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............... nah!!!:icon_evil:
In Bush's end-game, lots of changes on environment | Environment | ReutersIn Bush's end-game, lots of changes on environment
Sun Nov 2, 2008 8:39am EST
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By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment
Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
As the U.S. presidential candidates sprint toward the finish line, the Bush administration is also sprinting to enact environmental policy changes before leaving power.
Whether it's getting wolves off the Endangered Species List, allowing power plants to operate near national parks, loosening regulations for factory farm waste or making it easier for mountaintop coal-mining operations, these proposed changes have found little favor with environmental groups.
The one change most environmentalists want, a mandatory program to cut climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions, is not among these so-called "midnight regulations."
Bureaucratic calendars make it virtually impossible that any U.S. across-the-board action will be taken to curb global warming in this administration, though both Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama have promised to address it if they win Tuesday's U.S. presidential election.
Even some free-market organizations have joined conservation groups to urge a moratorium on last-minute rules proposed by the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.
"The Bush administration has had eight years in office and has issued more regulations than any administration in history," said Eli Lehrer of the Competitive Enterprise Institute. "At this point, in the current economic climate, it would be especially harmful to push through ill-considered regulations in the final days of the administration."
John Kostyack of the National Wildlife Federation, which joined Lehrer's group to call for a ban on these last-minute rules, said citizens are cut out of the process, allowing changes in U.S. law that the public opposes, such as rolling back protections under the Endangered Species Act.
WHAT'S THE RUSH?
The Bush team has urged that these regulations be issued no later than Saturday, so they can be put in effect by the time President George W. Bush leaves office on January 20.
If they are in effect then, it will be hard for the next administration to undo them, and in any case, this may not be the top priority for a new president, said Matt Madia of OMB Watch, which monitors the White House Office of Management and Budget, through which these proposed regulations must pass.
In his waning moments as President these are the types of actions he's focused on .
A dim bulb during an era of needed enlightenment: George Bush
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you'd still be waiting for me at the airport
while my ship was coming in
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stopping bush's destruction of our environment:icon_evil:
by robert redford
december 20 2008
----- democracy is working. At least that's the news for now from my friends at the natural resources defense council, which has filed a lawsuit against last-minute bush administration plans to lease huge swaths of majestic wilderness in utah for oil and gas extraction.
Late last night, nrdc and a coalition of environmental and preservation groups filed an agreement with the bureau of land management that could save 100,000 acres of pristine land that are endangered. The deal temporarily prevents the bureau from issuing leases on 80 contested parcels of utah wilderness, including land adjacent to national parks, for 30 days (until january 19).
Although the bureau will go forward with the auction today, based on the agreement it will not issue the contested leases. The delay will give a federal court time to hear the case.
As i've written previously, words alone cannot do justice to the beauty of these places, but they do capture the absurdity of the bush plan. Oil and gas drilling in desolation canyon? Industrial development along the meandering green river? The thought makes one wince.
utah's red rock country is one of america's few remaining wilderness treasures. It's our land, it's our legacy, but will it still be here for our children and grandchildren?
The bureau's agreement has delayed the potential destruction. We will now get our day in court and i know that nrdc, the southern utah wilderness alliance (suwa) and their partners will continue to do all they can to protect utah's unspoiled landscapes.
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you'd still be waiting for me at the airport
while my ship was coming in
I suppose it's all relative....bail out the auto industry and seek to find some oil to go along with it. All the talk about finding new methods of energy in the states sounded pretty good but in the end, choosing the easier and less business-disruptive route is the only realm of thinking that the conservative-minded have.
Hopefully, with those on the left coming into power, the bleeding hearts, treehuggers and annoying environmentalists will gain some headway into American life....it just simply has to happen.
And start getting used to sorting out your tin cans, plastic bottles and glass jars too! A bunch of your states don't even have regular recycling programs.
Dancin' helps relieve the pain, soothes your mind, makes you happy again
I'd like to think part of the point of the family vehicle is being able to provide us with American experiences such as driving from Utah to Yellowstone .... as well as from Wal-mart to Target .
Imagine the President selling out his own soul for oil ..... much less his own country's .
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you'd still be waiting for me at the airport
while my ship was coming in
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