The Bush administration is making a mockery of public process in its campaign to undermine the Endangered Species Act while it still can.
The Associated Press learned this week that the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service has summoned reinforcements to Washington in an apparent record-setting attempt to review 200,000 public comments in 32 hours.
The rush job comes on the eve of the expiring presidency’s Nov. 1 deadline for new federal regulations.
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne got caught in August trying to sneak through an overhaul of endangered species protections. The proposed rules – sold as a “narrow regulatory change” – would virtually eliminate the scientific reviews required of federal projects like dams, power plants and highways.
In the ensuing uproar, Kempthorne agreed to extend the comment period from 30 to 60 days. What an empty gesture that has proved to be.
The Interior Department received 300,000 comments about the proposed changes, which supposedly were intended to prevent greenhouse gas emissions from threatening projects thousands of miles away.
About 100,000 of those comments were form letters; the ones that remain include comments from scientists, lawyers, other government agencies and members of Congress.
Actually, “comments” is something of a misnomer since the submissions can run 70 pages or more. At the pace Interior has established, each staffer will have to read and digest seven comments a minute to meet the deadline. Some paper shredders don’t work that fast.
The Interior Department’s review is sham and an insult to the people and organizations who took time to analyze the proposed rules and respond thoughtfully.
If the Bush administration succeeds in ramrodding its proposal through, it could take years for a new president to formally undo – if the next resident of the White House is so inclined.
Democrat Barack Obama is opposed to the rewrite of the endangered species law; Republican John McCain has not taken a position. McCain has said in the past that he is in favor of unspecified changes to the ESA.
The determination of this presidency to weaken wildlife protections is remarkable. Would that the same could be said for its commitment to fully vetting public policy.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.