"7 Decisions on Species Revised"

White-tailed prairie dogs
one of the affected species

The article is subtitled: "Fish and Wildlife Service Cites Possibility of Improper Influence"

By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post, November 28, 2007.

"After concluding that a Bush administration appointee "may have improperly influenced" several rulings on whether to protect imperiled species under the Endangered Species Act, the Fish and Wildlife Service has revised seven decisions on protecting species across the country.

"The policy reversal, sparked by inquiries by the Interior Department's inspector general and by the House Natural Resources Committee, underscores the extent to which the administration is still dealing with the fallout from the tenure of Julie MacDonald, the deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks who repeatedly overruled agency scientists' recommendations on endangered-species decisions. MacDonald resigned from the department in May after she was criticized in a report by the inspector general and as she was facing congressional scrutiny."

Comment: Still another story illustrating the Bush administration's disdain for scientific advice, when it conflicts with their ideology or other interests. JAD