Administration Loosens Species Protections

[struggle4progress]

Source: Washington Post

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 12, 2008; Page A10

The Interior Department yesterday finalized rules changing the way it administers the Endangered Species Act, enabling other government agencies to decide on their own whether a project would harm an imperiled species without an independent scientific review.

The agency received nearly 235,000 comments on the endangered species proposal, at least 208,000 of which were form letters decrying the rule ...

"As the Bush administration fades off into the sunset, it continues to take brazen pot shots at everything in sight, including America's landmark conservation law, the Endangered Species Act," said House Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall II (D-W.Va.), who said he would introduce legislation seeking to overturn the rule next year ...

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/11/AR2008121103392.html

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A separate action from the "we won't protect polar bears" rule: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3641945

[quidam56]

1. We are Endangered too...

THE COAL INDUSTRY has turned The Appalachian Mountains http://www.wisecountyissues.com into a toxic third world waste dump !

[AllentownJake]

2. This is past the 6 month exemption

Obama can overturn this with a signature.

[shanti]

3. makes you wonder

why * did this....was it just to be spiteful?

[AllentownJake]

4. Pretty much

[Deep13]

5. Good, I can finally hunt the once-rare fundy prairie hate-monger.

Their numbers have swelled in recent years and the herd needs to be culled.

[Acadia Blue]

6. Pro-Life Bush is all about killing as many things as possible