Bush rushes to gut Endangered Species Act

Capital Times ^ | 8-19-08 | Bill Berry

[SJackson]

Bill Berry — 8/19/2008 5:18 am

It's not yet Labor Day, and those of us who still adhere to old-school election rituals are pledged to keep politics at arm's length until we get past the last barbecue.

So let's refrain from asking that old crowd stopper, "Are you better off today than you were eight years ago?" Something could always change between now and Sept. 1. The economy might surge, gas prices may plummet, America's standing in the rest of the world could rise. It's possible that peace and prosperity would re-emerge.

Let's wait just in case. Still, it's hard not to take note of the contrasts between the waning days of the Clinton and Bush administrations. As George W. Bush heads toward the home stretch, he is working, as did Bill Clinton, to solidify his environmental legacy.

Eight years ago, a bruised and battered Clinton used his presidential authority to designate three new national monuments, two in Arizona and one in California. The result was preservation of 1 million acres on the Grand Canyon's north rim; 71,000 acres on public land north of Phoenix with prehistoric rock inscriptions and American Indian ruins; and thousands of small islands, rocks and reefs off the California coast. He also expanded by 8,000 acres the Pinnacles National Monument near San Jose.

Not to be outdone on the environment, Bush has been pushing for offshore oil drilling.

Then, in a summer stealth attack revealed while the president was hugging beach volleyball players in China and scolding Russia for shockingly invading another sovereign nation, the Bush administration moved to gut the Endangered Species Act. Among other changes, the administration proposes to cut out the advice of government scientists on whether subdivisions, dams, highways and other projects have the potential to harm endangered animals and plants.

Federal agencies would have the authority to make those decisions without the input of biologists and other scientists. Boil this cabbage down, and you get to the heart of matters: Political appointees run federal agencies; politics trumps science. Not to sound partisan before Labor Day, but is anyone surprised?

Even better, the proposed new rules would be subject to only a 30-day public comment period before being finalized by the Interior and Commerce departments. That's it. If they get the OK, the administration would have enough time to impose the rules before you-know-what in November. In a hint on how the agencies will react, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has already defended the rules, saying they were needed to ensure that the Endangered Species Act wouldn't be used as a back door to regulate gases blamed for global warming. There's that pesky science thing again.

The Associated Press characterized the action as the biggest overhaul of endangered species regulations since 1986, saying it would accomplish through rules what Congress has been unwilling to do despite pressure from the usual suspects.

The changes would apply to any project a federal agency would fund, build or authorize that the agency itself determined was unlikely to harm endangered wildlife and their habitat. Government wildlife experts currently participate in tens of thousands of such reviews each year. The revisions would also limit which effects could be considered harmful and set a 60-day deadline for wildlife experts to evaluate a project. If no decision was made within 60 days, the project could move ahead.

Federal agencies currently must consult with experts at the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine whether a project is likely to jeopardize any endangered species or to damage habitat, even if no harm seems likely.

This can be a burden, and a lot of scientists and conservationists might go along with the idea that the law needs some changes. Rules have already been revised numerous times. But at a time when scientists say species are declining an epochal rate, do we really want to eliminate science from decisions on the fate of 1,353 animals and plants on the U.S. threatened or endangered species list?

A new administration could freeze pending regulations or reverse them, or Congress could overturn the rules through legislation. Either would take a lot longer than 60 days, and neither is a sure thing.

When he set aside the national monuments a few days before he left office, Clinton said: "If there is one thing that unites our fractious, argumentative country across generations, parties and time, it is the love we have for our land."

What will Bush say if he gets his way on the Endangered Species Act?

[SJackson]

Since there are only two, the comments. I love the "Cheney did it" stuff.

Community Comments

Tue. Aug. 19, 2008 8:46 am

Brandon says:

I like it when people say Bush is doing this and Bush is doing that. He isn't doing anything. Dick is in charge and he is gutting the ESA. Why care about the planet when you can make money? Money is what counts, not health or the safety and well being of people and this planet. Only the little people get sick. The rich just get drugs to take care of their illnesses.

back to top

Community Comments

Tue. Aug. 19, 2008 12:06 pm

Websfear says:

And speaking of Monuments - Who was responsible for the destruction of Mt Rushmore with this gawd awfull monument to Ronald Reagan? It all but covers up the view of the mountain until you pass monstrosity to a small observation deck. Then on top of that they charge you $10 to park your car for a year, like many are ever going to do that!

Maybe the old restaurant and observation deck that was there, as depicted in the movie 'North by Nortwest' was getting old. But at least you could see the monument from miles away and not have to pay an extortionist besides. Not any more!

