Mania Contradicens (by Phila)

After responding to a dramatic decline in the population of cactus ferruginous pygmy owls by removing them from the Endangered Species List, and addressing the question of pesticide overuse by canceling the only government program that tracked it, the Bush Administration turns its gimlet eye on the problem of overfishing...and concludes that we need to give the fishing industry power to override the National Environmental Policy Act.

As written, the Bush administration’s proposed rule would undermine NEPA by severely limiting the public’s right to participate in fishery management decisions and even shutting out the public from future participation if they don’t weigh in during the initial round of public comments. It would also allow regional fishery management councils to control environmental reviews. Many of these councils are dominated by fishing interests and have mismanaged our oceans for decades. Additionally, the proposal gives fishery managers the power to make fishing decisions without adequately considering the impacts on other components of ocean ecosystems such as sea turtles, seals, corals, and other precious ocean life.

You can comment on the proposed NEPA rule here.