Obama overturns Bush endangered species rule
rule
obama overturn bush endanger specie rule
Obama overturns Bush endangered species <m> rule </m>
http : / / www . cnn . com / 2009 / POLITICS / 03 / 03 / endangered . species . act /
updated 8 : 41 p . m . EST , Tue March 3 , 2009
Obama overturns Bush endangered species <m> rule </m>
President Obama on Tuesday overturned a last - minute Bush administration regulation that many environmentalists claim weakened the Endangered Species Act .
The regulation , issued a few weeks before George W . Bush left office , made it easier for federal agencies to skip consultations with government scientists before launching projects that could affect endangered wildlife .
By overturning the regulation , Obama said during an enthusiastic reception at the Interior Department , he had restored "the scientific process to its rightful place at the heart of the Endangered Species Act , a process undermined by past administrations . "
Under the Bush administration rule , there was no need for a federal agency to consult with the U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Services if that agency determined that no harm would come to an endangered species as a result of its project .
But the determination of what "no harm" meant rested with agency bureaucrats instead of scientists .
Obama issued a memorandum that effectively suspends the regulation while ordering a review to determine whether it promotes "the purposes of the [ Endangered Species Act ] . "
"The work of scientists and experts in my administration , including right here in the Interior Department , will be respected , " Obama said .
"For more than three decades , the Endangered Species Act has successfully protected our nation's most threatened wildlife , and we should be looking for ways to improve it , not weaken it . "
Environmental groups were quick to praise Obama's action .
"President Obama's announcement will allow [ the Endangered Species Act ] to do what it was intended : protect our nation's endangered plants and animals , " said Andrew Wetzler , director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Endangered Species Program .
"Reversing the Bush administration's midnight action will restore protections for our last wild places and species . "
Obama also helped celebrate the 160th anniversary of the Interior Department on Tuesday .
"Throughout our history , there's been a tension between those who've sought to conserve our natural resources for the benefit of future generations and those who have sought to profit from these resources , " he told department employees .
"But I'm here to tell you this is a false choice .
With smart , sustainable policies , we can grow our economy today and preserve the environment for ourselves , our children and our grandchildren . "