. . .have been "delisted," according to reports:

Bald Eagle Soars Off Endangered List

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/28/tech/main2994344.shtml?source=flashapp

Crocodile removed from endangered species list

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18210155/

Also recently "delisted" are the following:

Grizzly Bear-Yellowstone

Aleutian Canada Goose

Pygmy Owl-AZ

Coastal trout

Among others.

http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/DelistingReport.do

Thanks, President Bush! If he gets the blame for bad stuff--whether he has any actual control over the situations or not--he should get the credit for good stuff, am I right? Right?

7/26/2007 5:23:54 AM

i thought the gray wolf has been taken off too....heard there were so many in yellowstone now that they were letting hunters kill them if they came on the hunters property

7/26/2007 6:03:33 AM

^

Quote :

"Among others."

7/26/2007 6:23:03 AM

Quote :

"New Bush Plan to Gut Endangered Species Act Key Wildlife Protections Weakened by a Series of Administrative Redefinitions By: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) Published: Mar 27, 2007 at 06:58 The U.S. Interior Department is preparing a wide-ranging set of regulations which substantially weaken the federal Endangered Species Act, according to internal documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Center for Biological Diversity. "These draft regulations slash the Endangered Species Act from head to toe," said Kieran Suckling, policy director of the Center for Biological Diversity. "They undermine every aspect of law - recovery, listing, preventing extinction, critical habitat, federal oversight and habitat conservation plans - all of it is gutted." The draft regulations would: * Remove recovery of a species or population as a protection standard; * Allow projects to proceed that have been determined to threaten species with extinction; * Permit destruction of all restored habitat within critical habitat areas; * Prevent critical habitat areas from being used to protect against disturbance, pesticides, exotic species, and disease; * Severely limit the listing of new endangered species; and * Empower states to veto endangered species introductions as well as administer virtually all aspects of the Endangered Species Act within their borders. "Kicking responsibility for endangered species protection to the states will make it nearly impossible to restore national oversight when states fail to protect endangered species," stated Southwest PEER Director Daniel R. Patterson. "State biologists will be under enormous political pressure to accommodate development interests while lacking, in many cases, even rudimentary legal protection to defend scientific concerns about species survival." Following the collapse of former U.S. Representative Richard Pombo's efforts to legislatively weaken the Endangered Species Act in 2006, the Bush administration pledged to use administrative rulemaking to accomplish some of the same objectives. "If these regulations had been in place 30 years ago, the bald eagle, grizzly bear, and gray wolf would never have been listed as endangered species and the peregrine falcon, black-footed ferret, and California condor would never have been reintroduced to new states," added Suckling. "This plan makes recovery all but impossible for most endangered species. Simply stated, it is the worst attack on the Endangered Species Act in the past 35 years." "Although states are key conservation partners the reason we have a national act is that leaving species protection to the states was a recipe for extinctions," Patterson concluded. The draft regulations are being circulated for final inter-agency review and are expected to be formally unveiled later this spring. Congress could also proscribe or limit Bush administration proposals through the appropriations process."

http://www.yubanet.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/22/53693

Yes, thank you Bush regime.

7/26/2007 6:34:44 AM

He's just trying to help. The endangered species act has driven more species to extinction than it has helped.

shoot, shovel, and shut-up.

7/26/2007 7:48:59 AM

^ backup for that statement?

7/26/2007 7:50:30 AM

Only one animal that's now off the list was put on the list during Bush's tenure.

What are we supposed to give him credit for? Being too busy screwing up other things?

7/26/2007 8:34:09 AM

the es act has its problems, but this ridiculous comment that it's driving more extinction is just unfounded and ridiculous

7/26/2007 10:09:16 AM

taking them off the list only means the special protection regulations go away.

Its laughable that anyone would tout Bush for his environmental policies. He's opened protected lands to logging roads, cut funding to major gov environmental groups, and appointed lobbyists for oil, coal, and other mining groups to top positions in the interior, just to name a few misdeeds.

