Many new constraints for Bush on the environment

Congress and US courts have hit the administration with a series of policy setbacks – on greenhouse-gas emissions, strip mining, and logging.

from the April 9, 2007 edition

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Ashland, Ore. - The Bush administration is taking more flak for its environmental policies from Congress, federal courts, official government watchdog agencies, and the court of public opinion. One probable outcome: It will be more difficult for President Bush, with less than two years left in office, to push environmental policy in the direction he wants.

Federal courts have recently blocked or changed administration policies regarding forest management and the strip mining of coal. In response to the US Supreme Court's global warming ruling last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been forced to allow states to proceed with efforts to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from motor vehicles.

In another administration setback, the Interior Department's inspector general (IG) reported recently that a senior political appointee there – an official without training in the natural sciences – rewrote the conclusions of US Fish & Wildlife Service scientists regarding endangered species and critical habitat. Interior's official watchdog also confirmed that the appointee sent internal documents to industry lobby-ists, in violation of federal rules. "Policy trumps science on many occasions," said one Interior lawyer in his statement to the IG.

While these charges are likely to result in no more than a rhetorical spanking by Democrats, who now control powerful congressional committees, other friends of the administration are snarled in legal charges regarding environmental issues.

In late March, J. Steven Griles, the former second in command at Interior and now an oil and gas lobbyist, pleaded guilty in federal court to obstruction of justice in lying to the Senate about his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Last week, the head of an advocacy group supportive of Bush administration environmental policies was told by investigators that she is a prosecution target in the corruption inquiry involving Mr. Abramoff, who urged clients to donate to the group in return for access to Interior officials. Italia Federici – who formed the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, along with former Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform – reportedly faces up to five charges.

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