Will proposed changes pull the teeth of the Endangered Species Act?

Darkfrog submitted, created time 3 months 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

As things stand, before granting permission for the government or a private entity to start a project that may affect an endangered specie, the Army Corps of Engineers or FEMA sends the case to the Fish and Wildlife Service or to the NOAA. There, biologists and ecologists determine whether the proposed project would harm vital habitats or the species themselves. These organizations cover tens of thousands of projects each year.

In other words, "Scientific question, ask scientists." Sounds good, right? Sounds like the government has a good thing going and deserves a big high five, right?

Yeah... The Bush administration has proposed chaning the "when the project may affect an endangered specie" part to "when the company's own experts believe that the project will not be an insignificant contributor to any effects on a listed species or critical habitat." The new rules also require that the project must have a direct impact. Before this, they'd been able to take climate change into account.

Now, if I were employed by an oil or lumber company and my bosses asked me if I thought their multi-million-dollar project, in my expert opinion, would have a direct impact on any endangered specie... Well, I'd like to think that I'd say yes or no depending on the facts, but I think most people would say, "Whatever will keep me employed."

Here's a quote from the article:

Environmentalists worry that allowing federal agencies to police themselves will amount to having "the fox guarding the hen house."

I am a resident of New Jersey, and I have to say that that is EXACTLY what we called it when then-Governor Whitman allowed companies to police themselves a few years ago. It wasn't a total fiasco, but it wasn't pretty either.

Now it's not like the Bush administration is proposing these changes because they hate bald eagles and seals. They want to reduce the number of unnecessary reviews that the agencies have to conduct and that the taxpayers have to pay for. Many of these proposed projects would provide jobs, too, and our economy needs that right now.

What do you guys think? It's quite a question. The public is allowed to comment on these rules for the next thirty days.

Keywords: Endangered Species Act endangered cat species science and culture politics science and politics economics