Key Democrats, joined by a number of conservation groups, pledged on Tuesday to stop what they call the Defense Department’s stealth attack on the environment. The 2003 Defense authorization bill, H.R. 4546, contains language that would grant the department broad exemptions from the 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The legislation, which the House Armed Services Committee approved 57 to 1, is expected to go to the House floor Thursday. With increased responsibilities for homeland security, Defense has pushed for freedom to expand training operations into areas inhabited by endangered species. The language would...