WASHINGTON, Nov 20 - Animals and plants facing possible extinction could lose the protection of government experts who make sure that dams, highways or other projects do not pose a threat, under rules the Bush administration is set to put in place before President-elect Barak Obama can reverse them.
The rules must be published by Friday to take effect before Obama is sworn in Jan 20. Otherwise, the new president could undo them with the stroke of a pen.
The US Interior Department rushed to complete the rule in three months, over the objections of lawmakers and environmentalists who argued that it would weaken how a landmark conservation law is applied.
The latest version has changed little from the original proposal, despite the more than 250,000 comments received since the change was proposed in August, according to a Nov 12 copy obtained late Wednesday by The Associated Press.
The rules would eliminate the input of federal wildlife scientists in some endangered species cases, to allow the federal agency in charge of building, authorising or funding a project to determine for itself whether a project would be likely to harm endangered wildlife and plants.
Current regulations require wildlife biologists to sign off on such decisions before a project can go forward, at times modifying the design to protect species better.
It also bars federal agencies from assessing emissions of the gases blamed for global warming on species and habitats, a tactic environmentalists have tried to use to block new coal-fired power plants.
Tina Kreisher, an Interior Department spokeswoman, could not confirm Wednesday whether the rule would be published before the deadline. She said only that the White House was still reviewing it. She said changes were being made based on the comments received.
“We started this; we want to finish this,” Kreisher said. - AP
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