A regulatory scam

For eight years, President George Bush tried to evade the Endangered Species Act. Congress blocked every attempt, so the White House is trying a desperate trick play late in the game.

Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced administrative changes that would let federal agencies be the arbiter of those pesky rules designed to protect plants and animals. Imagine how this truly bad idea is supposed to work.

Instead of seeking out independent scientific opinion or even informal consultations, the agencies responsible for construction, review or funding a project would ask themselves if such technical scrutiny was really necessary.

Federal agencies would also be forbidden from assessing a project's emissions and their role in global warming and the subsequent hazards to species and habitats, according to draft rules first reported by The Associated Press.

Kempthorne argued the changes were necessary because existing regulations create unnecessary conflicts and delays. One can say that about virtually any regulation for public health, workplace protections, financial security or preservation of endangered species.

Expediency is no virtue in protecting plants and animals or understanding the complexities of global climate change.

This last-minute gambit with rule making as the administration heads out the door must be challenged and stopped.