Just when I think that he could not be any worst, and sell out to more people.......

At least January is around the corner, I am starting to think that even McCain would be better than this!

Gawrsh, for a bunch of Darwinists those environmentalist sure do meddle with survival of the fittest.

Most lawsuits by environmentalists are to stop progress, not protect 'endangered' species.

Richard, did you take spelling lessons from Dan Quayle?

If the tree huggers had some common sense we wouldn't be reading about this proposal. The polar bear issue is a great example. The bears are doing great and have self sustaining populations in huntable numbers. Still, the tree huggers want to protect them totaly because global warming might cause habitat loss. If we manage around what might happen anything and everything needs to be completely protected.
Let the trained biologists make the decisions. There has never been any animal taken to extinction by sport hunting, in fact most game animals have greatly benefited by the management and money that sport hunting provides.
Were it not for hunters we wouldn't have bighorns or mountain goats in Utah. How many tree huggers have gone into the field to see these critters?

Bush is a joke. Bad news. He has sold out us, and now he sells out the environment.

But you can be guaranteed of one thing in the future: he will appointed to some high muckity think tank sponsored by oil, gas, etc., and paid outrageous money to sit and be goofy. It is called payback in the political world.

Disgusting behavior by el presidente.

The Bush Cartel strikes again. Why is corporate america so determined to destroy america? We need laws and regulations to control developement and where it developes. Everyone complains about the doomed enviornment but don't want to sacrifice to protect it or improve it. Species of all kinds are dependent on each other, even the human species, regardless of their numbers or impact. Either we can save the enviornment and human species or just throw our hands up in the air and turn it all in to developement and destruction. But you can't expect to destroy and survive at the same time. The letter of the law is what controls the enviornment and not the promises and good will statements of corporate america. Many american people don't want enviornmental protection that interferes with their job yet they complain about the poor enviornment they live in. Being american is about sacrifice and the willingness to sacrifice in times of need. Population control would better serve the world than destruction of the enviornment and the ability to survive. Americans are being held hostage with jobs and insecurity to sacrifice our enviornment and all species of plants, animals, and humans to a slow death.

I don't know whether Bush's proposal is the ultimate answer, but there definitely needs to be some changes made in this law. When the Endangered Species Act came into existence, it was originally intended to protect a few exotic animals such as the grizzly bear, bald eagle, etc. which were considered national treasures. I was all for it at the time, but since then so many creatures have been added to the list that it has become ridiculous. It's a case of a well-intentioned law that has gotten out of hand and gone far beyond the original intent.

Pres. Bush...Great...lets kill some cougars, and some bears over here and some over there...why do you like to kill animal with no necesity!!! "hunting" is the worst "sport" in the world after boxing. Now we can kill those animals y a different way, now nobody cares about animals, It is progress, but progress comes with the hability to support and protect nature and wildlife...ignorant!!!

I don't want the human race to become endangered...let's drill for the oil where we have to and ask questions later.

Just when I think President Bush is totally dropping the ball on a host of important issues, he makes a change like this and TOTALLY REDEAMS HIMSELF!!!!

Nice common sense move, thank you Mr. President!

The EDA was not created to save exotic national treasures, it was part of comprehensive ecosystem protection, based on the recognition that all life is interconnected. When it is invoked, it indicates a threat not only to the specific species that is endangered, but also to the entire ecosystem on which it depends and that depends on it. This usually includes us.

A change in the endangered species law is nesessary, the extremists are using it to destroy this country, all to protect weeds and bugs that they could care less about. Of course the Bush haters will say he wants to kill all the eagles.

Bush and Kempthorne are doing the right thing. The sky is not going to fall. I give my support to this effort.

The so called "Florida Panther" didn't have enough breeding stock so the took some plain old "Rocky Mountain Cougars" to Florida to re-invigorate the stock. That's how they "saved" that "endangered species."

When CNN ran this story, they used a picture of a Bald Eagle - no longer endangered.

The enforcement of the endangered species act has been so politicized that very little science is left. I'm not saying Bush is right, only that a little more intellectual honesty is required.

We can hamstring the American economy and say we're doing it to save the Polar Bears, but if China and Mexico keep polluting, the only difference it will make is fewer american jobs.

161 days until inauguration day.

