Obama Reverses Midnight Regulation on Endangered Species Act
PRODUCERS: NRDC has broadcast quality b-roll of endangered species, including wolves and polar bears, available at http://nrdc.mediaseed.tv/
WASHINGTON (March 3, 2009) – President Obama announced today that he would undo last-minute changes made by the Bush administration to the Endangered Species Act. The changes, made in December 2008, would dramatically weaken and limit the use of the landmark wildlife protection law, according to scientists and attorneys at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Following are comments from Andrew Wetzler, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Endangered Species Program.
“President Obama’s announcement will allow this landmark law to do what it was intended: protect our nation’s endangered plants and animals. Reversing the Bush administration’s midnight action will restore protections for our last wild places and species. Throughout his campaign, the president committed to restoring scientific integrity to our government. Undoing the last administration’s damage to the Endangered Species Act will enable scientists to work with federal agencies and ensure that new projects do not harm threatened wildlife.”
Wetzler has blogged extensively on this latest attack on one of America’s bedrock environmental laws. His ESA blog postings are available at: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/awetzler