Environmental Monitor: The Bush Record on the Environment, 2001-2004

The Bush Administration protected special interests and ignored public support for strong environmental protections and conservation measures. This issue of the DPC Environmental Monitor is a compiliation of the Administration's record on the environment from 2001 through 2004.

Air and Water

• Clean air. On September 30, 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General found that the Bush Administration's regulatory changes reforms to the Clean Air Act New Source Review program have "seriously hampered" enforcement efforts against power plants.
• Mercury. According to a September 22, 2004 Washington Post article, the Bush Administration's "proposal for regulating mercury pollution from power plants that mirror almost word for word portions of memos written by a law firm representing coal-fire power plants." EPA expects to issue the final mercury rule on March 15, 2005.
• Air pollution. On September 22, 2004, the Bush Administration released a national air quality report for 2003 showing pollution from sulfur dioxide increased by four percent last year.
• Enforcement. On September 15, 2004, a non-partisan public policy group issued a study showing that the criminal enforcement of environmental laws has declined during the Bush Administration. The Transactional Record Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) report concludes that prosecutions declined by 23 percent, convictions declined by 18 percent, and prison sentences declined by 28 percent.
• Water pollution. On August 30, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed to lower the federal standard for the toxic element selenium. EPA currently limits selenium levels to five parts per billion in water but the under the new proposal the agency would measure concentration levels in fish rather than water.
• Mercury. On August 24, 2004, the EPA issued a new report showing an increase in state fish advisories due to mercury contamination in lakes and rivers. The number of river miles covered by fish advisories jumped from 544,036 in 2002 to 846,310 in 2003 and the number of acres of lakes increased from 13.4 million in 2002 to 14.2 million in 2003.
• Environmental review. On August 16, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed a directive to eliminate the disclosure of public information concerning the environmental effects of security-related actions performed by the Department of Homeland Security. The directive would allow the Department to avoid environmental reviews for a large number of activities.
• Pesticides. On July 29, 2004, the Bush Administration issued a final rule to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine whether a pesticide will harm threatened or endangered species. As a result, the EPA will no longer have to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service even though the agency lacks the species expertise of the wildlife agencies.
• Toxic pollution. On June 22, 2004, the Bush Administration announced that the amount of toxic pollutants released into the air, water and land increased by 239 million pounds or five percent in 2002. This is only the second time that toxic pollution has increased since the yearly Toxic Release Inventory began in 1987.
• Clean air. According to an April 29, 2004 Los Angeles Times article, the Bush Administration has issued a proposal to delay regional haze and visibility measures for national parks for 15 years. On April 21, 2004, EPA regional officials said in a memo that the Administration is manipulating science to support its proposal and that the regulations would create "substantial changes from past air quality modeling guidance and accepted methods."
• Pesticides. According to an April 15, 2004 Washington Post article, the Bush Administration worked closely with the pesticide industry and convinced the EPA to "tone down their assessments of the risks" associated with rat poison. Over the last six years, the industry has fought proposed child safety regulations for rat poison.
• Clean air. On April 14, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed regulations that would delay regional haze and visibility measures for national parks for 15 years.
• Mercury. According to a April 7, 2004 New York Times article, the White House staff deleted or modified language in the mercury emissions proposal to minimize the health risks posed by the toxic chemical. The New York Times found that science panel members "were concerned because the White House almost uniformly minimized the health risks in instances where there could be disagreement."
• Environmental exemptions. On April 6, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed legislation that would waive environmental laws for defense training and readiness activities. The laws include the Clean Air Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The changes would exempt air pollution from training exercises to meet clean air standards and allow the military to avoid cleaning up munitions.
• Pesticide exemption. On March 3, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed to make more industries exempt from an international ban on methyl bromide, a pesticide that damages the ozone layer. The Administration's exemption proposal is larger than all the requests from other countries combined.
• Chemical pollution. On February 27, 2004, the Bush Administration issued a final rule on use of formaldehyde in wood products, such as furniture and flooring. The report failed to take into account recent scientific studies that described possible health risks of formaldehyde. The National Cancer Institute, for example, has found that exposure to formaldehyde might cause leukemia.
• Water intake. On February 19, 2004, the Bush Administration issued a new rule that would allow power plants to mitigate environmental harm caused by massive water withdrawals from lakes and rivers by restocking fish populations and creating wildlife habitat instead paying for advanced technologies that allow water to be recycled. The EPA rule applies to 550 power plants that withdraw 222 billion gallons of water daily from lakes and rivers to cool turbines.
• Use of science. On February 18, 2004, more than 60 leading scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates, asserted the Bush Administration of frequently suppressing or distorting scientific analysis from federal agencies when it disagrees with administration policies. Kurt Gottfried, emeritus professor of physics at Cornell University, said, "What we are seeing here is an administration that distorts the process by which it gets advice and censors that advice it gets from its own scientists."
• Lead hazard. On February 3, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed to cut $35 million for the lead hazard control program managed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program pays for expert home evaluations and repairs to prevent young children from being exposed to paint particles, dust or soil containing lead.
• Mercury. According to a January 31, 2004 Washington Post article, the Bush Administration's proposed new rules to regulate power plants' mercury pollution includes language identical to the recommendations of a law firm representing the electric utilities. The Washington Post found that "at least a dozen paragraphs were lifted, sometimes verbatim, from the industry suggestions."
• Mercury. On January 30, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed easing rules on emissions of mercury from power plants. The Administration has proposed that mercury emissions from power plants not be regulated in the same way as most toxic air pollutants. Mercury that enters the food chain can cause severe neurological and developmental damage, especially to the fetuses of pregnant women who have eaten mercury-tainted fish. Forty-one states have advisories on eating local fish because of high mercury levels.
• Pesticides. On January 28, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed a rule to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine whether a pesticide will harm endangered species and EPA will no longer have to consult with wildlife agencies. The EPA would be given deference on pesticide assessments even though they lack the species expertise of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
• Clean air. On January 22, 2004, the EPA announced that it would no longer require industry to conduct air monitoring to assure that it is complying with the Clean Air Act. The EPA will now accept monitoring of smokestack emissions once every five years.
• Clean air. On January 5, 2004, Bruce Buckheit, the head of EPA's air enforcement office, resigned after expressing frustration with the Bush Administration's clean air rule changes. Three of the EPA top enforcement officials resigned or retired this month. At the time of his resignation, Mr. Buckheit said, "This new enforcement policy will stop almost all work in the power plant enforcement world."
• Enforcement. According to a December 8, 2003 Knight-Ridder report, the Bush Administration is punishing far fewer polluters than the two previous administrations. Since 2001, violation notices against polluters have dropped 58 percent and fines have dropped 28 percent from Clinton Administration levels.
• Clean water. According to a November 6, 2003 Los Angeles Times article, the Bush Administration is planning to issue a rule that would significantly narrow the scope of the Clean Water Act and remove wetlands and streams from pollution controls. More than 20 million acres of wetlands would lose protection under the new rule.
• Mercury. On November 4, 2003, the Bush Administration announced it would delay the mercury emissions reduction rule until 2009.
• Sewage. On November 3, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed changes to Clean Water Act rules to allow sewage treatment plants to release sewage into waterways during heavy rainstorms. The current rules require municipalities to treat sewage before it is discharged into rivers, lakes and coastal waters.
• Dioxin. On October 17, 2003, the Bush Administration decided it would not regulate dioxins in sewage sludge used as farm fertilizer. The decision was issued in order to meet a court-imposed deadline for the government to resolve a long-standing controversy over the handling of dioxin-laced sewer sludge. Dioxins, highly toxic chemical compounds generated by manufacturing or burning, are known to cause cancer and damage to human neurological and immune systems.
• Enforcement. On October 15, 2003, the EPA Inspector General found that resource deficiencies and management neglect have prevented EPA enforcement staff from pursuing large numbers of criminal investigations and made it impossible to accurately assess the agency's enforcement funding and resource needs.
• Air quality at World Trade Center. On October 8, 2003, the EPA Inspector General released documents showing that White House officials influenced language used by the EPA in news releases regarding air quality at the World Trade Center after the September 11^th terrorist attack. Because of pressure from the White House to make the releases less alarming to the public, EPA Chief of Staff Eileen McGinnis had to ask the director of the White House Council of Environmental Quality, Jim Connaughton, to urge his staff to "lighten up."
• Clean air. On September 30, 2003, the Bush Administration used public funds to promote its Clear Skies legislation in Spanish-language media and, as a result, may have violated federal anti-lobbying laws. Federal law prohibits agencies from using government funds for publicity purposes or to distribute TV or radio presentations designed to support or defeat legislation.
• Toxic releases. On September 25, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to ease requirements for industries to report the toxic chemicals they release into the environment. The proposed changes would be to the Toxic Release Inventory, which provides information to the public on chemical releases.