7/26/2007 10:09:53 AM

yea!

now we can overhunt them again!

7/26/2007 10:13:10 AM

Seriously, you people are nuts. How has the environment suffered since Bush has taken office?

Quote :

"He's opened protected lands to logging roads, cut funding to major gov environmental groups, and appointed lobbyists for oil, coal, and other mining groups to top positions in the interior, just to name a few misdeeds."

How are those misdeeds? How was the environment damaged by that? (Note I said the environment not the "environmental" movement)

7/26/2007 10:43:30 AM

^are you serious....

protected lands are protected for a reason, cutting logging roads all through them sort of defeats the purpose.

and i can't believe you can't easily see a problem with lobbyists for industries that give a shit about the environment being in top positions within the federal department of the interior....hell, lets appoint alqaeda officials to be heads of the homeland security dep.

the money thing, that's just a no brainer.

7/26/2007 11:12:17 AM

sweet

i'm having bald eagle for dinner tonight!

7/26/2007 11:16:11 AM

Quote :

"How has the environment suffered since Bush has taken office? "

His Clear Skies Initiative basically gutted the Clean Air Act, and lets energy companies off the hook for required power plant upgrades (but it's not like Bush was enforcing that law anyways). This means relaxed regulations on mercury, arsenic, and other emissions

The EPA has consistently sided with business interests over environmental interests since his appointees have taken over.

Actually, here you go:

http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/2005.asp

http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/2004.asp

http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/2003.asp

http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/2002.asp

http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/2001.asp


But more so than any of that (and there is a lot of it), his inaction on certain environmental issues is what's doing the most harm.

7/26/2007 1:20:50 PM

Quote :

"His Clear Skies Initiative basically gutted the Clean Air Act"

Again, I asked how his policies have aversely affected the ENVIRONMENT. Not environmental policy(which is political). Has air quality degraded during his term? Have our national parks been clear-cut? Are our lakes a streams more polluted then 8 years ago?

7/26/2007 2:27:41 PM

Just remember that logging and hunting has helped create the foundation for wildlife/wilderness conservation in the united states. The original purpose of the National Park System was to preserve and manage our timber and minerals. While the hunting tax in the united states is one of the biggest contributors to wildlife preservation. As long as hunting and logging is done in moderation and with wildlife in mind it's a great thing for the United States. Ask any forest ranger or park ranger and they'll tell you they survive through contributions from the hunting license tax and through organizations like Ducks Unlimited etc.

^and yeah bush mixes up wildlife preservation with oil preservation. He thinks they come hand in hand.

7/26/2007 2:30:15 PM

^ What's funny about that is, the National Park Service was terrible at managing their forests until the 70's. Some of the worst clear-cutting in the US was done under their watch. (while forests managed by private logging companies were much better run, go figure).

7/26/2007 2:32:21 PM

YAY!!!

GEORGE BUSH SAVED THE EAGLES!!!

YAY!!!

7/26/2007 2:32:36 PM

Quote :

"What's funny about that is, the National Park Service was terrible at managing their forests until the 70's. "

Oh defin. But it's still a step in the right direction until they get it right.

7/26/2007 2:45:53 PM

The blame and the credit--that's the way it should work. Unless you're a foamy left-wing moonbat.

7/26/2007 5:04:58 PM

wait, canadian geese are no longer endangered? does that mean i can run over those fuckers now?

7/26/2007 10:07:12 PM

surprised none of the liberals made a crack about bush "saving" the species so that he and cheney can go huntin for em

7/26/2007 10:50:01 PM

^Come on, dude.

You wanted to make that joke yourself.


And I want to make it clear about the environment in general. The environmental programs in the government are not all "We need blue skies and lots of pretty trees. Let's protect the environment!" It's more practical stuff like "Hey, man, it looks like that shit is making people sick. Let's check it out. What do you know...it does make people sick! In fact, it causes cancer! Maybe we should like try to eliminate that shit so people won't get sick..."

