Coal plants are now more important than wildlife

Title: Rule eases mandate under a law on wildlife

Author: Felicity Barringer
Published: December 11, 2008

Summary: A rule was announced that has largely freed federal agencies from their obligation to consult independent wildlife biologists before they build dams or highways or permit construction of transmission towers, housing developments or other projects that might harm federally protected wildlife.

I think this sounds nuts! I'm kind of confused actually. We are always trying to look out for our wildlife and perserve their natural habitat as best as we can but now the army corps of engineers are relying on their own personell to whats okay to build and whats not? How can they decide what impact a project would have on a fish, bird, plant, animal or insect!?!? The interior secretary claimed this was so that projects couldn't be blocked off when not neccisary. I don't know about this one... I guess Legal experts said "the change seemed intended to ensure that the protection of species like the polar bear would not impede development of coal-fired power plants or otherfederal actions that increased emissions of heat-trapping gases. " Well geez sorry that the polar bears and natural planet are in the way of your building cola plants! It does seem like the The Endangered Species Act is very complicated thought. Soposable its even infuriated business interests and property rights advocates. I wonder what polar bears would say about this if they could speak. This article seems it has a lack of professionals and facts included in it. Brian E. Gray, a professor at the Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco gave a lot of his imput but the article never says why he is important to the actually issue. This article's topic doesn't directly effect me but it does bother me a bit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/science/earth/12species.html?_r=1