• Environmental reviews. On September 23, 2003, the Bush Administration released a report recommending ways to weaken federal environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA, which was passed in 1969, requires federal agencies to conduct environmental reviews before proceeding with projects.
• Clean water. On September 5, 2003, the EPA's Mid-Atlantic regional office criticized the Bush Administration's proposed rule change that would leave half of all streams and one-third of all wetlands without protection from pollution. The EPA said the proposal could have "profound and far-reaching impacts" and "serious effects on the progress made during the last 30 years to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation's water."
• Clean vehicles. On August 29, 2003, in a brief to the Supreme Court, the Bush Administration argued in support of overturning regulations in California that require emissions standards for cars, trucks, and buses. California's South Coast Air Quality Management District set vehicle fleet emissions rules in 2000 and 2001, but the Department of Justice claims that the Clean Air Act only allows the federal government to promulgate these types of rules.
• PCB-contaminated land. On September 3, 2003, the Bush Administration began allowing the sale of properties contaminated with PCBs (polyclorinated biphenyls), reversing a 25-year-old policy aimed at protecting people from exposure to these highly toxic chemicals. Tests on animals have shown PCBs cause cancer and can damage immune, reproductive, and nervous systems.
• Scientific review. On August 29, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed broad new standards for federal regulatory agencies that would require them to seek independent appraisals of the scientific basis for many new rules before issuing them. If a regulation costs more than $100 million a year, and companies challenge the quality of the science behind it, federal regulators must convene a panel of experts from outside the agency to reevaluate the science. This could delay important environmental, health, and safety rules from being implemented.
• Carbon dioxide. On August 28, 2003, the Bush Administration decided not to classify carbon dioxide as a pollutant. In 1999, the Clinton Administration ruled it had the necessary authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon dioxide as a global warming pollutant.
• Clean air. On August 27, 2003, the EPA announced a final rule that will effectively repeal the Clean Air Act's "new source review" provision, which requires companies to install modern pollution control technologies in new plants and in old plants when they make modifications that significantly increase pollution. The new final rule will allow facilities to avoid installing pollution controls when they replace equipment - even if the upgrade increases pollution - as long as the cost of the replacement does not exceed 20 percent of the cost of major polluting equipment at their plants.
• Clean air. On August 25, 2003, the General Accounting Office (GAO) found that the Administration lacked data to support relaxed air pollution rules. EPA claimed the Clean Air Act new source review program needed to be revised because it discourages energy-efficiency improvements at plants. The GAO said that "because the information is anecdotal, EPA's findings do not necessarily represent the program's effects across the industries subject to the program."
• Air quality at World Trade Center. On August 21, 2003, the EPA Inspector General (IG) issued a report on the air quality in the World Trade Center area after the September 11th terrorist attack. The IG found that the White House Council on Environmental Quality appears to have pressured EPA in the weeks after the attacks to downplay risks to public health.
• Drinking water. On July 11, 2003, the Bush Administration refused to add perchlorate, a rocket fuel which has contaminated ground water supplies in 22 states, to the list of contaminants regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Enforcement. According to July 7, 2003 news articles in Congress Daily and the Sacramento Bee, the Bush Administration has cut the enforcement budget of the EPA, and the EPA has refused to provide special agents with communication equipment, inflated enforcement case work statistics, and ordered enforcement agents to surrender cell phones and pagers due to funding shortfalls. The EPA also has inflated the number of criminal investigations it initiated and padded the length of prison terms served for environmental crimes.
• Clean air. According to a July 1, 2003 Washington Post article, the EPA has withheld for months key findings of its own analysis showing that Senator Carper's Clean Air Planning Act would be more effective in reducing harmful pollutants and only marginally more expensive than the Administration's Clean Skies initiative for power plant emissions. The Carper bill would impose tougher emissions limits that would be achieved sooner and result in greater health benefits. The bill also regulates carbon dioxide emissions, blamed by many scientists for contributing to global climate change. The Clear Skies plan has no carbon dioxide provision.
• Clean air. On May 8, 2003, the Bush Administration entered into negotiations to create special exemptions from the Clean Air Act for concentrated animal feeding operations. The operations would be granted amnesty from enforcement action for large operations that agree to monitor their emissions. These operations are known to release ammonia, nitrous oxide, and other hazardous gases.
• Cost studies. On May 7, 2003, the Bush Administration backed away from a policy that calculates that the life of a person older than 70 should be valued less than the life of a younger person. In a clean air study, the Administration used two values, $3.7 million for a person younger than 70 and $2.3 million for an older person. After press reports on the new valuation, EPA Administrator Christine Whitman said, "EPA will not, I repeat, not, use an age-adjusted analysis in decision making."
• Enforcement. According to an April 27, 2003 Associated Press article, EPA enforcement agents are being diverted to provide personal security and serve as drivers for Administrator Christine Whitman. One EPA official said, "Up to a week, all work will shut down in an area office to facilitate the protective service detail." On December 15, 2003, EPA announced it would stop diverting federal enforcement agents from pollution investigation to guard the Administrator and assist in homeland security. J.P. Suarez, Assistant Administrator for Enforcement, called the deployment "excessive" and ordered agents to return to pollution cases. The diversion of the agents paralleled a significant drop in the number of cases EPA referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution.
• Clean air. On April 21, 2003, the National Academy of Public Administration issued a report calling for the Bush Administration to limit pollution from power plants and criticized its efforts to weaken clean air rules governing utilities, refineries and industrial plants. The report stated that these facilities have continued to operate without upgrading to cleaner technologies and "the result is thousands of premature human deaths, and many thousand additional cases of acute illnesses and chronic diseases caused by air pollution."
• Chemical security. On March 18, 2003, the General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office (GAO)) found that chemical facilities remain highly vulnerable to terrorist attack. The Bush Administration still has not released a plan to address security at the nation's 15,000 chemical plants. The GAO stated, "The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Administrator of the EPA have stated that voluntary efforts are not sufficient to assure the public of the industry's preparedness." The GAO recommended that the Administration propose legislation "to require these facilities to expeditiously assess their vulnerability to terrorist attacks and, where necessary require these facilities to take corrective action."
• Faulty air data. On March 10, 2003, the EPA touted the merits of the Bush Administration's Clear Skies Initiative based on faulty data. The EPA claimed the clear skies plan would reduce sulfur dioxide pollution in the State of Washington by 87 percent and nitrogen oxide and mercury pollution would remain the same. An official at the EPA's regional office questioned this data on July 1, 2002. The Administration corrected the data it cited on March 10 only after concerns were raised.
• Water pollution. On March 10, 2003, the Bush Administration exempted the oil and gas industry from storm water regulations. The EPA issued a rule giving the oil and gas industry a two-year exemption from compliance with new clean water regulations that require small construction sites to acquire permits for runoff pollution.
• Environmental exemptions. On March 6, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed legislation that would waive environmental laws for defense training and readiness activities. The laws include the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, the Compensation and Liability Act, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Last year, Congress rejected this same proposal. On February 26, 2003, EPA Administrator Whitman stated in congressional testimony, "I don't believe that there is a [defense] training mission anywhere in the country that is being held up or taking place because of environmental protection regulation."
• Children's health. On February 25, 2003, the Bush Administration issued a national report on children's health after delaying its release for nine months. When finally released, the report showed the asthma rate tripling over the last twenty years, and found that 5 million women of child bearing age have high mercury levels in their blood. The EPA has found that increased exposure to mercury and other air pollution can lead to serious health effects in children.
• Methyl bromide. On February 8, 2003, the Bush Administration approved 52 applications for exemptions, under the Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol, for methyl bromide. Methyl bromide, which accounts for 7 percent of depletion in the ozone layer, is an ozone depleting substance which is used to sterilize the soil before planting and to kill pests in stored food products.
• Clean water. On January 13, 2003, the Bush Administration issued a plan to allow industrial polluters to purchase credits from lesser polluters to bring them into compliance with the Clean Water Act. Today, more than 40 percent of our nation's lakes, rivers and streams are unfit for fishing or swimming.
• Clean water. On January 10, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed changes for managing waterways under the Clean Water Act. The policy guidance and proposed rule would affect enforcement of the Clean Water Act by defining protected and unprotected streams, wetlands and other waters. The changes would remove 20 million acres of wetlands from protection.
• Farm conservation. On January 7, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to remove $332 million from farm conservation programs to pay for technical assistance needed to help farmers enroll in conservation programs established in the Farm Bill.
• Clean air. On December 31, 2002, the Bush Administration issued final regulations that would weaken the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program. The program was established in 1977 and requires utilities, refineries and other industrial facilities to install modern pollution control equipment whenever modifications are made to existing plants that would result in increased emissions.
• Clean air. On December 31, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to allow industries to opt out of the clean air rules that currently require reductions of toxic fumes from their plants to the maximum extent possible.
