In case you haven’t heard, the Bush administration wants to rewrite the Endangered Species Act to cut scientific review by independent experts out of the picture completely.Under the proposed new rules, dam and highway construction and other federal projects could proceed without delay if the agency in charge decides they would not harm vulnerable species.For those of you who don’t know what that means: any federal agency can just say “We’re not harming anything. Let’s tear down this forest for a new highway!” That will certainly mean the demise of many animals on the endangered list.And in case you’re interested, no vote is needed here, just a 30 day comment period and then the rules are in place.In the words of my friend Gail, this is some “deep dish bullshit.” Seriously, this is one of the craziest things to come out of the Bush administration in years. Our own national symbol, the bald eagle would almost certainly be extinct if not for the Endangered Species Act.But fuck it!  I guess we need more highways and bridges after all. 

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