Those agencies work to protect us and cutting their funding is WRONG.

7/26/2007 11:09:08 PM

Anyone want to go bald eagle hunting?

7/26/2007 11:15:27 PM

You know, had HookGeezer simply stated that animals had been removed and how it was a good thing that their numbers are no longer in danger and that is was a very good thing then this thread might have garnered an ounce of merit. It was when we linked the Bush regime to positive environmental progress that he lost this thread.

7/26/2007 11:50:18 PM

i think being the National Bird, you still cant hunt it, endangered or not.

7/26/2007 11:50:29 PM

Quote :

"It was when we linked the Bush regime to positive environmental progress that he lost this thread."

you dont think bush cares about the environment? he likes going outside and clearing brush for christs sake

but seriously if you're going to blame him for everything bad that happens "on his watch" you have to give him credit for everything good

7/26/2007 11:56:49 PM

Quote :

"Those agencies work to protect us and cutting their funding is WRONG."

That is a ridiculous statement. Again, prove that by cutting back funding on some of those agencies that the health of the environment has suffered. Just because it's part of the Gubermant doesn't mean it is Holy and can't be touched. You know how much redundancy and waste there is?

Hurting Environmental Policy (which is politically driven) != Hurting the Environment

That isn't to say it helps the environment either, but everything that I can find shows that environmental quality in the US has improved in the past decade. Again, that isn't saying Bush had anything to do with it, but he hasn't hurt the environment either.

7/27/2007 5:55:04 AM

^^ clearing brush is great but when you're butt buddies with every oil company in the world it kinda doesn't matter.

7/27/2007 8:03:55 AM

who cares

7/27/2007 8:22:16 AM

<----

7/27/2007 10:12:41 AM

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0725/p02s01-uspo.html?page=1

Quote :

"Following a critical report by the inspector general of the Interior Department in March, Julie MacDonald – the official in charge of fish and wildlife, including those listed under the ESA – resigned. Fish and Wildlife Service employees complained that Ms. MacDonald had "bullied, insulted, and harassed the professional staff … to change documents and alter biological reporting," according to the report. "We confirmed that MacDonald has been heavily involved with editing, commenting on, and reshaping the endangered species program's scientific reports from the field," the inspector general wrote, also noting that "she has no formal educational background in natural sciences, such as biology." The Interior Department inspector general also found that MacDonald had "disclosed nonpublic information to private sector sources" – special interests that had a financial stake in species listing and protection – including the California Farm Bureau Federation and the Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that specializes in property rights advocacy and litigation."

Quote :

""The real culprit here is not a renegade political appointee," says Francesca Grifo, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists' (UCS) scientific integrity program. "The real culprit is a process where decisions are made behind closed doors." In 2005, UCS surveyed about 450 Fish and Wildlife Service scientists. Two-thirds said they knew of cases where Interior Department political appointees had interfered with scientific reports and decisions, and 84 said they had been ordered to remove or change technical information from scientific documents. "

gg, Bush

7/27/2007 12:00:20 PM

Quote :

"she has no formal educational background in natural sciences"

sounds like 99% of TWW in a climate change thread

7/27/2007 12:04:36 PM

^ This used to get me angry, but now, it's not surprising in the least. Only thing to get angry about is the fact that he gets away with it, and nobody (Congress) holds him accountable for it....

7/27/2007 12:05:16 PM

Quote :

"This used to get me angry, but now, it's not surprising in the least"

see, this isnt surprising to me either, but it wouldnt be surprising to me if it was bush, clinton, bush sr, reagan, etc all the way back to george washington

they have the most powerful job / position in the world...they are going to be able to do stuff like that

7/27/2007 12:10:53 PM

^ It should be surprising when a President uses his power to change the reports of experts in their field. It's absolute bullshit that he gets away with it, and I don't remember hearing anything about other presidents changing reports like this. Please show me if I'm incorrect on that one.....