• Water discharge. On December 30, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed a delay in the Clean Water Act rules for oil and gas discharge activities. These discharge rules were finalized in 1999 and apply to cities and other industries but the oil and gas industry has sought an exemption from the water quality rules.
• Wetlands. On December 27, 2002, the Bush Administration, in response to criticism over the government's failure to stop loss of wetlands, issued new guidelines on replacing wetlands lost or damaged by development. Wetlands are important because they filter drinking water, retain flood waters, and support wildlife.
• Clean water. On December 20, 2002, the Bush Administration withdrew a final rule, issued during the Clinton Administration, that provided for federal oversight on states' efforts to clean up impaired water bodies, a designation that applies to 300,000 miles of rivers and five million acres of lakes.
• Environment and public health. On December 19, 2002, the Bush Administration issued a cost-benefit report calling for more than 300 rules to be revised, eliminated or expanded. These changes affect food safety standards, arsenic in drinking water, energy-conservation standards, and logging in national forests.
• Clean water. On December 16, 2002, the Bush Administration issued final regulations under a court-ordered deadline that would weaken clean water protections concerning Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. The new rule will affect 15,000 large and medium-sized U.S. corporate farms.
• Environmental reviews. On November 15, 2002, the Bush Administration announced it would attempt to make it easier to exempt from environmental reviews activities that it sees as having an insignificant effect on public lands. William Myers, the Department of the Interior Solicitor, said the Administration is examining NEPA in search of ways to routinely exclude certain activities from standard reviews "and basically permit insignificant actions so they do not have to go through full blown NEPA review."
• Enforcement slowdown. According to a November 6, 2002 report by the Environmental Integrity Project, the EPA is charging fewer fines under the Bush Administration than the Clinton Administration. Polluters have paid 64 percent less in fines for violating environmental laws in the Bush Administration EPA than they did in the final two years of the Clinton Administration. Fewer polluters are paying fines, and those fines are much smaller.
• Clean air. Under federal law, California is the only state in the nation that can set its own strict vehicle emissions standards. On October 9, 2002, the Bush Administration filed a brief in U.S. Circuit Court charging that California impinged on federal authority in revising its zero emissions vehicle rule last year. This action is a significant departure from the federal government's long-held practice of supporting California's efforts to clean up its air. Under California clean air rules, ten percent of the vehicles sold between 2003 to 2008 must be electric or zero-emission vehicles. The state, recognizing that the automobile companies were not ready to meet that goal, offered to let companies sell hybrid vehicles, which run on gasoline and electricity, to satisfy part of the requirement.
• Science panel. On September 18, 2002, the Bush Administration announced it was replacing members of the scientific advisory committee on the effects of environmental chemicals on human health. Fifteen of the eighteen members will be replaced with new members that in many cases have connections to the chemical industry.
• Oceans. On July 30, 2002, the Bush Administration argued, in a U.S. District Court case, that NEPA - landmark legislation that requires the federal agencies to review the environmental implications of projects - does not apply to sonar testing in a vast majority of coastal and ocean waters under United States control, known as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This would allow military maneuvers, oil and gas pipelines, commercial fishing and ocean dumping and other activities without environmental review. On September 19, 2002, a U.S. District Court rejected the Administration's argument that NEPA does not apply to the EEZ.
• Environmental reviews. On July 12, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to make changes to the rules implemented under the NEPA. NEPA became law in 1970 and required that federal agencies conduct thorough assessments of the environmental impact of all major programs. NEPA which has been duplicated at state and local levels across America, remains a cornerstone of environmental law.
• Freedom of Information Act. On July 10, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed that the Department of Homeland Security be exempted from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - a cornerstone of open government. The FOIA exemption threatens open government and corporate accountability. The FOIA exemption would allow the private sector to dictate to the federal government what information is and is not subject to FOIA. The Administration would only require companies to submit information on a voluntary basis regarding vulnerabilities.
• Clean water. On July 2, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to weaken federal oversight of Clean Water Act rules and allow states to clean up rivers, lakes and streams. The proposal would reverse a Clinton Administration rule requiring EPA approval of states' efforts to restore impaired water bodies. The Clinton Administration rule was in response to lawsuits in 34 states that claimed that officials failed to enforce the Clean Water Act. Today, according to the EPA, 44 percent of the nation's water bodies are still impaired by pollutants.
• Clean air. On June 13, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed regulations that would weaken the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program. The proposal would relax the new source review rules to allow the country's biggest power plants, refineries and other industrial facilities to avoid installing pollution-control equipment when they modernize or expand their plants to produce more energy or product.
• Diesel rule. On June 7, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) work with the EPA to develop a rule on cutting emissions of harmful soot by off-road diesel equipment. The proposal would allow engine manufacturers the choice of cleaning up either trucks and buses or farm and construction equipment rather than demanding reductions from both sectors. Recently, a study by state air pollution officials concluded that more than 8,500 premature deaths a year are caused by air pollution from off-road diesel equipment and machinery.
• Clean water. On May 14, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed plan change to the Clean Water Act would allow a pollution credit trading system for our nation's waterways. The EPA would allow a polluter to limit or reduce their pollution below assigned levels and receive credits that can be resold. Polluters would be able to buy credits to meet their assigned pollution limit for a waterway.
• Environmental exemptions. On May 10, 2002, the House of Representatives passed H.R 4546, the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, that would amend the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for military activities. At the present time, the President and the Department of Defense have the authority to issue an exemption for national security reasons. On March 7, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed draft legislation that would waive provisions in several environmental laws for defense training exercises and readiness activities.
  
  The EPA opposed the Bush Administration's draft legislation and said a change would prevent states from prohibiting activities that violated their air quality plans. Several statutes would be exempted under the draft including the Clean Air Act; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; the Endangered Species Act; the Marine Mammal Protection Act; and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
• Clean air. On May 1, 2002, the EPA approved a new regulation that allows smog-forming emissions from oceangoing ships to remain unchanged. The rule does not require emissions reductions beyond those set five years ago under an international accord. Those limits have been widely criticized as inadequate. Cargo carriers, tankers and cruise liners worldwide produce 15 percent of the world's nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide pollutants.
• Ombudsman. On April 22, 2002, the EPA ombudsman, Robert Martin, resigned after being pressured by the EPA Administrator, Christine Whitman. The ombudsman was created by Congress in 1993 to serve as independent watchdog to investigate EPA programs and activities. Administrator Whitman closed down the ombudsman office and transferred the responsibilities to the Inspector General's office. In his resignation letter, Martin said, "it was wrong of you [Whitman] to unilaterally decide this matter while ignoring the pleas of dozens of members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats."
• Clean air. On April 5, 2002, the Bush Administration delayed for at least two more years a requirement that industry reduce hazardous air pollutants. This delay pushes back the Clean Air Act requirement to control toxic emissions from a variety of industrial sources. The Clean Air Act requires that the 189 most hazardous air pollutants are listed and require any large source of such emissions to set maximum achievable control technology standards.
• Environmental science. On February 4, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to eliminate a respected fellowship program for graduate research in environmental science. The fellowship provides $10 million per year to students pursuing graduate degrees in environmental science, policy and engineering, as part of an EPA program called "Science to Achieve Results."
• Enforcement. On February 4, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to cut 200 employees from the EPA enforcement office in the Fiscal Year 2003 budget. Some pollution enforcement activities would be shifted from federal authorities to state officials, who would have less ability to curb pollution that crosses state lines. The Administration attempted to cut the enforcement budget last year but the funds were restored by Congress.
• Wetlands protection. On January 14, 2002, the Bush Administration relaxed the Army Corps of Engineers' regulations protecting wetlands, making it easier for developers to build on lands that are wet for only part of the year. Wetlands are important in preventing floods, cleaning water of pollutants, and sheltering fish and wildlife. Backing away from the decade-old commitment of no net loss of wetlands, the Administration also changed regulations to create a "nationwide permit" that allows developers to begin construction more quickly and with fewer limitations.
• Arsenic in drinking water. On October 31, 2001, the Bush Administration established the arsenic drinking water standard of 10 parts per billion (ppb) after eight months of delay. In 2000, the Clinton Administration established the 10 ppb after more ten years of research and studies by the National Academy of Sciences. On March 20, 2001, the EPA Administrator, Christine Whitman, withdrew the 10 ppb standard and reinstated the 50 ppb standard. The National Academy of Sciences stated the health risks of arsenic are much greater than previously assumed and found the 10 ppb standard is technically and economically feasible.
• White House memo. On January 20, 2001, the Bush Administration sent a memo to all federal agencies ordering a 60-day suspension of all rules finalized by the Clinton administration at the end of its term. The White House memo suspended numerous important regulations that protected the environment and public health.

Toxic Waste and Nuclear Waste

• Superfund. On January 8, 2004, the EPA Inspector General issued a report stating that the Bush Administration failed to begin the cleanup of 23 toxic waste sites due to a $175 million budget shortfall at the EPA.
