Obama veers from Bush's environmental course
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By Traci Watson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Even before George W. Bush can settle into his new house in Dallas, his legacy on the environment is being dismantled by his replacement in the White House.
In less than two months, President Obama has put on hold Bush's plans for power-plant pollution, offshore oil drilling, nuclear waste storage and endangered species.
THE PRESIDENT'S AGENDA: What's been done, what lies ahead
The Obama team has rolled out policies Bush officials delayed, such as requiring higher energy efficiency from appliances.
Such moves have significant impacts and not just on the environment. They could affect electric bills, gas prices and the time it takes to build highways, dams and bridges.
For now, the decisions are winning plaudits from green groups — "swift and strong leadership," the Natural Resources Defense Council gushed last month — but experts such as Christopher McGrory Klyza of Middlebury College say the Obama team's hard work is only beginning.
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http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2009-03-05-greenagenda_N.htm