TPMMuckraker Endangered Species Act
Gulf Coast Oil Spill
Enviro Agency Dramatically Underestimated Oil Spill Effects When Signing Off On BP Lease, Docs Show
A Kemp's Ridley sea turtle is recovered for clean up.
A federal agency charged with protecting endangered species signed off in 2007 on a new round of oil drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico, saying that even if the new drilling led to a major oil spill, only some 60 endangered turtles would be killed, according to the official agency opinion reviewed by TPMmuckraker. But in the two months since the Deepwater Horizon blew, government scientists say more than 400 sea turtles have been found dead so far.
In 2007, the National Marine Fisheries Service, which enforces the Endangered Species Act, was asked to give its "biological opinion" on the impact of new oil drilling leases -- including the lease of the now-leaking Macondo prospect -- on endangered species, including turtles, sperm whales and sturgeon. Under the law, the Minerals Management Service, which leases the underwater wells, had to get NMFS's sign-off that the drilling wouldn't jeopardize the populations of endangered species.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (28) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: BP, Endangered Species Act, Gulf Coast Oil Spill, Minerals Management Service, National Marine Fisheries Service
Endangered Species Act
Alaska Legislature Plans $1.5 Million Astroturf Fight Against Endangered Species Act
Seeking to protect the oil industry, the Alaska state legislature has appropriated $1.5 million to fund an astroturf campaign to weaken the Endangered Species Act and put on a conference questioning the listing of polar bears as a threatened species.
Over the objections of some members who warned of "PR damage" to the state, a group of lawmakers late last week decided to move ahead with reviewing bids from public relations firms for the polar bear contract, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (34) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (8)Topics: Alaska, Astroturf, Bracewell Giuliani, Endangered Species Act, Interior Department, John Harris, Polar Bears, Rudy Giuliani, Sarah Palin
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