• Nuclear waste. On November 18, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed a rule change that would allow low-level radioactive material to be stored in ordinary landfills and hazardous waste sites. At the present time, low-level radioactive waste must be stored at designated sites monitored by the EPA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
• Superfund. On July 31, 2003, the GAO found that the Superfund hazardous waste cleanup program will run out of money in 2004. One in four Americans live within four miles of a hazardous waste site.
• Superfund cuts. On July 16, 2003, the Bush Administration announced it would cut funding and delay the cleanup of 10 Superfund toxic waste sites. The Administration's decision not to seek an extension of the Superfund trust fund means that the fund will run out of money in 2004.
• Superfund. According to the EPA, the number of Superfund clean up plans and completions declined in 2001 and 2002. The EPA completed clean ups of 39 toxic waste sites in 2002, the fewest since 1991. There were 41 percent fewer completed clean ups in 2001 and 2002 than compared with the annual average over the previous eight years. Polluter penalties have dropped 41 percent in the past two years and polluters' contributions toward clean ups fell 13 percent.
• Superfund cuts. On February 3, 2003, the Bush Administration issued a proposal to limit funding to clean up toxic waste sites and shift clean up costs from polluters to taxpayers. The President's budget would require at least 79 percent of the clean up costs to come from general revenues (taxpayers) and only 21 percent from the Superfund trust fund (polluters).
• Inspector General. On October 25, 2002, the EPA Inspector General issued a report stating that the Bush Administration denied funding this year for cleanup work at 55 high priority toxic waste sites in 25 states despite warnings from regional officials that the sites continue to pose serious environmental health risks. For twenty-two years, the Superfund program has been based on the "polluter pays" principle that made it possible to clean up hundreds of the worst toxic waste dumps across the country. The Administration has shifted the cleanup costs from industry to taxpayers by refusing to reinstate the Superfund tax.
• Nuclear waste. On February 15, 2002, President Bush notified Congress that the Yucca Mountain project was ready to apply for a license application to serve as a nuclear waste repository for more than 70,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel. Several states have expressed opposition to hauling nuclear waste on highways and railroad lines through their states to the proposed repository. The Government Accounting Office, the Department of Energy (DOE) Inspector General, and the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board have all issued reports raising serious questions about the scientific basis for that decision. In fact, reports indicate that DOE is years away from being ready to make this decision.
• Superfund cuts. On February 4, 2002, the Bush Administration announced it would clean up fewer toxic waste sites and shift the bulk of the costs from industry to taxpayers. The Administration decision not to seek an extension of the Superfund trust fund tax means that the fund could run out of money by 2004. Over the last two years, the Bush Administration has cut in half the number of sites to be cleaned up. For twenty-two years, the Superfund program has been based on the "polluter pays" principle that made it possible to clean up hundreds of the worst toxic waste dumps across the country.
• Superfund. On June 30, 2002, the EPA Inspector General reported that the Bush Administration has authorized deep funding cuts for the federal Superfund program, which will slow or halt the cleanup process at 33 toxic waste sites in 18 states. EPA's regional offices asked for $450 million for remedial action at the sites in question, but the administration allocated only $228 million.
• Nuclear waste. On December 14, 2001, the Bush Administration announced that the government will no longer prove that Yucca Mountain's underground rock formation would prevent radioactive contamination of the environment, despite a recent GAO report that raised serious concerns about whether the project can be successfully implemented.
• Radioactive waste. On August 28, 2001, the Bush Administration proposed to recycle waste from decommissioned nuclear plants and weapons facilities into scrap metal, which could then be used for household products.

Global Warming

• Climate change programs. On February 2, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed to eliminate climate change programs in the Fiscal Year 2005 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Administration has proposed to eliminate funding for the abrupt climate change program, paleoclimate program, and postdoctoral programs.
• NAS report. On February 18, 2004, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) issued a report on the Bush Administration's climate change science program that urged an immediate shift from planning more federal climate research to actually funding the research. The NAS said, "there is no evidence in the [Bush] plan or elsewhere of a commitment to provide the necessary funds for these newer or expanded program elements."
• State of the Environment. On April 29, 2003, the Bush Administration insisted the global warming section be deleted from the State of the Environment report prepared by the EPA. EPA Administrator Whitman commissioned the report in 2001 to provide a comprehensive review about various environmental problems, where gaps exist, and how to fill them. The White House made edits to the report and said "no further changes may be made."
• NAS report. On February 25, 2003, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) strongly criticized the Bush Administration's proposed global warming research plan. The NAS found that the Administration's proposal lacks elements of a real strategic plan and fails to adequately assess the potential impact of climate change on states and localities. The NAS criticized the Administration's budget request because "it appears to leave funding relatively unchanged for climate programs despite the important new initiatives called for in the plan."
• More voluntary measures. On February 12, 2003, the Bush Administration announced voluntary emission-reduction commitments by several companies. Companies committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 18 percent by 2012. This approach will allow these emissions to continue to climb as long as they increase at a rate that is less than the rate of economic growth. The U.S. has tried a voluntary approach for more than a decade and, during that time, greenhouse gas emissions have actually increased 14 percent.
• More studies. On December 4, 2002, the Bush Administration called for at least five more years of scientific study of global warming. Throughout more than a decade of peer-reviewed scientific study, most experts have agreed that global warming poses a significant and costly threat to the U.S. Last year was the second-warmest in recorded history.
• More delay. On November 20, 2002, James Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said that "climate change is a technology issue." Connaughton believes technological innovations, not curbs on emissions of greenhouse gases, are the solution to global climate change.
• New Delhi. On November 1, 2002, the Bush Administration made sure that no progress was made on international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the eighth conference of the parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Administration worked to strip out all references to the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and renewable energy in the final declaration text, and did not seek commitments from developing countries to stabilize and reduce emissions.
• NAS report. On February 18, 2004, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report on the Bush Administration climate change science program stating the urgent need to move from planning an expanded push in federal climate research to financing it. The NAS said, "There is no evidence in the plan or elsewhere of a commitment to provide the necessary funds for these newer or expanded program elements."
• World Summit on Sustainable Development. On September 4, 2002, the Bush Administration made sure that no progress was made on the international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Administration weakened language that would have committed countries to achieve the goal of producing 15 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2010.
• Trends report. For the first time in six years, the annual federal report on air pollution trends did not include a section on global warming, even though the Bush Administration has said that slowing the growth of emissions linked to warming is a priority. The decision to delete the chapter on climate change was made by top officials at the EPA with White House approval. The report, released on September 4, 2002, provides an overview intended for the public that draws on more detailed EPA data on air pollution trends.
• Commerce testimony. On July 10, 2002, a Bush Administration official, in testimony before Congress, stated that it would take five years to develop scientific forecasts on climate change. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, James Mahoney, said it would take five years to develop scientific forecasts that would help the United States decide on a path to minimize the negative effects of climate change. The Administration approach relies on increased spending on science and technology and on voluntary measures to slow the rate of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Climate change report. On June 3, 2002, the Bush Administration issued the United States Climate Action Report for 2002. The report states: "Greenhouse gases are accumulating in the Earth's atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing global mean surface air temperature and subsurface ocean temperature to rise." Despite its recognition of the link between human activities and global climate change, and its detailed listing of the alarming consequences of climate change, the Administration suggests that little or nothing can be done to reduce emissions and, therefore, that the United States should merely `adapt' to climate change. On June 6, 2002, President Bush dismissed the report saying, "I read the report put out by the bureaucracy."
• International Panel on Climate Change. On April 2, 2002, the Bush Administration urged the removal of Robert Watson, who advocated action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, as chairman of the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In 2001, the ExxonMobil Corporation sent a letter to the Administration asking, "Can Watson be replaced now at the request of the U.S.?" The IPCC assessments of climate change have led to two climate treaties which call for stabilization and reduction of world's greenhouse gas emissions.
• Voluntary plan. On February 14, 2002, the Bush Administration announced another voluntary program to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The plan fails to seriously address the long-term challenge of global climate change. The yardstick used in the President's plan, greenhouse gas intensity, is already declining because energy intensity is declining. However, carbon pollution and greenhouse gas emissions would continue to increase under the plan.
  
  Greenhouse gas emissions are approximately 14 percent above 1990 levels, a contradiction of the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which the U.S. ratified in 1992. Today, the U.S. remains the largest producer of greenhouse gases, emitting more than 25 percent of the world's total. The Framework Convention set a goal of achieving 1990 levels of emissions by the year 2002 for the U.S. and committed all nations to work toward stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere below dangerous amounts.
• Kyoto treaty. On March 28, 2001, EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman announced that the Bush Administration would not support ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The announcement came just weeks after the world's eight largest industrialized nations issued a declaration that they would strive to reach an agreement on the treaty.
