"The Bush administration is racing the calendar, busy salting federal regulations with changes. Most would be unlikely to survive scrutiny outside of the frenzied period when one presidency ends and another begins.

One example goes after the Endangered Species Act, and another mugs national parks in Utah in the name of oil and gas leases.

Last week, the Interior Department finalized rules that blithely allow government agencies to decide if one of their projects are a threat to an endangered species.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne described the change as a "clarification," of Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. Instead of consulting independent reaction from the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to assess consequences, it would be up to an agency's own self-serving discretion.

Hard-earned experience has taught the environmental community this is a bogus approach, and they filed suit in federal court to challenge changes they view as illegal."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Eleventh hour environmental mischief (The Seattle Times 12/16)

Another Opinion:
Editorial: Law Still Endangered (The Hartford Courant 12/16)

Relevant Documents:
Interior Publishes Final Narrow Changes to Regulations, Clarifies Role of Global Processes in Consultation | Final Rule | Statement by Secretary Kempthorne

Related Stories:
Interior finalizes endangered species regulation (12/12)
Editorial: Speed-reading at the Interior Department (10/27)
Interior to read 200,000 comments in 32 hours (10/22)
Kempthorne: Narrow changes for endangered species (9/2)
Editorial: Endangered Species Act in danger (8/20)
Editoral: Bush undermines Endangered Species Act (8/13)
Interior proposes endangered species change (8/12)