This development has been in the works ever since Bush took office. As a result, us biologists have been bracing ourselves for this day. I think the most fortunate thing about this is that it Bush's days are definitely numbered so the damage done will be minimalized before Obama can rectify the situation. This is a very bad idea and puts self serving individuals in control. Surely the fox is now watching the hen house.

To Common Sense: "Let the trained biologists make the decisions. There has never been any animal taken to extinction by sport hunting." Your first sentence is a very important concept and this new policy does the exact opposite. It takes the decision making ability away from trained biologists and put it in the hands of administrators. As for your second comment: you obviously aren't familiar with natural history. Humans have a long list of over hunting animals. Ever heard of the passenger pigeon, monk seal, Carolina parakeet. Anyway, the threat of over hunting is really a non issue, species today need to be protected from the destruction of habitat and this new policy will only serve to increase that risk.

Can I get a couple of seals with a side order of fish please?

Hallelujia Pres. Bush. Finally, someone acting with some intelligence. Some worthless half inch long dace should not dictate world decisions. And neither should the so called environmentalists, who are not elected, and do not represent the wishes of the people, and do not answer to them--make decisions about shutting down the economy over some supposedly endangered animal. Over 95 percent of all species that have ever lived on this planet are now extinct; and by golly, somehow the world survived, life survived, and nobody knows the difference--and life prevailed without the help of man, the Sierra Club or the ACLU; imagine that.

Holden: "But since then so many creatures have been added to the list that it has become ridiculous." You're right about one thing, the number of creatures that have been added to the endangered list has become ridiculous. But you're wrong in your assurtion that it's the fault of the ESA. The reality is that the ESA, although the public outcry was to save the national treasures, was designed to protect ANY species be it plant or animal that was determined to be threatened or endangered by human activity. The reality is that due to a lack of enforcement and funding, the ESA hasn't worked well enough and a small proportion of species ever get upgraded from the list. Man kind has a poor track record of policing itself.

Boy I read this and no where in it do they talk about hunting animals. This is a reasonable position that will help us maintain our position as the greatest nation on earth. I feel that the federal government have wise enough men/women working for them that they can make great judgements when allowing for exploration, building of new power plants and keeping many areas off limits. They say that we have 86 million acres of drilling surface, but when the companies try to drill a law suit stops them and many times they use the endanger species act. Some times it is proper to use this act other times it is a way for groups to keep it in court back east or on the west coast until the oil companies throw up their hands and say it is not worth the trouble. That is why we have gas and oil at the price it is today. Lets use this act wisely. And for you that say Bush is selling out to the big oil companies what about Clinton did he not sell out to the enviromentist when he stoled thousands of acres of the west?

It's about time!

Current regulations permit a single individual with the price of a lawsuit filing fee in his pocket, to hold the entire Nation hostage. Many necessary and worthwhile projects have been abandoned or watered down to the point of uselessness because you can't even get the tree huggers to agree on what they think is good or bad.

That's not democracy. Democracy consists of discussion and voting. Current rules deny the vote to all but litigious tree huggers and bureaucrats with an agenda.

Current regulations have produced a dictatorship, not of the proletariat, but rather, of the marxist elite.

It's way past time for them to go!

common sense wrote: "There has never been any animal taken to extinction by sport hunting". The next time a passenger pigeon leaves a well deserved gift on your windshield, please let us know.

Wouldn't you think he'd be a little more occupied at the moment with wars in the Middle East and on the borders of Europe threatening to escalate into general conflagration that he wouldn't have so much time for smacking butt and waving flags at the Olympics and ravaging the environment and wildlife?

This is alarming and outrageous! In the state of Utah our economy is infused with 2.3 billion dollars per year through wildlife related activities. Wildlife is valuable for its intrinsic, aesthetic, and recreational value. This generated money is a larger part of our economy than the ski industry. Often within federal agencies, decisions on projects are so politically associated that they jeopardize the decision making process. "The regulations were drafted by attorneys at both the Interior and Commerce Departments." These attorneys have their jobs appointed by the Bush administration and will severely damage the ESA to the point that we will have extinctions of several highly valuable endangered species and their habitats. When we start allowing Lawyers to do the job of a biologist it should raise an alarm. I have reviewed thousands of projects for ESA consultation. Most of them do not impact endangered species but some of them have the potential to wipe out entire species populations. The review process allows for projects to progress while protecting these species and is critical for conservation. Without these protections these species will be gone.