• Carbon dioxide. On March 13, 2001, President Bush sent a letter to Senator Chuck Hagel and others saying "that the government should not impose on power plants mandatory emissions for carbon dioxide." Previously, President Bush promised to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
• More studies. On March 13, 2001, President Bush announced plan for more research and studies on the impacts of global climate change - despite the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is occuring.

Natural Resources and Public Lands

• Wildlife protection. On September 29, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed to eliminate national forest rules that require managers to adhere to fish and wildlife protections that have been in place for 20 years.
• Snowmobiles. On September 7, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed to allow 860 snowmobiles per day into Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. A U.S. District Court ordered the National Park Service to prepare a new plan because of air quality and noise concerns. The Clinton Administration in 2000 announced a plan to phase out snowmobiles in favor of multipassenger snowcoaches. But the Bush administration quickly repealed that plan, replacing it with a 1,100-snowmobile limit.
• Jack Marrow Hills. On July 12, 2004, the Bush Administration issued a plan to drill hundreds of oil and gas wells in the Jack Marrow Hills of Wyoming. This red desert area has the largest sand dune fields in North America, rocky buttes, and numerous wildlife species.
• Roadless areas. On June 26, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed to allow governors to apply for exemptions to the roadless area conservation rule. Under the proposal, governors could petition the Secretary of Agriculture "to establish or adjust management direction for roadless areas within their states." The plan would cover 43 million acres of national forest roadless areas in the lower 48 states.
• Olympic National Park. On June 21, 2004, the Washington Post reported that officials at Olympic National Park had prepared a report stating that the park has only half the funding that it needs and, according to the Washington Post, the Bush Administration has refused to release of the report. A National Park Service official said the Bush Administration "doesn't like bad news. They don't like to see or hear about it or fix it. And they punish the messenger."
• DOJ asks industry for assistance. On June 14, 2004, the Department of Justice asked energy industry officials to help the federal government in fighting lawsuits filed by environmental groups that question oil and gas drilling on public lands. Assistant Attorney General Tom Sansonetti said, "we need help. Sometimes, two or three of our attorneys are matched up against entire law firms."
• Salmon protection. On May 27, 2004, the Bush Administration issued a plan to change how the government protects salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest. The plan would count hatchery-bred salmon in the overall salmon totals. Hatchery fish often have trouble surviving and reproducing in the wild.
• Migratory birds. On May 27, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed a rule that would allow the taking of migratory birds during military training exercises.
• Off-road vehicles. On May 7, 2004, the Bush Administration issued a plan to allow more off-road vehicles on more backcountry trails in four national forests in Southern California. The Forest Service plan would allow more than 1.6 million off-road vehicles in the four national forests.
• Park Service travel. On March 23, 2004, the Department of the Interior Inspector General reported that more than $352,000 was spent during a 15-month period for hundreds of trips by Park Service officials to foreign countries. This comes at a time when parks are being told to cut funding for operations and visitor services.
• Northwest forest plan. On March 23, 2004, the Bush Administration made changes to the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan designed to increase logging in old-growth forests. The rule would eliminate the provision that required federal agencies to conduct wildlife surveys and remove the requirement to identify impacts on streams. The Northwest Forest Plan covers 24 million acres of federal lands in Oregon, Washington, and California.
• National parks. According to a March 18, 2004 Washington Post article, the Bush Administration is planning to make cutbacks in national park services this summer at the same time agency leaders are kicking off a campaign to boost park visitation. On February 20, 2004, the National Park Service issued a memo to park superintendents outlining the cutbacks, including reducing the number of lifeguards on beaches, closing visitor centers on all federal holidays, and eliminating all ranger-guided tours.
• Conflict of interest. On March 17, 2004, the Department of the Interior Inspector General reported that he had found multiple instances in which Deputy Secretary Steven Griles had dealings with energy and mining industry clients of his former lobbying firm as he continued to receive income from the firm. The Inspector General concluded, "Mr. Griles' lax understanding of his ethics agreement and attendant recusals, combined with lax dispensation of ethics advice given to him, resulted in lax constraint over matters in which the Deputy Secretary involved himself."
• Endangered species. On March 9, 2004, the Bush Administration proposed new rules that would ease importation of threatened and endangered species from foreign countries.
• Missouri River. On February 26, 2004, the Army Corps of Engineers issued a draft management plan for the Missouri River. The plan does not call for returning the river to its natural flow - spring rise and shallow summer water levels - to ensure the survival of fish and wildlife and recreational access, as was recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in December 2003.
• Padre Island. On February 26, 2004, the Bush Administration granted permission to drill on Padre Island National Seashore in Texas. The area is home to 11 endangered species, including the Kemp's ridley sea turtle.
• Oil and gas drilling. On February 23, 2004, the Department of the Interior issued a new guidance memorandum requiring the Bureau of Land Management to lease an area for oil and gas drilling unless the area is explicitly protected.
• Oil and gas drilling. On February 18, 2004, the Bush Administration leased 78,000 acres of federal land in Utah and Colorado for oil and gas drilling. The lands are near Dinosaur National Park and have been categorized as being of wilderness quality.
• Drilling in Utah. On February 18, 2004, the Bush Administration leased 78,000 acres of federal land in Utah for oil and gas drilling. The lands are near Dinosaur National Park and have been categorized as being of wilderness quality.
• National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. On January 22, 2004, the Bush Administration opened 8.8 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska to oil and gas development including areas considered environmentally sensitive. In 1999, the Clinton Administration opened 4 million acres of the reserve, but kept sensitive areas off limits.
• Drilling in Wyoming. On January 21, 2004, Interior Secretary Norton announced that her agency would increase the number of drilling permits approved in Wyoming. The Secretary said that the agency will increase to 3,000 from about 1,000 the number of permits approved on public land in Wyoming's Powder River Basin.
• Drilling in New Mexico. On December 31, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to allow drilling on two million acres of public lands in southern New Mexico, despite the fact that the Otero Mesa area in New Mexico is the largest undisturbed chihuahuan desert grassland in the nation.
• Tongass National Forest. On December 23, 2003, the Bush Administration open more than 300,000 areas of Alaska's Tongass National Forest to logging and other development. The Tongass is the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world.
• Grazing. On December 8, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to weaken federal grazing rules. The proposal would delay action addressing harmful grazing practices, eliminate public input on specific grazing actions, and allow ranchers to claim partial ownership of rangeland improvements on public lands.
• Endangered species. On December 3, 2003, the Bush Administration issued a rule that would allow federal land management agencies to determine whether wildfire thinning projects affect threatened and endangered species. The land management agencies would no longer be required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service.
• Park police. On December 2, 2003, the Bush Administration removed the U.S. Park Police chief, Teresa Chambers, for stating publicly that her department was understaffed. Chief Chambers identified the need for more funding and personnel to patrol Washington-area monuments, parks, and commuter parkways.
• Oil and gas drilling. On November 24, 2003, the Bush Administration leased 14,500 acres of federal land in Utah for oil and gas drilling. These lands were categorized as being of wilderness quality.
• Klamath River. On November 18, 2003, the Fish and Wildlife Service issued a report stating that the 34,000 salmon that died in the September 2002 Klamath River fish kill suffered from low river flows, hot water temperatures, and crowded conditions. In 2002, the Bush Administration reversed an earlier decision and diverted water from the river.
• National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. On November 21, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to open 8.8 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska to oil and gas development including areas considered environmentally sensitive. In 1999, the Clinton Administration opened 4 million acres of the reserve, but kept sensitive areas off limits.
• Enforcement cases. On November 4, 2003, the Bush Administration announced it would close pending investigations of 70 power plants and refineries suspected of violating the Clean Air Act and will consider dropping 13 other cases against utilities that were referred to the Department of Justice.
• Northwest forests. On October 31, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed significant changes to fish protection provisions of the Northwest Forest Plan that will make it easier to log. The Administration has proposed removing the requirement that agencies review site-specific, short-term impacts of logging on salmon-bearing streams.
• Oil and gas drilling. On October 30, 2003, the BushAdministration proposed oil and gas drilling on federal lands in Utah once reserved for wilderness protection. The Bureau of Land Management plans to lease to drill for oil and gas on 17,000 acres in eastern Utah. The Clinton Administration determined the area could warrant wilderness designation.
• Missouri River. On October 29, 2003, the Bush Administration removed experienced Fish and Wildlife Service biologists working on Missouri River flow and replaced them with a new team. The Administration has demanded the biologists develop a new river management plan within 30 days. This action was taken because the Fish and Wildlife Service has required the Army Corps of Engineers to change the operation of the damns on the river to protect fish and wildlife.
• Endangered species. According to a October 11, 2003 Washington Post article, the Bush Administration is proposing to allow hunters, circuses, and the pet industry to kill, capture, and import animals facing extinction in other countries. The Endangered Species Act provides protection for endangered species and prohibits trade in those species.
