Cheney delaying protections for endangered whales.
Cheney delaying protections for endangered whales.
Four years ago, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) “started a rulemaking process to protect the North Atlantic right whale” — there are only about 300 still alive — from collisions with ships. The threat to the species’ population is so serious that the NMFS says that “the death of even a single whale, particularly of a breeding female, “may contribute to the extinction of the species.” But according to a letter sent by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), efforts to protect the whales are being undermined by Vice President Dick Cheney’s office:
[The National Marine Fisheries Service] submitted their plan to an office in OMB at the end of February 2007 for a review that was supposed to take 90 days. Now over a year later the review has not been completed and documents point to White House officials and the office of the Vice President as being a major reason why. Cheney’s office is questioning everything including whether reducing the speed of large ships will help save the whales.
In the four years since the rulemaking process began, “seven more North Atlantic right whales have been killed by “vessel strikes” and five have been injured.” Read Waxman’s full letter here.
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28 Responses to “Cheney delaying protections for endangered whales.”
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Cheney does not give a damn about a person so why in hell would he give a care about a whale? He reeks with indifference and arrogance, just another part in the total incompetence of the Bush Administration………….
April 30th, 2008 at 3:41 pmThe threat to the species’ population is so serious that the NMFS says that “the death of even a single whale, particularly of a breeding female, “may contribute to the extinction of the species.”
Cheney: So?
April 30th, 2008 at 3:41 pmHey, gang, let’s throw Cheney into the ship traffic lanes and see if he gets hit by one!
He certainly resembles a large, pale, blubbery, mass and I bet he floats, too.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:45 pmReducing the speed of ships, now would those ships be carrying oil that is sold I wonder? Or the ships bringing Chinese containers for WalMart? Hmmmm just a thought.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:46 pmOk, this is a surprise why ? The FDA has fired scientists who question the side effects of fast tracked drugs being marketed, scientists on global warming are attacked. This administration has destroyed or undermined everything enviromentally, economically, socially good for our country.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:51 pmIronically enough, conservatives like Cheney are also endangered whales, but why they are still protected, I have no idea!
April 30th, 2008 at 3:56 pmWon’t Cheney’s children be proud to tell the grandkids about his achievements as VP: killed thousands of young Americans to revive Halliburton and increase the value of his stock options, same for 100K’s of Iraqis, politicized the federal bureaucracy to an unprecedented level, fought to ignore global climate change and other environmental degradation past when it became of critical importance, and slaughtered any species which hindered corporate profits. ‘ And that’s what rampa Dick did, kids’
April 30th, 2008 at 4:01 pmHey! Maybe they can have a contest! You know, enlist schoolchildren to debunk that scurrilous myth of Whale Extinction!
Yeah, that’s it!!
April 30th, 2008 at 4:04 pmCheney, Bush think their grandchildren will live in an golden bubble not bothered by world pollution, just the rest of us and our grandchildren have to live in the mess they created for greed.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:04 pmOMG, Cheney has found a way to kill even more living creatures on mother earth. Is there no end to the evil that lies within this monster.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:06 pmCheney can’t bother with piddly little things like right whale extinction…. his goal is set on exterminating the Constitution.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:07 pm“the death of even a single whale may contribute to the extinction of the species”
______________________________________________________________
Cheney: So?
April 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pmPerhaps a wingnut troll can explain why Cheney even has any authority in the matter? Constitutionally speaking, of course. It’s clear who’s really calling the shots, but by what authority? Some brand new, “Assistant Commander in Chief” authority?
April 30th, 2008 at 4:10 pmWait a minute…
That fat *ss drug addict Limbaugh is on an endangered list and Cheney doesn’t care?
Wow, he really is a heartless bastard.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:12 pmbarfly the authority was determined when Cheney found himself as best candidate for VP. Anyone can see the role reversal of cheney and bush. Nothing gets done without darth vader’s approval, bush probably has to have a memo to use the bathroom.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:22 pmDead whales = more whale oil.
Cheney is invested to the hilt in whale oil futures, dont you know?
April 30th, 2008 at 4:26 pmHow can Cheney’s office be involved THEY’RE NOT EVEN PART OF THE DAMNED ADMINISTRATION????
April 30th, 2008 at 4:26 pmDoc since when has rules or laws counted in this administration?
April 30th, 2008 at 4:28 pmCheney likes to kill stuff, hence the canned hunts he goes on. It would be completely out of character if he gave a crap about what happens to right whales.
Another chapter from BushCo: How the Administration from Hell Ruined Planet Earth
April 30th, 2008 at 4:30 pmCheney is either ignorant of basic ecology or he is out to grab as much as he can before the whole planet circles the drain.
Cheney probably assumes that the only people who care about whales, polar bears, pollution, global warming, etc. are bleeding-heart leftists whose only purpose in life is to make things as difficult as possible for humans.
However, there are those of us who aren’t out to save the right whale only because we happen to think whales are cute. The extinction of a species (particularly a large one) can affect the entire ecosystem it’s part of, and upsetting the balance of an ecosystem results in some species dying out and other species becoming too abundant. For example, zooplankton and other small crustaceans (the main diet of right whales) are critical to feeding many species of sea life. However, an abundance can cause anoxic sea water, which can affect our food supply.
Of course, I don’t expect Cheney to care too much about the balance of the earth if it gets in the way of his buddies making money.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:31 pmMiss Molly, first you have to care about the earth, and this bunch gives a rat’s ass about the planet.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:34 pmNot to be picky, (OK, I am), but isn’t it ‘Wright Whale’?
Cheney may have more blubber than a whale, but Bush is the best blubberer.
7+ yrs of ignoring economics & now he’s blaming Congress by pouting, blubbering & whining.
I’m surprised he didn’t stomp his feet, clench his hands, and ask for Babs to hold him. Oh, wait, she never did…and therein lies the problem.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:37 pmI spent 15 years operating whale watch vessels in NE and have only every seen 11 right whales. I once had the good fortune to babysit a newborn calf from a small boat while its mother feed nearby. That little guy swam back and forth under our little Boston Whaler for almost an hour. It remains one of my fondest memories as a field biologist.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:49 pmDarth Cheney must be removed from power!
April 30th, 2008 at 5:14 pmCheney has to use fast ships to kill the whales since his shotgun won’t work in the water.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:29 pmCheney wants to shoot him some whales. They be good eatin’
April 30th, 2008 at 7:57 pmCheney prefers to protect ‘oil industry whales’instead.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:01 pmThis says their fate is already sealed.
I know you guys like to think you are the centre of the universe, but surely you must have some nagging suspicion that this…..
“They came up with a plan to place SPEED LIMITS on all commercial shipping near American ports. ”
….. isn’t going to do sh1t.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:58 amYou may as well ask why has nobody simply prohibited the whales from dying near US ports.