In Last-Minute Flurry, Bush Seeks to Ease Environmental Rules

With two months remaining in office, the Bush administration is seeking changes in numerous federal regulations that would weaken environmental standards and allow industries to increase levels of pollution, according to a report in the Washington Post. The changes, which can be made without Congressional approval, would allow power plants to increase emissions, ease limits on emissions from coal-fired power plants near national parks, and allow increased emissions from oil refineries and chemical plants involved in complex manufacturing operations. Another rule would eliminate a requirement for environmental impact statements for certain fisheries and give greater authority to regional fisheries councils dominated by commercial fishing interests. Yet another proposed regulatory change would lift an important restriction on mountaintop coal mining. One critic called the changes, which would be difficult for the next administration to reverse, “a last-minute assault on the public … happening on multiple fronts.” Meanwhile, federal officials also are reviving plans to allow oil and gas drilling in wilderness areas in eastern Utah.