Bush Administration Actively Gutting Environmental "Magna Carta"
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 11.29.07
Image courtesy of Hays Woods
A trend that began in previous administrations - the gradual erosion of the nation's most fundamental environmental regulations - has gathered pace in the Bush White House, experts say. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970, a piece of legislation known as the Magna Carta of environmental policy, has been under such heavy assault in recent years that advocates fear its continued undermining could lead to a bleak, unsustainable future for the U.S.
A flurry of bills enacted between 2003 and 2007 by the Congress - including the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 - allowed agencies to disregard or loosen NEPA regulations, prompting a wider incidence of harmful practices such as oil extraction and logging. As a result, experts like Bill Schlesinger, president of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, believes we will likely see more pernicious environmental effects in the near future - especially as our dwindling natural resources become even more scarce.
"The fact is, the attack on NEPA has come, chronically, from a relatively small group of commodity users—timber companies, highway builders—who simply oppose having the public and environmentalists get in the way of their plans and programs," said Oliver Houck, professor of environmental law at Tulane University.
Bob Smythe, a former administrator with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), explained the problem thusly:
"NEPA is revolutionary because it opened the door for the public into agencies in real time, and that's why more than 100 countries around the world adopted the process . . . The current Bush Administration has really gone after NEPA in an effort to avoid the inconvenient and time-consuming responsibility for consulting with the public before they do things."
Despite industry claims that NEPA's requirements often prove more burdensome than they're worth, the current Democratic-led Congress has (mercifully) put the brakes on the legislation's gutting; a spokesperson for one representative explained that the Democrats will be making a concerted effort to push back against some of the most odious changes and prevent it from further being undermined.
While these claims do fill us with (a bit) more confidence, it's hard to imagine we'll one day be able to return to the state of environmental legislation as it was originally enacted in 1970. Unless we take measurable steps to significantly curb resource extraction and land use now, even a partial restoration may prove inconsequential in the long run.
Via ::Environmental Science & Technology: Environmental Magna Carta under siege (news website)
See also: ::Bush Administration Up to its Old Shenanigans on Climate Change, ::Whitehouse Lobbied Against Schwarzenegger Environmental Initiative, ::President Bush Ordered to Release Overdue Global-Warming Plan
If you want to see what happens when those in power give their corporate cronies free reign over environmental protection, look no further than China, which is a case-in-point and a perfect example of favoritism between industry and government at the expense of the environment. If you think that kind of pollution, not to mention surveillance, corruption, censorship, and governmental abuses, can't happen here, think again.
Not a day goes by without some horrendous exposure of abuse. The fools who refuse to impeach Bush have no idea how long 2008 is going to be. I can't imagine this keeping itself up for another year. God forbid Giuliani, Huckabee, or one of the neocons get elected.
Why are you trying to blame the Bush Administration for the actions of congress? Do you understand the executive branch and the legislative branch are two different branches of government? This "Blame Bush at all costs" nonsense does not help the cause. The article states some of the bills in question were passed in 2007 - do you understand the "merciful" Democrats controlled congress in 2007?
Berkana-
Well said!
Correct on every count.
We must take our country- AND our
planet back!
Here an example of a bill that was passed in 2007 that involved both legislative and executive bodies of government.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2007
passed by congress on November 8, 2007
Vetoed by Mr. Bush himself citing:
“This bill lacks fiscal discipline. I fully support funding for water resources projects that will yield high economic and environmental returns to the Nation and each year my budget has proposed reasonable and responsible funding, including $4.9 billion for 2008..”
“My Administration has repeatedly urged the Congress to authorize only those projects and programs that provide a high return on investment and are within the three main missions of the Corps' civil works program: facilitating commercial navigation, reducing the risk of damage from floods and storms, and restoring aquatic ecosystems.”
The House then votoed President Bush's veto
The next day, the Senate also voted to override President Bush's veto.
the first of such veto override for Bush's term.
In 2007 the Energy Independence and Security Act was also passed.. – read the notes on this one as well..
Blame Bush comments may not be the most constructive, but he is the problem.
In 2006 the Bush Administration forecasted $110 billion for the Iraq war. The actual costs exceeded $200 Billion..
Sounds more like fiscal retardation.. among other mindless stupidity..