President Obama continued his crusade of change by overturning a last-minute Bush administration regulation that weakened the Endangered Species Act.

The Bush rule basically put the fox in charge of the hen house.  The regulation stated there was no need to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Services on development projects if the project wouldn’t harm endangered species.  The problem is the federal agency responsible for the development would determine what “no harm” meant, instead of the scientists whose job it is to protect endangered species.

Obama stated he had restored “the scientific process to its rightful place at the heart of the Endangered Species Act, a process undermined by past administrations…  For more than three decades, the Endangered Species Act has successfully protected our nation’s most threatened wildlife, and we should be looking for ways to improve it, not weaken it.”

Environmental groups praised Obama’s action.  “President Obama’s announcement will allow [the Endangered Species Act] to do what it was intended: protect our nation’s endangered plants and animals,” said Andrew Wetzler, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Endangered Species Program.

Story at CNN

Barack Obama made good on his pledge for “Change” by issuing numerous executive orders in his first few days in office to overturn eight years of Bush legacy.

Obama decreed that interrogators must follow techniques outlined in the Army Field Manual when questioning terrorism suspects, though he also ordered a review that could allow CIA interrogators to use more harsh interrogation methods for high-value targets.

Obama ordered the closure of the Guantanamo detention center within a year, as well as any remaining secret CIA “black site” prisons in foreign countries.  He then met with top military officials at the White House and asked them to draw up plans to “execute a responsible military drawdown from Iraq.”

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