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"This is the worst environmental president we’ve had in American history." [http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0916-27.htm --Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]
*If you look at NRDC’s (Natural Resources Defense Council) website you’ll see [http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/ over 400 major environmental roll backs that are listed there] that have been implemented or proposed by this administration over the past four years as part of a deliberate concerted effort to eviscerate 30 years of environmental law.
*[http://bushgreenwatch.org/ Bush Greenwatch] is "dedicated to expanding [[media]] coverage and public awareness of the many vital environmental and public health issues affected by the administration's anti-environmental agenda, which consistently places the interests of corporate donors above the public good."
:Spadaro says his investigation found [[Massey Energy]], the owner of the impoundment containing the viscous and toxic liquid, knew the containment was weak, and in fact, had leaked once before. The company was going to be cited for serious violations that could have resulted in large fines and criminal charges, Spadaro says.
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To avoid answering questions posed by six U.S. Senators concerned with the records of President Bush and [[EPA ]] nominee [[Michael Leavitt]] on environmental issues that affect the lives of millions of Americans, Senate Republicans [[Bill Frist]] (R-TN) and [[Mitch McConnelMcConnell]] (R-KY) last night filed a [[cloture ]] petition ( [http://www.petitionspot.com/write_pet.php write a petition] ) to override "holds" placed on Leavitt's nomination and to cut off any floor debate--before any debate has even begun. --[http://www.earthjustice.org/news/display.html?ID=708 EarthJustice]
:"The Senators with holds on Mike Leavitt's confirmation vote have asked legitimate questions about this nomination. The Senators have questions that have yet to be answered about whether Governor Leavitt and President Bush will continue to weaken our nation's environmental safeguards. They are refusing to release information about their anti-environmental policies," said Joan Mulhern, senior legislative counsel for [[Earthjustice]].
:"This disrespectful disregard of traditional Senate processes is an effort to force a vote on the EPA nomination before many important questions can even be asked," said Mulhern. "The Bush administration and Senate Republican leadership apparently don't believe they have to answer to anyone about their policies to destroy federal environmental safeguards. These are life and death issues for many Americans - will our drinking water be clean? Is the air safe for our kids to breathe? The Bush White House and Governor Leavitt do not want to answer these questions.
While [[George W. Bush]] gets low marks on the environment from a majority of Americans, few fully appreciate the scope and fury of this administration's anti-environmental agenda. [http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/news/ntn33876.htm]
:"What they're doing makes the [[Reagan administration]] look innocent," says [[Buck Parker]], executive director of [[Earthjustice]], a non-profit environmental law firm.
:The Bush administration has been
:*gutting key sections of the [[Clean Water Act|Clean Water]] and [[Clean Air Act|Clean Air ]] acts, laws that have traditionally had bipartisan support and have done more to protect the health of Americans than any other environmental legislation.
:*It has crippled the Superfund program, which is charged with cleaning up millions of pounds of toxic industrial wastes such as arsenic, lead, mercury and vinyl chloride in more than 1,000 neighbourhoods in 48 states.
:*It has sought to cut the [[EPA]]'s enforcement division by nearly one-fifth, to its lowest level on record; fines assessed for environmental violations dropped by nearly two-thirds in the administration's first two years; and criminal prosecutions -- the government's weapon of last resort against the worst polluters -- are down by nearly one-third.
:*Other national treasures that have been opened for development include the million-acre Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in Arizona, the 2,000-foot red-rock spires at Fisher Towers, Utah, and dozens of others.
:*[[mountaintop-removal coal mining |mountaintop removal]] involves blasting away entire mountaintops to get at coal seams below and dumping the resulting rubble, called "spoil," into adjacent valleys. ... which has buried at least 1,000 miles of Appalachian streams and destroyed tens of thousands of acres of woodland that the EPA describes as "unique in the world" for their biological diversity.
:And then, of course, the White House has all but denied the existence of what may be the most serious environmental problem of our time, [[global warming]].
:[[J. Steven Griles]] is one of industry's moles within the Bush administration. Before coming to work as deputy secretary of the Interior, Griles was one of the most powerful [[lobbyist]]s in Washington, with a long list of energy-industry clients, including the [[National Mining Association]] and several of the country's largest coal companies. [http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/news/ntn33876.htm]
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"By using stealth tactics to pursue a [[corporate welfare|corporate agenda]], the Bush administration is undermining the very landscape of democracy. The White House has also been darkly brilliant at using the courts to do its dirty work -- through methods suchas such as "[[sweetheart suits]]," the practice of encouraging states and private groups to file lawsuits against the federal government, and then agreeing to negotiated settlements that bypass environmental laws without any interference from Congress or the public. [http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/news/ntn33876.htm]
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Update: Bush the sequel likly likely to be a crusade against the environment. [http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=589884 Bush sets out plan to dismantle 30 years of environmental laws]
*[[Bush regime cronyism]]
*[[corporate welfare]]
*[[The Sixth Great Extinction]]
*Christopher Drew & Richard A. Oppel Jr., [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/06/politics/06LOBB.html?pagewanted=print How Industry Won the Battle of Pollution Control at E.P.A.], ''New York Times'', March 6, 2004.
*[http://www.uspirg.org/ U.S. PIRG], 12 April 2004, [http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0412-04.htm Industry-Biased Report Threatens Superfund Toxic Waste Cleanup and Public Health]
*[http://www.environment2004.org/ Environment 2004] report '''Putting Polluters First: The Bush Administration's Environmental Record.'''
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[[category:environment]][[Category:George W. Bush]]