On March 3 , Obama overturned another 11th hour Bush regulation that weakened the Endangered Species Act and pitted federal agencies against each other .
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march 3 obama overturn 11th hour bush regulation weaken endangered species act pit federal agency
On March 3 , Obama overturned another 11th hour Bush regulation that weakened the Endangered Species Act and <m> pitted federal agencies against </m> each other .
http : / / digitaljournal . com / article / 268554
Obama overturns Bush midnight rules on science , health care
Mar 5 , 2009
Controversial rulings enacted in the 11th hour by the Bush administration are being examined for policy and legal implications by the Obama administration .
Several regulations affecting health care and the environment have been overturned .
In his final months in office , former president George W . Bush enacted several highly controversial policies that affect health care and wildlife .
In just a little over a month in office , President Barack Obama has sidelined or overturned several of them , and has also reached back over the years to reverse policies enacted during Bush ’ s first term .
A Bush administration draft plan to allow oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts was sidelined by the Obama administration on Feb . 10 .
"To establish an orderly process that allows us to make wise decisions based on sound information , we need to set aside" the plan , said new Interior Secretary Ken Salazar who extended the public comment period on offshore drilling by six months .
Obama has maintained that expanded offshore drilling should be part of a larger energy blueprint developed out in the open with Congress , not within the departments of Commerce and Interior Department alone .
On Feb . 27 , the Obama administration announced its intention to reverse the so - called “ medical conscience ” rule , following a 30 - day comment period .
The rule gave health care workers the right to refuse to participate in services they consider immoral .
The rule was vaguely worded and extended the right to refuse service to everyone from receptionists and janitors to hospital executives and insurance company CEOs .
Opponents considered the rule , which took effect the day before Obama ’ s inauguration , a thinly veiled maneuver to limit access to legal abortions , contraceptives , and living will directives .
On March 3 , Obama overturned another 11th hour Bush regulation that weakened the Endangered Species Act and <m> pitted federal agencies against </m> each other .
The regulation allowed federal agencies to sidestep scientific evidence gathered by U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service experts when launching construction projects that impact endangered wildlife .
When overturning the regulation , Obama said he was restoring "the scientific process to its rightful place at the heart of the Endangered Species Act , a process undermined by past administrations . "
The Obama administration will also move quickly to reverse some older Bush rulings .
On January 30 , Obama signed an executive order rescinding a 2001 Bush policy change that barred U . S . financial aid to international organizations that provide or promote abortions .
First implemented by President Reagan and called the “ Mexico City ” rule , the policy is reversed whenever there is a change in ideology in the White House .
Obama said the policy toward international family planning "has been used as a political wedge issue . "
He said his administration would “ initiate a fresh conversation on family planning , working to find areas of common ground to best meet the needs of women and families at home and around the world . "
The Obama administration plans to head off many of Bush ’ s midnight hour rules still in the pipeline before they take effect .
On inauguration day , federal agency heads were sent a memo stating that they should freeze all Bush regulations in the pipeline .
Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag followed up with a Jan . 21 memo giving agency heads these options for dealing with Bush - era “ rules which raise substantial questions of law or policy : ” extending the effective date of a rule , reopening the notice and comment period , issuing interim final rules , and deciding not to defend court challenges to Bush administration rules .
For a partial list of Bush ’ s midnight regulations and their current status , visit ProPublica .