GAO: Interior Dept. Officials Politicized Endangered Species Decisions
GAO: Interior Dept. Officials Politicized Endangered Species Decisions
In May of 2007, Julie MacDonald, deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks at the Interior Department, abruptly resigned just one week before Congress was to examine her political interference in endangered species decisions. MacDonald had a long history of rejecting scientists’ recommendations to politicize the Interior Department:
– MacDonald presented industry positions as equivalent to scientific studies, denigrating scientific studies as mere “opinion,” and saying, “We should treat [them] as we would treat an industry publication.”
– MacDonald pressed staff biologists to more seriously consider industry positions, especially when industry pushed for less regulation of a given species.
– Under MacDonald, the Interior Department reversed a staff ruling on an endangered species of tree after the Air Force complained.
Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the politicization of the Interior Department stretches beyond Julie MacDonald. Robin Nazzaro, a GAO investigator, told the House today that four other officials “may have put political pressure on lower-ranking employees who were deciding endangered species cases”:
The officials named by Nazzaro are Craig Manson, a former assistant Interior secretary; Brian Waidmann, chief of staff to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne; Todd Willens, a former deputy assistant Interior secretary: and Randal Bowman, a special assistant in the Interior secretary’s office.
All four acted in ways that could be seen as interfering in decisions on treatment of endangered species, Nazzaro said.
Last November, the Fish and Wildlife Service “reversed seven rulings that denied endangered species increased protection, after an investigation found the actions were tainted by political pressure from” MacDonald. But Nazzaro said that that investigation had been too narrow, as it focused only on MacDonald.
Chairing today’s hearing, Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) said that after MacDonald’s resignation, the agency “merely swept it under a rug.” He called the Service’s review “a boondoggle” that was “fixing nothing.” “It was too narrow, too fast, and too sloppy.”
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I encourage you all to list the endangered species you have had the opportunity to view in a healthy habitat.
North Atllantic Right Whale
Eubalena glacialis (spelled off the cuff so don’t fry my ass for errors)
May 21st, 2008 at 8:03 pmPolar bear
May 21st, 2008 at 8:05 pmDidrex without a prescription
May 21st, 2008 at 8:07 pmBUY CHEAP LORTAB
The Dept. of the Interior politicized Endangered Species decisions?
So? Why should endangered species be any different?
May 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pmAplomado Falcon
May 21st, 2008 at 8:10 pmDon’t forget our illustrious ex-Sec of Int Ms. Norton, now one of the highest paid K Street whores to the oil industry.
And several of her staff have been convicted and a few more have been charged with falsifying information, lying and corruption.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:13 pmHow could Ms. MacDonald with a civil engineer degree speak intelligently or offer any valuable insight into scientific studies, she couldn’t. She completely ignored and twisted the facts of scientific documentation. So after Julie left then she had respect for everyone in the department she had mocked. Nice…
Bush knows how to pick some real winners, environmentalists and wildlife lovers each and everyone.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:21 pmThe GOP better be careful. The elephant is in danger of becoming extinct.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:23 pmDelmarva Fox Squirrel
May 21st, 2008 at 8:37 pmStrix occidentalis (spotted owl)
Falco peregrinus anatum (Peregrine Falcon)
May 21st, 2008 at 8:52 pmDefend your right to arm Polar Bears. Since Polar Bears are “white,” you’d think that protecting them would be a “natural” for the Bush gang…
May 21st, 2008 at 8:53 pmNo. That couldn’t be true. It’s as if TP is saying that there are tight ties between gov’t and the businesses that are affected by gov’ts decisions. It’s not like McDonald came from these businesses to this position, or that he’ll go back after.
This is not a problem, this is standard operating procedure. The rich will continue to get richer, YOU and I paying for it.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:55 pmWest Indian Manatee
May 21st, 2008 at 8:59 pmStellar Sea Lion
May 21st, 2008 at 9:03 pmAt this point, the human woman is going to become an endangered species if the right wingers have their say.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:06 pmDamn
And Yet wins the first round. Do tell!
