewer than 6 percentage points. "

/SNIP/

You mean Bush would do this just for Political Gain ??

I am shocked

. . . .

[baby_bear]

3. Sad thing is...

...job interests trump environmental interests at times like these. You think Karl Rove and Dick Cheney don't know that? They milk these conflicts like cows.

Really sad. The enviros, labor and academics really need to pull together, not let the Bushies torn us asunder.

s_m

[boilerbabe]

4. Just talked to a close friend of Christie Whitman...

Apparently his family has been involved with the Repug admin for many years...asked him what he felt about Christie's backing out of the EPA, he even admitted that it was the fact that she was ham-stringed so to speak. But the real question is now what can we do? She would have actually helped, but got too frustrated apparently

[Blue Gardener]

5. Profit is all that matters

That pesky wildlife just gets in the way of timber company profits! Doesn't matter that they were there first and the forest is their HOME!!! I really despise these people!

[dusty64]

6. Another Democratic

cave to the war on the Earth. Is there goal here to increase support for the Green party? It sure seems that way to me. Another corporate giveaway that rapes the planet wrapped in bad science, I'm past tired of this bullshit!

[mbperrin]

7. Well, no DUH!

If these assholes proposed a plan to provide milk for babies, I'd have to check every word to see whose damn cows were going to be paid jillions of dollars to provide the "right" milk!

Hope they're comfy burning in hell with all those greenbacks!!

(The only thing that keeps me going some days is a leftover belief from childhood that there is a real and burning hell!)