• Drilling on public lands. On September 29, 2003, the Bush Administration issued new directives that would allow oil and gas exploration and off-road vehicles on millions of acres of public land. Under the Bureau of Land Management directive, the preservation of wilderness land must be weighed on equal footing with potential mining, grazing, timber and recreational uses.
• Endangered species. On September 8, 2003, the Bush Administration decided to hire private firms to review the status of endangered and threatened species and wildlife. Traditionally, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have had this responsibility.
• Offshore oil drilling. On August 25, 2003, the Bush Administration closed the public period on proposed rules that would limit states' influence on offshore oil drilling decisions. States have historically been given deference under the Coastal Zone Management Act. The proposed rule would give greater authority to federal agencies - and not states - on decisions relating to environmental impacts to a state's coastline from drilling or other activities.
• Oil and gas drilling. On August 7, 2003, the Bush Administration ordered all federal land managers in Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Utah and Wyoming to reassess environmental restrictions that prevent oil and gas drilling on public lands. National forest, national monuments, and other public lands could impacted by this action.
• Wilderness protection. On July 18, 2003, the Bush Administration asked the United States Supreme Court to reverse a recent court of appeals ruling that would allow certain groups to go to court to force the government to keep off-road vehicles out of nine wilderness study areas in Utah.
• Tongass National Forest. On July 16, 2003, the Bush Administration reached a legal settlement with the State of Alaska that would exempt the Tongass National Forest from the roadless area conservation rule. This action allows 50 pending timber sales in roadless areas to go forward. The roadless area rule was established to protect 58 million acres nationwide.
• Yellowstone. On July 1, 2003, the Bush Administration urged the United Nation's World Heritage Committee to remove Yellowstone National Park from its worldwide danger list. Paul Hoffman, an Interior Department official, told the Committee that "Yellowstone is no longer in danger." The National Park Service prepared a draft report that identified continued threats to the quality of the park's streams, bison, and trout populations, but Department officials deleted or toned down these concerns in the final report to the Committee.
• Snowmobiles. On June 21, 2003, the EPA said the National Park Service (NPS) should address remaining concerns in the Bush Administration's new snowmobile rule for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks to avoid higher pollution. The EPA Regional Administrator, Robert Roberts, said "adverse impacts to human health and visibility could be greater than expected" and recommended "additional mitigation be added through NPS's pending rule making process." On December 16, 2003, a U.S. District Court rejected the Bush Administration plan to permit snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and reinstated a phase-in ban on snowmobiles.
• National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. On June 13, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed opening new areas to oil drilling near Teshekpuk Lake in the National Petroleum Reserve. The Clinton Administration opened the reserve to drilling in 1999 but protected Teshekpuk Lake because of its critical fish and wildlife habitat.
• Sierra Nevada. On June 5, 2003, the Bush Administration issued its final plan to increase logging in 11 million acres of national forests in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The Administration made several changes to the Sierra Nevada Framework Plan, adopted by the Clinton Administration after ten years of planning and scientific review. The proposal would allow trees up to 30 inches in diameter to be cut down in any area.
• Personal watercraft. On May 30, 2003, the Bush Administration opened the Assateague Island National Seashore (in Maryland and Virginia) to personal watercraft. Assateague Island is now the only national seashore on the East Coast open to personal watercraft.
• Personal watercraft. On May 14, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to lift the ban on personal watercraft in Lake Powell, Utah. The Administration has been pushing to overturn bans at certain national parks by requiring them to re-open public comment on the bans. The EPA has found that two-stroke PWC engines discharge 30 percent of their unburned fuel into the water.
• Mining in wilderness. On May 13, 2003, the Bush Administration approved the opening of a large copper and silver mine in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area in northwest Montana. The Administration pressured the Fish and Wildlife Service to change its analysis of the biological impacts and threats of a copper and silver mine on fish and wildlife. The mine would provide 10,000 tons of copper and silver per day from deposits beneath the wilderness area over 30 years.
• Park funding. On May 7, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to cut millions of dollars from the National Park Service (NPS) repair and rehabilitation budget to fund a study on the privatization of various jobs and to pay for increased law enforcement security at parks. President Bush promised to eliminate the maintenance backlog at national parks but has failed to provide the necessary funding.
• Manatee protection. On May 5, 2003, the Bush Administration withdrew manatee protection rules for boats, watercraft, and dock-areas. On May 1, 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey issued a report stating that additional boat and watercraft regulations are needed to protect the manatee population. Boats and watercraft in Florida are causing an increasing number of manatee deaths. The USGS stated, "If boat mortality rates continue to increase at the rates observed since 1992, the situation in the Atlantic and Southwest regions is dire, with no chance of meeting recovery criteria."
• Powder River Basin. On April 30, 2003, the Bush Administration approved 51,000 coalbed methane wells, covering 12 million acres, in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana. EPA and other officials raised concerns that the drilling activity involves discharging large volumes of groundwater into rivers and streams and may be polluted.
• Oil drilling. On April 15, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to relax oil drilling restrictions in the Teshekpuck Lake area in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA). The Clinton Administration opened four million acres within the NPRA to drilling in 1998 but protected Teshekpuck Lake area because of its unique environmental and wildlife values.
• Wilderness. On April 11, 2003, the Bush Administration halted efforts to study and recommend protection of wilderness areas. The new policy could significantly alter how millions of acres of land are treated across the West and could increase the likelihood that land managers will allow mining, drilling and road building. The policy change was made in response to a lawsuit filed by the state of Utah that claimed that the federal government illegally rejected projects to drill and mine on federal land that had been proposed as wilderness areas during the Clinton Administration.
• Roads in public lands. On April 9, 2003, the Bush Administration announced a settlement with the state of Utah over thousands of miles of right-of-way claims (involving roads, trails, and fence lines) on public lands. The agreement does not provide new safeguards or prohibit future claims in national parks, wilderness areas, or wildlife refuges.
• Interior official. On April 7, 2003, the Department of the Interior Inspector General was asked to investigate the accusation that Deputy Secretary Steven Griles participated in meeting former oil, gas and mining industry clients. Griles agreed not to meet with former clients before taking the position at the Department. Griles continues to receive payments, totaling $1 million over four years, from his lobbying firm.
• National parks. On April 4, 2003, the Bush Administration issued a plan to turn over 2,223 jobs to private companies and cut 8,000 seasonal NPS employees. The plan would affect a wide variety of Park Service jobs including archaeologists, museum curators, maintenance workers, architects, engineers, security guards, and laborers. Last year more than 278 million people visited national parks.
• Salmon protection. On April 2, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed changes to the Northwest salmon protection strategy to make it easier to log in forests. The Administration proposed to eliminate requirements that stop timber sales and other projects unless officials can show they would not harm fish.
• North Slope. On March 4, 2003, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that three decades of oil and gas drilling on Alaska's North Slope has produced a steady accumulation of harmful environmental and social effects. The NAS stated, "Natural recovery in the Arctic is very slow, because of the cold; so the effect of abandoned structures and unrestored landscapes could persist for centuries and accumulate."
• Tongass National Forest. On February 28, 2003, the Bush Administration decided not to provide wilderness protection for million of acres in the Tongass National Forest and could open new areas for logging. The Tongass National Forest is the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world.
• Farm conservation. On February 3, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to cut farm conservation programs by $281 million. These programs include the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, Farmland Protection Program, and the Conservation Security Program.
• Grazing. On January 30, 2003, the Bush Administration announced plans to weaken rules for cattle grazing on public lands. The regulatory changes would include "streamlining" the appeals process relating to grazing decisions, eliminating a requirement that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) consult with the public while considering management actions, and emphasizing that environmental reviews should consider the economic, social and cultural impacts of BLM actions.
• Outsourcing. On January 27, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed to privatize 70 percent of the full-time jobs in the National Park Service. As part of the Administration's attempt to privatize 850,000 federal government jobs, the Department of the Interior has identified 11,807 of 16,470 positions, such as maintenance, archaeologists, and biologists, for possible privatization.
• Power plant in wilderness area. On January 10, 2003, the Bush Administration approved a power plant in the UL Bend Wilderness area in Montana. The Bush Administration ignored a National Park Service study that found the power plant would violate clean air requirements and recommended against approving the plant. A National Park Service official said, "I think the Department misunderstood our analysis and what it was based on and we need to straighten that out."
• Dolphin-safe tuna. On December 31, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed regulations that would allow tuna caught by encircling dolphins to be labeled "dolphin safe." For the last five years, tuna caught using dolphins as targets were barred from bearing the "dolphin safe" label. On January 6, 2003, the Administration withdrew the proposed rules until a U.S. District Court ruled on a pending lawsuit.
• Roads in public lands. On December 23, 2002, the Bush Administration issued a final rule that would allow states to claim ownership of roads in national parks, forests, wilderness areas, and other public lands. Under the rule, states can assert claims to thousands of miles of dirt roads, trails, and wagon tracks, many of which are in wilderness areas and other public lands.