May 21st, 2008 at 9:07 pmdbadass if you ever find yourself in California – Año Nuevo Island http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1124
“The tawny brown or yellowish Steller sea lions, which mate on the rocks around the island from mid August, are most often seen on the rocky outer portions of the island…”
May 21st, 2008 at 9:37 pmThe Cheney-Bush Administration had more slime than the Ghostbusters movies.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:51 pmHow about running a post about which Departments have NOT been politicized? I am sure it will be a very short post…
May 21st, 2008 at 9:54 pm#19 And the beat goes on Says:
How about running a post about which Departments have NOT been politicized? I am sure it will be a very short post…
You are so right. I don’t think there are any left.. I think Bush and Cheney made sure of that.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:16 pmThese people really are amoral. Is there anything they do that doesn’t suck ass?
May 21st, 2008 at 10:30 pmHi db. Sorry about the long OT, but, you asked for it.
I’m a nature nut. My short list includes the California Condor, Gray Whale (no longer endangered) Peregrine Falcon, Whooping Cranes, and Gray Wolf (back in the 70’s when they were still endangered in Minnesota), plus several regional subspecies of songbirds, reptiles and amphibians (sadly, I rarely see a frog anymore). Bison, if you include Yellowstone as a “natural habitat”. But, best of all, I’ve seen two species come back from the dead.
I’ve been witness to the reintroduction of the wild Turkey (once extirpated from Minnesota though they were not threatened as a species) and the “Giant Canada Goose”, which is a subspecies thought extinct in the 50’s but was rediscovered about 15 miles from where I lived as a youngster. They have rebounded to become pests! Huge, majestic, delicious pests. LOL!
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 amThis is just the normal, typical, everyday conservative mindset. They are ALL like this. Science is a no-no. They are conditioned to think honest science is persecuting them like the “liberal” media. Rush tells them so and they eat anything he tells them. Critical thinking is scorned by conservatives.
In Conserv-a-world the value of any life is based on how much money it has or whether it represents a political issue to manipulate the soft headed – like choice. You know – save the unborn and slaughter the children in places like Iraq. Conservatives tell themsleves that these neat-o bombs try to kill as few children as possible and since they believe – like any cult controlled group – that they are personally doing God’s will and more patriotic than Betsy Ross, anything can and is rationalized. It all fits to their conditioned minds.
Over the last 25 years conservatives have been conditioned to hate groups like teachers, scientists, unions, the French, the Germans, liberals, gays, and intellectuals of any kind that do not support their false conditioned reality…it goes on and on. Everything not approved by Rush, Drudge, FOX and Sun Myung Moon is out to get them. Any wonder the rest of the world sees us as a rogue cult-run nation that hasn’t the sense God gave a turnip? A torture loving nation that can never be trusted?
Conservatism is a huge national security problem for the country and the world. Our nation will never survive when half its citizens are controlled and live in a false reality.
Always keep in mind when viewing Bush’s approval ratings that probably 25% do not approve of him because they do not think he is a big enough extremist freak.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:28 amBy now, it should be a surprise to no one that this administration systematically politicized every single flippin’ department in the government. Their only interest was and is privatization for profit instead of the common good of the American people.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 amThe “departments” and the work of the people of the United States their chiefs and staff perform must not come from the ranks of the world of legislative politics as demonstrated by Willens, Waidmann, and Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, if policy is to reflect the world we would all like to leave behind.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:45 amFlorida Scrub Jay
Sweet list Pete!
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 amWe should allow animals to vote in this country. That’s the only way they would get any respect.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:32 amAny day now, BushCo Loyalist Hypocrites will be seeking protection as an endangered species, not that it’ll counter the forces of nature.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:54 amIs the bald eagle an endangered species? If so, that is my entry.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 ambald eagle has been down graded in status but still a beautiful sight. I saw one just yesterday.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:09 am