Hey, I thought the Endangered Species Act was supposed to protect endangered species. Apparently not. My friend Anne found this in the New York Times and sent it to me with the words, "this makes me so mad I can not even speak":
The Interior Department on Thursday announced a rule that has largely freed federal agencies from their obligation to consult independent wildlife biologists before they build dams or highways or permit construction of transmission towers, housing developments or other projects that might harm federally protected wildlife.
The rule, quickly challenged by environmental groups, lets the Army Corps of Engineers or the Federal Highway Administration in many cases rely on their own personnel in deciding what impact a project would have on a fish, bird, plant, animal or insect protected under the Endangered Species Act.
In announcing the rule, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said his main intention was to ensure that the 1972 law was not used as a “back door” means of regulating the emission of the gases that accelerate climate change. Without this rule, Mr. Kempthorne said, his decision last summer to list the polar bear as threatened because of the loss of sea ice caused by the warming of the climate could be used to block projects far from the bear’s Arctic habitat.
“The Endangered Species Act was never intended to be a back door opportunity for climate change policy,” he said.
Tell that to the Arctic species. I am sure they would love to debate the finer points with you, Dick.
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