[bruinbirdman]

GW has a stack of unsigned executive orders ready to be signed Jan 19,2009. Good show. Hope one of them is Escalante.

yitbos

[Prince Caspian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q3upFx4FcA

[padre35]

The ESA deserves to be gutted, it demands gutting.

Environmentalism is Communism holding a baby bunny...

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this Upper Midwest/outdoors/rural list please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.

Wow, I haven't been to Mt. Rushmore in about 15 years, I didn't know there was a Reagan monument, I'll have to get back.

As to the comment from Websfear the first time I saw Rushmore was from a distance, after a few days of backpacking in the Black Elk Wilderness to the south. I'd recomend it, and you'll save the $10 for parking. If you don't want to walk, you'll have to wait for the Obama refundable National Park Parking Tax Credit.

[redhead]

"Hope one of them is Escalante."

Amen. From your keyboard to God's eyes.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

What will Bush say if he gets his way on the Endangered Species Act?

It's about time people were first and not some stinking gopher !

[AuntB]

“When he set aside the national monuments a few days before he left office, Clinton said: “If there is one thing that unites our fractious, argumentative country across generations, parties and time, it is the love we have for our land.”

What will Bush say if he gets his way on the Endangered Species Act?”

Gut it!! Deep and wide. Mr. Berry needs to take a look at the ‘monuments’ Clinton enacted, like Soda Mtn which only destroyed access to private property, etc. And the use of the ESA as a tool by envirolawyers to get rich from. That is the only purpose it’s served.

It’s silly to worry about Interior Dept. not protecting species, it’s filled with enviroweenies.

[kitchen]

... the Bush administration moved to gut the Endangered Species ...

You've got to gut 'em before you can eat 'em. There's room for all God's creatures, right next to my mashed potatoes.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Good. The ESA has been used by America hating envirowhacko commies to cripple our energy production for decades.

[VeniVidiVici]

This can be a burden, and a lot of scientists and conservationists might go along with the idea that the law needs some changes. Rules have already been revised numerous times. But at a time when scientists say species are declining an epochal rate, do we really want to eliminate science from decisions on the fate of 1,353 animals and plants on the U.S. threatened or endangered species list?

Considering how many "scientists" are dragging us down the bottomless tunnel of "Global Warming" these new rule changes are a godsend. No more can these so-called experts hold up projects for years at a time.

[SECURE AMERICA]

Bush rushes to gut Endangered Species Act

Good.. The only real endangered species is the Real American.

[bruinbirdman]

"when scientists say species are declining "

A "sociologist" is not a scientist. They are leftist created civil servants.

yitbos

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Anyone wondering which immediate family members President Bush will need to pardon at the eleventh hour, ala Clinton?

ROFLMAO!

President Bush is awfully good at the ‘Rope a Dope.’ I’m betting he leaves America lots of lovely parting gifts. :)

[B4Ranch]

When I think about how much money the ESA has managed to keep out of the American economy I would be more than satisfied if the program was brought to a screeching halt.

[dalereed]

Gut it isn’t good enough, eliminate it!

[AuntB]

Getting Gale Norton out of interior probably didn’t hurt this effort either.

Did you know she and Grover Norquist founded their own enviromental non-profit before she was named secretary?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/12/AR2006101200889.html
Report Says Nonprofits Sold Influence to Abramoff

“The groups named in the report are Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform; the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, which was co-founded by Norquist and Gale Norton before she became secretary of the interior;”

[Brilliant]

Yep... If Obama wins, then Bush needs to sign a stack of orders tying his hamds. Reinstate the drilling ban, for exaample, and Obama will spend the next 4 years whining about the greedy oil companies.

[Let's Roll]

Another good one would be reversing the toon EO that doesn’t allow the enviro scam groups to be sued.

They should be required to prove their case just like anyone else - I would love to see what they think of as proof aired in a court room.

[Red Boots]

The ESA deserves to be gutted, it demands gutting.

. If it were ever calculated the money that has been spent per species on this ridiculous act, people would just die.

Around here it's the squawfish - all 150 of them, upon which untold, and uncounted millions have been spent, water rights uprooted and stolen, farms and fisheries ruined, etc ad naseum.

Drought in CA ? The record snowfall we had in Colorado this year might have helped - but Interior squandered it on scouring out the river channels for the squawfish !

They said they would have enough water to do everything they wanted to and still satisfy existing ( and prior) users, and reservoir filling; but later it turned out they miscalculated, so our reservoirs, which should have filled, lost out on 20 % of our water.

The entire thing should be scrapped !