I wanted to mention that the Bush Administration isn't all bad when it comes to the environment. He buckled under popular pressure in his attempt to leave the nations isolated wetlands unprotected. Isolated wetlands, like marshes and swamps are particularly important habitats for herps, so this is a great victory for herp lovers.
Notice that the plan was withdrawn after the Bush administration received over 130,000 public comments on the subject. Using the Audubon alerts I mentioned below is a very easy way to get your voice heard!
Joe
Here are some brief details from Mother Jones:
Perhaps for the first time, President Bush has done right by environmentalists -- not to say the environment. On Wednesday his EPA abandoned efforts to relax protections for millions of acres of U.S. wetlands by narrowing the scope of the Clean Water Act.
The plan had drawn outrage from an odd assortment of interest groups including environmentalists, conservationists and hunters, not to mention Congress.
Bush received over 133,000 public comments about the proposed plans. Last month, 218 House members, including 26 Republicans, one independent and all but 14 of the House's 205 Democrats, signed a letter to Bush asking him to rethink his decision. Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club said that the public outcry "left the Bush administration with little choice but to rescind its misguided proposal," and further explained the rationale behind the initial desire to weaken the Clean Water Act:
"Mining companies, developers and oil companies sought this change in clean water rules because it would have been easier for them to dispose of their waste and fill in wetlands if there were no government oversight. But polluting these small streams and wetlands would have inevitably meant dirtier water downstream, more flooding, and fewer recreational opportunities for hunters, anglers and others who depend upon clean water. Once again the Bush administration was on track to allow polluters to benefit at our expense."
The announcement doesn't call for an all-out celebration. Last January, the Bush administration issued a directive asking for federal authority over a "vast majority" of U.S. wetlands. The problem is "vast majority" leaves out isolated wetlands and non-navigable waters—blurry terminology which most environmentalists and watchdog groups agree will result in a reduction in the number of protected waters.
Moreover, a ruling yesterday from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans says that both the Clean Water Act and the Oil Protection Act can be applied only to navigable waters and to waters clearly adjacent to navigable waters. Basically, the ruling limits the types of water the U.S. can impose regulations on, and further confuses the issue of what wetlands can and cannot be regulated.
