Senate Democrats to Roll Back Bush Midnight Regulations

Senate Democrats are crafting legislation to roll back last-minute Bush administration regulations including changes to Endangered Species Act and oil shale rules. Recent ESA changes allow federal land-use managers to approve projects like infrastructure creation, minerals extraction and logging without consulting with environmental experts.  Previously, agencies were required to consult with Fish and Wildlife Service biologists on actions that might threaten species. The new regulations, finalized last month, would allow agencies to skip that process in cases where they think there would be little harm to a species. Last November, commercial oil shale development opened on federal lands in three Western states. Read more at E&E (subs req.)