April 18, 2001
		Bush Administration Looks at Gutting the Endangered Species Act Last Thursday, the Bush Administration proposed weakening some of the strictest mandates and deadlines in the Endangered Species Act for a year, allowing federal officials more discretion in deciding which species to protect and the best strategy for protection. The proposal, which is included in the Fish and Wildlife Service's budget request, would allow Interior Secretary Gail Norton to set her own priorities for adding species to the threatened and endangered lists. In doing so, it would limit the ability of citizens and advocacy groups to obain court orders that are used to preserve additional species and their natural habitats. Marshall Jones, acting Fish and Wildlife Director, said that the proposed measure would help create a "rational system" to get his agency untangled of all the litigation it's faced over the years. Environmentalists, however, contend that it is precisely the legal pressure they've applies over the years that has managed to put most of the 1,200 species on the Endangered Species Act. The Sierra Club has voiced worries about one individual having too much influence on the fate of endangered species. "Americans don't want just one polician giving a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on whether an animal vanishes from the planet," said Sierra Club Director Carl Pope. Both the Clinton and Bush administrations have complained that the proliferation of lawsuits designed to protect animals and habitat has impeded the government's ability to enforce the Endangered Species Act. Under Bush's proposal, the Interior Department total budget for responding to those suits would be capped at $8.46 million and department officials would have more power in determining which species should be addressed first. "After 27 years of inaction, we're not going to trust vague promises from a grossly anti-environmental administration," said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity.