Administration Abandons Plan to Lift Wetlands Protections

The Bush administration recently abandoned a proposal, sought by developers, to remove federal protection for as much as 20 million acres of wetlands after receiving more than 133,000 comments in opposition from environmentalists, sportsmen, state officials, and others.

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Court Blocks Bush Rollback of Power-Plant Emissions Standards

A day before Christmas, a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the Bush administration from implementing a major rollback of clean air standards, which would have allowed the nation’s oldest and dirtiest power plants to upgrade their facilities without installing the latest anti-pollution controls (as they were previously required to do under EPA’s New Source Review program) -- even if it results in substantial new emissions.

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Judge Rejects Bush Plan to Allow Snowmobiles in Yellowstone

A federal judge strongly rebuked the Bush administration on Dec. 16 for rescinding a Clinton-era plan to phase out snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan called the administration’s action “completely politically driven and result oriented” -- pointing out that it ran counter to scientific evidence -- and reinstated the phase-out just hours before the start of the snowmobile season. Sullivan noted one study that found Yellowstone at times had carbon monoxide levels as high as Los Angeles.

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Bush Administration to Ease Mercury Controls

The Bush administration recently issued standards that will weaken and delay efforts to reduce highly toxic mercury emissions from power plants, which can fall to the ground with rain and enter bodies of water.

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Administration Eases Rules for Endangered Species Consultation for Forest Projects

The Bush administration recently issued standards that will allow federal agencies to conduct fewer consultations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) when considering timber sales and other forest thinning projects.

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Enforcement of Environmental Laws Lagging Under Bush Administration

The Bush administration is pursuing and punishing far fewer polluters than the two previous administrations, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The newspaper obtained 15 years of environmental records for 17 different categories and subcategories of enforcement activity through Freedom of Information Act requests. In 13 of these categories, the Bush administration had lower average numbers than the Clinton administration, according to the Inquirer, and in 11 categories, the 2003 average was lower than the 2001 average, revealing a downward trend.

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Bush Administration Considers Relaxing Rules for Radioactive Waste

The Bush administration is considering a plan to allow low-level radioactive material to be stored in ordinary landfills and hazardous waste sites. Currently, such waste must be stored at facilities specifically licensed for radioactive material. Under the plan, EPA would permit radioactive waste to be disposed of in landfills designed and permitted only for chemical waste, industrial waste and municipal garbage.

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Congress Drops Block on Bush Overtime Proposal, Strikes Deal on Media Ownership

Congressional leaders recently agreed to drop appropriation riders that would have blocked administration proposals to cut overtime eligibility and allow greater media consolidation. The White House had threatened to veto any legislation that contained language impeding either of these measures.

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Congress Clears Way for Logging, Offers Little Help to Fire-Prone Communities

Congress recently approved legislation that allows logging in old-growth forests and does little to limit wildfire risks in areas close to homes. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act passed the House by a vote of 286 to 140, with the Senate following suit by voice vote. The measure, which takes its cue from President Bush’s “Healthy Forests Initiative,” allows increased commercial logging of old-growth trees in national forests, purportedly to reduce runaway forest fires that have plagued the West in recent years, even though such trees are not the source of the problem.

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Federal Judge Rebukes Bush Administration's Hard-Rock Mining Rules

A federal judge recently instructed the Interior Department to rewrite part of its new hard-rock mining rules after finding that mining companies are not being required to pay fair market value for use of public lands. The judge criticized the Bush administration’s overall interpretation of federal law on hard-rock mining, but stopped short of striking down the rules, stating that he did not have legal grounds to do so.

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