Bush administration takes independent scientific reviews out of Endangered Species Act

Bush administration takes independent scientific reviews out of Endangered Species Act

Obama and Congress may reverse last-minute changes, which could accelerate potentially harmful federal projects and allow drilling in Alaska's polar bear habitat.

By Julie Cart
December 12, 2008


The Bush administration on Thursday eliminated 35-year-old regulations in the Endangered Species Act that required an independent scientific review of proposed federal projects to determine whether they imperil protected plants and animals.

Instead, federal agencies undertaking projects like road and power plant construction or oil and gas drilling will make their own assessment. Without the independent reviews, such projects could be accelerated.

As part of the changes announced by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in the final days of the Bush administration, the department finalized an interim rule that allows oil and gas drilling in polar bear habitat off Alaska's coast. The rule change is designed to prevent the Endangered Species Act from being used to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, essentially making climate change policy.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-endangered-species12-2008dec12,0,5944259.story