Bush Administration Set to Change Environmental Laws
The Bush Administration has announced that within the next few months a rewrite of the three decade old document protecting environmental areas against gas and oil drilling will be changed while reshaping the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
When asked about whether the American people would approve of such action the Bush Administration stated that "The election was a validation of the philosophy and the agenda." Ironically President Bush went out of his way to avoid any conversation about the environment during his campaign.
The new document reshaping the EPA holds a line giving the current members the right to retire within the next four years, giving President Bush the ability to fill the positions with other anti-environmentalists.
Mr. Bush's first plan is to open the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. The land is home to caribou, polar bears, musk oxen and millions of migratory birds. A vote held two years ago was turned down 52-48 in the Senate, but with the new Republican majority the plan is likely to pass.
The next Republican action will be a call for a new energy bill asking for permission to explore in other environmentally fragile areas for oil and gas, followed by the reshaping of the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act is the most successful environmental bill declining air pollution by 50% over the past thirty years.
Richard Pombo, the Republican Chairman of the House Resources Committee, has asked for a review of the Endangered Species Act which protects the wildlife. The law is the only legal papers protecting remaining rain forests in the United States.
To round up the environmental changes, Congressional leaders have started an offensive against the National Environmental Policy Act which requires a thorough look at how major developments effect the environment before proceeding.
The President of the National Environment Trust, Philip Clap, said the previous Bush Administration has contended to weaken the environmental legislation but now intends to go even further. He said "We will now see an assault on the law which will set the US in the direction of becoming a Third World country in terms of environmental protection."
About the Author
Gary is a writer for Left Wing Politics