• Public participation. On December 6, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to ignore e-mails and pre-printed postcards from the public sent to the Forest Service that comment on pending rules and regulations. The Administration claimed the e-mails provided little value in shaping policy on logging and grazing. On December 17, 2003, the Administration decided to drop the proposal to ignore e-mail and postcards.
• Giant Sequoia. On December 6, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to open the Giant Sequoia National Monument to increased logging by permitting 10 million board feet of lumber to be cut each year.
• Forest planning. On November 27, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed new regulations that would weaken national forest protections established by the Reagan Administration in 1982. Habitat protection, public participation, and scientific review would be weakened or eliminated under the proposed regulations - and increased logging would occur. National forests contain 25 percent of the species at risk of extinction.
• Salmon protection. On November 25, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed new regulations to weaken salmon protections in order to increase logging in the Pacific Northwest. The main reason for changing the rules is to free public lands in the Northwest from court rulings that require the BLM and the Forest Service to show that timber sales will not harm fish.
• Drilling in national parks. On November 21, 2002, the Bush Administration approved natural gas drilling in Padre Island National Seashore in Texas, the nation's longest stretch of undeveloped beach. Padre Island is home to 11 endangered species and the largest nesting ground for the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, the world's most endangered sea turtle.
• Environmental reviews. On November 15, 2002, the Bush Administration announced it would attempt to make it easier to exempt from environmental reviews activities that it sees as having an insignificant effect on national parks, national monuments, and other public lands.
• Snowmobiles. On November 5, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to increase by more than 35 percent the number of snowmobiles allowed in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. In 2000, the Clinton Administration issued final rules that would eliminate the use of snowmobiles by 2003 and replace them with snow coaches that carry multiple passengers at slower speeds. On April 29, 2002, the EPA stated that snowmobiles in the parks violate air pollution standards and snow coaches "would provide the best available protection to human health, wildlife, air quality, soundscapes, visitor experiences and visibility." A National Park Service study showed that park workers were exposed to air pollution concentrations ten times higher than measured at the sides of certain Los Angeles freeways. Park employees are required to wear respirators and hearing protection during winter months because of headaches and nausea caused by snowmobile exhaust.
• Drilling in Utah's redrock desert. On November 1, 2002, a U.S. District Court rejected the Bush Administration's plan to allow oil exploration, seismic testing and drilling across 20,000 acres near Arches and Canyonland National Parks in Utah. On February 5, 2002, the Administration approved the oil drilling project over objections from park rangers and scientists.
• Northwest forests. On September 30, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to revise environmental rules for the Northwest Forest Plan that would lead to more logging. The Administration is proposing to weaken the wildlife protection survey and management rules.
• Glamis mine. On September 27, 2002, the Bush Administration announced that an open-pit gold mine could move forward on Native American tribal land in California. The area is considered sacred land by the Quechan Indian tribe. This action came after an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2003 Interior Appropriations bill passed the Senate that would prohibit the use of funds to examine the mine's potential or prepare for it. In January 2001, the Clinton Administration rejected the project due to the irreparable damage it would cause to the area that contains Indian cultural and religious sites.
• Yosemite. On September 24, 2002, the Bush Administration replaced the Superintendent at Yosemite National Park for advancing a long-delayed plan to reduce traffic congestion in the Yosemite Valley. In December 2000, the Clinton Administration issued a plan to require visitors to park outside the valley and ride in on buses and to relocate valley campgrounds that were prone to flooding.
• Development projects. On September 24, 2002, the Bush Administration removed an Agency for International Development employee for reporting environmental problems and waste in the review of U.S.-backed public bank loans to foreign infrastructure projects. The employee found there was inadequate review of environmental problems with loans to projects involving logging, agriculture, dam building, oil and gas exploration, and energy pipelines. The Administration has proposed to eliminate the full time position devoted to review of the environmental and public health impact of projects underwritten by development banks. A 1987 law prohibits U.S. funds from aiding banks that approve projects that have not undergone sufficient environmental assessments.
• Farm conservation. On September 18, 2002, the Bush Administration withheld congressionally-approved funding that helps farmers enroll land in voluntary conservation programs. The Office of Management and Budget denied U.S. Department of Agriculture's request of roughly $36.5 million for technical assistance to implement the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetland Reserve Program, and Farmland Reserve Program. The technical assistance money pays the salaries of employees who help farmers enroll land in those programs.
• Drilling in the Rockies. On August 12, 2002, the Bush Administration announced plans to allow oil and gas companies to expand drilling beyond the boundaries of the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument in Colorado. The area has the highest density of archaeological sites in the U.S. Approximately 85 percent of the monument is already leased for energy development. This is the first time drilling has been permitted to extend outside leased areas at a national monument. On August 21, 2002, a U.S. District Court temporarily stopped the oil drilling at the monument due to the irreparable harm that could be caused.
• Whales. On July 15, 2002, the Bush Administration approved a Navy plan to use low-frequency sonar to detect submarines, despite evidence of injuries to whales and dolphins. The permit exempts the Navy from the Marine Mammal Protection Act, allowing it to harm whales, and other species while flooding the oceans with intense sound. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration granted the Navy a permit for five years to power new sonar to spot super quiet submarines. In March 2000, Navy sonar tests resulted in the death of 23 whales in the Bahamas.
• Sierra Nevada. On June 28, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed changes to management plans for 11 national forests in the Sierra Nevada range. In December 2000, the Clinton Administration endorsed the Sierra Nevada management plan that would limit logging and grazing on 11.5 million acres to protect wildlife and reduce catastrophic wildfires. The plan was designed in part to end the balkanization that occurred through inconsistent logging and grazing policies on individual forests. The plan replaced individual policies with a uniform set of rules designed to improve conditions for wildlife and reduce fire danger.
• Snowmobiles. On June 25, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to continue to allow snowmobiling in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. In 2000, the Clinton Administration issued final rules that would eliminate the use of snowmobiles in these parks by 2003-2004 and replace them with snow coaches that carry multiple passengers at slower speeds. On April 29, 2002, the EPA stated that snowmobiles in the parks violate air pollution standards and snow coaches "would provide the best available protection to human health, wildlife, air quality, water quality, soundscapes, visitor experiences and visibility." Park employees are required to wear gas masks at the entrances because of headaches and nausea caused by the fumes of snowmobiles.
• Endangered species protection. On June 13, 2002, a U.S. District Court reversed a Bush Administration proposal to removed federal protection for the Southern California gnatcatcher bird. The court rejected the Administration's efforts to remove the protection while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts a new analysis of the economic impact on property owners, a process that is expected to take several months. At that time, the agency must submit new proposed habitat rules but the current protections will remain in effect until then.
• Missouri River. On June 7, 2002, the Bush Administration delayed action on a plan for flow changes in the Missouri River, despite public acknowledgment by the Corps of Engineers that its present management of the river violates the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service ruled earlier that such changes are necessary to prevent the extinction of endangered fish and birds. In December 2001, the Corps of Engineers agreed that increased water flows in the spring are necessary to save the river's pallid sturgeon, piping plovers, and least terns. On January 9, 2002, the National Academy of Science found that "the degradation of the Missouri River ecosystem will continue unless the river's natural water flow is significantly restored."
• Offshore oil drilling. On June 7, 2002, the Bush Administration rejected California's request to buyback 36 offshore oil leases. On May 29, 2002, the Administration announced it would buy back onshore and offshore oil leases in Florida. The Administration attempted to downplay the discrepancy between their push to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore California to oil drilling, at the same time making certain areas in Florida off-limits to energy development.
  
  On January 10, 2002, the Bush Administration tried to deny the right of California to review proposals for oil drilling off the coast, and appealed a District Court ruling that allows California to block new oil drilling off its coast. The District Court held that the Department of the Interior illegally extended 36 undeveloped oil leases off the California coast because it failed to comply with the Coastal Zone Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. On December 2, 2002, a federal appeals court upheld this decision and the Bush Administration decided not to appeal. The Administration had suggested that the federal government buy back some of the leases, and allow drilling to occur in the rest. California opposes offshore drilling.
• Oregon forest. On May 21, 2002, the Bush Administration announced plans to open approximately one million acres to mining in southwest Oregon. In January 2001, the Clinton Administration issued a mining moratorium on one million acres of Forest Service and BLM lands in the Siskiyou region. The Siskiyou region in Oregon is one of the most diverse ecological regions in the nation. The area contains 15 Wild and Scenic Rivers and some of the best remaining free flowing salmon and steelhead trout habitat in the U.S.
• Forest protection. On May 17, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to open nine million acres to logging and road construction and rejected plans to designate additional acres as wilderness in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. In 2001, a U.S. District Court ordered the U.S. Forest Service to consider whether portions of Tongass should be designated as wilderness. The Tongass National Forest covers 17 million acres in southeast Alaska and is the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world.