7/27/2007 12:17:19 PM

i dont know what other presidents have done this particular thing but it still doesnt surprise me...i just dont think all the behind-the-scenes stuff that you hear about bush doing is anything particularly new that other past presidents havent done...i just think with anything nowadays, there is a lot more media attention so you actually hear about it...but still nothing the govt does could probably every surprise me

7/27/2007 12:23:01 PM

Quote :

"In 2005, UCS surveyed about 450 Fish and Wildlife Service scientists. Two-thirds said they knew of cases where Interior Department political appointees had interfered with scientific reports and decisions, and 84 said they had been ordered to remove or change technical information from scientific documents. ""

That has never really happened in a presidency as much as it has with Bush. How can they change scientific data to support thier administration?

7/27/2007 12:26:37 PM

Quote :

"How can they change scientific data to support thier administration?"

Nobody's bitched enough to stop them about the environmental stuff. But when they do (like the attorney stuff) the administration claims it under executive privilege. It's a lovely little system they have to bypass any type of accountability.

7/27/2007 12:30:41 PM

^

Quote :

"under executive privilege"

heh yeah completely. Sucks. I'm not as couragous as some of my more liberal friends who get arrested at protests but something should be done.

7/27/2007 12:34:41 PM

Quote :

"It was when we linked the Bush regime to positive environmental progress that he lost this thread."

HockeyRomance

I didn't lose anything, troll. Try to push through your Bush derangement syndrome and focus on my point:

Quote :

"The blame and the credit--that's the way it should work. Unless you're a foamy left-wing moonbat."

7/27/2007 7:48:45 PM

bttt by request

8/11/2008 8:52:30 PM

Quote :

" WASHINGTON (AP) -- Parts of the Endangered Species Act may soon be extinct. An adult male Florida panther growls as he enters his new home at Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. The Bush administration wants federal agencies to decide for themselves whether highways, dams, mines and other construction projects might harm endangered animals and plants. New regulations, which don't require the approval of Congress, would reduce the mandatory, independent reviews government scientists have been performing for 35 years, according to a draft first obtained by The Associated Press. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said late Monday the changes were needed to ensure that the Endangered Species Act would not be used as a "back door" to regulate the gases blamed for global warming. In May, the polar bear became the first species declared as threatened because of climate change. Warming temperatures are expected to melt the sea ice the bear depends on for survival."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/08/11/bush.endangered.species.ap/index.html

8/11/2008 8:53:48 PM

8/11/2008 9:13:29 PM

Quote :

"the es act has its problems, but this ridiculous comment that it's driving more extinction is just unfounded and ridiculous"

Believe me, if something makes it on Penn and Teller Bullshit,

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PufNFWo9mm0

it's bullshit.

[Edited on August 11, 2008 at 10:22 PM. Reason : ]

8/11/2008 10:22:13 PM

Quote :

"Parts of the Endangered Species Act may soon be extinct. The Bush administration wants federal agencies to decide for themselves whether highways, dams, mines and other construction projects might harm endangered animals and plants."

Oh, good.

I was getting tired of ecological diversity.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080811/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bush_endangered_species

8/11/2008 10:34:00 PM

Yeah, why can't other animals be more like humans and just spread all over the earth even into places that aren't feasible habitat.

Fuck Bush.

8/11/2008 10:44:16 PM

When does the American Tax-payer get off the endangered list?

8/11/2008 11:07:43 PM

The rationale for this far scummier than I would have guessed.

8/11/2008 11:14:52 PM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26143098/

Quote :

"Plan takes scientists out of decision making on species status "

How is this a good idea in any way?

I would rather them drill in ANWAR and offshore, than to remove oversight from endangered species enforcements.

8/11/2008 11:35:24 PM