House Hearing finds Political Manipulation has Completely Corrupted the Endangered Species Act

Today in Congress the House Natural Resources Committee held an oversight hearing on the administration of the Endangered Species Act. They found what everyone has suspected and feared. Decisions on endangered species have become completely politicized. The findings of scientists are ignored and even rewritten to favor development and agricultural interests.

Story. Interior Dept. ripped for political meddling. By Noelle Straub. Helena Independent Record Washington Bureau.

It is damn frustrating for the many people who have spent recent hours commenting on wolf delisting and similar matters that their work will probably be judged by Bush political flunkies who deserve to be wearing prison stripes.

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Montana, an accomplice to grayling extinction

As was recently reported, the Bush Administration has refused to list the fluvial form of the arctic grayling in Montana, but the fish is already functionally extinct there. So I guess DOI can say “mission accomplished.”

George Wuerthner, writing in New West, points the finger for the on-the-ground conditions that felled the grayling to stream dewatering, the livestock industry and the complicency of Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Montana, an accomplice to grayling extinction.

Oh well, there are plenty of grayling in Alaska (something we will hearing more often given the Bush Administration’s new illegal policy that if there is a population of a species somewhere that is not endangered, we don’t need to conserve one that is).

Closely related. “Scientists Protest New Reading of ESA.” WWPblog

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