We need an endangered HUMAN act....

People, not animals, should take priority.

Ah, there's no lawmaking like arbitrary lawmaking. When something the king wants keeps stalling in Congress, just pass a monarchical . . . or, no a tyrannical . . . wait, I mean a dictatorial . . . oh that's not it . . . oh yeah, it's a PRESIDENTIAL edict!

All spotted owl issues aside, don't you so-called "conservatives" around here cringe in horror when the executive branch usurps the legislative? No? Just hate those darn tree-huggers so much you can't think of anything else? Is that it?

Time to face facts. Eco terrorists are not the best qualified to make decisions

Question:
Is a unique creation of God, a creation that took thousands and thousands of years to create, more important than, say, a couple of golf courses?
We have a duty to care for what's been given to us. We can thank God in our prayers, but how do we show him our thanks in our actions?

Hooray for President Bush. At last someone who is willing to stand up to you selfish, irrational, egotistical environmentalists and ecologists. My suggestion would be to require a declaration at the time of filing your taxes as to whether or not you are an environmentalist or ecologists and if so, when your groups stop or stall a project and you end up on the short end, the increased costs resulting from the delay would be divided up amongst you and you would pay it as a tax. I am so sick of the increased costs that are ultimately by all taxpayers because you are worried about the wildlife. If you want to object, fine, but in the end, you should also bear the burden of the increased costs to complete a project. Legacy highway is a prime example of this. The wetlands didn't even exist and hadn't for a number of years. The increased expenses were huge just on the chance that the water might again reach that area. Who's kidding who? Get a life.

Jesus was an environmentalist.

Common sense is right, the passenger pigeon, as well as the other species you mentioned, were reduced or eliminated by market hunting, not sport hunting. Sport hunting money has restored the grizzly, wolf, bison, bighorn, mountain goat and many other animals. It also has provided habitat for countless other non-game species.
When you go afield to enjoy Utah's wildlife you can thank hunters for the diversity and abundance of critters you see.

Seems odd that the Bush administration wouldn't even consult its own paid biologists and wildlife experts BEFORE proprosing an overhaul to an act that will have drastic effects on every species of the planet (this includes humans for all of you who have forgotten that humans are, in fact, an animal specie).

However, this type of brash and irrational policymaking is exactly what the Bush administration is all about. I'm not an expert on endangered species or wildlife but at least I'm intelligent enough know that this is a delicate situation and should at least be reviewed by experts in the field not just a bunch of my oil and development buddies and money hungry lawyers.

Too bad Bush is dumb as rocks. Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse, there he goes and TOTALLY REDEEMS HIMSELF AGAIN (that was for you, To Richard)

George,
You're the man! You kept the wealthiest corporations from paying income tax and now you want to make it so much easier to wipe out endangered species. Is there nothing you can't do? Give Putin a call and see if it's not to late to throw in with Russia and we could both obliterate Georgia. Come on man, you're on a roll!

How sad that the arrogant top administrator has convinced so many that they also should be arrogant. You are paying more to protect the mansion cabins of the wealthy when fires erupt in the wilds than to protect the wild species that lived there first and require that environment for their survival. Do you believe so ardently that developers will be better at self-policing than the financial industries have been? Do you believe they won't lean on you to clean up after them when they have stripped and polluted the pristine areas?

Shame on you and shame on Bush for gutting the processes to protect those weaker than yourselves.

To Another Wildlife Biologist:

You said: "When we start allowing Lawyers to do the job of a biologist it should raise an alarm."

What's much more alarming to me is letting a biologist do the job of a voter! Your comment drips with the elitism that has destroyed the environmental movement.

It is the job of lawyers and biologists alike to present their case to the people, so they can vote appropriately. It is _not_ the job of either one to take away the people's vote and make all the decisions for them.

If the people are willing to risk the extinction of a snail darter or a desert pupfish in order to build housing, so be it. If the people have made an informed choice, it's not for either of us to step in and dictate our own views to them. And if the people make a choice different than our own, it could mean either we are wrong, or we just didn't do our jobs well enough.

If both lawyers and biologists will just do their jobs, I'm supremely confident that the people will give appropriate weight to their arguments and do the right thing.

I say we have big oil decide if global warming is a real threat or not.

Not in the sense of today's definition. Jesus chose his apostles from among the fishermen.