• Powder River Basin. On May 16, 2002, the EPA issued the worst possible rating to a gas drilling project in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, saying the plan failed to protect nearby rivers and streams. On April 26, 2002, the Board of Appeals at the Department of the Interior had ruled that several gas leases in the Basin were illegal because they were based on outdated environmental impact study. The Administration has proposed to drill 51,000 wells in the Basin.
• Coral reef reserve. On May 13, 2002, the Bush Administration announced potential changes to the Northwestern Hawaiian Island Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, that was established by executive order by President Clinton, and is the second largest marine reserve in the world. Just weeks before, on April 19, 2002, the Administration stated its support for the reserve.
  
  The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Conrad Lautenbacher, said "the executive order isn't necessarily going to be the final rule. It certainly could change. You have to look at alternatives." He was referring specifically to changes to the management of the reserve that would limit coral reef protections and open additional areas to commercial activity.
• Salmon restoration. On May 7, 2002, the Bush Administration agreed to weaken endangered species protection when a U.S. District Court accepted a settlement between developers and the federal government that would remove critical habitat protection for 19 groups of Pacific salmon while federal officials reconsider the economic impacts of saving the fish from extinction. Critical habitat is a category of protected land in which development and other uses can be limited or barred to ensure the survival of imperiled plants and animals.
• National monuments. On April 24, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed management plans that would weaken protections for 17 national monuments created by the Clinton Administration. The Department of the Interior proposes to establish a regional or local management board for each national monument and increase oil and gas development, mining and use by off-road vehicles, and other commercial activities.
• Personal watercraft. On April 16, 2002, the Bush Administration issued restrictions, as a result of a court settlement, on personal watercraft (PWC) at some national parks, while at the same time reversing earlier decisions to ban PWC at other parks. The Administration is pushing to overturn the bans one by one by requiring each national park to reopen public comment on the ban. The EPA has found that two-stroke PWC engines discharge 30 percent of their fuel unburned into the water.
• Manatee protection. On July 31, 2002, the Bush Administration asked to be released from a court settlement that requires the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to designate manatee protection areas in Florida. The FWS has failed to establish 16 marine refuges for manatees in Florida. Manatees are an endangered species, and the number killed by boats continues to increase. This year, 186 manatees have been killed by boats in Florida. On April 16, 2002, the Administration proposed new rules that would allow speed boats in protected manatee areas. The Administration's failure to ensure that manatee areas are protected contradicts rules which require all federal agencies to strengthen protection in marine refuges and sanctuaries.
• Northwest Forest Plan. On April 7, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to eliminate the Northwest Forest Plan and increase logging of old-growth forests. The Plan provides funding for habitat protection, timber management, and job training. The Plan was established in 1994 by the Clinton Administration to protect one million acres of federal forests for threatened northern spotted owl and other wildlife while permitting logging of one billion board feet of federal timber each year.
• Arctic Refuge. On March 29, 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey issued a comprehensive 12-year peer reviewed wildlife report stating that "oil development will most likely result in restricting the location of concentrated caribou calving areas, calving sites and annual caribou ground." The Bush Administration continues to push for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic Refuge holds only six months of economically recoverable oil and would not be available for ten years.
• Off-road vehicles. On March 29, 2002, the Bush Administration announced a plan to open 50,000 acres of currently protected dunes to off-road vehicles in the Imperial Sand Dunes in California. The Administration decided to scuttle a plan developed by the Clinton Administration, working with local citizens and officials, to re-route some trails and protect certain areas from use by off-road vehicles.
• Rocky Mountain Front. On March 28, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to lift the ban and expand oil and gas exploration in Rocky Mountain Front in Montana. In 1997, the Clinton Administration declared a moratorium on new oil and gas leases in some areas of the Rocky Mountain Front. In February 2002, Agriculture Secretary Veneman endorsed oil and gas exploration in the Rocky Mountain Front, said "when you look at the new technologies that we have today, in terms of extraction of resources, we can't preclude any options."
• Wilderness areas. On March 28, 2002, in response to a lawsuit, the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service decided to restudy and revise its analysis and proposal to permit mining in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area in Montana. On December 26, 2001, the Bush Administration approved a permit to allow the mine to go forward. The proposed mine would impact fish and wildlife habitat and dump wastewater into the Clark Fork River.
• Drilling in Utah's redrock desert. On February 25, 2002, the Department of the Interior appeals office halted oil and gas exploration project on federal lands between Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah that could cause irreparable harm. The exploration activities include the cable and heavy-duty thumper trucks to conduct seismic testing.
• Roads in public lands. On February 22, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed a rule that would allow states to claim ownership of roads on national parks and other public lands. The Administration and some states are using right-of-way claims to prevent land from becoming protected as wilderness. Revised Statute 2477 is an 1866 law that allows states to claim rights-of-way across federal lands. Alaska, Utah and Colorado have asserted claims to thousands of miles of dirt roads, trails and wagon tracks, many of which are in national parks and wilderness areas.
• National monument. On January 21, 2002, the Bush Administration approval to a company to drill eight natural gas wells on federal land on the eastern end of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana.
• Oil and gas drilling. On January 4, 2002, the Bush Administration ordered the Interior Department field offices to expedite permit application for oil and gas exploration. The Administration issued a memorandum stating, "Utah needs to ensure that existing staff understand that when an oil and gas lease parcel or when permit application comes in the door that work is their No. 1 priority."
• Everglades. On November 6, 2001, the Bush Administration shut down an Interior Department office in South Florida that had been established to coordinate work on a 30-year, $7.8 billion Everglades restoration plan.
• Wetlands. On October 31, 2001, the Army Corps of Engineers issued a new policy regarding compensation or mitigation for destroyed wetlands that ignores the national goal of achieving "no net loss" of wetlands - - a goal that has been the guiding principal of the national wetlands regulatory program since being established during the first Bush Administration.
• National park. On August 22, 2001, the Bush Administration reversed a National Park Service finding that air pollution from a proposed coal-fired power plant in western Kentucky would significantly hamper visibility at nearby Mammoth Cave National Park.
• National forests. On August 22, 2001, the Bush Administration issued an interim directive giving the Forest Service the authority to review road building and timber sale projects in roadless areas, unless a national forest has a revised management plan.
• Enforcement. On July 23, 2001, the Bush Administration announced plans to downgrade federal EPA enforcement efforts and shift resources to the states. The Administration's budget proposal calls for reducing the agency's enforcement staff in by 8 percent, or 270 positions.
• Grizzly bears. On June 20, 2001, the Bush Administration halted a plan to reintroduce endangered grizzly bears into their habitats of Idaho and Montana. The area to be used for the reintroduction was selected primarily due to its enclosure in federal lands and limited connection to surrounding private lands.
• Wildlife protections. On May 16, 2001, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman suspended Forest Service regulations, developed during the Clinton Administration, that guide the development of management plans for national forests.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation

• Air conditioner efficiency. On May 22, 2002, the Bush Administration issued a final rule that lowered the air conditioner efficiency standard from 30 percent (SEER 13) to 20 percent (SEER 12). On January 13, 2004 a U.S. Court of Appeals overturned this decision stating that the Department of Energy (DOE) violated energy and environmental laws. DOE has estimated that the new SEER 13 standard would reduce electric demand equivalent to the output of 22 medium-sized power plants. EPA has stated "there is a strong rationale to support a SEER 13 (30 percent) standard that will do more to stimulate energy savings that benefit the consumer, reduce fossil fuel consumption, and limit emissions of air pollutants."
• Energy Star program. On August 30, 2003, the Bush Administration cut $12.5 million from EPA's Energy Star program, which recognizes energy efficient products. The funding cut has resulted in lost contracts and delayed work on projects.
• White House energy task force. On August 25, 2003, the GAO issued a report stating that the White House collaborated heavily with corporations in developing the Administration's energy plan and repeatedly refused to give investigators details of meetings. The GAO said that the task force, led by Vice President Cheney, relied on advice from "petroleum, coal, nuclear, natural gas and electricity industry representatives and lobbyists."
• Air conditioner efficiency. On May 22, 2002, the Bush Administration issued a final rule that lowered the air conditioner efficiency standard from 30 percent (SEER 13) to 20 percent (SEER 12).
• Renewable energy. On August 27, 2002, the Bush Administration, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, led an effort to oppose a plan for increasing the world's use of renewable energy (wind, solar, and geothermal) to 15 percent by 2010. At the Summit, the Administration blocked several proposals on energy, climate change, and development.
• More efficient cars and trucks. On January 9, 2002, the Bush Administration proposed to eliminate the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles program, a research partnership with the American automobile manufacturers, that developed ways to produce cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks.
• Air conditioner efficiency. On February 12, 2001, the Bush Administration delayed new energy-efficiency standards for central air conditioners and heat pumps, washers, water heaters, and commercial heating and cooling equipment. These standards would save consumers and businesses more than $19 billion through 2030, and save the equivalent of the power produced by 91 new power plants.