Obama White House reverses Bush rule on protection of endangered species
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obama white house reverse bush rule protection endanger specie
Obama White House reverses Bush rule on protection of endangered <m> species </m>
http : / / www . theguardian . com / environment / 2009 / apr / 28 / obama - endangered - species - midnight - regulations
Obama White House reverses Bush rule on protection of endangered <m> species </m>
• Interior and commerce departments agree
• Government wildlife experts to be consulted on development
Tuesday 28 April 2009 22 . 34 BST
The Obama administration overturned one of the most controversial environmental measures of the George Bush era today , striking down a rule that had weakened protection for endangered species .
Officials at the interior and commerce ministries said they had returned to a requirement that government wildlife experts sign off on any new development - mining , logging or road construction - that could hurt animals , fish or plants that are at risk of going extinct .
Today's move was the latest in a series of declarations by Obama officials meant to chip away at the Bush environmental legacy .
A number of those measures were put in place in the final hours of the Bush administration , in what became known as "midnight regulations" .
Until last December , developers had been required for more than two decades to get approval from government wildlife experts before embarking on new projects .
But the Bush administration in its final days brought in a rule leaving it up to businesses to consult with government biologists on the impact of new development .
Environmentalists had accused Bush of effectively gutting protections for threatened or endangered species , and activists had sent more than 70 , 000 petitions to officials in the Obama administration urging them to cancel the "midnight regulation" .
In a statement , the commerce secretary , Gary Locke , and the interior secretary , Ken Salazar , agreed .
After a scientific reviewed ordered by Obama last month , they said they had reached the conclusion that such protections were indeed necessary .
"By rolling back this 11th hour regulation we are ensuring that threatened and endangered species continue to receive the full protection of the law , the two men said in a statement .
"Federal agencies proposing to take actions that might affect threatened and endangered species will once again have to consult with biologists . "
There was no word on another so - called midnight regulation that undermined protection for polar bear , an omission criticised by some activists today .
The move , which had been anticipated , comes just 24 hours after Salazar took steps against another midnight regulation .
The interior secretary said he would ask the courts to overturn a last - minute rule that made it easier for coal mining operations engaged in mountaintop removal to dump dirt near streams .