The environmentalist need to be stopped! When firemen have to wait for a committee to decide whether they can pull water out of a lake because of a species of fish, that is a problem! By the way several of those firemen were killed because they couldn't get the water they needed to stop the forest fire that was burning up lots of habitats. I say they were murdered by the environmentalists. This is completely unacceptable! I love taking care of the earth and doing my part. But from what I can tell environmentalists do incredible damage to the environment. They are about control, not "saving" anything.

Can't tell you how sad it is to read some of these nasty Rush Limbaugh-sounding posts on this subject:

"Eco-terrorist"
"Tree-huggers"
"Environmental wackos"

These right-wing extremists have clearly lost their collective minds if they cannot see the ever-growing problems with our environment and applaud those who are doing something about it.

Do you remember wolves being hunted to extinction? Buffalo mass killings leading to decimation of Indian tribes? Have you seen pictures of starving polar bears swimming to exhaustion and actually drowning? What about the California Condors? Almost lost the Bald Eagle too. Plus others. Survival of the fittest is one thing, and nature usually has done a good job of that - but so many other creatures, including humans, are not surviving because of destruction of habitat, and (for humans) being moved out to make room for development.

There is a happy medium that needs to be met. Not all 'environmentalists' are rabid tree huggers!

Some people like to leave the campground a tad nicer than how they found it.

Others think nothing of trashing that campground telling everyone they have dominion over everything.

If Bushies don't win the war on terror, at least they'll win the war on the environment.

It's rather suspicious that everywhere these so-called "evironmentalists" go they spot another species that is "endangered." I wonder why so many endangered species just pop up out of nowhere whenever someone in the environmentalist movement sets foot on any given piece of turf?

Hey, I just spotted a red-bellied grub worm while I was hiking! We'd better shut down that trail before someone steps on another one!

No one is against protecting the enviromnent and it's species that I know of. However said, the environmentalist movement in general has become no more than a land-grabbing scheme and a profit-making venture.

One of these days commom sense may prevail again. The environmentalist movement is largely led by a radical, but vocal minority.

It's time to start tracking the money that comes into the enviro-business groups and verify just how much of their money actually goes into improving the environment. I would estimate about five percent---the rest goes into somebody's pockets!

Good!!!

I don't think he's yet to see a sensitive ecology or an endangered animal that he doesn't want to despoil. Hopefully this attempt can be quelled too.

January 2009 cannot come too soon.

All of you liberal tree huggers need to be ashamed of yourselfs. God gave us the right to have dominion over all of the earth. We can do what we want to it, and shouldn't be stopped because you think you know better than God. George Bush has proven to be one of the greatest Americans and patriots this land has ever known, even going back into ancient times. We have been blessed to be under his protection and leadership. I only wish that we could vote for him for a third term.

This is all about money on either end. Money for the developers, and money for the "government scientist" (or whatever they are). How ignorant to assume that anyone gets their jollies off of going out with the sole purpose of "spoiling the natural environment". Who has time to do that?! Those in business are every bit as much about making money for their own well being as the doomsday scientist are. Of cousre the scientist do it in different way. They keep their jobs by telling everyone we're about to destroy everything and die in the process. In the middle is everyone else who these two parties play off of. The American people end up loosing in the struggle.

I'd like to tell all of the people who get paid in government dollars to do research and file time wasting reports on all of this environmental mumbo jumbo to go out and get some real jobs (if they can) so that my tax dollars will get spent on more important things; like public education, fixing my road, and building some parks.

Whenever a posting starts with "all you liberal tree huggers" - I stop right there.

If I want to listen to BS like that, I'll start listening to the Rush Limbaugh Show.

"liberal tree huggers..."
What childish right wing nonsense!
No wonder America is registering Democratic in record-breaking numbers.

The tremendous abuses of the Endangered Species Act make this modest common sense clarification a long overdue necessity.

Let the liberal tree huggers whine all they want, but let the rest of us go ahead with real beneficial projects that in reality will not harm their precious bugs, snakes, or lizards.

Right now the ESA is a full employment act for legions of lawyers, and an abused opportunity to oppose all human activity, other than a few long haired hippy hikers.

President Bush is right on this issue, along with many others, despite what the delusional fringe left and their allies in the media tell us.

President Bush is wrong on the issue.
There are far more important things in life than turning the almighty buck as conservatives would have you believe.