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Bush finally does something right


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"The Bush administration is considering launching one of the biggest conservation programs in U.S. history. If implemented, President George W. Bush could, with the stroke of a pen, protect vast stretches of U.S. territorial waters from fishing, oil exploration and other forms of commercial development. The initiative could also create some of the largest marine reserves in the world — far larger than national parks like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon.

The White House is thinking about taking "big steps, not small ones," says Jack Sobel, a senior scientist at the Washington-based Ocean Conservancy, an environmental group. A spokesman for the White House Council on Environmental Quality confirmed that the administration is considering the initiative but declined to discuss details, saying they are still under review. The idea is drawing strong support from conservationists who typically have been harshly critical of the Bush administration's overall environmental record.

But some of the possible reserves are already attracting opposition from local leaders and industry groups and from some members of Congress. Administration officials said they wanted things they could do before they left office, says Sobel. "They [also] wanted things that they could do without tremendous political blow back … [but] would have a conservation impact."

The groups — along with government agencies and other interested parties – ultimately developed a "wish list" that included about 30 potential marine monuments. They ranged from small reserves in U.S. coastal waters to vast swaths around U.S. territories in the distant Central Pacific. The candidates stretched "from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Dutch Harbor, Alaska" and beyond, says Jay Nelson of the Washington-based Pew Environment Group.

The White House has now shortened that list to about five finalists, say scientists involved in the process. The list hasn't been released to the public, and a CEQ spokesman says changes are still possible. But conservation groups have identified some of the leading nominees.By far the most ambitious proposal is to protect more than 600,000 square miles around a number of small, mostly uninhabited islands in the Central Pacific. The islands — including Palmyra, Howland and Baker — are surrounded by biologically rich coral reefs and are home to huge seabird colonies. If implemented, the reserve would be among the largest in the world and about three times as large as the Hawaiian monument".

by John Nielsen and David Malakoff
stone246

26 responses // Bush finally does something right

  • Just so long as it's not a trade off for more drilling in Alaska's North Slope.
    VoyagerFilms
  • yeah forgot about that. But I'm sure he can't mess this up because its the only good thing he has done for the world in all his tenure .But then again its Bush.
    stone246
  • Yup, Voyager is right. It's only to open up ANWR. And once we need more we'll open up the monuments he has planned in the Pacific. That's the way government works. Preserve the environment until we're ready to rape it. Apparently they like to rape virgin territory, I guess it's more of a turn on for these sadistic bastards.
    Mafioso
  • Yeah, I'm not impressed either. Have him stroke his pen to stop the Navy testing sonar along whales' migration waterways.
    Julie_Soller
  • I guess too little to late
    stone246
  • ouch! such cynical responses!

    However Bush and his Admin deserve every bit of it. They fully earned this reputation of mistrust.

    It's hard to trust this proposal from such an untrustworthy administration without a bucketful of salt.
    SamuraiDave
  • Bush + Right.......
    OxyMoron......................

    Maybe I'll read this article tomarrow....
    or perhaps when he's out of office..........
    PlanetBJR
  • He's got some ulterior motive, you can bet on it.
    Wreyeter
  • Yup, ulterior motive written all over this one. "Here, look over here, conservation, yeah!.... Quick, while they're looking the other way, take away more freedoms and wreak environmental havok behind their backs..." Not to mention trying to make themselves look good so people hesitate to prosecute the bastards like they deserve...
    Kati_kat
  • Not buying it. They will of course then be able to go up to the Arctic now that the Northwest Passage is open due to climate change and take that oil and take those natural resources. They don't do anything unless they get something in return. And of course, the fact that these waters have already been overfished, polluted, and saturated with carbon won't move them to institute mandatory carbon caps to save this planet and those species including us. It's Bs to me.
    JanforGore
  • Save The Duckbill Platypus! Oh wait we made that one extinct. Save the Polar Bears!
    atommccree
  • in other words he dosn't want other countries drillin for oil
    riverdeer
  • Good decision.
    caffeine
  • This is too little too late. With him in office, the environment has became nothing but trashed. He has had many opportunities to 'stroke his pen'. At least he's not going to look so bad going out of office.
    nikki185usa
  • 1.he invaded afghanistan. (that's where the terrorists were/still are)
    2.he funded anti malaria campaign in africa.
    3. this conservation program.
    three policies over 7 1/2 years, 1000's of decisions only got three correct! a monkey throwing darts on a board could have done a better job. only 7 more months of this "short bus" presidency.
    way to go W!
    gimp15
  • The only time the words "Bush" and "done something right" can apply at this point is when that "something" starts out with...

    "Effectively immediately, I hereby resign as President of the United States."

    My cynicism of the Bush Imperium has actually reached that level of disgust.
    DJMatt2
  • Conservatives as conservationists? Never happen.
    BurningBush
  • Bushido es estupido,Tolato...
    Day2Day1nSociety
  • it's selfish , of course , Bush leaving behind something for posterity that might not invoke disgust , but i'm all for it .
    malathion
  • Saying that George Bush is finally doing something right is a bit presumptive. My point being that the Bush administration "considering one of the biggest conservation programs in U.S. history" and the Bush administration ACTUALLY implementing the program are two different things entirely.

    Wake me up when something is done. In the meantime, don't pat the jackass on the back because he is only "considering" doing something good for conservationists.
    mako2424
  • Bush finally did something right..... OMG it's the Apocalypse.... were all going to die
    Fuzzy_Chaos
  • I admit this does sound suspicious. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.
    cibalin
  • If they mean to do this it's Great, but I'm not holding my breath.
    current89
  • For once BUSH is being smart
    Big_boy
  • I don't trust anything this administration does. Maybe they see the open-purse policy for the contractors in Iraq, so will start taking bids on this new sink hole.
    patsarts
  • Isn't this kind of like preserving the happy hunting grounds...for our tribe..?... with this guy, anything is possible, i.e. stopping his approval rating from going through the floor, planning to pretend to let the reserves grow and as soon as that deal's done, sell the rights to the highest bidder...the territory will still have to be patrolled to enforce the decree...and who's watching the hen house..?...until he's out of office...we'll see if Fox reports a spike in W's ratings, giving all the neocons hope...I lost hope for this guy a long time ago...

    ...the stroke of his pen purturbs me, though I believe the reserve would be a good thing, the way he scribbles in the margins, he'll devise another way to avoid accountability...for all of his crimes...
    PlatoTacius

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