On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Select Committee on
Energy Independence and Global Warming released a report detailing
major regulatory changes on energy and environmental issues the Bush
administration could make in its final days.
From global warming to water quality to endangered species to nuclear
safety, the report highlights the major issues the public and the media
should look out for in the closing days of an administration with a
sharp deregulatory ben.
"If you thought the first 100 days of the Bush administration
were bad, just wait and see what the last 100 could bring," said Select
Committee Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.). "We already know this
administration has a deep, unwavering ideology of deregulation that has
negatively affected our environment and our economy. And with scant
time left, there’s no reason to think they’ll stop deregulating now."
In 2001, the Bush administration presaged years of deregulatory,
anti-environmental action. In that year, the administration refused to
reduce the arsenic levels in drinking water, opened wilderness areas to
new roads, and rejected the Kyoto Protocol after promising to cut
emissions.
In recent weeks the administration has been rushing to push through new rules on mountaintop removal coal mining, looser limits on power plants and endangered species listing.
The report, titled "Past is Prologue: For Energy and the
Environment, the Bush Administration’s Last 100 Days Could Rival the
First 100" is available at the link below.
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