Cry Havoc
03-04-2009, 11:59 AM
About damn time.
No matter what else he did, I HATE Bush because of this kind of idiotic environmental policy.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/03/obama_trumps_bush_on_endangere.html
Obama overrides Bush on species
As I reported exclusively in the Los Angeles Times this morning, President Obama is set to instruct federal agencies to once again consult with endangered-species experts before moving ahead with construction projects, overruling a last-minute rule change by the Bush administration.
presidential memorandum, effectively bypassing the lengthy public comment process traditionally required for changing a rule. Business groups are protesting, saying the change will hamper critical road-building and other projects needed to jump-start the economy.
"It's almost certainly going to slow down all of these projects, even the stimulus-backed projects," said Ross Eisenberg, an environment and energy counsel for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "What we're getting is more red tape."
Environmentalists call it a victory for threatened plants and wildlife. "This is very good news for endangered species," said Andrew Wetzler, endangered species program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The regulations that President Bush issued were clearly illegal, and they were bad policy to boot."
Bush's rule change, finalized in December, allowed federal agencies to determine on their own if projects would jeopardize endangered species, instead of consulting with expert biologists as previously required. It also gave agencies the option, if they so chose, of calling on the experts from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Obama's memo will direct the agencies to exercise that option in every instance, until the Interior and Commerce departments can reconsider the Bush rule change. It does not explicitly overturn the Bush rule. Lobbying groups are debating the memo's legality.
No matter what else he did, I HATE Bush because of this kind of idiotic environmental policy.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/03/obama_trumps_bush_on_endangere.html
Obama overrides Bush on species
As I reported exclusively in the Los Angeles Times this morning, President Obama is set to instruct federal agencies to once again consult with endangered-species experts before moving ahead with construction projects, overruling a last-minute rule change by the Bush administration.
presidential memorandum, effectively bypassing the lengthy public comment process traditionally required for changing a rule. Business groups are protesting, saying the change will hamper critical road-building and other projects needed to jump-start the economy.
"It's almost certainly going to slow down all of these projects, even the stimulus-backed projects," said Ross Eisenberg, an environment and energy counsel for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "What we're getting is more red tape."
Environmentalists call it a victory for threatened plants and wildlife. "This is very good news for endangered species," said Andrew Wetzler, endangered species program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The regulations that President Bush issued were clearly illegal, and they were bad policy to boot."
Bush's rule change, finalized in December, allowed federal agencies to determine on their own if projects would jeopardize endangered species, instead of consulting with expert biologists as previously required. It also gave agencies the option, if they so chose, of calling on the experts from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Obama's memo will direct the agencies to exercise that option in every instance, until the Interior and Commerce departments can reconsider the Bush rule change. It does not explicitly overturn the Bush rule. Lobbying groups are debating the memo's legality.