"Parts of the Endangered Species Act may soon be extinct."
That's the first sentence from the AP article today on the Bush Administration's draft regulations that would effectively gut the Endangered Species Act. I guess I really need to stop being stunned.
"The draft rules would bar federal agencies from assessing the emissions from projects that contribute to global warming and its effect on species and habitats."
And then there's this:
"The new regulations follow a pattern by the Bush administration not to seek input from its scientists. The regulations were drafted by attorneys at both the Interior and Commerce Departments. Scientists with both agencies were first briefed on the proposal last week during a conference call, according to an official who asked not to be identified.
Last month, in similar fashion, the Environmental Protection Agency surprised its scientific experts when it decided it did not want to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act."
January 2009 cannot come too soon.
